Chapter 8:

I'm Going to be Number 1

Re: Genesis


It is now night and Deveon is still trying to find his way to his room. He took a while to recover from the fight before he started searching for his dorm room. The pain from the fight earlier had subsided but there were still bruises on his body. The loss ruined Deveon’s mood.

“I was a better fighter than that guy. If he couldn’t use magic that win would’ve been mine. Magic gives too much of an advantage to those who can use it. I have to learn how to use magic if I want to close the wide gap between me and Saul. These guys are supposed to be stepping stones in my journey but they’re an unscalable wall to me right now.”

 All of the students Deveon passed on his way to his dorm bad-mouthed him but he was so deep in thought he didn’t notice. Deveon eventually found his dorm room.

Deveon’s dorm had an area of 16ft by 18ft and its walls was 10 ft tall. There was a work table at the window, empty bookshelves aligned on the left wall, and a bed on the right side of the room. Deveon walked in the room and collapsed on his bed.

“I need to learn magic. I can’t overcome my enemies the way I am. Word of my social status spread through the whole school and everyone loathes me now. I can’t expect any help from the grown up’s. To them me being here is enough of a favor; some of them may even egg on the students in actively targeting me.”

Deveon sighed and rubbed his face.

“Instructor Gale probably won’t help me beyond what she teaches the rest of the class so I have to learn on my own”

“Damn Saul. Did that bastard send me here to learn or to just struggle for no reason? How am I supposed to learn something I haven't had an iota of a clue on. Without help, while I’m being targeted by everyone.” Deveon rolled back and forth in his bed with steam rising out his head.

Deveon calmed down and returned to analyzing his situation. “Tomorrow my lessons start. I have to make sure I absorb as much information as I can. Going on missions and earning merits is currently a pipe dream. I have to spend my free time learning magic as quickly as possible before I start trying to gain a rank.”

Deveon stared at his ceiling with an empty gaze. He eventually slipped into sleep.

The next morning Deveon put on the school uniform he found in his closet. The uniform was dark blue pants with a white shirt and navy blue slim fit jacket. Deveon refused to wear the tie and didn’t button up his jacket.

“I woke up a bit early in order to find my classroom. This school is way bigger than anywhere I've ever been. Will I be able to find the classroom in time?”

As soon as Deveon left his room he started getting dirty gazes. A small flame shaped like a snake slithered through the air at an extremely fast pace. The flame hit Deveon on his nape.

Deveon suddenly felt a burning sensation course through his whole body for a moment.

A Noiran student behind Deveon walked up with a flame burning above his hand. “Wow, he is still standing after taking that. Maybe he’s starting to build a pain tolerance. Animals do adapt quickly since they don’t have logical reasoning.” The student that attacked Deveon started laughing after insulting him and all the students in the area followed suit; with the exception of one student.

That student stepped forward and spoke up. “We shouldn’t be doing this. Lady Alice said that she wants Hercul to deal with him. Hercul may turn his anger on us if we attack with his prey.”

All the students suddenly stop laughing.

“Damn. I really wanted to practice that spell more. Such a fine target is going to waste.” The student who attacked dispelled the flame in his hand.

“Why did you even waste your time learning such a useless spell?”

“Hey, it wasn’t all that useless. We got a good laugh from it didn’t we?”

All the students started to leave the area. Deveon looked at the one that helped him but the person didn’t even bother to give him a glance.

“Who is this Hercul guy? Looks like I’ve made a big enemy before I even did anything. Damn that whore Alice. What did I do to her to warrant all these problems.”

Deveon found his classroom after wandering around the campus. The room had long benches and tables shaped as semi circles. The benches and tables got shorter as they got closer to the front of the classroom. There was an aisle that went down the middle of the classroom dividing the benches and tables. The room had an entrance at the front and another at the end.

Deveon entered the class room from the back entrance. He immediately saw an unpleasant face. Alice was sitting near the front, where students were flattering her. When Deveon entered the room no one paid attention to him because they were all busy fawning over Alice.

Deveon’s face scrunched up in anger. “I could’ve quietly got my objective done and gotten out of here if it wasn’t for her making me the object of scorn.”

Deveon took a seat in the back of the classroom. At this moment Alice noticed Deveon and turned her attention towards him.

“Well, isn’t it the little rat who sneaked his way into here. I’m surprised you didn’t run away after that beating Arthur gave you.” Alice smirked while she jeered at Deveon.

Deveon turned his head towards the window without giving Alice a reaction “The current me is powerless before them. I should try my best to stay clear of trouble; till I become stronger that is.”

Getting ignored angered Alice. She became more taunting. The other students followed her example. Some students got irritated by Deveon's lack of reaction, so they decided to make a move on him. The moment some students decided to teach Deveon a lesson, the door to the classroom flung open.

A young boy with a fierce look walked into the classroom. He had brown hair and hazel eyes. His eyes were full of bountiful pride that regarded everything around it with disdain. He had a demeaning aura and a strong build with a hight of 5'7". The boy looked like a young teenager but at the same time he carried the air of a ruler.

When he opened the door the room immediately got quiet. The boy ignored everyone and walked straight to Alice. Every student around her backed away as he approached her. The male students seemed to be more uncomfortable than the females. The boy that just walked in glared at one of the students who was flattering Alice the most earlier. That student immediately broke into a sweat.

The boy ignored the student after seeing his reaction and looked back at Alice. “You told me that you have important information to tell me two days prior but didn’t contact me yesterday or this morning. Isn’t there something you should be saying to me right now?”

Alice took a quick glance at Deveon and immediately broke into a smile. “It’s not that I wanted to waste your time but something devastating happened to me yesterday. This prevented me from meeting you.” Alice's eyes started to moisten while speaking. “Hercul, that boy sitting there. He’s a new student so out of the kindness of my heart I tried to help him but he took advantage of my generosity and attempted to lure me into his chambers with the intent to do unspeakable things to me.”

“@#!%” Deveon finally looked away from the window. His face was uncontrollably twitching.

Alice wiped her eyes and continued. “I soon realized something was amiss so I tried to put some distance between us after offering him some help but then he lied about his social class in an attempt to corner me. Out of fear of his status I had no choice but to comply with him, but I quickly saw through his ruse and retaliated. Turned out he was nothing but a peasant trying to lay his hand on something he shouldn’t even dream of touching.”

Alice looked up at Hercul with burning eyes. “Hercul a filthy peasant tried to defile your women on your own territory. Shouldn’t you defend your pride and uphold justice for your woman.”

Hercul took a look at Deveon then glanced at Alice before looking back at Deveon. He walked towards Deveon, the pressure in the room felt like it increased with every step Hercul took. Hercul finally stopped when he was in front of Deveon. “You have some guts you pig.”

Deveon looked at Hercul, unlike all the other students in the class there wasn’t any fear in Deveon’s eyes. “She’s lying. Whether you chose to believe her or not has nothing to do with me so keep me out of your shenanigans.” Deveon’s tone was neither submissive nor demanding.

“You look really young. How old are you?” Hercul attitude towards Deveon was aloof. It was as if Deveon was no different from an animal that slightly peaked his interest.

“Twelve. Why does it matter to you?” Deveon responded with the same attitude Hercul was giving him.

“You’re three years younger than me. To be a peasant that's able to pass the entrance exam at such a young age, you must be far more talented than the other mongrels. Why don’t you become my servant. It’s far better than getting stepped on by the rest of the trash in this school.”

Alice's expression became worried after hearing Hercul’s offer to Deveon.

“What if I say no?”

“Then I’ll have to protect my dignity and uphold justice for my girl.” Hercul’s eyes narrowed. A sadistic light quickly flashed between them.

Deveon sighed. “If I become your servant what would become of my dignity? Sure all the other students would stop bullying me, but it looks like the abuse you’re gonna give me will be far worse than what the other students will do to me. Sorry, but I don’t want to be bossed around by a guy who gets strung around by his girl.”

The temperature in the room drastically increased. Every student with the exception of Alice started sweating and immediately retreated to the other side of the room.

The aloofness in Hercul eyes turned to malice. “I’m the best student in this academy. You think that little girl can deceive me? So what if she’s lying, you don’t have the strength to stop it. Truth doesn’t matter, power does. You do interest me a bit so I’m willing to forgive your earlier defiance. Become my servant” Hercul repeated himself with an overbearing tone. “This is not a choice. Don’t waste this final chance I’m giving you. A dog is still a dog, even if he's a slightly stronger than the others, I have no qualms killing one that can’t be obedient.”

Being the closest to Hercul, Deveon felt the heat Hercul was emitting the most. Deveon’s body was already drenched in sweat and he felt a bit weak but he still managed to keep the cold gaze he had earlier and stared directly into Hercul eyes. A smirk stretched across Deveon’s face before he started speaking. “You said you’re the best in this school right? Don’t get used to that position because it’ll eventually fall to me. Matter of fact you should start getting used to being below me.”

Right after Deveon finished his sentence a heat wave suddenly exploded from Hercul’s body and a large serpent made of flames curled around Hercul's body rearing its head at Deveon. Alice broke into a smile and the other students were afraid Hercul would turn his anger on them when he finished with Deveon. The snake launched at Dveon and the door to the class room opened at the same moment. As soon as the door opened, the flame snake and the heat in the room dissipated. Instructor Gale walked in as her gaze scanned across the room.

“Hercul what are you doing here? Class is about to begin.” Instructor Gale’s tone was as expressionless as it was when she spoke to Deveon yesterday.

Hercul faced instructor Gale and responded. His attitude wasn’t demeaning as it was when he faced his classmates but he wasn't submissive either. “This peasant disrespected me so I was gonna teach him a lesson.”

Instructor Gale responded without changing her tone. “What you do outside my classroom is of no concern to me, but right now I’m about to give me lecture and I don’t condone anything that interferes with my lessons. If you have issues with each other, deal with it after class.”

“Yes instructor.” Hercul responded respectfully and turned back to Deveon. “I’ll deal with you another day. If you live long enough to run into me again. You made a big mistake making an enemy out of me.”

Deveon responded to Hercul’s statement with a callous gaze. Hercul turned around and swiftly left the classroom.

“Bye” Alice waved Hercul off coquettishly. She seemed extremely pleased with herself.

Instructor Gale glanced at Alice before telling all the students to seat themselves and started her lesson. Every student sat as far as they could from Dveon.