Paths of Extinction

Chapter 6 Retaliation

With no distractions and ample time, Zeke spent Saturday and Sunday either researching comprehensive and informative books about Aether, or completing the Daily Tasks and going a step further to increase his stats by surpassing his physical limits.

Unfortunately, obtaining stats through sheer effort was easier said than done. 

Within two days, he only managed to increase his Strength and Agility by 2 points respectively, which was a welcome but less than satisfactory result. 

His physique was slowly but surely becoming better, though there had been close to no change in terms of appearance. 

Excluding the regular exercises, Zeke focused on his Aether, specifically ‘Aether Control’, ‘Voltage Zap’, and ‘Spark’. 

After a relatively long meditation session, following the emptying of his Life Aether through the use of two consecutive ‘Voltage Zap’, Zeke tried to see if ‘Aether Control’ could be used as a regenerative alternative instead of simple rest. Alas, his experimentation was unsuccessful and, as always, he was left feeling dizzy and incapable of prolonging the active period of the skill, much less manipulating the lustrous green particles dancing around him.

“Yes, big brother.”

“...”

“Yes, I know. I’m fine… I promise.”

The phone call with his brother was brief and the same as always. Still, Zeke wasn’t particularly displeased or upset. Amongst all his family members, he was closest to his older brother ‘Edward’, or Ed, as Zeke liked to call him.

Edward Orland was a famous graduate of Erys, a student of renown feats and exceptional talents. Even Maxine paled in comparison to Edward, though that was mainly due to her low grades in Theoretical Lessons. 

As he put down the phone, Zeke let out a soft smile and continued eating. He neither hoped nor expected his parents to call or come back home. They were both workaholics, but more than that, they never really cared for his well being. The fact that they had forced him to enrol into Erys proved that they cared more about face than their son. They wanted to be known as the parents who raised three Erys graduates, even if the last one was a Defect.

Frankly speaking, Zeke did not feel any sort of closeness to his mother and father. He had not seen them for two years already and that was for the better. After all, they would incessantly reproach any mistake he made and compare him to his studious brother and genius sister. It was, to say the least, obnoxious and downright discouraging to constantly hear your parents utter degrading words and empathize with your faults every time they got the chance.

It was because of them that Zeke had an inferiority complex toward his talented peers. On the outside, he might have behaved normally, but he was psychologically struggling and trying to cope with the unfair reality. 

Fortunately, the arrival of the System turned his life around and offered him the chance to get power using unorthodox means. However, never once did he think of calling his parents and telling them the truth as, knowing them, that could lead to disastrous consequences.

There were no records of the Paths of Extinction System anywhere on the Internet of History Books, therefore, Zeke concluded that it was something alien, something entirely new and unrelated to Earth or the Aether Planet.

Whatever it was, it was for the best to keep it a secret and use it for his own benefits. The process might be slow, but someday, he might measure up to Edward and Maxine.

After finishing his regular call with Edward, Zeke resumed his meditation and messed around with ‘Aether Control’ only to fall unconscious shortly after.

In the blink of an eye, the weekend passed and it was Monday. As usual, Zeke headed to Erys and found himself in the vast campus, but the moment he heard Rodrick’s loud call, he knew it wasn’t going to be a peaceful day.

By now, both Azmer and Rodrick healed from their minor wounds and no longer had bandages. From the looks of it, they were waiting for him at the gates and as soon as they spotted him, they called for him.

While fighting the instinctive fear he developed after so much bullying, Zeke glanced at them and actually chose to act deaf and quicken his steps.

Of course, his attempt only made them chase after him, Rodrick pulling the back of his collar while Azmer was giving him a piercing glare.

“Didn’t you hear us?! Tsk tsk! You’re becoming bolder by the day!”

Rodrick was a head taller than Zeke and definitely more muscular. Nevertheless, his tug felt lighter to Zeke, who offered no resistance and looked back with a rarely calm look.

He might have escaped their bullying for a couple of days, but this was bound to happen. It was apparent that they were done with whatever was troubling them and finally returned to their old ways; Preying on the weak to make themselves feel better and stronger.

“He clearly saw us.”

Azmer approached him and leaned closer, his azure eyes focused on him. “Did you think Julia’s warning will save you? She can’t always be there for you, loser.”

Rodrick looked around then, while acting friendly with Zeke, he dragged him to their usual secluded spot; an alley between the First Year Building and the Training Facility.

Unlike the past, Zeke had the means to protect himself and wasn’t willing to get beaten up just for the sake of it. Yes, he was outnumbered and Azmer was probably stronger than him. However, Rodrick wasn’t particularly talented in comparison, neither was his ability strong. Nevertheless, using ‘Voltage Zap’ in retaliation would be a foolish move, especially so soon. Therefore, once he was pushed against the wall and Rodrick was ready to kick him, Zeke raised his hands in a defensive manner.

“Oh? What’s this?”

Rodrick wasn’t angry, he grinned once he saw Zeke try to protect himself.

“Would you look at that! The loser grew some balls! Hahahahaha”

In a slow and casual manner, Rodrick tried to kick him but the latter dodged out of the way and, unhesitantly, swung his clenched fist right at the bully’s face.

It happened so quickly, and from Zeke’s perspective, it was simply too easy. Maybe his increased Stats really made a difference, or maybe the newfound courage to resist allowed him to exert unexpected strength. Whatever it was, it allowed him to literally punch Rodrick’s face and made him stagger.

In disbelief, Rodrick dumbfoundedly touched his bleeding nose. However, Zeke wasn’t finished, not after such a golden opportunity presented itself. 

Azmer was equally shocked as he saw the scrawny Zeke swing his fists again. This time, there was a barely noticeable light emanating from his fists as they hammered on Rodrick’s chest. 

“...”

With solemn eyes and a cold expression, Zeke looked at the startled Azmer. He had his fists raised, ready to attack. As for Rodrick, with a purple face, he was clutching his chest and having difficulty breathing.

“W-what happe-”

The poor teenager couldn’t even finish talking as the pain was too much. With one hand on the ground, supporting him, he slowly raised his head and looked at Zeke.

Contrary to him, Azmer knew what was happening and did not recklessly attempt anything. 

While glaring at Zeke, he said, “You… can use Aether?”

He definitely saw the light emitting from the fists, and that could only be attributed to Aether. 

“This has gone for long enough, Azmer.”

His weak appearance notwithstanding, Zeke seemed unrecognizable now. Yet, even after all of that, Rodrick wasn’t having it as he got up to his feet and tried to attack.

Unfortunately for him, Zeke was more than prepared and, before he knew it, Rodrick’s face was viciously kicked, which made him instantly fall unconscious.

Upon seeing Zeke about to continue hitting the defenseless Rodrick, Azmer was finally about to intercept as a fist-sized fireball appeared in front of him.

At a high-speed, it shot Zeke, who instinctively used ‘Spark’ to protect himself. The expected clash, however, did not occur as both the lightning orb and the fireball disintegrated into nothingness.

“As per rule 6, fighting within the campus is prohibited.”

Much to Azmer and Zeke’s surprise, an old man appeared out of thin air. He was slightly shorter than Zeke, had long and snow-white silky hair, and was dressed in a traditional tattered grey robe.

The two students instantly recognized the elderly, causing Azmer to withdraw his Aether and Zeke to back away, though he did not look as restless as his bully.

The Dean swept his eyes at the two of them then glanced at the unconscious Rodrick.

Instead of putting the blame on Zeke, the old man faced Azmer and continued,

“Mister Lorson, I think we made it quite clear that any violent acts, physical or verbal, against the DefectS can lead to expulsion.”

“I-it was a misunderstanding, sir.”

Azemer Lorson forced a laugh and looked at the stoic Zeke, who nodded his head in silent agreement.

Since the Dean witnessed the events that just unfolded, it would be easy to confess everything to the Dean. However, that wouldn’t be enough to get them expelled. Moreover, Zeke’s goal wasn’t to get rid of them but to beat them. He wanted to prove to himself that he could beat them, that he could inflict to them what they had done to him.

Today was merely a lesson so that the two of them would think twice before beating him up.

It has been a short while since he acquired the System, but that did not mean he was willing to keep getting bullied… not after he had the power to protect himself. 

“Misunderstanding? You think me a fool, Mister Lorson? What about you, Mister Orland?”

“No, sir. It was really a misunderstanding. It won’t happen again.”

“...”

Seeing their adamance on revealing the truth, the Dean sighed and dismissively waved his hand at Zeke. As for Azmer, he was instructed to carry his friend to the infirmary, which he obediently did.

…

“Ah! It fucking hurts!”

“...”

Rodrick was caressing his chest while spouting vulgar words. Xavier had done his best and healed the superficial wounds, but even after that, Rodrick was still experiencing a burning and uncomfortable sensation in his chest, which made him rage even more.

“Calm down, Rodrick.”

“Calm down? How can I calm down after that little shit sneak-attacked me?! I swear I’ll bring his leg-”

Upon seeing his friend give him an uncommon and cold stare, Rodrick swallowed his anger and words and lowered his head.

“I swear it was just luck. I didn’t think he'd actually attack me.”

“...”

“I mean, I didn’t even get to use my power.”

“When did you ever need your power to beat a Defect? Don’t start making excuses, Rodrick.”

“B-but…”

In the end, Rodrick, with clenched fists, opted to maintain silence while his friend sighed.

“Don’t try anything stupid. The Dean saw it all and I don’t want any more trouble.”

As Azmer was prepared to leave, Rodrick hesitantly said, “Are we really going to let him get away scot-free?”

“Yes… Yes, we are. Stay here and recover.”

Azmer departed thereafter, leaving a begrudged and annoyed Rodrick behind. 

With Xavier gone, Rodrick was alone in the Infirmary, muttering to himself with a distorted expression of anger. He could not handle the loss of face and the fact that a weakling like Zeke managed to do that to him.

“No way I’m going to let him off.”

Resolved, he fished out his phone and called a close friend of his father’s.

****

During lunchtime, after the second lesson, Zeke expected to see Amelia but there were no signs of her. Instead of eating, he searched for her only to come to a sudden realization.

The only reason she wasn’t there was because she couldn’t. Thinking back to the time he saw her being bullied in the small park within the campus, he immediately rushed there.

“You’re filth!!”

Uncannily, it was the very same sight from last time. The two girls were surrounding Amelia and spouting insults. 

But, unlike last time, Amelia wasn’t unscathed; Her uniform, specifically in the abdomen area, was shredded into pieces, revealing her bruised stomach. ‘Twas clear that she was hit with magic rather than simple kicks.

With a pale face and weakened legs, she was leaning against the tree and trying to say something only to be slapped.

‘Even with the Dean here, the bullying won’t ever stop.’

Zeke found himself in the same situation, witnessing the bullying of a fellow Defect. As if fate was playing tricks on him, he was at the same exact spot and hiding behind a tree.

However, he did not content with cowardly watching, and instead, he raised his hand and, while concentrating, used ‘Voltage Zap’.

The blue electric currents formed around the open palm then, in an instant, shot a lightning bolt straight at one of the two girls. 

The unsuspecting target was hit in the back, causing her to let out a heart-wrenching cry of agony as the lightning charred her uniform and blackened her skin. She limply fell on the ground, startling her friend.

The remaining bully did not help her friend, she frantically looked around then darted away in fear.

As for Amelia, she looked at the fallen girl with blank eyes, utterly devoid of pity or sympathy.

“Are you alright?”

A familiar worried voice rang in her ears, and when she looked up, she saw Zeke walking toward her.

The girl sat on the ground and softly groaned as she touched her bruised abdomen. Whatever they used on her, it clearly made her incredibly weakened and incapable of even standing up.

“It was you… again. Thanks.”

“It’s fine. Let’s go to the Infirmary.”

“...”

At first, he tried to support her but her knees were trembling and she could not stand up, therefore, he carried her on his back. The two did not even glance at the unconscious and injured girl as they left the area.

“I assume they’re from your class?”

Zeke could feel the now-calm breathing of Amelia as she rested her head on his shoulder. She seemed remarkably less lively than usual, though it was to be expected after such a violent session of bullying.

In more than a way, Zeke felt bad for arriving too late. Amelia did not have the strength to protect herself and, as a consequence, had to bear through the beating and abuse. He couldn’t always be there to intervene, so he needed to use another method to ensure her safety. After all, they were technically friends and as two individuals with relatively similar circumstances, they could sympathize with each other.

“Yeah. Nothing I can’t deal with, though.”

“Well, it certainly didn’t look that way.”

“Hah!” Amelia playfully snorted and squeezed her grip around his chest, “We received our grades today and I was the first in History. They were sour.”

“I know how that feels, heh! Rodrick, one of my bullies, would get the lowest score and vent his frustration on me. It was always hell!”

“Jeez-” She wanted to say something but was assaulted by a fit of coughs which left her out of breath.

“We’re almost there. You should rest in the Infirmary all day. I’ll bring you something to eat.”

“Yeah, I know I know.”

…

“I-It’s here!”

The Dean, along with the girl who had run away, returned to the scene where it all happened. The girl, teary-eyed and hyperventilating, was staring at her unconscious friend while intensely shaking.

In contrast, the old man approached the injured student and put his hand over the fresh wound on her back. An emission of Aether emanated from his hand and tried to envelop the blackened spot only for blue electric currents to appear and ripple in the air.

“Curiouser and curiouser.” While letting out a grunt, he turned to the other girl and reassuringly added,

“I’ll take her to the Infirmary. For now, go back to class and come to my office in the evening.”

“Y-yes!”

Once the girl left, the Dean looked around with half-closed eyes, his expression unusually serious. In just a couple of breaths, he guessed the spot from which the attack was shot, but there was no residue Aether that could lead to the culprit. However, he did notice a bit of blood on the tree trunk and on the ground.

“Lightning-aspected Aether? Hmm-... No. This is something else.”

…

“Another one?”

Upon seeing the Dean appear with an unconscious girl, Xavier frowned and motioned for the former to put her on one of the empty beds.

“Can you take a closer look at her, Xavier?”

“That’s what I’m about to do. I can barely sense any Aether in her.”

While the Dean was standing at the side, Xavier inspected the girl and though the wound was healed successfully, there were still traces of electric currents in the air.

“Call her parents. She needs to be hospitalized.”

With a grave look, Xavier nodded his head and removed his hand from her back.

“I can heal the wounds but removing whatever is inside her is beyond my abilities. Who did this?”

“I’m still trying to figure that out.”

The Dean glanced at the two other patients in the room then vanished into thin air. 

The Head of the Infirmary, clearly in a bad mood, called a couple of people then took out his packet of cigarettes and stormed out after telling Amelia and Rodrick to rest.

In the case of Rodrick, he did not heed Xavier’s words. After the Doctor left, he sat up and, while groaning and cursing, made his way outside. 

Only the absent-minded Amelia remained, her eyes glued on her unconscious bully. 

The blackened spot caused by the lightning bolt was completely healed, but you could still see unstable lightning sparks every few seconds.

Before she knew it, Amelia was in front of the girl, looking down at her with stone-cold eyes. She stretched her arms and grasped the sleeping girl’s throat, trying to suffocate her.

In the end, she did not finish the job and simply went back to her bed in an eerie silence. Although she did not show it, her grudge was as strong as Zeke’s, thus, when she saw a chance, she could not help herself.

At least she held herself back at the last second and didn’t do anything that might ruin her life, but the temptation was ever-growing and more intense.

…

The rest of the day was uneventful for Zeke. He went to check on Amelia after all the lessons then headed home. 

He was eager to do his Daily Tasks , which would reset early at night. He needed to get stronger than, when the time was ripe, showcase his newfound powers to the public. Then, he could go around without having to worry about bullies. 

Consequently, many would question the origin of his abilities, but he would attribute his power-up to an unexpected late awakening. After all, Maxine and Edward were able to manipulate Aether, so that explanation, however lackluster, was somewhat believable.

Additionally, Erys cared about one’s strength and intelligence, not the source of its students’ unique powers.

After taking the subway and arriving at his neighborhood, Zeke was met with an unexpected sight; Close to the apartment complex he lived in, there were a bunch of black-suited men with a student at their front.

Alas, when he caught sight of them, so did they. As it was too late to retreat or avoid them, Zeke halted his steps and looked at the unfriendly group of men, numbering at least twenty.

“Come here you rat bas-”

Before Rodrick could finish, Zeke turned around and started a mad sprint for his life. Although his neighbourhood was relatively safe, he still did not want to take the risk. Anyone would avoid such a group, therefore, trying to call for help would be futile.

Woefully, the cat and mouse chase was short-lived. Zeke was a fast runner, but he was intercepted by more men. Rodrick had come prepared and spared no effort in trying to catch his victim.

“Where are you going to run off to now, hah?!”

Circled by no less than twenty to thirty men, all giving him looks of mockery or hostility, Zeke stood with his back against the wall. Even if he used ‘Voltage Zap’, he would have no chance of defeating all of them. He was doomed to fail, so it would be wiser to keep his trump cards closer to his sleeve and try another tactic.

Now that he was cornered, Zeke felt a bit of anxiety, soon overwhelmed by the urge to resist no matter the result.

“Cat got your tongue? Damn Defect!”

With his signal, more than ten men holding long batons approached Zeke. Seeing his frail physique and harmless appearance, they thought he wasn’t going to resist, but it wasn’t the case.

Although shorter, Zeke unhesitantly swung his glowing fists at the closest man, knocking him on the ground and startling the rest.

“What are you looking at me for?” Rodrick snapped at the surprised men as he shouted at them with a reddened face. 

“Do your job!”

Solemn and serious, they raised their batons and attacked. Zeke might have successfully hit the first one, but that was about it. He wasn’t given the chance to use ‘Fists of Furry’ again as the batons hit him from all sides, incapacitating him in a couple of breaths.

He fell on the ground but, thereafter, was lifted back up, his arms bound and his body pushed against the wall.

Satisfied to see Zeke immobilised and at his mercy, Rodrick approached him and raised his hand.

“This is for punching me in the face!”

The teenager did not even hold back his strength as he punched Zeke right in the face. 

“I… will…”

Sadly for him, Zeke could not talk again as Rodrick punched him multiple times in the chest and stomach.

Zeke puked all the food he had eaten, but the humiliation was a hundred times worse. Rodrick pulled his long hair and slapped him until his face was crimson red.

“Who do you think you are? I went easy on you because you were obedient.”

“...”

“I will make you regret everything you did!”

For the next ten minutes, Zeke was subjected to a brutal beating. Only two of the thirty-ish men were needed to bind him and let Rodrick vent his anger. No one cared about Zeke’s state, even after he started puking blood or when he seemed to be losing consciousness.

“Do that again and I’ll break both of your legs!”

Rodrick spat on the bloodied Zeke and left along with the men. 

The victim, Zeke, was curled on the ground, his limbs stiff and his body experiencing excruciating pain. Still, he managed to sit up and lean on the wall, his breathing heavy as he wiped the blood off his lips.

He held back the tears and looked at the ground, his eyes containing a mix of shame, anger, and disappointment.

“Why must I live through this? Even after I got the System…”

For the first time ever, he felt the urge to pick up the phone and call his sister or brother. Perhaps he needed encouragement or help, especially from someone close to him.

In the end, he called no one and just sat there, taking deep breaths and coping with the pain.

No one passed by the narrow pathway, no one came to help or call an ambulance. With legs and arms shaking from pain, fatigue, and anger, the boy made his way home while gritting his teeth and inwardly swearing to return everything he was owed, no matter the cost.

Rodrick’s methods were extreme and since it was done outside of Erys, complaining to the Dean will lead to nothing. As ever before, he was alone in this and had to deal with his own problems.

Thankfully, he had the System so, with enough effort and determination, there was nothing he could not achieve. A time will come when he will not be subjected to unfair bullying, brutal beating, and humiliation like that.