"I'm gonna pummel you three," Sai said, staring Ryu down with a decisive glare.
"So, you're the lonely commoner, huh?" Caleb said, his eyes closed as he adjusted his glasses.
"And who do you think you're talking to, four-eyes?" Sai replied, tilting his head toward Caleb with a deadly look.
Caleb slowly opened his eyes.
"I wouldn't expect magical attacks to work on you."
"However, there are more barbaric methods."
"Even someone as skilled in battle as you is no match for the three of us at once."
"You're simply outmatched."
Sai gave a confident smile.
"Yeah, I agree."
"You're gonna need about a dozen more guys."
The moment he heard that, Caleb boiled with rage. It felt as though his entire body had become a blazing furnace.
"I WILL TAKE SUCH INSOLENCE—"
"NO MORE!!"
Caleb shouted as he rushed toward Sai. Ryota followed suit at an even faster pace.
Ryu launched a punch straight at Sai's face with his right hand.
Yet Sai remained completely unfazed and surprisingly calm.
The students in the hallway gasped in horror, believing both Sai and Natsumi were about to get seriously hurt.
Sai waited…!
And waited…!
And waited…!
Until the three of them were within equal range of him.
Then, at the very last second, he dodged Ryu's punch by flinging himself upside down into the air with silent precision.
Sai clenched his fist and drove it downward toward Ryu's head.
At the same time, while midair, he split his legs apart and kicked both Caleb and Ryota directly in the face.
"What the—?!"
"He just pulled a Sasuke on those dudes!"
"Ain't no way I'm ever messing with him," a tall, slim, dark-skinned guy muttered in awe.
"AGGHHHHHH!"
The three bullies screamed in agony.
With a heavy thud, Ryu's face slammed first into the brick hallway floor.
Ryota rolled across the ground like a child throwing a tantrum, clutching his nose in unbearable pain.
At this point, it was obvious to everyone that his nose was broken.
Caleb, on the other hand, seemed to have gotten the worst of it. Two of his teeth lay on the floor as blood continuously spilled from his mouth, his shattered glasses scattered everywhere.
"H… how can this be?!"
"Me?!"
"Lose to a mere commoner?!"
"Gbuuaaah!"
Caleb thought in disbelief as he spat blood onto the corridor floor.
The other students instinctively moved aside.
"I know your kind."
"A bully then, a bully now."
"It's like a never-ending chain of bad guys."
"I WILL NOT LOSE TO A LOWLY COMMONER LIKE YOU!!"
"I'D…"
"RATHER…"
"DIE…!!!"
Caleb roared in rage, trying desperately to stand, but his body refused to move. All he could do was stare shamefully at his conqueror.
The humiliation ate away at him from the inside.
"Ugh, enough with the bullshit already. It's getting tiring," Sai said nonchalantly, scratching the back of his head with his right hand while the other rested in his pocket.
"Commoner this…"
"Royal that…"
"BLAH… BLAH… BLAH!"
"I'm tired of it."
"That being said, the reason I'm upset with you guys isn't because you were bullying the little fella."
"Huh…?" Ryu muttered, forcing himself to look up at Sai.
Caleb looked even more confused.
"I'm upset because you bullied him for no good reason."
"Give me a break. What do you know about us?"
"People like you always get to be the good guy."
"You get the glory… and the girls too."
Ryu spoke bitterly as blood streamed down the cuts on his face.
Hearing that, Sai gave a faint smile, shoved his hands into his pockets, and turned away as though he was about to leave.
"Honestly…"
"I don't mind being the bad guy."
"Wha…?!" Caleb muttered in shock.
"Huh?!" Ryu's confusion deepened.
Ryota, meanwhile, still clung desperately to his nose.
"Because someone has to play that role and get things done."
Sai slightly turned his head toward Caleb.
"You do bad things for no reason."
"You do them just to be a dick."
"Debatable," Caleb muttered shamefully, lowering his gaze.
Sai faced forward again, standing firm and confident.
"If you wanna be bad, then be bad with purpose."
"Otherwise, you're not even worth forgiving."
At that moment, Caleb felt something strange inside his chest.
It was warm.
Gentle.
As though a burden had suddenly been lifted from his heart.
It was a feeling he had never experienced before.
Redemption.
A light smile formed on his face as Sai walked away.
"You really are a good guy… huh?"
"Curse you, Sai Takka…"
Sai walked past the crowd of students as though lost in thought.
"Yo, Sai!"
A voice called out from the crowd.
It was Ryan.
He waved enthusiastically as he jogged toward Sai with a bright grin plastered across his face.
"Whew…"
"Was worried about ya for a second there, buddy."
"Where'd you run off to?"
Ryan asked curiously. He wanted to know everything about the new cool kid.
"Although nobody's placed him on a pedestal yet, even I can tell this guy's going places… and I wanna be there to support and learn from him every step of the way," Ryan thought.
"Sorry, something urgent came up," Sai replied.
"Oh, I get it!" Ryan answered cheerfully.
"Come on, or we'll be late for broom lessons!"
"Well…"
"He's a feisty one," Sai thought as a modest smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
Minutes later, the students gathered at the field as the air thickened with murmurs and whispers from every direction.
Sai was slightly surprised.
He had never seen a field this massive before.
It was almost the size of a standard football pitch back on Earth. The grass was evenly trimmed and perfectly maintained, while the bright blue sky above made the atmosphere feel strangely refreshing.
Perfect weather for broom flying.
"Well, what do I care? It's not like I can fly a broomstick anyway," Sai soliloquized with a bitter smile, his eyes closed and hands buried in his pockets.
Maya observed him quietly from a distance, her face as pale as ever, as though she wanted to approach him but lacked the courage.
"Pipe down, kids! You're practically grown adults for crying out loud!" a loud voice roared across the field.
The students looked around in confusion, unable to locate the source.
"Up here, ya dwindles!" the voice shouted again.
Miss Bramble soared through the skies while standing atop her broomstick as though she were putting on a grand performance.
Nope—scratch that.
She was definitely showing off.
The flying broom instructor, Professor Bramble, was a whimsical yet highly skilled teacher at Zorel Magical Academia.
With a twinkle in her eye and a wild tangle of curly hair, she soared through the skies on her trusted broomstick, Moonwhisper.
Professor Bramble taught Advanced Aerial Magic, emphasizing agility, speed, and broom-handling finesse.
Her classes were said to be filled with laughter, daring maneuvers, and the thrill of flying through the clouds.
"Wooooow…!"
"Emergency landing!!"
"Move outta the way, kids!" Miss Bramble yelled.
The students quickly scattered aside.
At nearly thirteen feet above the ground, Miss Bramble jumped off her broom with it still tightly clutched in her hand as gravity took its natural course.
Some students assumed she would use magic to soften her landing—
But no.
She landed manually.
The impact shook the ground slightly as she rose dramatically into a cool pose.
The students erupted into cheers and applause.
"And I thought my aura-farming moments were intense…"
"But she's the real deal."
Sai admitted with slightly widened eyes, though he still maintained his cool demeanor.
"Wait a minute… her hairstyle's different from the one we saw earlier," Ryan muttered.
"No kidding. She probably used magic to redo it," Sai replied casually.
"Professor Bramble's ma name, and seekin' thrilling adventures is ma game!"
...….?!
Sai smacked his face in disappointment.
"She just lost about forty percent of her aura," he muttered amidst the awkward silence.
"Okay, kids! Today you'll be learning how to fly a broom! Bottoms up!"
She flicked her wand, releasing a brilliant ray of enchanted blue light that surrounded the students.
"Waaaaah!" Ryan gasped in amazement, his mouth hanging wide open.
Broomsticks formed from the light and floated beside each student—
Except Sai.
Sai cracked a faint smile.
"Well…"
"That's my cue to leave."
"Wait, Sai!"
"Where are you going? Class is about to start!"
"Can't use magic, remember?"
"O… oh yeah…"
"I guess we'll meet later then!" Ryan said cheerfully.
"Sure thing, little dude," Sai replied with a lazy wave as he walked away.
Even as he left, he could still hear Miss Bramble's voice echoing from behind.
"Okay, kids! The trick to getting your brooms to levitate is relaxing your mind!"
"Once your mind and body are at rest, you'll feel yourself becoming one with the mana…"
---
Meanwhile…
At the outskirts of Zorel Academy stood a tall, pale middle-aged man with a black mustache and beard streaked with traces of white.
A pitch-black robe covered his body.
The outskirts of Zorel were dense with trees and bushes. Despite the wilderness, the atmosphere remained strangely peaceful, with the sweet fragrance of flowers drifting through the air.
Oddly enough, the place was completely deserted.
"The perfect spot for a meeting."
"He should be here any minute now."
Wraith muttered as memories of the Death Stalkers' meeting resurfaced in his mind.
"Send Wraith."
One of the Death Stalkers stepped forward.
"Sir, shouldn't we send someone stronger?"
"The person we're dealing with is an exceptional fighter, and his body nullifies magic."
"Wraith will not be going there to fight. We've all witnessed his skills when it comes to negotiation and persuasion."
"I believe he's the perfect candidate for this task."
The man hesitated.
He paused thoughtfully before finally speaking again.
"But what if something goes wrong? I doubt Wraith can best that boy."
"Who said Wraith would be going alone?" Varn replied in a low whisper.
"My brother Von will accompany him, though he'll remain hidden. He's only there to provide support if necessary."
"Now, Wraith…"
"We must fulfill the prophecy."
"Bring that cursed child to us…"
"By fair means… or foul."
Varn's words echoed through Wraith's mind like darkness swallowing light.
Wraith waited silently as time slowly passed.
"Where the hell is Von? We're running out of time."
"Have you tried the lost and found?"
Wraith immediately frowned in irritation.
"No, I haven't, and you're obviously being sarcasti—"
He froze.
"Wait…?!"
"Who said that?!"
Wraith leapt backward in alarm, his heartbeat accelerating as sweat formed on his palms.
Who was there?!
"Who do ya think, dumbass?"
"What the hell is scum like you doing here? I knew something felt off about your ki."
Sai stepped out from between the trees, his fists clenched as the wind brushed through his hair. The longer strands swayed lightly as he moved with lethal grace through the forest.
It was almost as though the growth of his hair symbolized the tangled threads of his past slowly unraveling into the present.
"What…?!"
"We weren't supposed to meet this early!"
"And I couldn't sense his presence because he has no mana…"
"He must've used ki reading to detect me. That ability isn't common in our generation—especially at his age!"
"This boy is truly impressive," Wraith thought, his brows furrowing deeply.
"I just hope he came alone… otherwise my plan is finished."
"You've got three seconds to explain who the fuck you are and what the hell you're doing here before I pulverize you," Sai said coldly, cracking his knuckles together with violent finality.