Death... and Respawn

Mason walked through a hallway full of students in black and white uniforms.

It was something he hated doing.

All eyes turned to him and a few chuckled at him as he approached the cafeteria.

The air in the atmosphere felt awry and stuffy, like the normal mixed with a tinge of unusual.

At the door of the cafeteria, a boy taller than him stepped in front of him, followed by two others.

“Where do you think you're going?” The boy bellowed.

Mason looked up at the figure in front of him.

It was Oliver O'Hara, the most famous, and brilliant student in school.

He brushed his red hair and smirked at Mason, while the other two laughed.

Mason hated him because he had stolen Alice from his hands with his money and fame. Alice was also dull for letting such a dummy take her hands.

Mason exhaled and tried to evade him to continue to the cafeteria, but he was pushed. He crashed to the floor of the cafeteria, in front of everyone.

The whole crowd of students in the cafeteria and the hallway bursted out in laughter, while Oliver chuckled.

“You really thought you could escape me today huh, Xander? I can't miss my daily punching lessons,” he said as he grabbed Mason’s collar and pulled him up to his feet.

He tossed him to the floor and the handle of Mason's backpack snapped as he made impact with the floor. Mason got up and clenched his fists in anger.

“Oh, wanna make the game interesting. What are you going to do, Xander? Mutilate my face?” Oliver sneered.

Mason relaxed his clenched fists and turned around to get his backpack.

“Come here, you dumb ass!” Oliver tugged at his shirt, and yanked him back.

The two boys grabbed Mason's arm, while Oliver held out his fist about to rain a punch.

“What is going on here?” A male voice which belonged to the principal thundered across the hallway. The boys pushed Mason away and stood behind Oliver. The principal's presence was Mason's escape but it came with turbulence, which was shown on the principal's face.

“You again,” the principal said with much disgust.

“Sir, I…” Mason stuttered.

“Keep shut! The both of you, to my office, immediately,” the principal retorted and marched back down the hallway.

Oliver smirked at Mason and followed the man.

At the principal’s office, the two boys sat in front of the principal, his table being the only division between them. On the table were piles of files, ledgers on either sides of the tables and at the centre of the table, a tag with the principal's name “Mr Stephen Fisk” inscribed on it in bold white prints.

His focus rested on Mason, “Mason Xander,” he said and reached for a ledger.

“I have scanned through the school records and it has your name all over it," the principal added.

Mason sat up, he already had a feeling that things weren't going to end well.

“It is not the record of good deeds I'm talking about. You have caused so much nuisance in this school and at this point, it can't be tolerated anymore,” the principal said, flipping through the ledger.

“But, sir?” Mason said and glanced at Oliver who was smirking.

“Causing other students to get in trouble, not paying your fees on time, yet still sneaking into the school premises. You've missed classes on several occasions and not to mention the number of times you've been caught in the hallways during classes.

Do I need to count the number of times you've engaged other students in your shenanigans, especially Oliver O'Hara here. His father, who is a top sponsor of this school, has complained several times about this. To add to that you have caused damage to the school's facilities," the principal said without a beat.

The principal took off his glasses after he highlighted these. He dropped the ledger and reached for his cabinet. He brought out a brown envelope.

“You are hereby expelled from The Brain Stone Academy, Mason Xander,” the principal said as he slid the letter to Mason.

He picked up the letter with a shocked look.

“Please sir, don't expel me please. I will serve any other punishment but not this, please. All that happened wasn't entirely my fault."

The principal didn't mind his pleas.

"Sir, I… Oliver has always been attacking me with his friends," Mason tried to refute the claims.

“Liar! How dare you lie against one of the school's best students? I believe your family is full of liars like you. Get out of my office now."

The day moved so fast and although it was afternoon, the atmosphere was as cloudy as Mason's eyes. Beside him was a boy about his height, as they walked down the street discussing.

“I didn't see you around during lunch break, bro,” the other boy said as they walked past a boutique.

He looked younger than Mason, with gleaning eyes of an innocent 12year old. He was the only son of Mason's foster family, the Allens.

Mason took out the brown envelope from his pocket and pointed it to him, “I was expelled today, Simon,” he said soberly.

Simon gasped and snatched the letter from his hand. He split it open, and read through the contents.

“What? How? This is not fair. It's always those bullies causing nuisance,” Simon exclaimed.

“All I wanted to do was to make my late parents proud and your parents too since they have been sponsoring my education all this time.”

“Hey, cheer up. I think my family wouldn't mind, Mason. We still care about you and my parents might just send you to another school if we just explained what happened. Do you want a candy?”

Simon took him into a grocery store and they came out minutes later with chocolate bars. Two feet from the entrance of the store, a car drove up to them. A familiar figure hopped out of the car and two others followed. It was Oliver and his goons.

His mischievous smirk appeared on his face as he approached the duo. Walking up to them, he smacked Mason's snack to the ground.

“Come here, Xander,” he said as he grabbed Mason's collar and pulled him closer. “You tried to spoil my image and you think you would leave without a farewell?”

He pushed him to the car and smacked his face. The other two attacked poor Mason with punches, kicks and slaps, while he struggled to escape.

“Hey!” Simon intervened as he pushed in between the two boys and stood in front of Mason.

“Stop hurting my brother,” Simon glared at them. Oliver approached, his eyes glowed bright red and his hair was as if it was flaming.

“And what are you? A saviour?” Oliver grabbed his neck and it began to burn. He tossed Simon over to the floor and smiled at Mason.

“Teach him some manners,” he said to his goons and they approached Simon.

“Leave him alone,” Mason yelled.

“Shut up and watch,” Oliver said as the other two boys attacked his brother.

Mason jabbed at Oliver's face and rushed for the boys. He attacked one of them, but the other defended his colleague with a punch to his gut that almost made him throw up.

Oliver grabbed him from behind and hauled him to car. He pressed Mason's arms to the car with his palms and it began burning, like his skin was being pressed with a hot rod.

Mason struggled to wriggle free, but to no avail, he was too weak against him. Simon struggled to stand up, again but one of the boys gestured at the ground with his palm, and it gave up a ball of rock. The rock levitated for seconds before he directed it to Simon's back, just below his neck, with his fist. Simon collapsed to the ground.

Mason gasped, he tried to fight but he was held back by Oliver's fiery palms that burnt every part of his body it touched.

“Hey Gus, do that with him too.”

The boy raised a rock and smacked Mason's face with it and they continued beating him up till he bled from his nose, mouth and head. His clothes were torn and he had burns and bruises all over his exposed body parts.

He let Mason's weak and wounded body drop to the floor. His silver necklace that had the shape of an infinity sign popped out of his shirt when he fell.

The skies had gone from grey and cloudy to black and doom spelling. Blue streaks of lightning spread across the dark sky, a powerful thunder rumbled, the whole city shivered in response.

“Damn, let's get out of here now. I don't want to get drenched,” Oliver said to his goons. They stared up at the sky before they hopped into the car and zoomed off.

Mason's eyelids slowed kissed each other as he laid weak. Simon had not moved an inch since he was struck, and Mason couldn't move either. He stretched his arm towards Simon's direction, but his body failed him. His breathing rate decreased and soon, he laid as lifeless as a deformed mannequin.

Blood dripped — it ran from his head, down to his cheeks and rolled over to his chin and dropped. A drop touched the necklace, followed by two more, and it glowed.

"Host restored."

"Welcome Master Xander, it has been a decade!"

Mason gasped as he heard the automated sound echo. He blinked his eyes several times.

“What… who is there?”

"Host has just been respawned."

“Huh?”