Kai walked through the crowded hallway of Nova High with his hands in his pockets.
Students everywhere were talking about rankings, powers, and fights.
At this school, strength meant respect.
Suddenly, the hallway became quiet.
Very quiet.
Students quickly moved to the sides, clearing a path.
Kai frowned. "What's going on?"
Then he saw her.
A tall girl with long red hair walked down the hallway confidently. Flames flickered slightly around her fingers as if fire naturally followed her.
Students whispered nervously.
"It's Zara…"
"The Queen of Nova High."
"She's ranked number two in the whole school."
Kai watched quietly.
Zara's sharp eyes scanned the hallway until they suddenly stopped.
On him.
For a moment, the Queen and the "powerless" boy stared at each other.
Kai quickly looked away.
Trouble, he thought.
But before he could leave, someone shouted.
"Hey! Powerless loser!"
It was one of the bullies from earlier. Three boys walked toward Kai again, angry and embarrassed from yesterday.
"Did you really think you could just walk away from us?" the tallest one sneered.
Students around them began to gather.
A fight was about to start.
Kai sighed.
"Guys… can we not do this today?"
The bully laughed.
"You don't get to decide that."
He raised his fist and punched toward Kai.
The hallway gasped.
But suddenly—
The bully's body lifted off the ground.
Everyone froze.
The boy was floating in the air, struggling.
Zara lowered her hand slowly.
Her eyes were cold.
"Fighting weak students is pathetic," she said calmly.
The bully dropped to the floor in fear.
"Q-Queen Zara! We were just—"
"Leave."
They ran immediately.
The crowd slowly disappeared, whispering.
Zara turned to Kai.
Her eyes studied him carefully.
"You're the new student," she said.
Kai nodded nervously. "Yeah… Kai."
"Powerless, right?"
Kai scratched his head.
"Yeah… unfortunately."
Zara stared at him for a few seconds.
Then she turned away.
But as she walked off, she said something strange.
"Be careful, Kai."
He blinked.
"Why?"
Zara stopped for a moment.
"Because people who pretend to be weak…"
She glanced at him over her shoulder.
"…are usually hiding something dangerous."
Kai stood there silently as she walked away.
After she disappeared, he sighed.
"Well… that's not good."
Because for the first time since arriving at Nova High…
Someone had started to suspect him.