The boy who could bend fate—maybe.
The classroom smelled faintly of chalk and rust. The teacher's voice droned on, scribbling numbers across the blackboard.
"Class, today we'll learn—uh—6a + 8¬… and remember to solve for x properly," he said, glancing at the students. Liam tried to focus, but his eyes wandered to the small pieces of scrap metal under the desks. Just small stuff. Nothing dangerous.
Nothing could have prepared them for what came next.
A shiver ran down Liam's spine, and the lights flickered. At first, he thought it was the old wiring… but then came the sound: a heavy thud, like metal on metal, echoing in the hall.
The door burst open. Shadows poured in. Tall, impossibly still, with eyes that glowed faintly in the dim classroom. The Decay had arrived.
Chaos erupted.
The teacher shouted, "Everyone get under your desks!"
Liam froze for a second… then instinct took over. He ran toward the teacher, hoping to shield him, to do something. But the Decay moved faster. One figure raised a hand, the air bending as if it weighed on the classroom itself.
Liam's heart thumped. No, no, no… not like this…
A sharp clanging sound split the room. A metal bar swung through the air, hitting one of the Decay members square in the head. The figure staggered but didn't die. Another swing. Sparks flew.
"Go, Finn!" someone shouted.
Liam turned and saw Finn Voidiron, a kid from another class. His eyes were calm, focused… and then they changed. From normal purple to glowing, violent violet. Finn raised the bar again, and it moved as if it had a mind of its own—twisting, spinning, striking, following his will perfectly.
Every scrap of metal in the room trembled. Broken chairs, scattered rulers, even nails in the wall floated around him. Finn's body moved fluidly, but his eyes… his eyes controlled the metal in the room like it was an extension of himself.
The Decay tried to strike him, but metal formed shields, spikes, and chains instantly. Finn countered effortlessly, striking faster than Liam's eyes could follow.
And then—one precise swing, one command of the air and iron—Finn killed the Decay member.
The classroom was silent for a heartbeat. Liam's hands were trembling. His heart was pounding so hard he could feel it in his throat.
Finn's eyes pulsed violently, the violet aura of complete metal control radiating around him. He didn't move, but the debris hovered in tense anticipation, waiting for him to act again.
Liam swallowed hard. This was power. This was Will.
And Liam… had none.
He hugged the teacher instinctively, the boy's chest tight with fear and awe. Outside, shadows stirred. The Decay were not gone. They had only started.
But one thing was clear: in this world, the metal obeyed only those strong enough to command it.
And Finn Voidiron… had already awakened something far beyond any ordinary student.