Zyric reached his class on time. And as he walked in, the students began looking at him and started whispering something in each other's ears.
Zyric frowned, "What happened now?"
He caught bits of their murmurs, "Hey, watch, it's about to happen. Keep watching."
"It's about to happen? What's about to happen?" Zyric wondered as he walked forward- and then his foot slipped. He fell hard, hitting the ground. Blood started dripping from his head again.
"Man, what do they think I am?" Wiping away the blood, Zyric muttered.
There was no time to rush to the hospital because the class was about to start. He had to attend today's lecture which was on the Fuzan Vault, and he did not want to miss it under any circumstances. There was also an unwritten rule: any student absent after the bell would be barred from the next day's lectures.
So, he pressed his handkerchief against the wound and took his seat. Seeing the empty chair beside him, he mumbled, "Where is she now? Don't tell me she's going to miss this class."
Just then, a beautiful girl entered. ""Heyyy, it's Raven!! Finally. We thought you were going to miss it," a few students teased.
Ignoring them, Raven walked straight to the seat beside Zyric.
"This man was at last lucky enough to sit by Raven", said some one. "He just kept staring at her, without the guts to say a word." The students said, mocking Zyric.
Raven was the most gifted girl at school in addition to being the most attractive.
Why? You may ask.
While most students had only tamed ordinary animals, she had, even in the junior section, managed to tame a baby snake. It often coiled around her head like a crown.
Zyric glanced at her once or twice but quickly looked away when she turned toward him.
This strange boy... always hurt, Raven thought. Every time he sat next to her, he had some new injury. She would spot blood on him almost daily, and because of that, he always carried the faint smell of it--something she couldn't stand.
"Poor boy, he gets bullied by everyone in this school just because he is nothing." Although she wanted to help him, and she actually can but doing so would only make it worst, cause people will be envious and hurt him more.
However, she also disliked people who were of no use, just like Zyric.
Yes, she pitied Zyric, but in her eyes, he was exactly that- useless.
Raven tried to calm her thoughts, reminding herself of this again and again.
Soon, the teacher entered the class.
"Huh, What is this? Miss Grace?"
"Why is she coming inside our class? And where is Scott Sir? He was supposed to take our lesson on the Fuzan Vault today," some students whispered as Miss Grace walked in.
"Everyone, Silence! I know Mr. Scott was supposed to take your class, but due to personal reasons, he's absent today. So, temporarily I'll be taking your class. And don't worry, I'll be teaching you about the Fuzan Vault, just as Mr. Scott promised." Miss Grace announced, making the students cheer up.
On the other hand, Raven was more excited than anyone else, because Miss Grace was her personal home tutor and had taught her about monsters. Raven had been able to tame a monster at such a young age.
Miss Grace, too, looks at Raven, but then her eyes fell on the strange boy sitting beside her. Zyric, who was completely soaked in blood, with half his face smeared red.
Seeing this, Miss Grace takes a deep breath. "Zyric, stand up."
She ordered. He obeyed, and immediately, everyone's eyes turned toward him.
"What happened? Why is there so much blood on your head?" She asked.
Zyric, frightened, replied, "Uh... Miss, I actually fell while coming to class."
"Neither do you know how to tame monsters, nor do you even know how to walk?" As soon as Miss Grace said this, the whole class burst into laughter at Zyric.
Zyric tried to explain, "But Miss Gra...."
"Just get out of the class!" Miss Grace shouted before he could finish.
"But Miss, this Fuzan Vault..." Zyric really wanted to attend the lecture to learn more. As much as he knew, humans had developed a vault within their bodies, just below the heart, called the Fuzan Vault. By using it, they could store the monsters they had tamed and carry them easily. This was all Zyric understood about it, but he longed to know more, how it was formed, how it held monsters, and the signs of its awakening.
But Miss Grace refused to listen.
"I don't want to know, nothing. You have bled in the classroom, and you will mop it up after class. For now, get out at once!" she scolded.
Unable to argue, Zyric left the class with a heavy heart and teary eyes, heading straight to Dr. Hazel.
"Oh no, come and sit here." Dr. Hazel said, seating him in her cabin and treating his injuries.
After he had his injuries cleaned and medicated, he rushed back to his class but as Miss Grace had already started the lecture, he was not allowed inside.
He grew miserable. While cursing his fate, he grew dizzy and fainted in the hallway. It was the result of heavy blood loss from David's squirrel attack, the injury from falling in class, and the stress of missing the most important lesson for any Monster Tamer; the one on the Fuzan Vault.