The Demonic Heir.

The muttering students slowly grew silent, anticipating the cataclysmic battle between three esteemed legends.

But for some reason,

Their minds weren't racing, nor were they bickering over who would come out on top.

"Shade's there after all." A fellow student flexed.

"Hello master Rigel, nice to finally meet you."

"Huh?" A male student, standing paces away from Dark looked down at his wrist, in search of what uttered his name.

He met two small eyes, or rather drawn circles on his watch, looking up at him. He didn't bat an eye; they just stared at each other for a while.

"What's wrong, master Rigel?" It spoke again in a cracked, sliding voice; now, a thin line broke out underneath the eyes; it bent inwardly... it was frowning.

Rigel's eyes popped out of their sockets as he threw his arm away from his face but didn't disengage his sights.

"What the hell!!" Those around him turned, but Dark was still busy shooting empty authoritative glares at Shade.

"My watch is speaking, it's so fucking weird!" He flung his arm aggressively, and it wiggled like a noodle. Rigel just shut his eyes as the rest of his body vibrated.

Professor Hungman, seeing the commotion, let out sharp cackles, his brows skimming around.

I see, they must have unlocked your watch's AI abilities, this came earlier than expected. he thought.

"Alright listen up!"

"It has come to my notice that each of your watches has had its AI capabilities unlocked," Professor Hungman stated, his eyes conveying both excitement and mystery.

"AI?" Another student close to Dark hummed, pulling up his wrist.

"Hello... Hello... Hello... " One after the other, the first year's watches greeted their owner, with one of the few voices. Either high-pitched, deep, edgy, cracked, and others, in their effort to match their owner's preference.

"Each AI is unique, but still similar now as they're still like babies. Over time it will grow according to the influence you have provided. See it as your personal friend." Professor Hungman smoothened his robe, looking at the pale students as their faces reflected their tiredness.

Dark finally disengaged the deadly stares he directed at his supposed vice, Shade. He tilted his head down a little, staring at his watch as it made no more of an impression than an empty piece of jewelry, its edges reflecting little light from the environment.

It didn't make a sound, not a peep, and of course, greeting would seem like a huge feat at present.

"Now, all participants step through this portal into my space." Hungman smacked his lips, holding them tight to hide the underlying smirk.

From the edge of the crowd, a maniacal, more like a dysfunctional series of giggles erupted, cutting through the crowd until it reached the front lines.

Shade too made his way to the front lines, and so did Claw who surfaced not long after.

"Can't believe I'll get to pummel two legends off the bat, you don't get a golden opportunity like this everyday y'know?" A fine lad, standing some feet beside Shade lamented.

Shade didn't turn, but his forward gaze relayed familiarity.

"Good to see you too, Deckra. How have you been?" Shade couldn't forget the old smell of rusted metal and freshly baked pies that always coated the air around his old pal.

"Angry, but I'll tell you more about it when I'm making you one with the earth."

Shade quietly scrolled his eyes towards Deckra.

He was decently above medium height, his seemingly ripped body allowed his uniform sit on him perfectly like a birthright. 

His hair was a wild tangle of jet-black spikes, streaked with fiery red that caught the light like flames. His eyes, sharp and gleaming amber, flickered with a manic energy that made others uneasy—one moment sparkling with reckless joy, the next burning with a dangerous intensity. 

Despite the neat school uniform, his untamed hair and piercing gaze marked him as someone who thrived on chaos.
None of these was news to most people, and certainly not shade.

"Can you stop the bickering, you should observe silence before a loud fight to balance yourself," Claw's edgy tone smacked their ears.

He stood poised, solemnly facing the light-seeking portal before him.

"I see, is that why you always do exceptionally well in a fight?... I'll still pummel you though!" Deckra smiled with joy, his cheeky voice growing back on Shade like an old toy but that toy was piercing Claw's feet.

Shade glinted his eyes, ***Sorry boys, but I might have to put in some effort today.

"You can all step through now, I have fully prepared it," Hungman raised a finger,

"Do not ask me about the setting 'cause I'm not spilling. You'll have to go through to fig..." The professor turned to the poking finger that dared interfere with his words. 

It was a student, "Umm, they've already gone through some seconds ago." 

The professor sharply turned his attention to the front lines, but the only thing that he could get off was the remaining stench of rusted metal. 

He furrowed his brows as a vein stretched across his neck like an independent blanch.

↑→↓←↑→

Shade started at his fingers, folding them repeatedly, he raised his head, quickly examining his environment. He had found himself in a forest, surrounded by large, thick trees and persistent plants.

The air was as fresh as anything, the breeze flowed calmly, and it was as real as it gets. 

"36 feet from your destination," His watch beeped, pointing a virtual arrow towards his right side. 

Shade stretched his range of vision beyond the vegetation, where he spotted a possible clearing and fortunately, it was in the exact direction his watch kept pointing. 

He moved his body cautiously past the hanging branches and leaves, aiming for the clearing. 

"You have reached your destination." His watch beeped again. 

He looked around. The area was large and silent, and the grass was as short as that of a football field. The lighting was glamorous, too glamorous.

I guess this is the venue then, Shade thought, stepping into the clearing.

"Yoo Shade, found youuu!" Deckra's voice chased the calmness out of the clearing, yet the terrorist was nowhere to be found.

After a short while, Deckra came rushing out of a different part of the clearing, standing opposite Shade with a huge smile.

"Heyyy!" He waved his hand persistently, like a hyped kid.

"You're still a nuisance even at a battlefield, I wish to never ride into a real battle with you, ever."

Claw emerged from yet another part of the vast forest, his arms crossed and eyes glinting at Deckra.

"Glad to see you all made it to the battleground, now listen up." Professor Hungman's voice echoed through the clearing. Like an invisible lightning strike, it sang from above.

"This space was recently created by me solely for containing any amount of energy outlet you exert, so you can go all out!" The voice rang again.

"You will be declared the winner once all other participants are left unable to stand, or you find the exit and pass through it first. Those are the conditions I have given!"

Shade put a finger into his left ear, glaring into space.
Too loud.

"Now — begin!" Hungman went silent after beckoning for the start of the battle.

The three proposed legends stood firmly at their positions, not moving an inch.

The wind grew aggressively, waging wars with the trees and plants. The atmosphere became packed with unclear intensity.

Deckra giggled, skipping at a point, his whole being was tearing to the field, but for some reason, he held himself back.

Claw just unlocked his hands, watching Shade and Deckra in turns, as accurately as he could.

Shade, on the other hand, was doing nothing. He just stared into the wind, cleaning out his ear with a pinkie finger.

↑→↓←↑→

All the first years stared up, towards the sky, in total silence.

A giant stone frame stood above them, showcasing Shade and his mates within its frame.

Dark tilted his head, watching the trio.

"What are they doing?" he whispered to himself.

"I seriously don't know why you're still paying attention to that, the results are already decided." Tiger crawled up behind Dark like a cockroach.

"What are you talking about?" Dark hummed under his breath, still not breaking his view of the elevated frame.

Tiger tilted his head, his smile faded.

"Don't you know who you have as your vice? He's the single reason why everyone has taken an interest in you, including the Sapphire." Tiger placed both his hands in his trouser pockets.

"What about him?" Dark finally looked at Tiger, his eyes glittered with curiosity despite his best attempts to hide it.

"He must've had his reasons for hiding it all. I don't think I'm in the right position to relay such heavy information." Tiger shoved left and right. His smile was back, his body couldn't hide its thrill in torturing Dark's curious nature.

"Ok," Dark turned his attention back to the frame without batting an eye. It was very unexpected, as Tiger's movements were clamped down at a spot in shock.

"Sorry for the tease," he sighed.

"I will tell you one thing though, something everyone, even those beyond this school, knows. Practically the whole Reaper verse." Tiger faced the frame too.
Now only a faint smile was on his face, his eyes were flat too, as if he was about to announce the death of a loved one.

↑→↓←↑→

The trio still stood adamant, the atmosphere was already tainted with the release of different auras and little energy.

Suddenly a vein grew on Deckra's forehead.

"Tsk, making me make the first move huh?!" Deckra rushed straight, steadily threading towards Shade, who in return didn't even pay attention, he just kept staring at the swerving trees.

Now closing the gap between them, he leapt high in the air, dashing towards Shade who still didn't show any sign of concern.

Deckra's smile widened mid-air with his sights locked in on his nonchalant target.

Unanticipatedly, a figure popped up before him, blocking his view totally.

An enraged Claw was now airborne also, growing closer to Deckra, a fist fully formed as he plunged towards him.

It was a perfect play; with immense speed, he had run from his corner to the line that connected the other two tyrants, and intercepted Deckra in a state he couldn't easily retreat from, at least not in time.

Deckra grinned even harder...

Inches from Claw's fist, he suddenly vanished, without a single trace.

Still mid-air, Claw searched his environment and finally spotted Deckra on the ground directly under his former position, not an inch closer. 

Did he manipulate gravity? Claw frowned.

"Sorry, buh I have some unfinished business with that guy. Pummel you later!" Deckra increased his speed, leaving Claw in the dust before his feet could even meet the ground again.

With unbelievable speed, he ate up the distance between him and Shade like a bottomless pit, grinning all the way.

Shade's eyes finally managed to point towards the forthcoming threat.

Normally I would just avoid contact till someone else wins, but since he said he wanted a second, then I have to do something right?, but still...

"What're you thinking about huh? Let's go all out!" Deckra yelled inching even closer.

Before his eyes, Shade vanished, fritzed out like a lost channel, and he was gone.

Deckra kept charging, still trying to gauge the situation, when he felt something spread out on his face, like the touch of a divine being. It felt so warm, like an underlying firestorm, but peaceful... very peaceful...

Within the blink of an eye, Deckra was smashed into the soil, digging up the earth almost enough for a grave, his grave.

The atmosphere suddenly paused its ravaging wind, the air grew more intense and toxicating as Claw stood at a distance, watching the eyesore.

Shade grabbed Deckra by the collar, using his bloodied shirt to pull him up as his head hung back, almost like that of a lifeless corpse.

Why the hell is this guy charging at me? Shade cussed in his head, glaring at the numb body he'd made.

Claw touched his throat; it felt stiff, as though the air had morphed into spikes and was taking him for a spin.

He looked at Shade; as eerie as he looked, his aura was still the same, but very intense. He stood, dragging Deckra's body along.

He swiftly tightened his grip and instantly threw Deckra at Claw like he was a piece of clothing.

"I think he was aiming for you." Shade pointed as he stared down Claw, his spiralling pupils drawing him in.

"The thing is—" Tiger paused,

"Shade Naza — is the heir to the founding family of all Reapers."