"You freak, come out now!" they screamed while knocking on the door loudly.

  Caelan looked over to the door, and then once again to the ceiling. He sighed, mentally exhausted.

  "Now, they had to do this now?" he thought to himself with a frown on his face.

  He wasn't particularly scared of them, but he didn't want to deal with them either. What would be the point in putting oneself in meaningless situations to waste time? Although he had to come to terms with one thing. His cover was blown amongst the students. They viewed him as a creature, a freak, inhuman because of what happened last time. He now had to scrap trying to fit in. His new objective was to survive in the academy. However, despite this, he remained calm and unworried.

  Their voices got louder, the banging becoming more abrupt.

  "Fuck me," Caelan said out loud as he slowly walked towards the door.

  "Why does something like you exist?"

  "Go back to where you came from."

  "You are not welcome here."

  They talked as if they owned the place. It was somehow amusing, seeing how their ego shaded their entire identity without them realising what dumbfounded creatures they were.

  He slowly opened the door.

  "There he is, the little brat!" said Zorian, smiling mischievously, his hands rolled into fists. His veins bulged slightly, visible beneath his skin. He was surrounded by a group of people, all eyeing Caelan. Gale was one of them, the only person in the group avoiding eye contact.

  "Hmmm."

  Caelan's eyes fixated on Gale, as Gale was staring at the ground, his hands in his pockets.

  Seeing him so distressed and afraid, Caelan's expression softened into a smile. Just by looking at his body, he knew Gale was saddened by the situation. It was clear anxiety was running through his body. But alas, people will do anything, fake their whole personality to be popular. Caelan's smile slowly transitioned into a grin.

  "Oi, brat, what are you laughing at?" Zorian asked as he walked over to Caelan.

  Caelan didn't respond.

  "What even was that yesterday? You think you can do something like that around here?"

  They were idiotic. But why were they this idiotic? Why would Caelan reveal what he knew? He would give all his cards away. The best thing to do now was to just stay silent.

  "Hey, answer me!" he screamed.

  Suddenly, Zorian clenched his fists, stepped over to Caelan and swung his arm at him.

  A punch.

  Caelan widened his eyes. He smirked slightly. He had two options. To either dodge or cup his fist with his palm. Dodging may seem insufficient and risky.

  As the punch moved towards him, he put his palm out, looking at the trajectory of the punch, and cupped it, pushing Zorian back.

  "Strong now, are you?" asked Zorian in surprise.

  Caelan wasn't stronger than Zorian. He was just pushing his fist back with all his energy to appear strong. It was said that when a bear attacks, one should stand tall and roar to imitate a stronger animal. This would scare away the bear. This situation was exactly that. Zorian was clearly stronger in raw power, but raw power was nothing in this world.

  Zorian grunted. He clenched his free hand and once again swung at Caelan from the opposite direction while he was still cupping his other hand.

  Caelan lunged down and swept his leg before he could land a hit. Zorian's body fell to the ground, making a large thump, his head hitting the marble floor.

  The others looked in shock and disarray, unable to believe what had happened in front of their eyes. Zorian was considered the most powerful and talented first year. To see him go down so easily was unexpected.

  "You," he grunted as he tried to get up.

  "Who do you think you are?"

  Stolen story; please report.

  He stood on his feet, his body shadowing Caelan.

  "You don't belong here," he spat with a low voice.

  He clenched his fists again, as if preparing to attack again.

  "Need I remind you, you are currently on academy grounds? What do you think would happen if the staff caught you in these antics?"

  Zorian paused for a moment, looking bewildered. His body relaxed.

  "Idiot, that goes both ways."

  Zorian eyed Caelan up and down.

  "Yes, but unlike you, I have nothing to lose. I don't come from royalty."

  Zorian flinched, stepping away from Caelan.

  "Imagine what your parents would say if they found out you got expelled from this prestigious academy?"

  Silence. The corridor was completely silent. The group looked at each other in worry, unable to formulate words. They knew Caelan was right. They had let their hatred get the better of them to the point where they didn't even think about the consequences.

  "Hah," Zorian laughed.

  "Then let me make a proposition," he grinned as he walked over to Caelan, gesturing with his hands.

  "You and me, outside the academy gates, tonight at sunset." He pointed to Caelan's chest, kneeling down to look him in the eyes.

  "If you don't show up, you have to leave the academy entirely and never come back."

  Caelan thought for a second. There really was no way out of this. He had no choice but to take the deal.

  "Sure, Zorian. I will meet you there," said Caelan calmly as he shook Zorian's hand.

  Zorian clicked his tongue in disgust, unimpressed, and walked away with the group.

  This was going to be tricky. He had to fight, and it wouldn't be any normal fight either. Zorian had the Wave Mark. He had no reason not to use it, especially since he was the most skilled at using his mark. The only way Caelan was going to win was to figure out his mark's nature, and fast, so that he could draw out its power. He had to put aside his curious mind for now and focus solely on mastering his mark.

  He quickly sat in his chair, closed his eyes, and zoomed in on his mark, concentrating on the space around him, his own inherent awareness, and the flow of his breath.

  The sun was starting to set, giving way to hues of orange and blue that were slowly turning to black, like paint splashing on a canvas. The sound of crickets outside started to grow louder, and crows flew across the sky. It was nearly time.

  Caelan had spent all day focusing on his mark. He had to use his day off to master it, albeit he didn't know what the mark actually was. But that would come later. He had to get ready.

  He breathed heavily and calmly walked outside into the courtyard. The empire was quiet, peaceful even. The setting sun looked majestic, like an orange plum in the sky.

  The air was fresh and cool. He looked forward, and there they were. The group waiting for him outside the gates.

  "There he is, there he is," repeated a girl as she pointed towards Caelan's direction.

  Caelan wasn't nervous. He just wanted to get this day over and done with. The fight would be more about brains than strength. He had to make sure his mind was right.

  "So you didn't flee, huh?" Zorian scoffed.

  "Being honest, you surprised me, bastard. Didn't know you had it in you."

  Caelan didn't respond, eyeing the Wave Mark on Zorian's right arm. It was intricate, with deep patterns. The Wave Mark was especially dangerous. It had the power to amplify anything that is done repeatedly. Essentially, power is stacked through repetition.

  Someone keeps punching the same way three times. Their power has tripled. Caelan had to be careful.

  The group formed a circle, with Caelan and Zorian at the centre. Cheers flooded their ears.

  Zorian closed his eyes and breathed deeply. So did Caelan.

  Silence.

  Zorian moved first. One step, one breath, and one strike.

  His fist cut forward, the air rippling behind him. The motion repeated itself before it even finished. Afterimages of intent flooded into the same path. The next two strikes formed before the first one even hit.

  Caelan didn't block. It would be no use.

  The space between them thinned.

  Zorian's first strike should have connected directly. Instead, it passed through a distortion, like plunging his hand into water. The impact dispersed sideways, the layered force unraveling mid pattern.

  However, his finger grazed Caelan's cheek, blood now gushing down his face. So this was the power of the Wave Mark? Only a tiny touch did this much damage.

  "He is strong," Caelan thought to himself. One strike would be deadly.

  Zorian frowned.

  He stepped again. Same angle, same rhythm.

  The Wave Mark on his arm pulsated, his fist hitting harder this time. The floor beneath them vibrated as the repetition stacked. Momentum building, pressure coiling.

  Caelan's mark reacted.

  The space between them shifted.

  The distance warped, the floor stretching beneath Zorian's feet. Each step landed slightly further than intended. His timing slipped by a fraction, the rhythm staggered.

  Zorian clenched his jaw and forced it back into sync.

  Again.

  Again.

  Again.

  The same result.

  The wave grew more violent, the air cracking with layered impacts, producing sound waves. The walls trembled as echoes of past strikes slammed forward at once. This time, Caelan couldn't stop it. He was hit. His body was thrown backwards, and three stacked impacts hit him.

  His internal organs screamed as Caelan grunted, landing on the ground, unable to stand.

  Zorian smiled.

  "Found you."

  He was now repeating footwork, swaying left and right. In that moment, he lunged forward so fast the eye barely perceived it, as if he was teleporting. His repeated footwork made him faster.

  However, that was a mistake.

  Caelan's mark tightened around him, the space folding inward. Zorian's next step landed inside his previous one. The repetition had nowhere to expand. The wave collided with itself.

  Zorian was knocked back, his nose bleeding.

  "What what are you doing?"

  Caelan didn't stop. He focused his breath on the space around them. The ground seemed to open up, the floor tilting sideways. The group, along with Zorian, started to slide. It was as if the world was rotating. Caelan stood up, unaffected. He watched as the group slid helplessly.

  The outside world became ordinary again. Zorian dropped to one knee, his skin rash covered, his body exhausted.

  He fell forward, coughing. Caelan stood over him, calm and unsettled. His own body was also beyond exhausted and ready to collapse, but he couldn't show that at this moment.

  The first years screamed, sprinting back to the academy as one of them grabbed Zorian by the back.

  Caelan let out a sigh of relief.