Later, as Alex was walking to his desk, Avery walked beside him.
"Why did you fight him?" she asked softly.
Alex sighed.
"Honestly? We don't even know why we fought."
He dropped into his seat, letting the morning wear off.
From across the room, Gwen was still staring at him—curious, cautious… and something else entirely.
Ben grabbed Alex by the collar the moment he stepped into class.
"Hey! Gwen was upset! She heard you were in the hospital early this morning! Where the hell were you last night?"
Alex shoved him aside, right next to Gwen.
"Oh, now you explain it to her."
Ben groaned.
"Listen—when we entered school today, everyone was staring at us like they knew some secret. I asked a girl why, and guess what she said?"
Alex raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"She said you and the Ace Squad Captain got into a massive fight! And because of it, Old Man Sam almost exposed the entire drug scandal and political mafia to the press, DEA, and Interpol!"
Alex nodded casually.
"Yup. That... happened. All thanks to me and Old Man Mark. I'm officially on rest for the next four days."
A few front-benchers turned back, gawking at Alex. He snapped,
"What? Got a problem? Mind your notes!"
They turned away, whispering.
Ben leaned in.
"Okay, fine. But what about Gwen?"
Alex finally looked at her. She was sitting silently, tears threatening to spill over.
"Ben, switch seats with me."
They swapped spots. Alex turned to her.
"Gwen... I'm sorry. I promised I'd come back home. But you know how it is... I got into another fight."
The tears finally fell. Her cheeks flushed red.
Avery, noticing, asked gently,
"Gwen? Are you alright? I think... you're crying."
Gwen quickly wiped her face.
"I'm fine, ma'am. Just an eye infection. A fly hit me."
Avery laughed.
"Well then, make sure you kill that fly first."
Alex covered his face as Ben and Athina burst out laughing, practically falling over each other. Avery rolled her eyes and continued the lecture.
Alex leaned back, grinning at Gwen.
"Gweeen…"
No response.
"Gweeen! Gwen! Gweeeen!"
He tilted his head.
"Hey, Princess Windall~"
She glared at him with fire in her eyes. Alex snapped forward like the most innocent student in class and dozed off on his desk.
Lunch Break
Alex opened his lunch box. Empty. No one fed him anything.
He slouched over to Ben.
"Hey, my hand's still injured. Feed me?"
James appeared from behind and handed him a folded note.
Alex opened it and read aloud,
"Since no one's feeding me, I'm upset and starving."
He sighed dramatically and went to the coffee machine. While ordering a fruit juice, James leaned against the wall.
"How the hell did our fight get leaked, Alex?"
Alex shrugged.
"It spread from last night. The whole school knows by now."
James nodded.
"Your bruises still hurt, huh?"
Alex laughed.
"You dumbass. Slow healing doesn't mean I'm immortal!"
Just then, a voice cracked through the hallway.
"Did you hurt Alex?"
They both turned. Gwen stood there—eyes fierce, an ice spear spinning beside her like a wrathful halo.
James panicked.
"Wait! I can explain!"
Gwen didn't blink.
"Alex. We're meeting after lunch."
She turned on her heel. James bolted.
Alex jogged beside her.
"Come on, I really got beat last night. Full-blown treatment, IV drips, the works."
She glanced at him, eyes glassy again.
"Okay, Princess. I'm sorry. Here's my peace offering." He held out a small chocolate.
She wiped her tears and sighed.
"If you ever fight again without telling me, I won't forgive you. You know how worried I was?"
Alex took her hand.
"I'm sorry, Princess. I was a reckless idiot. Forgive me, yeah? I'm starving to death here."
With a soft smile, Gwen began feeding him.
"So… where did you go last night?"
Alex grinned mid-bite.
"Passed out from exhaustion. Woke up at Dora's. Got treated. Then we went out—KFC, burgers, movies, even a game night at a VR club."
Gwen listened, half-annoyed but clearly melting.
Alex chuckled.
"Some dude tried flirting with Dora—guess what we did?"
Ben and Athina leaned in, curious.
"We called Dora Mom and asked her to buy us toy guns. Dude ran for his life."
Ben couldn't hold it—he laughed till he choked.
Athina shook her head with a smirk.
"You're unbelievable."
Afternoon
They arrived at the open stadium… and froze.
The field was packed. Students whispered. Blood splattered across the ground.
All eyes turned to Alex.
Then—
"Oi! Kid!" roared a familiar voice. "Return to the combat training hall! Or pay for this stadium yourself!" Old Man Mark bellowed from across the field.
The crowd parted as Alex, Gwen, Ben, and Athina headed toward the training hall. The murmur of whispers followed them like a rising storm.
Alex, Ben, Gwen, and Athina approached Mark with heavy steps. The atmosphere felt thick—tense with the residue of the fight, the weight of their injuries, and the silence of truths unspoken.
Mark's eyes locked onto Alex with quiet fury.
"Kid," he growled, "do you hate losing that much? Why did you and James push yourselves to that level of insanity?"
Alex lowered his head, lips pressed into a tight line.
Mark pointed toward the destroyed training wall and the cracked arena bench.
"We warned you not to use that technique in the morning. And yet you unleashed it again—same damn night! Are you insane?"
Still silent, Alex slowly raised his head. His voice was calm, but beneath it—rage, pain, purpose.
"I felt like doing it," he said. "I kept hearing that I was worthless. Weak. I couldn't just stand back anymore. You start the fight how you want, I'll end it how I have to."
Mark stepped closer, eyes narrowing.
"You used lightning on him, Alex. You could've killed James."
Alex didn't blink.
"I used it to dominate his Tornado technique. I needed to pin him down."
Mark motioned to the shattered ground around them.
"This looks like a damn natural disaster zone, not a sparring match."
Alex glanced around at the damage, sighed, and muttered,
"I tried to hold back…"
Mark snapped.
"And you've got cuts all over—your arm, shoulder—your body's still healing even with the serum!"
Just then, a student sprinted toward them. James.
"Mr. Marksmen! I need your signature on the entry paper!"
Mark groaned, rubbing his temple.
"Ten forms?! Kid, are you trying to kill me with paperwork?"
James smirked.
"You're responsible for this chaos, sir. The entire Ace Squad got messed up because of your training plan!"
Mark grumbled and took the papers. As he read, James turned to Alex.
"Listen. Word is the seniors are starting to move against the Ace Squad. Be careful. And that injection? Pure hell. How did you even jab that into your own chest?"
Alex shrugged.
"Let's just say it wasn't fun. See you tonight."
James nodded and walked away.
Alex turned to his team.
"Guys... the seniors are stronger than we thought. If I didn't use lightning, I'd be dead. No question."
He looked at each of them.
"We're too weak right now. Train like your life depends on it—because it does."
Without another word, Alex walked to a quiet corner of the field and sat down. He began practicing his breathing, slow and focused, gently shifting his weight as he moved through controlled motions.
Mark walked over.
"Hey! No training. You need rest."
"I'm just regulating my breath," Alex replied.
"No pressure on my injuries."
Mark narrowed his eyes.
"Fine. But don't push it. No heavy exertion."
Alex gave a half-nod and continued. His movements were slower now, more meditative—each strike like a whisper, each breath timed to the rhythm of his healing body.
Eventually, pain throbbed through his limbs. He lay down flat on the ground, breathing heavily. Reaching into his pocket, he took out an injector and pierced it into his chest. His vision blurred. Darkness pulled at him like a tide.
Later...
"Hey... Alex. Wake up. It's time to go home."
His eyes blinked open. Gwen was kneeling beside him, concern etched on her face.
Alex sat up slowly, eyes adjusting to the darkening sky.
"What happened? Why is it suddenly so late?"
"You passed out right in the middle of the field," Gwen said.
"You okay?"
Alex rubbed his eyes and groaned.
"Just tired. Couldn't train anymore."
He stood, unsteady for a moment. Then his eyes steeled again.
"Get back to your drills. Don't slack off. We're too damn weak for what's coming."
Ben stared at Alex, confused.
"What's happening, Alex?"
Alex nodded firmly.
"Leave that to me. Have fun while training."
He walked out the door.
"Can't you bring your friends with you?"
"Alex!"
Alex turned. It was James. Laughing, he said,
"Have faith in yourself, okay?"
Alex nodded.
"What's the plan now? Step one?"
James laughed.
"We're just going out for fun! It's not a safe place!"
Alex smiled.
"Let's go!"
They walked out the entrance.
"Hey kid! How are you doing?"
Alex turned to see Tory.
"Pretty good! Now I'm an asthma patient."
Tory laughed.
"Where are you both going?"
Alex grinned.
"Sis, no training today. Just going out for some fun."
She walked up and handed him a card.
Alex tried to refuse, but Tory blackmailed him until he took it.
James parked a bike and pulled it up in front of Alex.
Alex asked,
"Isn't driving under 18 illegal?"
James handed him a helmet.
"Hey idiot, I'm four years older than you! I'm a Brand Hunter with A+ potential!"
Alex frowned.
"That doesn't matter to them!"
James smirked.
"As long as you're a Hunter with a solid background, it matters!"
They started riding.
Alex sighed happily.
"Night scenes from the road are good."
"Don't your parents scold you for being late?"
James laughed loudly.
"I'm an orphan! I have no one! Sir Sam is my godfather!"
Alex felt sympathy.
"I'm sorry, James."
James smiled sadly.
"Alex, do you know why God gives more problems to some kids?"
Alex shook his head.
"Because they're the strongest people."
He sped up the bike. The city lights blurred around them as they vanished into the night.