Lin Mo stood alone near the rusted railings, his hands in his pockets, his eyes lost in thought.
Below, the schoolyard was emptying.
But not everyone had gone home.
"Yo, nerd!"
Lin Mo turned slightly, recognizing the voice immediately. Xu Jie. The self-proclaimed alpha of Class 3. C-Rank swordsman. Always surrounded by his two idiot followers—both D-Rank.
"You here to cry about your lame ability?"
The three of them laughed.
Lin Mo said nothing.
"Man, you even awake, dragon boy?" Xu Jie snorted. "Why don't you summon your little candle flame and warm our hands?"
Still, Lin Mo didn't answer. Just kept staring at the sky.
It pissed them off.
Xu Jie cracked his knuckles. "Tch. Playing cool, huh? Let's beat some respect into him."
The two cronies moved in first.
Lin Mo sighed.
Snap.
A stream of flame spiraled from his fingertips, weaving like a serpent. The air shimmered with heat. The D-Rank goons stopped mid-charge, eyes wide.
"W-What the hell is that?!"
Lin Mo raised one hand.
Clap.
A fireball exploded outward.
The rooftop trembled. One of the cronies screamed as he was thrown back into the water tank. The metal groaned from the impact.
Xu Jie drew his sword, panic slipping into his eyes. "You bastard—! You trying to kill us?!"
Lin Mo finally looked at him.
His glasses reflected the dying sun, and behind them, his eyes were glowing like molten gold.
"I told you," Lin Mo said calmly, voice like smoldering embers, "Don't poke the dragon."
He stepped forward.
Xu Jie slashed.
Lin Mo weaved to the side, heat rippling off his body. He raised his hand, palm out.
Boom.
A beam of flame, pure and focused, shot from his hand and struck the concrete beneath Xu Jie's feet. The swordsman flew backward, crashing through the rooftop door.
The flames scorched a path across the surface, charring everything in their wake.
Smoke rose.
Lin Mo stood there, surrounded by heat and silence.
But as the smoke cleared, he saw it—
A second figure had arrived. A girl.
She stood on the other end of the rooftop, staring at him. Long black hair. Eyes like frost. Tang Xue. The only B-Rank student in their class.
"…You're not what they say you are," she said quietly.
Lin Mo didn't respond. He couldn't. Not now.
His hand trembled.
He had burned too hot, too fast.
He turned away and walked toward the edge.
Behind him, Xu Jie groaned in the wreckage.
"I'll be back," Lin Mo said softly. "But next time... don't expect mercy."
He leapt off the side.
His flames caught him midair, forming wings for a moment. Then he vanished into the night.