Points and Prejudice

Kieran stared at the Leadership Board hovering in the Academy's main hall, its magical display updating in real-time. His name sat at the bottom: "Kieran Webb - Rank 157 - Dark Affinity - 10,000 points."

"Dead last," the entity purred in his mind. "How deliciously humiliating."

'All part of the plan,' Kieran thought, watching students crowd around the exchange counter, trading their gold for Academy points. The system was simple enough – currency wasn't allowed within school grounds, everything operated on points. Books, supplies, extra lessons, even snacks from the cafeteria.

"Points will be awarded for exceptional performance," Headmistress Vale had explained during orientation. "And deducted for misconduct. Consider this your first lesson in resource management."

Kieran had nodded along with everyone else, already calculating angles. The starting amount – 10,000 points – was meant to last a term. Most students immediately spent chunks of theirs on upgraded equipment and supplementary textbooks.

He kept his intact. 'Patience,' he reminded himself. 'Let them waste their points on shiny toys.'

"Webb!" A sharp voice cut through his thoughts. Marcus Blackwood, Rank 105, bronze band gleaming. "Hey, dark freak!"

'Here we go,' Kieran thought, hunching his shoulders slightly. "Yes?"

Marcus swaggered over, two friends flanking him. "Must be nice, having all those points just sitting there. Not like you can use them anyway, being... you know." He gestured vaguely at Kieran's black-veined band.

"I'm saving them," Kieran mumbled, playing his part. "For extra tutoring."

"You know," Marcus said, voice dripping false concern, "there's a faster way to get better. Want to try a friendly challenge?"

The entity chuckled darkly. "Oh, this should be good."

Challenges were perfectly legal at the Academy. Winner took half the loser's points and their rank. It was meant to encourage competition, growth, advancement.

'And bullying,' Kieran thought, watching Marcus's smirk. 'Can't forget the bullying.'

"I... I don't think—" he started.

"Scared?" Marcus stepped closer. "Come on, dark boy. Show us what you've got. Unless..." his voice dropped to a whisper, "you want us to take those points another way?"

The threat was clear enough. Accept the challenge or get robbed in a dark corridor later.

"Shall we teach him some manners?" the entity asked, frost creeping through Kieran's veins.

'Not yet,' Kieran thought. 'But soon.'

"O-okay," he said aloud. "I accept the challenge."

Marcus's grin widened. "Excellent! Training Hall Three, after last bell. Don't be late."

As Marcus strutted away, the entity stirred. "You could end him with a thought. Why play these games?"

'Because,' Kieran headed to his next class, 'dead students draw attention. Humiliated ones just shut up and go away.'****

The Training Hall was packed by last bell. Word had spread – the weak dark magic user versus a middling bronze. Easy entertainment.

"Standard rules," the supervising teacher announced. "Non-lethal spells only. First to yield or become incapacitated loses. Begin!"

Marcus opened with a basic fire burst – flashy, meant to intimidate. Kieran deliberately stumbled avoiding it.

"Pathetic," Marcus called, launching another spell. "Is this all dark magic can do?"

The crowd laughed. Kieran let them, dodging sloppily, making his movements look panicked.

"Getting bored," the entity sing-songed in his head.

'Wait for it.'

Marcus pressed forward, growing confident. "Come on, freak! Fight back!"

Kieran tripped, falling hard. His bronze band glinted in the training hall's light.

"Finally!" Marcus raised his hands for a finishing blow. "Time to—"

Kieran moved. One simple gesture, drawing on the tiniest fraction of his true power. A shadow tendril wrapped around Marcus's ankle, yanking hard.

The other boy went down, head cracking against the stone floor. Not hard enough to kill, but...

"Marcus!" The teacher rushed forward as blood trickled from the bronze-ranked student's nose. "Match over! Healer needed!"

Kieran stayed on the ground, shaking. "I'm sorry!" he called out, voice trembling perfectly. "I didn't mean to! It just... it just happened!"

The crowd muttered. Accidental magic. Typical for a weak dark user losing control. Nothing suspicious at all.

"Mr. Webb," the teacher said as healers carried Marcus away, "report to my office tomorrow to discuss control exercises. For now..." She sighed. "The match is yours. Points and rank will be adjusted accordingly."

The Leadership Board flickered. Kieran watched his name rise to Rank 105, his points increasing by half of Marcus's total. Perfect.

Later, safely alone in his room, the entity laughed. "Beautiful performance! The trembling, the apologies, the 'accidental' loss of control..."

'Had to make it believable,' Kieran thought, updating his notebooks with the day's events. 'No one suspects the weak, scared dark magic user who can barely cast basic spells.'

"Except when he happens to knock out students who threaten him?"

'Accidents happen.' Kieran smiled slightly. 'Often.'

Over the next few days, whispers followed him through the Academy's halls. Some feared him more now, which was fine. Fear meant distance. Distance meant freedom to work.****

Marcus returned from the infirmary two days later, sporting impressive bruises and a new hesitancy around shadows. He didn't meet Kieran's eyes anymore.

"You could have taken more points," the entity observed as Kieran counted his new total. "Could have broken more than his pride."

'Don't need to,' Kieran replied. 'This was just a message. Touch my points, end up hurt. Simple enough for even Academy students to understand.'

"And when they don't understand?"

'Then we teach them again.'

The entity's approval radiated like cold sunshine. "You know, most humans would feel guilty about this sort of manipulation."

'Most humans haven't survived on the streets since they were six,' Kieran thought, pulling out the grimoire for his nightly practice. 'Most humans haven't killed to get here.'

"True enough." The entity settled in to watch him work. "True enough."****

The Leadership Board continued to update, showing gains and losses, rises and falls. Kieran's name stayed firmly in the lower rankings, exactly where he wanted it.

After all, who would suspect the weak dark magic user, the one who could barely cast spells, the one who only won fights by accident? Who would look closely at the scared boy with the black-veined bronze band?

No one. And that was exactly how Kieran liked it.