Kai Ciphera had not yet taken his seat when an announcement blared out the speakers, summoning him to the principal's office.

  He had a gut feeling that it would not be a friendly chat.

  Upon entering the office, Five figures in red robes with flaming insignia on their backs, faced him, and they were a colossal presence in the room. They stood like solidified stone.

  The Fire Clan.

  Kai's eyes narrowed. "So this is what it is all about," he muttered.

  "Ah, Kai, you are here," Principal Raines said in his usual noncommittal way, ushering the man at the front of the row forward. "Let me introduce you to Jacob Igna, branch head of the Z City Fire Clan."

  The look on Kai grew more impenetrable. The Igna Family. These were one of many government-backed ability supremacists who considered themselves above anyone else they came across.

  "I assume you already know why we called you here," said the principal.

  Kai smirked. "Let me guess... this is about your precious little prince."

  A vein pulsed ominously on Jacob's forehead, but he maintained his composure.

  The principal sighed and rubbed his temples. "Jacob's son sustained severe injuries in your... disagreement a few days ago. They're demanding an apology."

  A short, bitter laugh escaped Kai.

  "Are you serious?" Dropping back against the doorframe, Kai sneered. "He was the one who tried ganging up on me; he deserved to be crippled."

  The air in the room grew tense.

  Jacob's men moved in closer, glaring murder at Kai, with their hands twitching as though they were ready for an imminent assault. One even took a step forward, yet Jacob's hand was raised before him.

  "You sure got a tongue on you, boy," Jacob said, his voice smooth enough yet dripping with irritation. "Say… why don't we settle this another way?"

  Kai had his arms crossed and his smile unfaltering. "Oh? Let me guess. You want to beat the crap out of me yourself?"

  Jacob chuckled. "You read my mind. I'd like a perfectly organized spar with you—I want to see how strong the boy who humiliated my son truly is."

  Kai threw his head back with a mocking laugh.

  "Drop the act! You don't give a damn about a spar! You just want to make an example out of me! You really have no shame—challenging someone younger and weaker than you! Very typical for someone who works for the government!"

  One of Jacob's men suddenly lost his temper and lunged toward Kai.

  But Kai remained still.

  "Stand down," Jacob commanded. His voice brooked no argument, and the man stepped back reluctantly.

  Kai let out a smile. Pathetic.

  Another deep breath from Jacob. "Fine, now we make it serious."

  He stepped right up, his eyes boring into Kai's. "If I win, you will be banned from entrance to any kind of establishment—university, jobs, all of it. Blacklisted!"

  Kai's grin grew wider. "You're finally showing your true colors, huh?"

  He turned to Principal Raines. "Fine then. If I win, I want an instant graduation from this school. No classes, no bullshit."

  The principal hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

  "Very well," he said. "The fight is set for today."

  With a grin, Kai cracked his knuckles.

  "Just don't cry like a little boy when you lose, old man."

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The school stadium was full of students. Their voices mingled with the heavy roar of the crowd that had come to witness the match. Yet, none were cheering for Kai.

  They wanted him to lose.

  They wanted the arrogant 'late bloomer' to be crushed under the fury of Jacob Igna, Level 6 Pyrokinetic.

  So there, in the center of the stadium, stood Kai, calm and composed.

  Across, Jacob smiled, cracking his knuckles while little sparks danced upon his fingers.

  "You've got guts, kid," Jacob said, advancing a step. "But in the end, that's all you have. No talent. No future. Just an arrogant fool."

  Kai chuckled, "That's rich coming from a washed-up geezer hanging onto his family name." Slowly, he stretched, cracking his neck. "Tell me, old man—do you always talk this much before getting your ass kicked?"

  Jacob’s smile twitches.

  The referee moved in, raised his whistle, and—

  FWEET!

  The match had begun.

  Jacob breathed fire first.

  A single finger snap unleashed a roaring wave of flames, crashing toward Kai. The heat shimmered through the very air, and hellfire scorched upon the face of the earth.

  Kai dodged.

  He rolled onto and then along the ground; the flames scorched the cemented floor where he had stood a split second before. In the mind of the onlookers, he needed to act weak. Act clueless. Convince them he was merely applying Super Strength, not Ergokinesis.

  Fireballs, some bigger and hotter than the ones before, rained down from Jacob, and the crowd only cheered on.

  Kai gritted his teeth as he barely lowered his invisible energy barrier so the flames could touch his skin for a moment and cause him some minor burns. He clenched his fists, pretending to be struggling.

  Jacob laughed. "What's wrong, boy? Feeling the heat?"

  Kai smirked through the pain, precisely what he wanted: chasing that cocky grin off Jacob's face.

  A subtle glance from Kai fixed on a scorched battlefield and a small fist-sized piece of loose debris.

  "Perfect!" Kai mumbled.

  Jacob was too busy taunting to notice anything about his defense.

  Kai snatched the earthenware debris, clenched it in his fist, and then—within a blink—directly threw it.

  Kinetic Energy amplifies the speed of the propelling debris.

  Suddenly, there was a loud crack as the object zipped through the stadium and ripped itself straight through Jacob's right arm.

  SCHLICK!

  The Fire Clan leader's arm was now severed.

  There was a momentary still in the arena.

  Then—

  "AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Jacob screamed as he staggered backward while trying to hold the bleeding stump where his arm had been. Blood spewed all over the battlefield.

  This caused the crowd to gasp.

  But Kai wasn't done yet.

  Instantly, he was right next to Jacob.

  He grabbed Jacob's head and smashed it to the ground, driving it down over and over.

  THUD! THUD! THUD!

  Before the referee finally intervened, Jacob was well on his way to unconsciousness.

  Possibly suffering from brain damage.

  A muffled sound in the arena came after that.

  The referee hesitated, arm raised, as if trying to piece his verdict together. "Winner: Kai Ciphera!"

  No one cheered.

  The students were paralyzed by fear.

  Kai smirked down at the cratered body of Jacob while grinning at the trembling audience.

  "So... Who's next?" He opened his arms.

  There was only silence.

  No one dared do so.

  Kai laughed. For the first time, everybody knew their places.

  His eyes roved over the quaking students before narrowing.

  "I'll say this once," his voice dripping with cold menace. "If you dare come after me again, I'll kill you in cold blood."

  With no further words, he turned and strode out of the stadium.