Survival of the Fittest

April 8th, I stood in front of my mirror, examining my appearance. My uniform consisted of a dark blue jacket, a white shirt tucked in underneath, and black, loosely fitted pants. The jacket featured a yellow emblem of a hand with threads extending from the fingers, accompanied by the word 'Manipulator' below it, signifying my title. Reaching out, I grabbed a comb and started to smooth my dark hair. Once I was finished, I picked up my bag and opened the door, ready to leave my room.

When I opened the door, I was met with a saddened face staring back at me, tears welling up in her eyes. She quickly wrapped her arms around me, embracing me in a tight hug.

"Be careful not to get snot all over my uniform," I joked.

"Just let me enjoy this one last time," she said, her voice trembling slightly.

"Don't worry so much. I'll only be two hours away. If you ever need me, I'll be back in a fraction of that time," I reassured her, rubbing my hand gently on the back of her head, tracing through her hair.

"I'll always need you, Sin... always, no matter what." She replied, still with her face buried in my chest, arms wrapped tightly around me. "Can I at least walk with you to the train station?"

"Sure."

Nina walked beside me, our arms locked together as we made our way to the train station. I felt as if she were deliberately slowing our pace, trying to hold on to this moment for as long as possible. But inevitably, the time came for us to part ways. I could see that she was on the verge of tears again, so I quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and gave her a reassuring smile. In the end, we said our goodbyes, and I boarded the train without looking back.

When I arrived at school, I promptly made my way to the classroom marked Class D. Taking a deep breath, I entered to find the room quiet, with students sitting at their desks. Most were engrossed in their phones, while others were absorbed in books. I scanned the classroom for the desk with my nameplate, and there it was, at the back next to the window.

Soon after, a tall man dressed in a suit and tie, wearing a pair of glasses, entered the classroom. He let out an exasperated sigh before plopping his bag onto the desk facing the class. Turning his attention to us, he began to speak.

"Good morning, Class 1-D. My name is Yandri Angus, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for the duration of your time here. As long as you remain in Class D, that is. If you look at your student handbook, you'll see the school rules, so I won't bother going through them. Instead, let's start with introductions. We'll begin with the front row."

At the professor's words, the student in front stood up to introduce herself. It was the chubby girl I had intended to speak to on admissions day. In a panic, she hastily got up from her seat, causing her chair to topple over. The once-silent classroom was suddenly filled with the clatter of metal against the floor.

A muffled wave of giggles rippled through my classmates as they covered their mouths to stifle their laughter. The girl looked around the room, visibly shaken by the attention.

"It's okay, just pick up your chair and start again," Professor Yandri encouraged her.

Clumsily, she righted her chair and began her introduction.

"...Umm, good morning... my name is Maeve Greyford."

"It's nice to meet you, Maeve. I hope you enjoy your time here at this school," Professor Yandri said, smiling at her warmly.

One by one, the students introduced themselves. I half-listened while simultaneously gazing out the window. In the distance, I spotted some students training. That's odd, I thought; everyone should be in homeroom at this time in the morning.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see the entire class staring at me.

"You're up, Candle Slayer."

"Candle Slayer?" I thought, puzzled. The guy sitting next to me gave me a thumbs-up and a, "You got this!" Who is this guy? I wondered as I stood up from my chair.

I took a deep breath and confidently began my introduction.

"Hello everyone, my name is Sin Tenshi, and I'm glad to be in the same class as all of you." I bowed my head politely.

Feeling pleased with my introduction, I smiled and sat back down.

Next was the loudmouth seated beside me. He stood up confidently and launched into a bizarre introduction.

"Behold! You all sit in the presence of Jeffrey the Third. My hobbies include relaxing in my mansion, going to the gym, and talking to cute girls. As it so happens, I'm in the market for a new girlfriend, so if any of you lovely ladies are interested, my number is 1887—"

"Thank you, Jeffrey, we've heard enough," Professor Yandri interrupted.

"But I haven't finished my introduction yet!" Jeffrey protested.

What a weirdo.

"That should be enough for now, Jeffrey. Please take your seat."

Reluctantly, Jeffrey plopped back down in his chair. After the introductions, homeroom came to an end, and our first subject of study was about to begin.

"Before I go, I must warn all of you," Professor Yandri said, his expression more serious than before. "Being assigned to Class D is the worst thing that could have happened to you. This is a school for the strong. Your first lesson here at this school will be on survival of the fittest. As your homeroom teacher, I pray for your safety but there isn't much I can do. I'm certain that most of you won't survive here long."

"What are you saying, Professor?" Jeffrey spoke up, confusion evident on the faces of the entire class.

"You'll come to understand soon enough," Professor Yandri replied before leaving the classroom.

Our first class was Supernatural Theory. A beautiful blonde woman entered the classroom, her stunning appearance freezing everyone in their seats.

"Good day, everyone. My name is Kiera Reed, and I'll be your teacher for Supernatural Theory."

The course primarily focused on why some individuals possessed supernatural powers, attributing it to an event known as The Cosmic End. This event dates back over a thousand years, when an unknown rift was torn across space and time, causing supernatural abilities to manifest in certain groups of people. While no one in this world truly understands the cause of the rift, I knew the truth all too well—it was the same event that led to my death: the battle between the devil Lucifer and Archangel Michael.

Lunch came with the sound of the bell ringing. I packed up my things, ready to head to the cafeteria. However, when I arrived I saw that the cafeteria was too crowded for my liking, so I decided to grab my lunch and head back to the classroom.

As I approached the entrance, I heard shouting coming from inside. I opened the door to find Rizor holding the hair of a girl who was slumped over, crying on the floor. Looking closer, I realized it was Maeve. My gaze then shifted to Jeffrey, sprawled on the ground, his face battered and bruised.

Only one person, a boy named Lucas, pleaded for Rizor to stop.

"The problem is that you guys don't get it. Everyone below Class A is garbage, and Class D is the worst of them all. This Bitch! Had the audacity to lay a finger on someone from my class!"

"You have to understand, she said he tried to grab her," Lucas pleaded.

"Are you implying that Marcus would try to touch a girl like her? Look at her—she's a whale!" Rizor retorted, releasing Maeve's hair and then kicking her in the stomach, causing her to spat on the floor. This action infuriated Lucas, his fists curling in anger. "How'd you like to be punished?"

"That's not... that's not right! You can't do that!" Lucas shouted.

"What are you mumbling about? You're all garbage, remember that. No one cares what happens to you at this school. This is a place for the strong; it's only reasonable that the weak get trampled on."

"Rrraaah!" Oliver shouted, then lunged at Rizor, aiming a punch directly at his face. Rizor effortlessly dodged the attack and countered with a punch to Oliver's abdomen, causing him to fall to the ground, whimpering. Rizor laughed at the sight of Oliver slumped over in pain. But then something strange happened—Oliver completely disappeared—almost like becoming invisible. While he vanished from everyone else's sight, I could still see his heat signature and hear his heart racing in preparation for what he was about to do.

Rizor looked around the room, puzzled by Oliver's sudden disappearance. Oliver raised his hand to deliver a blow to the unguarded Rizor, but before he could make contact, I stopped him.

"What are you doing?!" Oliver shouted at me. Grabbing his arm seemed to make him visible again.

"Don't make things worse; you can't beat him," I whispered. "It's best to make him think he's in control."

"You!" Rizor directed his attention to me. "What are you doing?"

"I was about to have lunch. The cafeteria was too crowded for my liking," I replied, trying to sound casual.

"You're a funny guy, aren't you, Candle Boy? Your class is full of funny people. That guy was the funniest of them all," Rizor said, pointing to Jeffrey, still slumped on the floor. "How about I make you all my fools since you're so hilarious?"

"Is the pay good?" I said with a smile. I didn't know how I did it, but I seemed to be calming things down. He called me funny, so he must be in a better mood now.

Rizor's face twisted as he marched up to me. I braced myself as he grabbed my wrist. "This should teach you to know your place," he said, and smoke began to emanate from where his hand clasped my wrist. It seemed he didn't find my joke funny—in fact, he was trying to burn me.