The Academy's central courtyard was a battleground of egos at noon, a sprawling plaza where students showed off their powers like peacocks flashing their tails. Fireballs arced through the air, ice sculptures glittered under the sun, and gusts of conjured wind sent leaves spiraling in chaotic dances. It was a place to be seen, to be feared, to be respected. And today, it was about to become a stage.
Won stepped into the courtyard, his coat catching the breeze like a dark flag. The chatter and laughter faltered as heads turned. Whispers spread like wildfire, eyes tracking his every move. He didn't flinch under the scrutiny. His posture was unyielding, his eyes abyssal, and the air around him seemed to hum with latent menace. The students parted instinctively, creating a path as he walked toward the center of the plaza.
Yesterday's classroom display had already sparked rumors, but rumors were one thing. Reality was another. And reality was about to hit hard.
Jace stood with his crew near the fountain, his silver hair glinting in the sunlight. Lila and Torren flanked him, their faces a mix of defiance and unease. A larger group had gathered around them — students from other classes, drawn by the promise of a spectacle. They'd heard about Professor Won's transformation, about the void that swallowed chairs and pride alike. Some were skeptical. Others were eager to see blood.
"He's here," Lila muttered, her frost creeping up her arms like armor.
Jace's smirk was forced, but his eyes burned. "Good. Let's end this."
Torren cracked his knuckles, electricity sparking between his fingers. "He's not walking away this time."
Won stopped a dozen paces away, his gaze sweeping the crowd before settling on Jace. The air thickened, the hum of his power growing louder, like a distant storm. Students shifted uneasily, some stepping back, others leaning forward, caught between fear and fascination.
"Jace," Won said, his voice calm but carrying like a blade across the courtyard. "You wanted my attention. You have it."
The crowd murmured. A few students pulled out their phones, recording. This was Ashen Academy. A fight wasn't just a fight — it was a legend in the making.
Jace stepped forward, flames licking up his arms. "You think you're untouchable now, Hollow? You're still a joke. Just with better tricks."
Won's smile was cold, almost amused. "Tricks? Let's test that theory."
Before Jace could respond, the ground beneath him shuddered. Not a quake, not a crack — a distortion. The stone tiles warped, bending like liquid, and Jace stumbled, his flames flickering. The crowd gasped, phones shaking in their hands.
"What the—" Jace caught himself, hurling a fireball with a snarl. It was bigger this time, a roaring sphere of heat that scorched the air.
Won raised a hand. The fireball vanished midflight, swallowed by a shimmer in the air. But this time, it didn't just disappear. It reappeared behind Jace, hurtling back at him.
Jace dove to the side, the fireball exploding against the fountain in a shower of sparks and steam. The crowd screamed, some scattering, others cheering. Lila lunged forward, frost surging in a jagged wave toward Won. Torren followed, electricity crackling in a wild arc.
Won didn't move. The air around him pulsed, and both attacks dissolved — frost melting into mist, lightning fizzling into nothing. He stepped forward, and the ground rippled again, forcing Lila and Torren to their knees.
"Stay down," Won said, his voice low but commanding. "Or I'll make you."
The crowd was electric now, shouts and gasps blending into a chaotic roar. Mira, the braided girl from Class C, stood at the edge, her eyes wide with something dangerously close to adoration. "He's unreal," she whispered to her friend, who only nodded, too stunned to speak.
Jace scrambled to his feet, his face twisted with rage. "You're not a god!" he roared, flames erupting around him in a blazing aura. He charged, the heat warping the air, his fists wreathed in fire.
Won's eyes narrowed. The world bent.
Jace froze mid-step, his body locked in place as if caught in invisible chains. The flames around him flickered, then collapsed inward, not burning but crushing, pressing him to his knees. He gasped, clawing at the air, his face paling.
"You're right," Won said, stepping closer, his voice a velvet blade. "I'm not a god. I'm worse."
He snapped his fingers, and the space around Jace twisted. The crowd screamed as Jace's body lifted off the ground, suspended in a pocket of distorted reality. His flames died completely, his eyes wide with terror as he floated, helpless, in a void that pulsed with dark energy.
Lila screamed, "Stop it!" She hurled another wave of frost, but it vanished before it reached Won. Torren, desperate, unleashed a bolt of lightning, only for it to spiral into nothing.
Won's gaze flicked to them. "You helped him push me off that roof," he said, his voice chillingly calm. "You laughed as I fell. Do you want to know what it felt like?"
He raised a hand, and the ground beneath Lila and Torren vanished. They plummeted into darkness, their screams echoing before the ground snapped back, leaving them sprawled and gasping, just like in the classroom. But this time, the crowd saw it all — the void, the power, the absolute control.
Jace dropped to the ground, coughing, his face ashen. The crowd was silent for a heartbeat, then erupted again, a mix of fear, awe, and raw excitement.
Won turned, his gaze sweeping the plaza. "Anyone else?"
No one moved. Even the boldest students, the ones who'd spent years ruling through fear, shrank back. A boy with wind swirling around his hands dropped his gaze. A girl with glowing runes on her skin stepped behind her friend. The air was thick with the weight of his presence, the undeniable truth that Professor Hollow was gone, replaced by something far more dangerous.
But the moment didn't last.
A deep, resonant boom echoed across the courtyard, shaking the ground. Students stumbled, some falling to their knees. Won's head snapped toward the source — the faculty building, its upper floors glowing with an unnatural light.
The crowd parted as a figure emerged from the building's entrance. Professor Varren, the broad man who'd sneered at Won in the faculty room, strode forward, his pipe clenched between his teeth. Smoke curled around him, but it wasn't tobacco. It was power, raw and elemental, coalescing into a storm of ash and embers.
"Enough, boy," Varren growled, his voice carrying like thunder. "You've had your fun. Time to remember your place."
Won's smile returned, sharp and defiant. "My place? I think I'm exactly where I belong."
Varren's eyes narrowed. "You're no teacher. You're a threat." He raised a hand, and the air ignited, a wall of ash and flame surging toward Won.
The crowd scattered, screaming, as the courtyard became a battlefield. Won didn't flinch. The air around him shimmered, and the wall of fire dissolved, leaving only a faint heat haze. Varren's face twisted in surprise, then fury.
"Void or not," Varren snarled, "I'll bury you."
He slammed his hands together, and the ground erupted, jagged pillars of stone and ash spiking toward Won. The students screamed, some running, others too mesmerized to move. Mira clutched her friend's arm, her eyes locked on Won, whispering, "He's got this."
Won moved.
He didn't dodge or run. He stepped forward, his hand raised, and the pillars crumbled into nothing, their fragments vanishing into the void. The crowd gasped as he advanced, each step deliberate, the air around him bending and twisting like a living thing.
Varren roared, unleashing a torrent of embers that swirled into a massive, roaring phoenix. It dove toward Won, its heat scorching the stones black.
Won's eyes gleamed. He clapped his hands, and the phoenix unraveled, its flames spiraling into a black vortex that swallowed it whole. The crowd fell silent, the only sound Varren's heavy breathing.
"You're out of your depth," Won said, his voice low, dangerous. "Walk away."
Varren laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "You think you scare me, Hollow? I've broken stronger men than you."
He charged, ash coalescing into a massive hammer in his hands. He swung, the blow strong enough to shatter stone.
Won caught it.
Not with his hands, but with the void. The hammer stopped midair, trembling, then dissolved, leaving Varren staggering. Won stepped closer, and the air around Varren warped, pressing him down. The professor's knees buckled, his face twisting in disbelief.
"Impossible," he gasped.
Won leaned in, his voice a whisper that carried across the courtyard. "Nothing is impossible when you are nothing."
He snapped his fingers, and Varren's pipe vanished. The professor clutched his chest, gasping, as if something vital had been ripped away. He collapsed, his power fizzling out, leaving him trembling on the ground.
The courtyard was silent. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Won turned, his gaze sweeping the crowd. "This is your Academy," he said, his voice ringing out. "But it's my domain now. Cross me, and you'll learn what emptiness truly means."
He walked away, his coat flaring behind him, leaving the courtyard in stunned silence. Jace, Lila, and Torren were still on the ground, their faces pale, their confidence shattered. Varren lay gasping, his authority broken. The students whispered, their voices a mix of fear, awe, and something darker — fascination.
Mira broke the silence, her voice soft but clear. "He's not just a professor. He's… everything."
Her friend elbowed her, but there was no laughter this time. The truth was undeniable.
That night, the Academy buzzed with a different kind of energy. Dorm rooms were alive with heated debates, whispered plans, and reckless bets. Some students swore loyalty to Won, drawn by his power and charisma. Others, like Jace, plotted revenge, their pride too wounded to let go. The faculty, shaken by Varren's defeat, convened in secret, their voices sharp with fear and anger.
In a shadowed corner of the library, Jace sat with Lila, Torren, and a new ally — a girl named Sable, whose eyes glowed faintly with rune magic. She leaned forward, her voice low. "He's not invincible. No one is. We just need to find his weakness."
Jace nodded, his jaw tight. "He's still human. Somewhere under all that… whatever he is."
Lila shivered, her frost creeping across the table. "You didn't feel it, Sable. That void. It's like he could erase us from existence."
Sable's eyes gleamed. "Then we don't fight him with power. We fight him with cunning."
Torren cracked his knuckles, his sparks flickering. "I'm in. Whatever it takes."
Meanwhile, Won stood alone in his quarters, a sparse room with a single window overlooking the Academy. The stars outside were cold, distant, but they no longer felt unreachable. Inside him, the god's voice stirred, low and amused.
They'll never stop, you know. They'll keep coming, like moths to a flame.
Won's lips curved into a faint smile. "Let them burn."
He turned, his eyes catching the faint shimmer of his own power in the air. The void was his now, not a curse but a weapon. And he was only beginning to learn its limits.
Tomorrow, the Academy would wake to a new reality. A reality where Professor Hollow was no longer a joke, but a force that could reshape the world.
Or destroy it.