"Bloody brilliant." Zack mumbled under his breath. I chuckled, I loath people like him yet I couldn't help but smile. His healing is remarkable, but he never reacted to me snatching him off the second floor, something I can fix.

"Brilliant indeed, maybe I can help with an offense for you." He raised an eyebrow. "What?" I laced my fingers together. "In other words you lack offense, however you possess a large amount of defense. I believe I can help if you can drop the stuck-up-brat act." He shuddered and spaced out, he was having a flashback. Zack's forehead beaded with sweat, his breath was getting shaky, and he was mumbling.

I sighed and shook his shoulders. "Hey, not now man! Buddy snap out of it!" I gave him a small shock. He yelped and flinched. "Sorry. I'll consider the offer but I'd like some time to think." His demeanor completely did a one-eighty, he seemed shy and reserved as he healed Shauna with some sort of blue energy and completely paranoid.

"Alice...what's his story?" Alice looked at him with sad eyes. "He's an orphan, parents died at the hands of the Republic during the onslaught of Concord. He was shipped here early at age twelve and he's now one of the head members for healing and support." I looked at him with pity and sympathy, I had misjudged him.

"Kid, come with me when we're done here." He looked at me with suspicion for a bit then nodded. I looked outside and watched a dark form dash by, I formed a gun with my fingers and tapped on Grace.

"We have company, Alice look after Shauna and Zack, Grace come with me." Alice shot a look at Grace and turned to Zack and an unconscious Shauna. I cracked a glass door open and walked out on the large back porch. It was too dark to see yet something weird was happening, little blue lights outlined everything.

The grass, animals, and even trees looked like they had a network pattern of tiny faint blue lights and a human figure in the tree. "He's right there." Grace looked confused. "Where?" She asked befuddled. I sighed and threw an orb of energy at him.

A flash went off and dazed us, I cried out.
A flashbang, we're exposed!
Then all of a sudden I heard a cry and a loud thump and there stood Zack, standing over the attacker. He shook with anxiety and soon his memories overwhelmed him again. I rubbed his back and said various things to him like, "Wow that was pretty cool, thanks man", and other things till he snapped out of it.

He nodded and sighed. "I-I should go to Shauna." I grabbed his shoulder before he left. "We are definitely having that talk." He acknowledged me with another silent nod and walked back in the mansion. The kid wore a cloak and held a weapon that looks like it transformed into a gun. His insignia spelled out the number four and house but it was cryptic. I scowled and went inside to meet with Grace and the others.

"I'm requesting Shauna's transfer, she belongs with us. "The fifth house could use her." Grace smiled and did a fist pump. "Good idea, Mentor Wood." I turned and chuckled. "Please, just Jason." After saying that I went inside and kissed Alice on the forehead and walked towards campus.

The walk reminded me of home in Serenity, filled with nature yet with the modern roads, stark white sidewalks, and trimmed grass and bushes. Colorful flowers painted the bushes and ground with colors of pink, blue, yellow, and red. The students walked up and down the streets, happy and with vibrant smiles. It was a good evening.

I took the elevator up the clock tower and knocked on Fayard's door. No answer. Ms. Thompson opened her door with paranoid eyes and waved me in. "What's going on?" She practically yanked me in and shut the door. "Fayard is acting strange and sadistic, only a little so far but I have a hunch that he's possessed." I raised my hands up.

https://youtu.be/g-Err2KTIaw

"Woah, Woah, Woah! I just came to ask about Shauna May's transfer and to report an issu-." She slapped her hand over my mouth and shushed me. The hell was going on? Suddenly the world government's top project has become compromised? She pointed at a set of narrow yellow eyes moving about the walkways around the offices and through the conference rooms.

"...Jason, Alice, and this whole place will suffer soon enough. The tournament will see to that.." A glowing blue knife had appeared in his right hand, the same one from Thompson's memory of Kane's murder. He kept spouting ways to bring down GUARDIAN and certain people. Suddenly he ran to the office door and slammed his face against it. It took everything I had not to yell out, he stood there for so long that I thought he knew we were in there and just trying to toy with his prey. He started chanting something and just lingered there then he turned towards a janitor and threw the knife into her and started stabbing her over and over before burning her body into ash, something he was never able to do. He simply hummed and vacuumed her ashes into her vacuum cleaner and dumped it out a window. Fayard's eyes stopped glowing and the knife disappeared, after some maniacal laughter and ranting, then he simply packed his suit case and exited.

"Listen, I will do the transfer and read into the incident but Jason, whatever you do: Steer clear of him, understand?" I nodded slowly and felt my breath getting shaky and rigid. "Im arranging a secret meeting about this and I want you there, you're the strongest of all the academy and I need you and Alice there." I felt confused. "Why Alice?" She sighed. "Alice is my little scout and I need you calm and focused as well. Debrief her whenever you return." She packed her briefcase and sighed.

"I know this is unfair, so unfair and heavy on you, but we need you and I promise we'll make it up to you Jason." I sighed and was feeling a migraine coming. More work?Barely any down time? "Its fine Ms. Thompson, Id just like some vacay afterwards if that's ok." She nodded, and surprisingly, hugged me then pushed me out of her office. I saw two glowing eyes at the end of the hallway and booked it out of a window. I waited for a bit then cushioned my fall with a power thrust. I ran to the mansion, where Alice was waiting on the balcony for me. I climbed the stairs on the side and kissed her.

"Took you awhile, did you get drunk too?" She complained slightly. I rolled my eyes and leaned on her. "None of that, just cuddles for now hon." I said with a faraway look in my eyes.

"Alright Alright, but you're gonna tell me tomorrow or you'll have a hangover after tomorrow..."

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I know I said longer chapters but I just wanted to give you this one ASAP love y'all

XOXO Peter AC