Zero Langham
Three more days passed after Professor Todo's lesson on Routes. Life at the Academy was progressing well. We were barely a month into our first semester, yet things were moving fast. Gia and Julius had settled back into their dorms, and Toho and I resumed our usual routine. Surprisingly, Julius hadn't punched me once since returning. I called it progress.
After classes, the four of us gathered at the battlegrounds. The afternoon sun hung low overhead while students filled the surrounding fields. Some sparred with swords, others practiced Essence control, and a few unfortunate souls were getting yelled at by instructors.
Julius stood with his arms folded while Gia sat on the bench nearby. She held a small piece of cloth in her hands, sewing another patch into my tracksuit. She could so easily conjure silk threads with her Innate Technique, carefully sewing the tears together.
Gia was much easier to talk to than Julius. I couldn't comprehend how those two ended up together. She was a ton more helpful for daily tasks, too. This isn't the first time I've asked her to fix my clothes.
"Seriously, how do you destroy these so often?" she asked, letting out an exaggerated, exasperated sigh.
"I don't know. Maybe they're low quality," I spoke breathlessly. I continued swinging my sword, making sure her distraction doesn't throw me off. Through the corner of my eye, I could notice her raising her eyebrow.
"They're Academy-issued."
"Then maybe the Academy has low standards," I chuckled, beginning to slip while swinging. I chuckled because even I don't believe what I said. Toho nearly choked on his own laughter. Even Julius looked mildly offended on behalf of the Academy. Gia rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe what I'm saying.
Toho sat cross-legged with his palms facing each other. Between them floated a sphere of Pure Essence. A common exercise for basic control training. Sweat dripped down the side of his face as he focused. The ball wobbled slightly before bursting apart with a loud "pop." He jerked backward,
"Ow!" He exclaimed in pain. I stopped my training immediately to point at him:
"Ha! Again!" I teased him.
"Shut up," He groaned angrily.
"It exploded," I stuck my tongue out, making fun of him.
"It slipped."
"It exploded."
"It slipped!"
"How are you two still alive?" Julius rubbed his forehead. Toho and I turned to face him, saying together:
"Talent," We said confidently, sounding as cool as we thought.
Julius clicked his tongue, "That was lame. I bet you two thought that was cool."
Toho and I frowned, our spirits brought down. Toho stomped his way to Julius, wanting to argue. I turned back around, tightening my grip on the sword in my hands. Despite everything, the familiar weight still felt strange. Ever since the fight in the village, something had been off. My movements were slower. My right arm occasionally trembled. There were moments where the memory of coughing up blood flashed through my mind, followed by the feeling of my own heart stopping. That day took a massive toll, and combined with my injuries from the rescue mission, my body still wasn't completely healed.
Then, there are the memories I can't remember. I vividly remember my time with my aunt, yet now I have no recollection of it. It was odd that something I held so dear to me, I forgot so quickly. I zoned back in at Julius's voice calling me out.
"Your stance is sloppy," He approached me.
"No, it isn't."
"It is. It very much is."
I looked down at my feet, then my elbows, and hand placement on the hilt. I didn't understand what was wrong, so I made small changes in hopes of fixing it.
"I fixed it. Boom."
"You fixed nothing," Julius said indifferently. He stepped beside me and grabbed my wrist. Before I could complain, he adjusted my elbow and forced my shoulder lower. "You're putting too much force into your arm. Relax it."
I blinked rapidly. "Thanks." I didn't exactly understand what to say, but I was truly grateful. This is the kind of interaction I want with my team daily. I want everyone's chemistry to be similar.
"I'm not helping you," Julius replied. I furrowed my eyebrows, clapping back:
"You literally are, though," I smirked. He still disassociated himself from us, our group. I'm determined to make him feel like my comrade, a real teammate. Julius continued to argue back:
"I'm not helping you. I'm correcting bad habits because they're annoying to watch," Julius said so confidently. It went awkwardly silent for a moment before Toho burst out laughing,
"That sounds like helping, ya know?"
Julius became flustered, as if it were some sort of crime. "It isn't. Imbeciles." He turned around and walked back to his spot on the bench, muttering to Gia, "This is why lower-classmen are annoying." Toho continued teasing him,
"He's becoming one of us!" Toho continued laughing wholeheartedly.
***
For the next hour, we trained seriously. Gia practiced her threads against rocks Julius threw into the air to simulate moving targets. Toho continued refining his Essence control. I spent my time correcting my swordsmanship. Gohan had always told me talent was a blessing, but talent without discipline eventually became a curse. For most of my life, I had relied on talent.
As the sun began to disappear beyond the walls of Celestiala, everyone slowly packed up, moving back inside the main building and dormitories. Gia stretched her arms, said goodnight to us, and left. Julius walked her inside. That was one of the only times I've seen him so gentlemanly. After they left, Toho and I exchanged glances, a smile appearing on his face.
"Tonight?" He asked.
"Tonight. Let's go."
***
The streets of Celestiala felt completely different after dark. Lanterns illuminated the roads, restaurants overflowed with people, and music drifted through the night air. The capital never truly slept. Even now, merchants and civilians crowded the roads beneath the towering lights.
Toho stretched his arms behind his head as we walked. A couple of years ago, this city felt much bigger. As we aged, we knew every district around the Academy just as much as we know ourselves.
"You know," Toho spoke up, "normal students study after class."
"This is studying."
"No, no, not really. This is illegal."
"We're not committing a crime, though, right? "
"Dunno. We'll take Law and Ethics class next year, so go ahead and ask the teacher then," He replied sarcastically.
I chuckled. The sound of music echoed from a nearby restaurant. People laughed as they exited taverns and stores. Even this late, Celestiala still had life flowing through it, just as much as when we were children.
We wandered down another street, hitting the quieter districts of this area. This area mainly housed the elderly, which is why the lights were out past 6:30 PM. This area was in direct contrast to its adjacent district, which mainly housed average families or young couples. You can tell by the loud crowds of adults chattering next to the children playing. The chalk designs on the road, and hanging lanterns connecting the houses.
"Hey, Zero."
"Hm?"
"You hear that?"
Shouting. Not loud, but audible due to the silence. Behind us, we could hear the faraway noise of the crowds and bright lights. Ahead of us, past the dark street of houses, we could hear the shouting.
"Yeah, I think so."
The two of us exchanged glances before immediately taking off. Turning the corner into an alleyway, we found six men surrounding a woman. One of the men held a knife in his hand, swinging it around in the air, while another rummaged through a bag.
"Please, that's all I have!" the woman cried.
"No, no. You have a lot more on you," The man standing beside clicked his tongue, a smile of pure grimace etched on his face. He wore a bright gold chain in contrast to his dark attire.
"Hey!" I shouted.
The six turned around. Their eyes landed on us. Most looked rough, wearing torn jackets and dirty boots. One had scars all over his arms. Another cracked his neck. It was the sort of group you'd expect from a cheap crime story.
"Nice way to blow our element of surprise," Toho whispers through his teeth. I whispered back an apology shamefully. Toho folded his arms, appearing confident before speaking out: "Pretty pathetic picking on a civilian, especially a lone woman."
The man with the knife stared at us before bursting into laughter.
"But women are the best types to pick on, if you catch my drift," He licked his lips, biting his lower lip with force, "Run along. Say a word of this, and we'll find you."
His group pulled out their weapons one by one. A spiked club, brass knuckles, a long spiked whip, and the last two kept their arms by their side.
"Well, we're already here, and you found us. Don't tell me you're scared of two little boys," I spoke up. I unsheathed my sword from my spatial bag, getting into a stance. Toho followed along.
The one with the knife has been doing all the talking. I'll assume he's the ringleader.
He let out a sigh, "Beat these kids and take their stuff too. Don't rough 'em up too badly."
I sighed.
"They always say that."
Toho nodded.
"They really do."
The ringleader moved first. The knife spun around his fingers before he lunged at me. I sidestepped and knocked his wrist aside with the flat of my blade. Before I could follow through, the man with the spiked club rushed from the side and swung downward. I jumped back, the club smashing into the pavement where I had stood moments earlier.
There are two on me, which means the four others could get on Toho. If that's the case, I need to wrap this up fast and help him out. Unless someone's waiting for the perfect moment to push me. I need to pay attention to the whole battlefield, not just who is in front of me.
The man with the brass knuckles threw a heavy punch. Toho bent backward just enough to avoid it before driving his elbow into the man's chin. The thug staggered, but before Toho could press his advantage, the two men who hadn't drawn weapons stepped forward.
The first raised his hand, a malicious grin on his face.
"Boom," He said, gently. A burst of flames shot from his palm in the form of a spiral.
The second slammed his foot against the ground. He made an "O" shape with his mouth, blowing out air.
"Whoosh," He said, the sound of air escaping. The flames expanded immediately, becoming a wave that swallowed half the alley. The first man used a Fire Essence spell, while the other boosted it with Wind Essence. The Wind Essence's effectiveness wasn't as strong as it could be due to the lack of actual wind in the environment. Since Fire Essence was an unconditional type of Essence, meaning the effectiveness of it doesn't depend on whether there is fire in the environment, it's only as strong as its user.
Due to the lack of wind in the area and the fact that Wind Essence is a conditional type, it wasn't as strong as it could be. However, the tight alley we were in still made it feel powerful, especially when combined with the fire spell.
Toho's eyes widened. He yelled:
"Zero, down!"
I dropped to one knee as Toho thrust both palms forward. Pure Essence surged from his body and formed a small wall between us and the incoming flames. The explosion rattled the alley. The heat rose above the wall, dispersing through the rest of the alley.
The two men grinned. They make a really good pair. One uses his fire to attack, while the other supports and strengthens the attack.
"Again!" He yelled out.
Another stream of fire emerged from his palms, spiraling towards us at a rapid speed. Wind Essence wrapped around it, making it faster and stronger.
"Damn it," Toho muttered, launching another wall of Pure Essence. I bolted to the side as soon as they began their attack. My eyes fixated on the knife wielder.
I rushed the knife wielder while the incoming flames were absorbed and the heat dispersed from Toho's wall. He slashed wildly, but his movements were sloppy. I ducked beneath one swing and drove my shoulder into his chest. He stumbled backward. I swung the hilt of my sword toward his temple, but he blocked with his forearm.
Pain shot through my wrist. My right arm was still recovering from my past two events, the rescue mission and the fight with Julius.
Ahh! Damn it. Was I too arrogant in picking a fight in my current state? No, no, I can do this. They're measly thugs, and I'm a student at this planet's prestigious academy!
Something wrapped around my ankle. The whip. I looked down too late. The nails of the whip ripped through the cuff of my Academy tracksuit, seeping into my ankle, causing me to wince in pain. The man with the spiked whip yanked with all his strength. My feet flew out from under me, and I crashed onto my back.
I grit my teeth, groaning at the thud. From the corner of my right eye, the man with the club smiled.
"There it is, "He said while bringing the weapon down.
I rolled to the side just in time. The club struck the pavement, sending stone fragments flying. I kicked upward and caught him under the chin. The man stumbled back, but another fist slammed into my stomach. Pure Essence covered his arm, making it have a light white glow. It was the knife wielder, the ringleader.
I coughed violently.
Damn it!
He grabbed my collar and drove me into the wall. My vision blurred as another punch struck my ribs. My sword slipped from my grasp and clattered against the ground.
"Zero!" Toho shouted.
I quickly glanced over while I was repeatedly getting beaten. Toho wasn't doing much better. The brass knuckle thug had recovered, and with the two spell users constantly attacking from behind, Toho couldn't get close. Fire and wind intertwined together, forcing him on the defensive. Every time he tried approaching, another blast exploded in front of him.
The scarred man grinned.
"Kids should stay in school."
His fist crashed into my face. My head snapped to the side. Another punch. Then another. I raised my arms to protect myself, but my body still hadn't fully recovered. My right arm trembled from the impact. There was one thought that entered my mind:
I could try One Above All... No, I can't. My Innate Technique only makes me stronger than the person I'm fighting, not stronger than the whole group. Furthermore, I don't even know if this thug is stronger than me. I'm just in a weakened state right now, so he might not actually be stronger, meaning activating my Innate won't work. On the off chance it did, I don't want more blood on my hands.
The scarred man raised his fist one more time. Suddenly—
"Pssh!" A loud noise erupted, like the sound of a spray can.
I closed my eyes in reaction to them beginning to burn lightly. The one beating me screamed out, tensing his eyes shut.
"Agghh!" He stumbled backward, screaming. I blinked, getting the irritating, burning sensation out of my eyes. I open my eyes fully to the scene of the woman. She stood behind him, an empty can in her hand. Pepper spray. She must have wrapped her arm around his neck while he was beating me and sprayed him. I got caught a little in the crossfire, but lucked out because it could have been worse. The woman herself looked just as shocked as I did.
"R-run!" I yelled to her without a second thought.
Without another word, she took off. The scarred man dropped to his knees, clawing at his eyes.
"My eyes! Damn it!"
I stared for a second. Then I smiled.
Thank you, ma'am.
I grabbed my sword and brought the hilt down against the side of his head. He collapsed instantly. The ringleader was out.
One down.
I turned back toward Toho. Unfortunately, things had somehow gotten worse. Toho had taken shelter behind a dumpster while fireballs exploded around him. I looked around the alley. The whip user was holding back, acting as support. The brass knuckles user was waiting behind the two Essence users. The one with the spiked club kept on banging against the dumpster while the two Essence users were prepping their spells. After a moment, the one with the spiked club spotted me and instantly began charging forward, dropping his attention on Toho.
"ZERO!"
"What?!"
"HELP!"
The brass knuckle thug rushed past the two Essence users and grabbed Toho by the collar through a small crevice and punched him across the face. Toho started getting pulled out from behind the dumpster, trying his hardest to fight back.
"I'M BUSY!" I yelled out while I blocked the swinging club and looked for a way to pressure him. Another explosion erupted. Wind Essence accelerated the flames and sent them spiraling around the alley. Garbage bags around the alley burst into flames.
Toho jumped backward, sweat pouring down his face.
"They're cheating!"
"They're using teamwork!" I responded, my tone sounding very confused at Toho's allegation.
"Same thing!"
As the clubman swung, I feinted to the left, spinning back to the right and dashed past him. I had my sights set on the whip user and charged forward. He lashed out immediately. The spikes whistled through the air. I raised my blade and deflected it, but the clubman suddenly intercepted me. His fist shot toward my face.
My hand moved fast enough to block. Unfortunately, it had to be my right hand. Pain exploded through my arm. Before I could recover, a stream of fire shot toward my side. Toho tackled me. The two of us rolled across the pavement as the flames passed overhead.
"Those two are annoying!" he groaned.
I nodded.
"Very!"
The knife wielder had recovered. The club wielder, too. Six men against two exhausted first-years. But we asked for this, so we're gonna stick it out and make it out! The fire user raised his palm once again.
"Finish them."
The wind user gave a sly smirk. Toho and I prepared for the surging flames, but they never came. The wind and fire users stopped preparing the fire attack and instead began charging at us. It was odd; it was as if they had changed their decision and chosen a new one. We prepared to dodge, then in the blink of an eye, a man appeared before us.
Everyone froze. A black sheath stood between us and the attack. The two Essence users blinked. The clubman lifted his club back up, preparing to rejoin the fight. The ringleader drew his knife out again. The two Essence users stood their ground. The one with brass knuckles held his fists up, getting into a fighting stance again.
Standing in front of us was a man with greasy black hair and a long beard. White hairs were becoming more apparent on his beard, as if his age was catching up to him. His Academy coat rested heavily on his shoulders, and his narrow eyes looked more tired than angry. Professor Ruhtra scratched his beard.
"Six grown men against two children," He sighed, "My first week teaching, and already humanity disappoints me."
My blood froze at the realization. Toho's soul practically left his body.
'My first week teaching' Does that mean he is... Professor Ruthra? The greasy black hair, too. We are so dead.
Ruhtra turned his head to look at us. Then at the thugs. Then back at us. His eyes narrowed.
"...And two students out past curfew," He sighed again, "Wonderful. Just wonderful."
Professor Ruhtra let out another sigh as he stepped forward. His hand rested on the black sheath hanging at his side. The man with the club was the first to react.
"Old man, move!"
He raised the spiked club overhead, rushing in quickly, then just stood there. He didn't bring down the club as we thought he would. He simply stood there, like he was confused on making a decision.
Professor Ruhtra acted quickly. His sheath shot upward.
Crack
The man's nose exploded with blood. His body folded forward. Then the professor's knee rose.
Thud.
The clubman crumpled to the ground.
"...One," Professor Ruhtra muttered. It was loud enough for Toho and me to hear.
The brass knuckle thug cursed and rushed in immediately. He threw a barrage of punches, forcing Professor Ruhtra backward. He was weaving. Every punch missed by inches. He moved with the attacks, not against them. It looked less like fighting and more like dancing. Then his left hand grabbed the man's wrist. With a twist, followed by a scream of agony, the sound of bones shifting made my stomach churn.
Professor Ruhtra stepped behind him and lightly tapped the back of his knee with his foot. The thug collapsed. The professor's sheath came down against the back of his neck.
"...Two."
The fire and wind users finally panicked.
"Burn him! C'mon!" Fire spiraled from the first man's palm while the second accelerated it with wind. This time, they truly followed through with the spell, lighting up the alley. Until Professor Ruhtra simply disappeared. My eyes widened. He didn't disappear; he moved around the attack. The flames passed behind him.
Before either man understood what had happened, the professor appeared before them and struck both their wrists with the end of his sheath. The spiraling fire came towards Toho and me. Both of us acted quickly enough to dive away from its path. I looked back towards the fight.
Two elbows followed. Then two knees. Both men collapsed together.
"...Four."
The whip user backed away.
"H-hey, don't come closer!" He shivered. He lashed his weapon wildly. Professor Ruhtra caught it. The spikes dug into his glove, making him frown.
"These are expensive," He yanked. The whip user flew through the air, and then the professor stepped forward and struck him in the stomach with the sheath. The man's eyes rolled upward.
"...Five."
Silence fell, and only the ringleader remained. Blood was still streaming from his eyes from the pepper spray. He couldn't even see.
"Where are you?!" he screamed.
Professor Ruhtra stared at him, then scratched his beard.
"Honestly, this just feels unfair."
He walked behind the man and gently struck the side of his head. The knife fell from the thug's hand, then followed his body afterward.
"...Six."
Silence returned to the alley. The fires continued crackling around us. Toho and I still sat frozen. I couldn't understand it. I couldn't process this. There wasn't a single wasted movement. He never used Essence, he never drew his sword, he wasn't even breathing heavily.
This is... the difference between a professor and me? Then, just how much was Sensei Gohan holding back against me in the trial?
For the first time since entering the Academy, I truly understood why professors were professors. Professor Ruhtra sighed and adjusted his coat.
"My back hurts."
Toho blinked.
"...Your back?"
"My knees too," he stretched his shoulder, "Getting old is terrible."
I stared, very confused. I was mentally preparing myself for the oncoming scolding. The professor turned around. His narrow eyes landed on us, then they somehow narrowed further.
"You two."
Toho immediately stood upright.
"We're sorry!"
I shot up with him.
"We won't do it again!"
"That's a lie," Professor Ruhtra replied instantly. We stood silent; we probably would. That is, unless we got in serious trouble. The suspension kind of trouble.
"You're absolutely going to do it again."
Neither of us answered. We stood there, prepared for what was to come. We had no words left to express. At that moment, we weren't disappointed in our actions or concerned for our safety. We were scared of what might happen to us if he reported us. He sighed.
"Children," He walked over and picked up my sword. He continued to speak as he handed it to me, "You fight recklessly." Then he looked at Toho, "And you rely on Essence too much. You can't handle yourself in close quarters."
He continued twisting and turning his body in various motions to stretch. Afterward, he scratched his beard, a habit he has done a lot of within the short time I've seen him, "Actually, both of you rely too much on power and not enough on your feet." His gaze drifted toward the unconscious men, "Strength isn't found by throwing your life away. If that were true, corpses would be the strongest creatures in the world."
Something about the way he said it sounded strange. It didn't sound like advice, but more like regret. Or maybe I was reading too much into it. The old professor looked toward the night sky.
"I've seen plenty of strong people die."
Neither Toho nor I spoke; we only continued to listen. We didn't want to make our situation worse, but we did want to hear what he had to say. Furthermore, I felt like speaking would ruin whatever memory he was trying to recall. Eventually, Professor Ruhtra let out a long breath.
"Well, enough depressing thoughts," He pointed toward the Academy and commanded, "Walk."
"Huh?" Toho said.
"Walk."
"We can explain--"
"Walk."
His tone wasn't angry, but it somehow made arguing impossible. Professor Ruthra took his time, carefully shoving each thug into a garbage bag, then placing the bags in the dumpster with the cover open. The three of us left the alley together. Professor Ruhtra walked in front while Toho and I followed behind like criminals being escorted to execution. After several minutes, Toho leaned toward me and whispered:
"We're getting expelled."
"We are."
"We had dreams. We were gonna be the world's greatest Sorcerers. We were gonna cement our legacies, then have a wife."
"Now... It's all gone. Maybe we can still get a wife," I said, trying to gather any hope I had left in my body.
"No, we can't, Zero. We have failed."
Ruhtra spoke without turning around.
"You two are very dramatic."
Neither of us answered, and instead cleared our throats. The Academy gates came into view. The professor stopped in his tracks, turning around to face us. Toho and I braced ourselves for what could follow: detention, suspension, expulsion, or something.
As he said his next words, Professor Ruhtra yawned, making what he said come out as a mumble:
"Get some sleep."
We blinked.
"...What?"
He shrugged.
"You're students. Students make stupid decisions. On top of that, you're young, a very stupid combination," He began turning his back to us, preparing to give his identification and walk us inside.
"Professor?" I asked.
He sighed, slouching his body, turning slightly to face us.
"Yes?"
"You're... not reporting us?"
He scratched his beard.
"Should I? I mean... I could."
"No!"
"Hm."
He pretended to think about it before responding:
"Then I won't."
Toho and I looked at each other.
"...Just like that?" Toho asked.
Professor Ruhtra shrugged again.
"Just like that," He said, pausing slightly between each word. He began walking away, then stopped. Without turning around, he spoke, "If you're going to break Academy rules, at least survive long enough to get punished for it. Tomorrow, meet me in my office, 6 PM sharp." He spoke loudly, using his inner voice for the first time with us. He waved lazily and continued toward the staff quarters.
Toho and I stood there in silence. Finally, Toho looked at me.
"He's weird."
I nodded.
"Very."