The fist came straight for my face.
Time slowed.
My eyes squeezed shut on instinct—my body refusing to move, refusing to react.
When is it going to hit?
Is it going to hurt…?
Am I actually going to die right here?
"C-come on, man—I'm sorry! You flow users are too strong to be beating me like thi—"
I never got to finish.
A burst of blinding purple light swallowed everything.
And then—
Nothing.
—5 Hours Later—
Warmth.
That was the first thing I felt.
Soft. Gentle. Like my body had sunk into a bed made of feathers. My head rested against something pillowy, cradling me in a way that almost made me forget—
The pain.
Faint sounds drifted into my ears.
Clopping footsteps.The rapid tapping of keyboards.The scratch of pens signing papers.
My foggy mind pieced it together slowly.
"…Those bastards sent me straight to the ER," I muttered, wincing as my eyelids fluttered open.
White.
Nothing but white curtains and a pale ceiling stared back at me. The kind you could push aside or pop open if you really wanted to see what was hidden above.
I lay there, unmoving.
Frustration bubbled up from deep inside my chest.
"Flow users first… normal people second, huh?"
A bitter laugh escaped me.
"What a load of shit."
My fingers clenched slightly against the sheets.
"I don't need flow to be happy."
"Hahaha… same boat, huh?"
The sudden voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
I turned my head quickly toward the source.
Embarrassment hit me just as fast.
"Ah—sorry about that. I was just… venting."
"No bother, man," the voice replied casually. "Actually… how did you even end up in here?"
Fair question.
Most people didn't get a bed in the academy ER unless things got serious.
I exhaled slowly. "Long story short… I talked trash to the muscle-head hightop group."
A pause.
Then—
"Oh, those guys? The new ones at Shalu Academy?" he said, almost amused. "Yeah… those flow users have been causing trouble everywhere they go."
The curtain slid open with a soft shhhk.
"Just a bunch of rookies," he continued. "They'll either join a bigger group or fall apart once they realize they're not all that."
For the first time since waking up, I felt a sliver of relief.
"Good to know…" I muttered.
Then I looked at him properly.
Black hair. Easy posture. A warm, almost disarming smile.
Not threatening.
Not like the others.
I saw on the desk, beside him that he had a badge from the shalu research department
So,taking a chance I decided to ask him a few questions.
" you seem to know a lot about flow," I said cautiously. "And this academy too."
I hesitated for a moment before adding,
"I'm from the Green Lands… so I don't really know much about any of it."
My voice dropped slightly.
"…If you can—please explain it to me."
He blinked, clearly surprised.
"Oh? You're a Greenie?"
A grin spread across his face as he stepped closer.
"I guess I can tell you everything I know…"
He extended his hand toward me.
"But only if you answer two questions for me afterward."
There was a brief pause.
Then—
"My name's Hadal."
I stared at his hand for a second before reaching out.
"…Joseph."
Our hands met.
And just like that—
Something told me my life at this academy was about to get a lot more complicated