Not just with this moment—but with everything.
Ray's jaw clenched. His mind was spinning—accusations, powers, corruption—but he couldn't tell who was right. All he saw was violence.
"I don't know who started this," he said, stepping forward, voice tight. "And I don't know who's lying. But I'm ending it. Now."
He dropped his bag, body tensing to charge—
But before he could move, a force yanked him backward.
He struggled, twisting—but there was no one there. Just cold air and pressure.
Invisible hands gripped his shoulders, pinning him in place.
Then—
CRACK.
A massive bolt of electricity surged from Josh's hands and slammed into Ray's chest, dropping him to his knees.
His body twitched violently, nerves on fire, the scent of burnt air curling in his nose.
He coughed once, breath ragged, and looked up at Josh through the haze.
"Of course," Ray muttered, voice hoarse. "Hit me while someone else holds me down. Real brave, Josh. That's just like you."
Josh just grinned.
Velza shimmered into view beside him, pink hoodie loose, face masked, hat shadowing her eyes. She reappeared just long enough to drive a kick into his ribs.
"Shut up," she snapped.
Kade stepped in next, kicking him hard in the side.
"Not so tough now, huh?"
Another kick. Ray curled tighter, blood in his mouth, electricity still buzzing through his nerves.
They turned away, already looking back to the doctor.
That was their mistake.
Ray exploded upward.
His hand caught Velza by the arm—
WHAM.
He punched her so hard she lifted off the ground and sailed past Josh's face, spinning midair. A streak of her blood trailed behind her—some of it splattered across Josh's cheek.
She crashed into the wall, not the lockers—the wall—with a brutal impact before collapsing in a heap.
Kade turned, stunned—too slow.
Ray swept his legs out, dropped him flat, and drove a knee into his ribs.
Kade gasped. Ray followed with a sharp elbow to the jaw, then a final, savage fist to the face.
Kade stopped moving.
Josh blinked, slowly wiping Velza's blood from his cheek. Then he smiled again—something wilder now in his eyes.
"That's more like it," he said, lightning building between his hands.
"Bring it on."
Ray stood over Kade's limp body, chest heaving. His fists were trembling, his breathing ragged.
But already, he felt it—his knees buckling beneath him, vision swimming. The electricity had done more damage than he thought.
His head whipped toward Josh.
Josh wasn't charging. He wasn't rushing.
He was waiting.
Then it hit him. Josh was smart.
Too smart.
Before Ray could take a step, Josh fired—not at him, but beside him. A bolt zipped past, missing by inches.
Another. Then another.
Ray tried to charge, but the moment he moved, another bolt was already flying his way.
Josh was zoning him, keeping the distance, never letting him get close.
Ray dove behind one of the thick concrete pillars, chest pressed to it as another shot zipped past.
He cursed under his breath, thinking fast.
How do I get in?
Then he heard it.
A crackle. A hiss.
He looked up.
The sprinkler pipe above him had been struck.
Water poured down, soaking him, slicking the floor.
Then—BOOM.
The moment the water touched his skin, Josh let loose a monstrous bolt of electricity.
Ray's body convulsed. Pain exploded through every nerve. His back arched, breath ripped from his lungs. He collapsed forward, rolling out from behind the pillar.
His body hit the floor with a wet smack.
The world spun.
Josh slowly walked toward him, boots splashing through the puddles.
"You know what pisses me off, Ray?" he said, his voice low but razor sharp. "Your face."
He knelt beside Ray, his face twitching with contempt.
"Just looking at you makes me angry. You're nothing. A worthless mutt who survives off the pity of others. You don't belong here."
Ray coughed, but couldn't lift his head.
"Without them," Josh hissed, "you're nothing. No skill. No drive. Just... luck."
He stood again, looking down on Ray like something beneath his shoe.
"I've always been the one who worked. The one who trained. The one who bled to get better."
His fists clenched, trembling now.
"But I hit my limit. I reached the edge. And no one—no one—took me seriously. Not the coaches. Not the school. Not even my own friends."
Josh's eyes flared. Lightning buzzed around his arms again.
"So now I'll make them. I'll make all of them see me."
He looked at his hand, then back at Ray with a grin.
"You'd be surprised who's watching… and what they're willing to offer."
Ray lay face-down in the puddle; the mix of blood and water swirled around his cheek. His breath came shallow and ragged.
Josh turned, ready to walk away.
"You'll never make it…" Ray muttered, barely above a whisper.
Josh stopped.
Ray's fingers curled against the soaked tile. "You won't make it. Not all the way."
Josh's jaw tightened. "What was that?"
Ray coughed, spit mixing with water. "You think power's everything. But people like you…" He dragged in a breath. "You burn everything around you to stay warm. Then wonder why it's so damn cold at the top."
Josh's expression twisted.
"You watched your friends get stomped out right in front of you," Ray rasped. "And you laughed. You didn't even flinch."
He rolled onto his side, barely able to lift his head.
"Even now… you're still so busy trying to prove you're strong… you forgot to care if they're even alive."
Josh's fists sparked. "You shut your—"
"You're scum—no, worse than scum," Ray hissed, voice low and raw. "At least scum doesn't pretend to care."
Lightning crackled through the room again. Josh unleashed the bolt, slamming it hard into Ray's chest.
"All your talk, but you couldn't even land a single hit."
A guttural scream ripped from Ray's throat.
Josh stepped forward, lips curling into a cruel smile."There's no space at the top for stragglers. If they fall behind… they deserve it."
Josh yanked Ray up by the hair, voice trembling now, not just from rage—but something deeper.
"You think I didn't try!?" he snapped. "I did everything right. Every rep, every late night, every goddamn test—I was supposed to be more than this."
He threw Ray again, the sound of bone hitting pillar echoing through the soaked air.
He stepped in, fists flying, words spilling out with each hit.
"I worked harder than all of them."
"I did everything right!"
Punch.
"I trained every day!"
Punch.
"And for what!?"
His voice fractured completely now. Fury and shame tangled in every word.
He grabbed Ray by the collar, pulling him in again—ready to strike—
But then his eyes caught something.
A thin, black cord. A necklace, tangled around Ray's throat.
Josh snatched it. "What's this?"
He ripped it from Ray's neck, holding it in the light. The pendant spun lazily in his hand.
"A keepsake?" he sneered. "That's cute. Bet it'll go for a decent price…"
A pause.
"Or maybe I'll just smash it—right in front of you. Send you off with something to cry about."
That's when it started.
A creeping black mist.
Like ink bleeding through the air.
It coiled around the pendant. Around Ray.
Josh stepped back, something ancient pricking at the back of his mind.
Ray's body tensed.
Then his eyes opened—flat, bottomless, and wrong.
"Say that again."