The fluorescent lights above the lab flickered as the last echoes of my punch faded. A hush crashed over the room—students frozen mid-breath, notebooks splayed open on desks. Even the Professor mouth hung slack, his eyes widening until only the whites showed, as if he couldn't quite believe the power I'd just unleashed.
I felt the familiar tingle of flow energy crackling beneath my skin. He had no idea I only discovered my own flow gift a few weeks ago— and I'd never risk telling him. Such knowledge would paint a target on his back.
"Joseph, this situation isn't looking good," Hadal whispered into my ear, his breath warm against my neck. He rested a hand on my shoulder, voice low. "Our secret's out. These kids will spread rumors faster than wildfire."
That caution flew right past me in the moment I saw Tajudeen lurch forward. My fist connected with his jaw in a brutal arc of motion—bone meeting bone in a crack that still vibrated through my knuckles. He'd clearly coated himself in flow before the blow; I felt the residual sting, a ghost of electricity along my fist.
I wheeled around, facing the rows of pale faces. My pulse thundered in my ears. "Please," I begged, voice raw, "don't tell anyone what you saw." Silence pressed in so thick you could hear the drywall sweat.
Then a high-pitched voice cut through the stillness: "Y-y-you—how dare you hurt him!" Andrew Miller's words trembled with indignation. He was that pudgy rich kid who'd spent all lab fawning over Tajudeen, buying him coffee, throwing him compliments like pennies. Now his cheeks reddened with fake outrage.
I narrowed my eyes. "Not tell?" he scoffed, laughter shaking his bulk. "Buddy, you're screwed. I'll call my contacts in the media—'Mentally unstable flow user attacks Tajudeen Sankoré'—that'll be tomorrow's headline."
Anger coiled in my chest. This kid didn't care about Tajudeen's well-being; he only saw a chance to climb social ladders by trading scandal. Before I could speak, Hadal stepped forward in one fluid motion and—SLAP!—his palm snapped across Andrew's cheek. The sound ricocheted off the tile walls as Andrew sailed backward, skidding across desks until he lay motionless.
I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. "Hypocrite," I muttered, a slow grin curling my lips.
Hadal shrugged, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeve. "Does it even matter now? They know we can use flow." He eyed Andrew's dust-covered form. "Besides, I've been wanting to deck that fat pig for weeks—messing with every girl I like, buying their attention with money."
I glanced at him. "If we can stop something wrong, then we have to."
Our eyes drifted to the shattered window at the back of the room. A flicker of movement caught our attention—pupils glowing faint blue as raw flow energy snaked across our irises.
"Did you sense that?" I whispered.
Hadal's jaw tightened. "Yeah. Tajudeen's not out cold."
Sure enough, Tajudeen rose from the window sill where I'd flung him, hair whipping around his face. He seated himself cross-legged in the frame, shards of glass tinkling onto the desks below, as though he were carving out his throne above us.
Every instinct screamed warning. The arrogant smirk on his face vanished into a mask of cold concentration. He raised both hands, fingers slicing through the air, and traced a series of glowing runes—aetherglyphs—so fast my eyes couldn't follow. Each symbol hung suspended for a heartbeat, then shot outward like sparks from a bonfire.
In an instant, a soft click-click-click rippled through the lab: the hum of arcane energy binding beneath our feet. The lights flickered once, twice, and then every student and the Professor collapsed in unison, bodies hitting the floor with dull thuds.
"Professor! Professor, wake up!" I crouched beside the older man, shaking him as hard as I dared. His spectacles slid down his nose, and he groaned, tucking himself into a protective curl.
I glared at Tajudeen. "What the hell did you do?"
A thin smile curved his lips as he rose, dusting imaginary lint from his jacket. "I put them into a deep slumber—for now. You and I and Hadal are going to have some fun."
"Fun? What kind of sick fun is this?" I clenched my fists until my fingernails bit into my palms.
Tajudeen's grin split wider. "From the moment I saw you, Joseph, I hated you. Not because you're human—because you made my bride demonstrate my family's sacred technique in front of her people." He paused, nostrils flaring. "So I decided to show you all just how dangerous a Sankoré can be."
He snapped his fingers. Three figures in black uniforms and masks exploded through the brick wall beside us, snatched the Professor under each arm and leg, then vaulted out the shattered window in a swirl of dust.
"You better catch us if you want answers," Tajudeen called, turning on his heel before sprinting away. The masked trio vanished in his wake, leaving footprints in the broken concrete.
Hadal and I exchanged a quick nod and leapt after them. As we sprang from the classroom window, our bodies felt impossibly light—our feet barely grazing the air before propelling us forward in a blur.
"Cloud chasing step," Hadal named it, face split with exhilaration. "Feels like flying."
I inhaled, letting the wind whip past my ears. "Yeah. But focus—we've got to get the professor back."
At my words, we pushed harder. Flow energy coursed through our muscles like liquid lightning and the hallways behind us melted away in a series of rushing gusts. Within seconds, the campus faded until only the distant crash of waves guided us— they were heading for the off-limits beach where rumors claimed crabs had mutated into terror beasts.
"They're headed for the beach," I observed as we burst onto the sand-streaked path. My palm hovered over my comm unit. "We should call the authorities—"
Hadal shook his head fiercely. "No time. We don't know what Tajudeen and his goons will do with him."
Without another word, we surged forward, clearing a fifty-meter drop from the cliff's edge in a single bound. We hit the beach in synchronized grace, sand spraying beneath our feet, and landed in a low crouch.
"TAJUDEEN! COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!" I yelled, the roar of the ocean behind me.
A swirl of ebony mist billowed at my back. Before I could spin, a masked assailant lunged with a jagged blade. Hadal launched himself between us, his leg whipping out like a steel rod and sending the attacker skidding into a drift of sand.
From the black cloud stepped two more masked figures—and Tajudeen himself, hair matted, eyes gleaming. He barked at the fallen goon. "You useless bastard, how did you fail?" Then he kicked the man so hard the mask cracked.
The ruined operative bowed his head, mumbling an apology. Tajudeen's lips twisted in disgust. "Muscle-head high-top scum—always falling short."
Hadal and I shared a smirk. The "muscle-head high-top" crew had a reputation—this confirmed it.
Tajudeen snapped his fingers. The beach trembled as arcs of glowing glyphs etched themselves into the sand in precise geometric patterns. Towers of hardened sand shot skyward, beams of compressed grit linking them into a cage-like dome around us.
He threw back his head, voice booming above wind and surf. "Behold the true power of my family's Aetherglyphs! This arena will siphon your strength and amplify my allies'—a masterpiece beyond your comprehension."
Hadal folded his arms, lips curled. "Your dome's just a leaking bucket of sand. It looks pathetic."
Tajudeen chuckled. "You fool—while you mock, every second you spend inside this arena bleeds your flow energy into my team."
I felt the pull at my core: a subtle emptiness, like I'd exhaled too much breath. "You—you've been draining us since we entered, haven't you?"
Tajudeen's smile deepened. He didn't answer.
I tensed, stepping forward. "Cloud-striking dash!" I surged, wind roaring, sand swirling in a cyclone behind me. Just as I neared Tajudeen's flank, one of the masked men—Paul, I'd learned his name—threw a flow-enchanted punch. The gale of power slammed into me, sending me skidding across the sand. I slammed my forearms into the ground, grinding grit between my fingers, then sprang back to my feet.
Tajudeen clapped slowly, mock applause. "Nice try. Now you see the rules: you two against my three."
One of the other masked men, Marcel, bowed awkwardly. "Sir, we have—"
"Names don't matter," Tajudeen snapped. "Just do your job."
I glanced at Hadal, gauging our dwindling aura. "We still have enough flow to try and run—"
Hadal shook his head, determination blazing in his eyes. "No. I've always wanted a real fight instead of hiding behind protocol."
We exchanged a hard nod and bumped fists. The sand at our feet shivered with anticipation as we braced for the three-on-two showdown.
The wind carried the promise of battle. Our chests rose and fell in unison, flow energy humming beneath our skins. Opponents three to our two—but we had no thought of surrender.