Bully.

Xarks wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve, grabbed his tray, and stood. Every muscle in his body screamed for rest, but his instincts whispered something else: leave now.

He didn't even glance back at the nearly empty cafeteria. He already knew Kalgan had shot him a glare before storming out, and that was enough to send chills down his spine. Whatever was coming, it wasn't going to be subtle.

He was halfway to the hover-bus terminal when—

"Hey, twat."

Three shadows blocked the narrow hallway. Kalgan and his two ogre-sized cronies stood like statues, arms crossed, sneers plastered across their faces.

Xarks groaned. "Seriously? What now? Jealous because I breathed the same air as Alia?"

WHAM!

A punch to the stomach knocked the wind—and some dignity—right out of him.

"Shut up, weakling," Kalgan growled, towering over him. "You think you can talk back to me? To me?"

Xarks coughed, wiping a trickle of blood from his lips. "Dude... you sound like a knock-off villain from a third-rate soap opera—AGHH!!" Another gut punch.

Kalgan's cronies howled with laughter.

"Next time I catch you near her, I'll slice off your antennae and feed them to a Nebulan dog. Got it?" Kalgan spat, before walking away like he had just delivered some Shakespearean monologue.

Xarks was left on the floor, bloodied, dizzy… and strangely, focused.

Because in front of his face… something blinked.

[MISSION OBJECTIVE UPDATED]

[EMERGENCY MISSION ALERT]

Kalgan has crossed the line.

Objective: Defeat Kalgan.

Break his bones.

Reward: 100x Stat Boost

Penalty: Death

Time Limit: 0:00:10

"What?! DEATH?!"

The numbers ticked down in his vision.

0:00:09...

Xarks moved like his bones were on fire—which, given the System's warning, they might as well be.

0:00:08...

Kalgan barely had time to turn.

"SURPRISE, ASSHAT!" Xarks launched at him with the fury of a thousand bullied nerds.

Kalgan stumbled backward, caught off-guard as Xarks tackled him into the wall.

"GET OFF HIM!!" one goon shouted.

"YOU DEAD MEAT!!" the other yelled.

But Xarks wasn't hearing them. Something clicked. He wasn't fighting for pride. He was fighting to live.

"RRAGHHH!!" Kalgan shoved Xarks back, scratching at his face.

Xarks stumbled, grabbed the nearest thing—a loose pavement stone—and hurled it down with both hands.

CRACK!!

Kalgan screamed. His leg bent sideways. Not naturally.

"You... you freak! KILL HIM!" Kalgan shrieked from the floor.

A crowd was already forming, gasping in horror as the two goons jumped on Xarks.

He didn't feel the blows. At least, not immediately. The last thing he saw before passing out was a boot and some blood.

Then—darkness.

Somewhere... else.

There was fire. Endless, smothering fire.

Trees crackled into ash around him. The skies were red. And in the middle of it all... stood a man.

Tall. Cloaked. Skin like freshly fallen snow. But no antennae.

No species. No face.

Just... eyes.

Eyes that looked like they had burned civilizations.

"Xarks..." The figure's voice echoed in his mind. "It's your tu—" the head they were holding was...

SHING.

A blur of steel. A head fell. His mother's.

"NOOOOO!!"

Xarks gasped and jolted awake. He was in a sterile white hospital room. Breathing. Alive.

But barely.

A soft voice spoke beside him. "You're finally awake, sleepyhead. You were sweating buckets."

He turned to see a nurse in a white cloak smiling at him, fingers snapping a soft diagnostic spell into the air.

"What... happened?"

"You got your ass handed to you," she said bluntly. "Then you handed his leg back in return. You're a mess. But... a cool mess." She winked. "Also... your girlfriend hasn't left your side since yesterday." She said this and decided to leave the room entirely, 

"My what—?"

He turned.

Alia. Sitting in a chair, dozing lightly, a faint frown on her normally unreadable face.

"You're awake!" she gasped, blinking rapidly and leaning toward him. "Are you okay? I... I'm so sorry!"

Xarks froze.

Alia. Apologizing?

"I told Kalgan to back off. I didn't think he'd go full Neanderthal. I used you as a shield, and you got hurt because of me. I'll pay the bills. I'll—"

"N-No, it's okay," Xarks stammered. "You don't have to... apologize or anything. I'm fine. Really."

He was still processing the fact the hottest girl in the academy was calling him her shield and blushing while doing it. this was something that his younger self would have fantasized about but now it was happening to him, he was being talked to by the hottest girl in all of the Academy and he was being talked to seriously?! How was this real life Xarks couldn't see through it.

He wanted to talk to Alia more and understand her feelings but for some reason, they were interrupted.

Then—

BANG!

The door exploded open.

"DUUUUUUUUDE!!!" Markus rushed in like a storm. "BRO. You okay?! Are your organs still... internal?!"

Xarks groaned. "Markus... not so loud..."

Markus practically tackled him. "Don't you EVER do that again, dumbass! You fought Kalgan?! For a girl?! Are you stupid?! You look like a half-eaten burrito!! And for this girl?! I mean, come on—flat as a datapad, zero butts, she looks like she has not eaten anything in her life and now looks like a stick on ice cream, you did this for someone like that? Emma is much better bro, you should have gotten into a fight because of her and not some ugly no ass- not tits person like Alia is an—"

Xarks' eye twitched. Slowly. "You idiot..." His face clenched because he knew what was coming and he really would not stop this since he knew he was no match for Alia and was fighting stance.

Markus stopped. Realized. he turned around like a broken engine with his bones starting to crack on how hot the temperature was right at this moment. 

And he was right, Alia behind him looked like she had heat coming out of her icy eyes. She pulled her hand and the veins coming out of it were clenching so much. heatling.

"Oh. Hi, Alia." 

BANG!!!

His face met her fist.