Jace pulled himself up as he stretched, notifications dancing around him, floating in the air.
[Name: Jace Vicea] Level 3[250/300]
[Age: 17]
[Abilities: None]
[Bloodline: Vicea]
[Titles: Invisible to Fate, Marked by Fate, Masochist]
[Strength: 9]
[Speed: 12]
[Resistance: 9]
[Stamina:9]
[Reflexes: 14]
[Perception: 5]
Wiping his sweat away with a towel, Jace scanned his growth. His most recent 'free stats' had been allocated to Strength, Resistance and Stamina–mostly due to Skye's class.
One thing still did confuse him on how his screen worked. No matter how hard Jace trained, how much he felt his body growing, the screen didn't reflect it. All it reflected was the amount of stats inputted in.
Jace picked out a fresh pair of clothes as he pondered on the mechanism. Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, Jace focused onto the most important topic–Bill.
While Jace had made that promise just a day ago, something bothered him. Like he was missing something. Skye's question had been troubling him. 'Who was the real enemy?'
The answer came clearly to Jace. Bill was. His reign of terror, his cruelty. It was unmatched by anything. Yet there was still that doubt. That tiny whisper in his ear that he was wrong.
Shrugging it off, Jace stepped into his closet. No, not today. Today was the day he would stop the reign that had engulfed the academy and Jace would not be distracted.
The sky was bright and clear, the wind whispering secrets as it flowed. The journey to Skye's class was uneventful yet long, mostly due to the awkward silence across the campus.
There were no bodies, no scribbled messages, no call-outs. For the first time that week, there were no victims.
Even as Jace walked into Skye's class, he knew something was wrong. A group of students huddled in a corner, whispering. One of them spotted Jace as his eyes glittered.
He lunged at Jace, stumbling words as he spoke. "Do you want to join? We're making an accountability group and we need more people. Do you want to join?"
"Slow down, " Jace addressed, glancing in confusion at the approaching group. A tall boy who Jace identified as 'Glasses' spoke, his hand reaching at the frame over his eye.
"We're making a group. We think that if we can talk to a Second-Year, we can inform them on Bill's actions and seek their protection. They may even punish Bill."
Around him students nodded, some already smiling. Jace didn't share in their joy. "No, I'm sorry. Can't join." because your plan is stupid.
Jace smiled as 'Glasses' nodded. The group went back to the corner and whispered about what exactly they would say, how they would say it, who they would talk to.
Sighing, Jace leaned against the wall surveying the crowd. The remnant students either talked among each other or checked their cyberlink. A few wandered to the 'accountability' group and were swiftly assimilated into the circle. It was a calm yet oddly disgusting sight. Flowers growing and adapting in response to the hunter, no. In response to the pest.
The class started soon after and Jace found himself quivering from pain. This wasn't pain from Skye's 'device'. It was the calm continuous headache that had followed Jace from the heart and erupted in random bursts. The blue hologram made hit after hit as Jace struggled to push the pain away and fight.
Jace felt a swing from the right and weaved, just as the pain in his head gave way to pain through his entire body. The hologram still continued, delivering hit after hit as Jace struggled to gain control of the fight.
Why? Why? WHY?
The pain in his head increased as Jace's frustration did, pushing him closer to the edge. The hologram vanished as Jace stumbled to the ground, catching his breath.
He gazed around noting others still clashing with the blue warriors, and Skye. She walked fast, her face a mix of fury and disappointment.
"Hey, I–" Jace started but stopped as a force struck his cheek and his head whirled.
He heard a voice, vaguely resembling Skye's. "You're a disappointment. I had so much hope in you. So much trust. And you ruin it."
"The hologram–The machine–I'm trying to regain my footing. It's–"
"Punch," Skye groaned as she almost screamed. "Just punch. Hit, kick, do something. Action. Don't think, don't react, Act. You can regret your decision later, act now."
Skye clicked her tongue as she stared at Jace. Shaking her head, she walked away, declaring as she did. "Again,"
The Hologram burst into the scene, the blue figure materializing from nothing. Jace took a deep breath as he focused. He needed to act, not think. Act.
A blue fist swung through the air yet Jace's fist was faster, planted right into the hologram's face. The figure stumbled as Jace slammed his fist into the blue figure's throat.
The Hologram dropped to the ground and wheezed–mimmicking its fleshy creators–as Jace's foot slammed onto the Hologram's chest.
A 'crack' sounded, like the breaking of glass–a sound that attracted eyes to the brutal display–yet Jace ignored it, kicking at the Hologram's–No, at Bill's wheezing body. Stomping upon it.
The blue figure froze in its shaking as it began to scintillate, red shining forth from the blue warrior, purple coming in behind. Colors clashed inside the blue opponent as it vanished, its last words. "System malfunctioned."
Jace's chest heaved as he ran his hands through his stiff hair. He rose, vaguely aware of the gaze of others.
He turned as he noticed Skye, her eyes on him. She nodded, a smile creeping up to her face as Jace gazed away, back to the spot where the hologram had vanished. Act. Jace had to act.
Students flooded out at the first hearing of the loud bell, Jace one of the last. His head hurt, a soft pain building at the back of his mind.
It was soft, so soft yet so vicious. Jace knew the pain would strike. Eventually. When that would happen was the question. But Jace couldn't dwell on that. He had something else that demanded his attention.
"You're distracted," The weapons Instructor's words were calm despite the force behind it.
"I'm–" Jace responded, yet the Instructor cut off " –thinking. Act, don't think"
Jace smiled wryly as he held up his hands to block. "I have a question?"
The Instructor nodded silently, as Jace continued. "You're a veteran, right? You've probably made half a dozen calls. If there was someone, someone whose death would benefit your unit, would you do it?"
The older man stopped his downward strike, passing the golden weapon to his left hand "Judge not that ye become not judged. Where's your question coming from?"
"Would you believe me if I said nowhere?"
The older man looked at Jace as a smile crept up to his face. He threw his head back and laughed, the sound of happiness ringing amidst the metal striking. He looked so young.
He quieted after a moment, his smile turning into a somber one "I'm not a veteran. I'm many things though. A soldier, a warrior, a killer, a murderer, an Instructor but most of all, I'm a hypocrite."
The Instructor touched the side of his face as a happy smile crossed his face before vanishing into the winds "The minute you think of killing someone, you think of becoming Judge, Jury and executioner. You think of becoming a Hypocrite."
Jace's face fell. He was thinking of killing Bill. Of being a judge and executioner. Did Bill deserve it? Was he …What was he thinking of? Act before thinking, no Think before acting. The Instructor was wrong.
The Instructor placed his hand upon the shoulder of the younger boy as he whispered "But the biggest sin of all isn't becoming a hypocrite. It's being too weak to be a hypocrite."
Jace's smile returned. The Instructor was right. Being a hypocrite wasn't a sin. Bill deserved to go. He deserved to be stepped on like the pest he was. Coming to the Instructor had allowed Jace to see clearly, to understand. He was a hypocrite.
* *
Jace held up his arm, blocking the sunlight. Beside him, Silas walked unbothered, his dark wings forming a shield above his head. They walked across the empty courtyard, Silas reading out in a plain monotonous voice. "and Colonel Nest instructed his soldiers to surround the nest."
"You think they're going to pay attention to your poetic lines," Jace jabbed as Silas snorted, reading on as his words appeared on his cyberlink, following his speech.
Jace ignored his mumbling partner, focusing on the white building in the distance, the words hanging over the door reflecting the sun. Jace frowned at the blinding light as he noticed two-, no three people heading out from behind the building.
Recognition dawned on Jace as pain struck his mind, then fury. As they walked closer, Jace could see a smile on the center boy's smug face. A frown adorned his loyal subordinate to the right, a quivering boy slinking at his left.
Silas stopped reciting, his eyes fixed on the approaching figures. Balling his hands into fist, Jace awaited the Pest's arrival.
"Greetings, gentlemen." Bill grinned as he leaned towards the two. His right subordinate held a look of displeasure towards Bill along with…disgust. Trouble in paradise.
"What do you want?" Silas spoke, almost bored. The giant shield over his head shifted, looking more liquid than solid as it wrapped around him like a ring about a planet.
"Nothing. Just wondering if you fellas want to join the revolution. Alas…" Bill spoke softly as he shook his head, his eyes lingering on Jace's fist and Silas's ability "You all are satiated being military dogs. Tis a shame."
With those words, Bill smiled at them, shooting what seemed like a 'wink' to Jace as he left. Pain rapped against his skull as righteous anger burned through him. He could feel Silas beside him, whispering "Don't worry. It's fine. Someone will get them."
Someone. SOMEONE.
No one would get him. Only Jace would. Only Jace had the power to.
"--spoke to Jax. Said the legacies would get him. They would,"
Pain exploded as Jace whirled to face Silas. "The legacies won't do shit. I will."
"Jace, listen. Jax spoke to the rank 1. The legacies, him. They're going to do something." Silas pleaded
"You're with him. Bill. Somehow you're with him. You're supporting him. After all he's done, Who he's kill–"
"He hasn't killed anyone," Silas declared, his voice hard. "If he had, I'd have done him in myself."
Jace turned, ignoring the voice calling out as walked around, searching for Bill. Seeing as the third class was still in session, most students walking around either belonged to history or were simply truant.
While that should have made things easier for Jace, it only made things worse. Suddenly a thought came. What if Bill held a grudge?
What if he had gone back and taken Silas, or Jax? What if he had taken Elena? The thought made his blood run cold and the crevice in his mind widen.
A soft touch to his shoulder brought him out of his reverie as he whirled to see Elena, a smile on her face "Hey,"
"Hey," Jace forced out, thanking all the gods he could think of as he saw her unharmed.
"You okay. You seemed lost in thought."
Jace grabbed her hand, relief flooding his chest at the fact that he wasn't hallucinating "I'm fine now that you're here. I'm fine."
Elena smiled at that, a worried smile still on her face. "Are you sure?"
Jace remained silent for a second until he couldn't hold it in "Why did you become a nurse?"
"Uh,"
Jace asked again 'I know you have healing but why did you come here, choose to heal people. Why?"
Elena almost chuckled at the question, mirth in her face that didn't reach her stone cold eyes "Save lives? You thought I came here to save lives. No. I came here to learn how to take lives."
Jace looked in befuddlement as Elena posed "Do you think all lives are equal?"
No. The voice in Jace's head demanded 'no' yet Jace himself couldn't answer. So Elena answered for him "No. All lives are not equal. The life of a saviour of a planet cannot possibly compare to the life of a destroyer. All lives are very much precious, but some are more precious than others."
You see. Yes. Elena was right. Student's lives were precious, lives that Bill would ruin and destroy. Bill was a pest, a destroyer. And his life was forfeit.
Elena suddenly hugged him. It was sudden and devoid of reasoning yet Elena squeezed her arms around him even tighter as she muttered "Kan–Jace. Promise me. Promise you're not going to do something dumb and dangerous. Promise me,"
Jace responded, the words flowing so easily out of his lips. "I promise,"
To kill Bill. To make him suffer, To take care of the pest. Yes. I promise.