NOT FOR LONG

     Another crumpled paper hit me in the shoulder. Hard to believe, but I was getting bullied in the first week of school. I never thought a person like me would be a victim of that. I always tried to stay out of the light my whole life. Listened in while everyone talked, letting myself blend with the background, making sure I wasn't sticking out. But now, everyone was talking about me.

I slightly tilted my head and looked at Mira, who was chatting with her friends, a big smile on her face. She seemed to be purposefully avoiding looking in my direction. I could understand her. Being friends with a guy like me, who everyone thought was a pervert and a weakling, would've ended her social life.

"I heard Axel raped a girl. Is that true?" one of her friends asked, her eyes wide with shock.

'Wow… now I'm a rapist, huh?'

"No, he didn't," Mira explained, shaking her head. "He was just caught looking at a girl's chest."

"I think I'm going to start wearing pants, not the skirts that the school gave us," the second friend said, crossing her arms. "I don't feel comfortable around him."

"Okay, class," Mr. Vlad announced as he entered the classroom, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention. "Everyone to your seats. We'll begin our Potion Making lesson shortly."

Mira quickly moved to her seat, avoiding eye contact with me. I sighed, slumping into my chair, trying to ignore the whispers and glances from my classmates. Mr. Vlad started setting up the ingredients for the lesson, his back turned to the class.

As I took out my notebook, another crumpled paper landed on my desk. I glanced around, seeing a few students snickering. 

"Great," I said, ignoring them. "Just great."

     After the lesson ended, I put my notebook into my bag and rose to my feet. Just as I was about to leave the classroom, the girl whose chest I had unintentionally looked at stood before me. She had a striking presence, with long, dark hair cascading over her shoulders and a pair of glasses perched on her nose. She was the same height as me, maybe even one centimeters taller. Her earrings, small silver hoops, glinted in the light, drawing attention to her sharp, attentive eyes.

I backed away, tilting my head to the ground, and waited for her to pass by. But she just stood there, staring me down.

"My brother wishes to speak with you," she said, her voice calm but firm. "Come on."

I quietly nodded and followed her down the corridor. We ascended the stairs until we reached the gardening classroom. I vaguely recalled hearing it had been shut down due to new regulations, now repurposed as a storeroom. Boxes and unused tables cluttered the space, lanterns hung on the walls unlit. The disused blackboard leaned slightly to the left, disconnected from its hinges.

The sole window was smeared with smudges, and before it stood the older brother, arms crossed, flanked by two friends. As I was thinking of fleeing, the girl who had brought me here closed and locked the door behind us, joining her brother's side

"I want no problem." I said. "It was an accident, I apologized."

"Apologizing isn't enough." He said. "Punishment is in order."

[New Quest: Beat the big brother.

Upon Completion: 50g.]

'50 gold? But – I'm in the wrong. I can't act like a jerk and beat him.'

"Look, please. Can't we just go our separate ways?" I pleaded. "You don't have to do this."

"I think I do have to do this." He sneered. "You and I will have a 'friendly competition' in the arena."

"Man…" I shook my head. "Come on, don't be like that."

"You afraid?" He asked.

I replied with a simple, "Yes." and nodded. "I am afraid. I know I can't beat you in the arena. So you can just…"

"You don't have a choice." One of his friends said, "Follow us. Or we'll beat the shit out of you here and leave you on the floor."

I sighed. "Fine… okay. Whatever you say."

     Nearly half of the students were sitting in the rows, waiting for the fight to start. Since it was an official match, we had to get Mr. Vlad's confirmation and have him act as the referee. He used a key similar to the one James had used and broke it in half. The same shimmering light shot up into the air, circling the arena and preventing spells or participants from exiting or entering.

I readied myself and took a defensive stance. The big brother, wielding a wooden sword and a shield, pointed his sword at me, gesturing that I'd be done for. Mr. Vlad raised his hands and then dropped them, signaling the start of the match.

I immediately ran at him, unarmed. He did the same, and we converged in the middle. The big brother swung his sword; I ducked and swept him off his feet with a leg kick. As he was falling, I quickly kicked him in the head. I felt lighter than before, able to do things I hadn't been able to previously. I guess it was thanks to the points I put into Agility and Dexterity.

"Amateur's luck," he spat as he got up, wiping the blood from his mouth. "You won't be so lucky this time, coward."

"Yeah, yeah," I waved him off. "Come get me. What are you waiting for?"

"Oh, I will…"

He dashed forward again, this time more cautiously, his wooden sword held high. I could see it in his eyes; he was not going to let me get the better of him again. He swung his sword in a wide arc, aiming for my head. I ducked just in time, feeling the rush of air as the blade missed me by inches.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?" he growled, quickly recovering and bringing his shield up to bash me. I sidestepped, but not quickly enough; the edge of the shield caught my shoulder, sending a jolt of pain down my arm.

Everyone cheered as the shield connected, but not his sister, for some reason.

"Clever enough to dodge your clumsy swings," I retorted, trying to shake off the pain.

"Not for long," he snapped, charging at me with his shield leading. I anticipated his move and rolled to the side, coming up behind him. He spun around, swinging his sword downward. I raised my arm to block, feeling the sting of the wooden blade against my forearm.

"That all you got?" I taunted, though my arm throbbed from the impact.

"You wish!" he snarled, lunging at me with a thrust aimed at my stomach. I twisted my body, narrowly avoiding the blade, and grabbed his wrist, trying to disarm him. However, he pushed me off easily, sending me stumbling backward.

Before I could regain my footing, he closed the distance and landed a heavy blow to my side with his shield. I gasped as the wind was knocked out of me, the pain radiating through my ribs.

He charged again, this time with a flurry of rapid strikes. I parried and dodged as best as I could, each swing coming closer and closer to landing a decisive blow. In a desperate move, I feigned left and then quickly shifted right, throwing him off balance. Using the opening, I delivered a kick to his knee, causing him to stumble.

He growled in frustration and swung his sword wildly. I ducked under the swing and stepped inside his guard, delivering a sharp elbow to his ribs. He grunted in pain but retaliated with a punch that caught me on the cheek, snapping my head to the side.

Stars danced in my vision, but I couldn't let him win. I focused on his movements, waiting for the right moment. He raised his sword for another overhead strike. This time, I was ready. As his sword came down, I sidestepped and caught his wrist, twisting it and forcing him to drop the weapon.

With his sword clattering to the ground, I delivered a powerful kick to his chest, sending him backward. He hit the ground hard, gasping for air. I stood over him, panting but victorious.

"Still think it's amateur's luck?" I asked, my voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through me.

He glared up at me, clutching his chest. "This isn't over, Axel."

"Sure it isn't," I replied, extending a hand to help him up. "But for now, it looks like I've won."

This seemed like the end, but the big brother wasn't done yet. He looked at me with a sneer, his eyes burning with anger. "You think you've won? You're not even close."

Before I could respond, he raised his hand and chanted something under his breath. His sword, which lay a few feet away, began to glow with a faint blue light. He stretched his hand out toward it, and the weapon flew into his grip, now shimmering with a magical aura.

"What the…" I muttered, stepping back.

"You're in trouble now, Axel," he said, standing up and pointing the glowing sword at me. "I'll show you what real power looks like."