Forcibly Awakened

"Sorry to take away your Headmaster from your reach, but he has some crimes to answer for. An illegal exile he performed with no backing, unprovoked, and lacked of guidance he provides for his students. If you weren't wondering, then that doesn't concern you. For the time being, stand clear, I don't know what tricks he might pull." I told the students.

Lucas came over to me with a big smile on his face.

"As beautiful as could be while whooping that guy's ass! So, Ali, what's your plan with him?" He asked me.

"Execution, of course. But not before blocking that attack." I said. Right as I said it, my Eye of Providence activated and I effectively blocked the last attack Zach threw at me in an attempt to break free.

"Damn you, Asterio!" Zach said. Lucas put his hand around Zach's neck and slammed him to the ground with his famous murderous gaze, showing off his golden eyes.

"It's Ali. I didn't know you were so stupid that you couldn't pronounce my wife's name correctly. Would you like to try again, or should I crush your windpipe?" Lucas asked him.

"It's fine, don't let it concern you," I reassured my husband and he threw Zach back to the ground as I continuously wrapped him in strands so he couldn't move.

"Miss Ali?! It's you! We haven't seen you in so long! What's going on?!" Shike yelled out to me. Oh, so he was still here?

It pains me to see that they don't understand how inconsistent that story is. They didn't think about me for two years? I changed all of their diapers more times than I could count and they just forgot about me? Come on, Illya, at least put some effort into this story.

"I'm punishing Zach. For exiling my son." I told him.

"Then, let me get a hit in as well," Shike said. He rolled up his sleeves and primed his fist, ready to punch Zach in the face. Something bothered me about the way Zach was looking at Shike.

"Don't hit him. He's planning something." I told Shike, but Lucas disregarded my advice and told Shike to do it anyway. I guess it wouldn't hurt... it physically couldn't hurt him so long as I was here.

Shike charged up a hit and slammed his fist into Zach's face, but did no damage. Zach didn't even flinch and used the force from Shike's punch to redirect it to the strands around his body. Lucas was quick to catch on and restrain Zach himself as he tried to break free.

"I knew it. I knew something was up... you can mimic abilities... I wonder if it's just Shike's." I asked myself.

"What can Belle do?" I asked Shike. He went on to explain that Belle could manipulate ice and create it, Alexia could alter the size and composition of things, Buusu could move at the speed of light, Mitra was the best at Illusions, and Naomi could use electricity. They all had their own special abilities... that Zach was also using.

"So, it's either Shike and his friends stole your abilities, or you stole theirs, and I'm more willing to guess that it's the latter. So, why did you do it?" I asked Zach.

"Ali... you and I are on the same page. Things don't make sense, we just do them, and we don't question it, otherwise, we're killed and have to restart." Zach said. Usually, I would brush that off, but that was quite similar to how I thought... then, Zach was aware this world was fake too.

Shike's abilities, along with his friends, come from somewhere, and Zach has all of them stored in his body. I'm not surprised by that fact, but I do know it's for a reason. This is all happening for a reason. For a grand finale that will put our skills to the test.

Rather... to put Sky's skills to the test.

"Death isn't the end, Ali Asterio, it's the release. Please, just end it for good." Zach said. He tilted his head down and planted his forehead in the dirt.

"What's going to happen to him, Miss Ali?" Shike asked me.

"He's asking to die. I'll be the Headmaster at MTG, but I'm not certain this is how we should do things." I said out loud. I realized it was contradictory to my actions from earlier, but it's harder to kill things that understand death than it is to kill things that don't understand it.

"Zach, I'll make it painless and you won't even know what happened," I told him, slamming the saber through his neck and killing him instantly. I cut his nerves out so he wouldn't feel anything and his head rolled before I crushed his brain completely.

"So... is it over with him?" Lucas asked. Shike wasn't looking toward me so he didn't have to see it.

"It is." I reassured everybody and pat Shike on the head.

"What was he talking about? Death isn't the end? End it for good?" Shike asked me. It was hard to explain what was happening here to somebody unsuspecting like Shike.

"It's complicated, but everything's okay now. Zach isn't being a tyrant here at MTG anymore and you'll be in good hands, safe from everybody else. No more offenders like Richie and Dyna... and I'm getting my son back. Lucas and I will look for him." I told Shike.

"Um, I want to go too! I'm strong enough... after Sky left, I rose to the top of A-Ranking, so I want to test my skills against the Rubeki! Please!" Shike begged me, and I gave into his request.

"We'll search all throughout the Rubeki Grounds and successfully bring him back. I know he's still alive." I told Shike. His eyes lit up, but only because he was programmed to care about Sky.

I had a terrible idea with Shike...

Just as Shike turned his back on me to walk toward Rubeki territory, I summoned the lowest grade of strands I could out of my body and slammed them into his back, replacing all strands in his body with my own.

Shike stood up with a blank stare at first, then shook his head as he regained sentience.

"Where... what's going on?!" Shike yelled out.

"Shike... do you understand what's going on right now?" I asked him. Shike shook his head. Then, it was working.