Dean and Sale arrived at their dorm room. They stayed mostly silent throughout due to the tension that shrouded their beings.
Stepping inside their room, they could see Razz sitting on the floor, his expression hinting at how focused he was as several beads of sweat streamed down his face.
The most important factor they noticed was the glowing ball of white-colored flames that rested between his palms right at the center of his chest.
The flame seemed to be alive, as it swayed in random motions. Razz grunted in pain as he tried to hold it in place, his face showing signs of strain, his arms twitching in pain.
Suddenly, the glowing energy shot backward, heading directly for his chest. It hit Razz with extreme force, pushing him until he was on his back. The energy slowly phased through his skin, seeping inside him till there was no trace of it in the room.
Razz breathed heavily, his chest displaying a deep dark burn. Razz gnashed his teeth in anger, but a few seconds later, a wide smile appeared on his face.
Dean stared at him in utter confusion.
"Are you okay? And what exactly were you doing?"
Razz stood up slowly, every motion he made was accompanied by a small wince.
"I pushed my internal energy past my core, and out of my body. Although there is a specified time and threshold before fatality occurs, I still managed to last for a long time."
Sale stared at Razz in astonishment. The training they underwent today was about trying to move their internal energies past their cores, and Razz actually managed to pull it out of his body entirely.
"How....long...did you last?" Dean asked in a low tone. He obviously wasn't engaged in the conversation as his mind had drifted elsewhere.
Razz smiled, "I lasted for fifteen whole minutes."
"Now the next part is to utilize the internal energy into actually devastating attacks. If I manage to do this, my powers will grow tenfold… I will inch closer to the S rank!"
Razz was an alpha-ranked celestial who wore a red wristband. He was beyond talented, but he still had a long way before he reached the S rank.
Razz stared at Dean with a side eye as he noticed the dull, worried look he constantly gave off.
"Hey, is something wrong? You've been acting weird lately, you know…" Razz asked.
Dean quickly put on a straight face, trying to hide the internal turmoil and disastrous thoughts that were raging through his collapsing mind.
"Uhm, no… I mean… no. Nothing's wrong. I'm alright."
Dean's mind constantly circled around the thought of having to be examined by the school authorities in two days time. He needed a way to avoid or skip the examination, but there was nothing he could come up with.
There was also no way for him to run, because the wristband on his wrist served as a tracker that displayed his location when needed. Asking his friends for help was also out of the question.
"I have an idea!" Razz said. "Why don't we take Dean over to the new cafeteria? I'm sure he'll have a FINE time devouring what they have to offer."
Sale nodded slightly. He also didn't want to ruin Razz's mood by bringing up what happened during their training in the yellow wristband hall.
They made preparations, and they left their room, headed to the café.
—
The trio arrived at the café, with Razz taking them to a distinct spot.
They all sat at the table. It was empty, mostly devoid of people, but there was one thing that Dean noticed. The few students that were around them were all yellow wristband students. Dean started to notice a pattern.
The different categories of wristband students sat together, carefully avoiding the others. It was like there was some sort of hierarchy that everyone seemed to obey.
"Alright," Sale said with a deep breath, "now we wait for our disgusting meal."
After a while, a female waitress came up to their table, serving them something that looked like a sea creature. Dean stared at the food in disgust, the feeling of puking slowly overcoming his body.
Razz stared at Dean with a slight chuckle.
"Hey, it's what we have to go for. Those that came from rich families don't usually come over here… they always purchase their food somewhere else."
Dean's family wasn't necessarily rich, but they were fortunate enough to provide him with the best life he could ask for. But unfortunately, Dean wasn't willing to be in contact with them. He was all on his own.
Holding his breath, he grabbed a spoon and took a large bite out of the meal. He felt the juice and membrane smearing all over his tongue, the tentacles and guts wobbling in his mouth. Every nerve and cell in his being urged him to spit it out, but he chewed on.
Every bite he took was accompanied by an immediate feeling of disgust and distaste. He eventually swallowed hard as he mentally prepared himself for the next bite.
He stared to his side only to see Sale and Razz eating away with a comfortable look. Razz took a big gulp before speaking.
"Don't worry, Dean, you'll grow into it."
"FINALLY!!!"
Dean heard a loud voice that startled him a little. Looking forward, he saw a muscular student with red spiky hair standing atop a table. Dean stared back at Razz and Sale, and their expressions said it all. Sale's face seemed to carry an extremely nervous look, while Razz sat still. A small vein could be seen popping on his temple.
The boy jumped from table to table, cavalier about the students that were seated there or the food he spilled along the way.
"I just received some good news!!!" the boy yelled at the top of his lungs.
Dean immediately noticed that all the yellow-band students turned their heads down in fright, trying to avoid eye contact with the boy.
The boy continued with his loud tone, "I heard… that there are some newbies in our midst."
"It seems like this pathetic institution decided to add more numbers… more numbers for me to dismantle," his voice grew colder.
Everyone had a look of uneasiness, including some of the red-band students around. This proved that even within the red bands, there was still a power level present.
"Hey Dean," Razz said in a whisper, "try to keep your head down."
Dean complied. He lowered his head, trying not to be seen by the tyrant that was disrupting the peace. The boy looked around the hall, taking a deep look at each student his eyes landed on. After looking for a while, he finally stepped down from the table, advancing towards a student slowly.
He reached the student, and without any warning, he grabbed the student by the collar, lifting him off his feet and slamming him onto the table.
The student grunted in pain. He tried to free himself from the boy's grip, but it was just too strong. The boy smiled as he held the student.
"Now this is a face that I haven't seen before. I take it you're new here, huh?" He proceeded to look at his wrist, which contained a yellow wristband.
"Will you look at that? You're also a weakling," the boy said as he laughed hysterically.
The boy lifted the student up as he presented him to the rest of the students in the hall.
"Now it's time for the clipping of wings."
With one swift movement, he swung his arm in an arc, releasing a wave of white energy that shot forward, hitting the student with extreme force.
The attack sent the student flying past several tables until he finally landed, clearly unconscious. A large burn could be seen on his abdomen. Dean raised his head, taking a peek at the horrifying state of the student.
The boy was knocked out with just one attack—easy and effortless. Dean felt a chill run down his back as he stared at the terror that had just unfolded before him. He looked back at the student who was standing with a large grin on his face… but something unexpected happened.
The boy also raised his head simultaneously, looking forward towards Dean, and at that moment, their eyes made contact.
The boy smiled as he stared at Dean with a menacing glare, speaking in a cold tone.
"It seems like we got another new face in the building."