"This boy has already tapped into the skills given by the shard," The passerby commented while watching Nicholas walk away from Damon.
Two men push their way out of the students, and their eyes widen at the sight of Damon lying on the lockers with his eyes open along with his mouth.
"What did you do to Damon?!" one of them confronted Nicholas.
The one who asked Nicholas gasps as he grabs his neck, and lifts him from the ground.
"Tell your boss or whoever he or she is," Nicholas looked into the eyes of the man he was lifting, "I am not standing here while you and your bullshit comrades bully students. If no one will stand, then, I will."
The other man grabs a wooden stick from the ground and slams it at Nicholas but he uses the man in his grasp as a shield, and the stick hits the man's neck.
"No!" The man wielding the stick cried.
Nicholas tosses the man in his grasp away. Nicholas steps closer to the man with a stick and punches his face. The punch sends the bully's face hitting against the ground, and the tiles beneath his face break.
Nicholas straightens his upper body and looks at the student around him with a calm expression.
"Tell the boss lady or whatever she is called, I am not afraid of her," Nicholas said before walking away.
The passerby runs toward Nicholas. Upon reaching Nicholas, the passerby clears his throat.
"What?" Nicholas asked.
"You were incredible back there," his comrade replied.
"What do you want to talk about, huh?"
"You know what I want," the passerby spoke in a serious tone, "I need to know your answer."
"Do you think I'm prepared for that mission?" Nicholas asked in a low tone.
The surroundings from the hallway, lockers, and ceiling lights cracks, and disperse. Nicholas couldn't believe his eyes at what he was seeing, and then, everything was white.
He keeps looking around him until a finger taps his shoulder. Nicholas turns around, seeing the passerby floating in front of his eyes. With one touch of Nicholas' shoulder, the passerby creates a distance between him and Nicholas.
"I'll give you the kit that you will need as a vigilante security officer," the passerby said, spreading his hands.
"A what?" Nicholas blinked in confusion.
Multiple items appear in front of Nicholas, and they combine into a badge. The badge lowers in front of Nicholas, and he holds it.
"What is this?" Nicholas rotated the badge with an interested gaze.
The passerby speaks, "It's a badge that you will use for your needs, disguise is included."
"How do I?" Nicholas tapped it against his chest, "It doesn't work."
Green lines glow on the badge, and it detaches itself from Nicholas' grasp. The badge attaches to Nicholas' chest, and the impact makes Nicholas stumble but he remains standing with wide eyes.
A dark metallic face mask appears around his mouth. He looks on his hands, and a pair of dark gauntlets with red lines appears.
"Shit!" Nicholas looked down, and his shoes are wrapped in a black layer with green lines.
He runs around, and jumps. A scream comes out of him while he's propelling upwards to the highest level in the room. The passerby laughs while watching him bounce around the room, and Nicholas lands on the ground with his ass facing the ground.
"That was a pain in the ass!" Nicholas stood to his feet.
"So, what now?" Nicholas asked.
With a gentle swing of the passerby's hand, a hologram out of light materializes near them.
The hologram represents the Philippines, and the passerby zooms in the Luzon.
"You will venture to the land of Bulacan," the passerby zoomed in the City of Bulacan, "somewhere here is where the gate to the guardian is."
Nicholas shakes his head. "Wait! What do you mean I will go where she is? I have a school to attend to."
The passerby only stare at him, and it causes Nicholas to stomp his foot. Seeing the frustration on Nicholas' face, the passerby raises his hand, and summon a floating green diamond crystal in his palm.
"From the moment that the crystal chose you, you can't escape the duty that it carries."
"But I didn't have the chance to reject it!" Nicholas stared at the passerby with anger in his gaze.
The passerby takes a moment of silence before nodding. "I'll give you the power to turn away and fulfill your student life but you must know that there is a consequences in what path you will choose to walk."
Nicholas watches the passerby disappears in a cloud of smoke, then, everything around him turns into the school hallway.
"Nicholas!"
Nicholas turns around to find the source of the voice, and he watches the person run towards him.
"Nelly?" he said.
"Yeah! You've been missing for 1 hour! Come on, the professor needs to talk with you!" Nelly held his arm.
"Wait! What for–!" Nicholas words are cut off as Nelly dragged him away.
Inside the classroom, Nicholas blinks at the paper in his hands. "What is this?"
Nelly who's sitting beside him smiles. "Your duty as my Vice President."
Her answer causes Nicholas to pucker his lip as his brows furrow. "Well, all I have to do is to be your right hand man?"
I yr yrHe glances at her, seeking her approval. She nods in response with her smile and her joyful blue eyes fixated at him.
"So, as long as I am here, you don't need to do my work. You'll be the one replacing me–!"
"Yeah! I know that! We've been President and Vice President these past school years," Nicholas pointed at the paper, "I am always your right hand man, and after those years, I am growing tired of this."
He gets hit by Nelly's elbow, and she chuckles. She looks into his eyes. "It's a great opportunity to be close to me, okay? All men around the campus wants to be in your position."
"My position?" Nicholas crossed his arms under his chest, "They can take it anytime, I won't argue with them."
Nelly raises her hand, and slaps his shoulder. She narrows her eyes. "Idiot!"
Nicholas rubs his shoulder furiously while gritting his teeth. "Ouch! Why did you hit me, gorilla–!"
He ends up staring at her, he sees her blue eyes diverted from him while they're twinkling from the tears building. Nicholas raises his hand, and moves it towards her but Nelly bites his hand.
"OUCH!"
"I AM TOO FAR BEAUTIFUL TO BE COMPARED TO A BEAST!"
A professor slaps his wooden stick right on the board, and everyone goes quiet. Nicholas straightens his body like a kid, and Nelly is hiding her laugh behind her face towel.
"I am Prof Gerald! Right now, we'll be having a group project where I'll group all of you according to the first letter of your last name."
Nicholas speaks in his mind. "It's hard sitting near the teacher's table."
"Yeah, I can't argue with you."
Nicholas looks beside him, and sees a young man with his dark hair waved backwards sitting on the chair beside him.
"Sup?"
"Who are you?"
The student smiles while staring at Gerald while replying to Nicholas. "I am Nash, and I heard that you are the Vice President of this classroom."
Nicholas sighs, and replies in a low angry tone. "I am but I didn't know that there was a hidden voting process."
Nash smiles a little, and he shakes his head which makes Nicholas turns his eyes at him.
"You see, you were absent one time," Nash said.
"What?" Nicholas blinked in surprise.
"He's correct," Nelly spoke in accordance with Nash.
Nicholas jerks after a chalk flies across him, and he immediately turns his eyes at where the chalk came from. In front of him, Gerald is placing his hands on his waist with a stern look on his face.
"I hate students who talk in my class, especially, my former student in Senior High School."
After class, in the crowdy hallway of the university, Nicholas is walking with Nelly and Nash at both of his sides. Nelly is looking at herself in her pocket round mirror while Nash is flipping through his notebook.
"Oh!" Nelly yelled.
Nicholas and Nash quickly look at her with a wondering stare. Nelly smiles, and looks at them, and her eyes matches her smile.
"What?" Nicholas asked.
"Since Nash is new in our circle, he needs an initiation!" Nelly raised her index finger.
Those words results in Nicholas shaking his head slowly before holding Nash's wrist, and he looks at his wrist before blinking.
"What are you doing?" Nash asked in confusion.
"I heard that Nash needs to go home!" Nicholas grinned nervously.
"Really?" Nelly pouted with raised eyebrows.
"Oh?" Nash said.
Nicholas faces Nash, and shakes his head with a mutter that only Nash can hear. "You don't want to go home looking like a clown."
Nash seems to get Nicholas' words, and with a nod, Nash pats Nicholas right on his shoulder.
"I understand that this is a crucial thing to do as a new friend in a group!" Nash smiled with eyes sparkling with tears.
"Eh, what?" Nicholas asked.
"We'll do this together because we want Nelly to be happy! You were telling me to cooperate because you don't want to break her anticipation!" Nash sobbed.
He wraps his arms around Nicholas, and Nash looks at Nelly before saying, "I want to do it with Nicholas! For our group and for our new friendship! DO IT!"
Nicholas screams while struggling in Nash's embraces.
"IDIOT! YOU ARE AN IDIOT!" Nicholas continued to wiggle.
Nelly drops her bag, and everything in Nicholas' eyes go slow as he turns his head around to face her. His eyes are quickly filled with panic as Nelly brings out a rectangular pink case from her pink bag.
"OH NO! NO! KEEP THAT BLUSH ON AND DARN PENCIL AWAY FROM MY FACE!" Nicholas screamed.
Hours later, inside the confines of a house, Juan is sweeping the broom on the ground. The doors open, and he looks up.
His eyes immediately grow wide. "N-Nicholas?!"
"Yeah?" Nicholas dropped his bag with a frown on his face.
His face is covered in white powder with too much pink hue, eyeliner, and red lipstick applied on his face. Juan's cheek begins to puff as Nicholas releases a breath of disappointment.
"Don't you... dare... laugh!" Nicholas narrowed his eyes.
"You look like a clownfish!" Juan burst out laughing while holding his tummy.
"STOP LAUGHING!" Nicholas roared at him.