Alina arrived at school an hour early in order to escape from, Jason who was still preparing lunch. Bored, she started playing an online VR game through the Holo-lens [1] she had. The Holo-lens were contacts that everyone in Sanctuary were required to wear because it allowed it's user to interact with holograms, like traffic lights and so on. Also, it could connect to the virtual net, like how Alina was using it at the moment to play.

“Hey, Alina!” Asami interrupted Alina's game as the VR game became translucent, letting Alina see Asami. “You're here early. Wait, did you come alone? Where's your brother?”

“Somewhere, dunno.” Replied Alina.

“Aw, no need to be embarrassed. I'd love it if my older sibling gave me a ride. If only I had an older sibling.” Asami added in the end.

“That's not it. You know how early I came? An hour ago! That's right, before 7 o'clock. And guess what I found? The. Entrance. BLOCKED. With. Girls!” Alina complained as she looked at Asami.

“Oh give them a break, they're only curious that's all. Yesterday's fight has already spread throughout the entire academy! Everyone knows! I guess they're all curious to see if he’s really that hot.” Asami explained as she sat in the seat that was in front of Alina.

“Wait a sec, how'd the news spread so fast?” Asked Alina suspiciously.

“Ah well you know, someone recorded and uploaded the fight to the school forums. Haha.” Laughed Asami rather nervously.

“Tu veux dire 'I uploaded it’ non?” Michelle overheard Asami's response when she sat beside them and decided to add oil to the fire.

“Oh? So you decided to throw our friendship away for a headline, eh?” Alina ‘threateningly’ cracked her knuckles as she grinned at Asami, who was sweating buckets.

“No no, I just felt it'd be better if all the boys knew. You know so that they wouldn't hit on you!” Replied a frantic Asami, however, a small smile peeked out of the corners of her mouth.

“Oh, then it's okay,” said Alina smiling sweetly, before launching herself at Asami and rubbing her head harshly with her fist. “Like hell I'd say that! You trying to keep me single?!”

As Asami squealed and attempted to escape, a book fell on Alina's head interrupting her torture. Looking back she saw Ms. Silvia with a book raised and a frown on her face while Jason stood leaning on the entrance of the classroom, an amused expression on his face as he looked at Alina with gentle eyes.

“Class is starting Ms. Sage. You can continue your bonding with Ms. Chiba at break time.” Ms. Silvia said crossly while walking back to the front of the class. “Alright children, let me introduce you to your new combat instructor, Mr. Jason Sage.”

“Hey there, young ladies and … uh… boys. Name's Jason, and yes I'm related to Alina and no, boys aren't allowed to date her. You do, I'll make your life miserable, really.” Jason lazily strutted into the classroom while waving a hand nonchalantly.

A hand shot up faster than anyone can see as Asami nearly stood up while raising her hand.

“Now then, a little bit about myself. I was an orphan and at the tender age of 4, I was taken in by a mercenary group that operated out of Es Pujols. Their job was to deal with guerilla fighters in the African continent while our job was to be ... the grunts that they sent before dealing with the insurgents. When I was 8, the mercs had a … change in management, yep, and most of us left for Sanctuary. After a few years, I got bored and I decided to travel the world. Yep, that's it.

“Alright I think that answers your questions, I'll see you guys in my class afterwards. Later,” Jason walked out of the class with Ms. Silvia behind him, ignoring Asami's raised hand.

“Aw, why didn't he let me ask a question?” Asami looked like she was abandoned as she turned to Alina.

“He knew it would be a question stupide,”

“He overheard your antics and didn't like it,”

Both Michelle and Alina answered at the same time, before looking at each other.

“That too,”

“Ça aussi,”

***

“They seem to like you,” Silvia told Jason when they entered her office. “All of them were paying attention to your words.”

“What about you Silvie? Do you still like me? You don't hate me for what happened?” Asked Jason quietly. Hearing his questions made Silvia turn to look at him, however, his back was to her as he looked through her bookcase. Yet she could see a heaviness emanating from him. It was evident that he was still feeling guilty about what had happened between them in the past.

“You know the answer to that very well, Jason,” she answered with a sigh. “I don't think there's anyone who could resist your charms. But I also remember what happened back then. And I know, deep down, that you've already closed your heart. You'll never love someone again.”

Silvia finished sadly as she walked to Jason, hugging him from behind. “Just know they'll always be people who care about you. As friends. As family.” [2]

Jason didn't turn around and they continued staying in that position until Silvia's holo-bracelet began ringing. Silvia pulled away reluctantly and opened a hologram and, reading it, her brows furrowed as she sighed.

“I have to go to a meeting, it seems like not everyone is happy to have you teaching here. You can stay here since, unfortunately, your office hasn't been selected yet. Just, don't go through my desk.”

“Mmn. You do what you have to,” Jason said before calling out to Silvia softly again, making her pause. “And Silvie, thank you.”

Silvia smiled as she walked out the door of her office, closing it behind her. Jason, on the hand, walked to a sofa and laid down on it, raising his legs onto the coffee table while putting his hands behind his head.

“Meh, might as well catch some zee,” he said while closing his eyes.

A beautiful woman stood over him. She was dressed in cured leather pieces, strapped together haphazardly with a white tiger's fur blanketing it. Her cream colored skin and black hair matched the fur while her strange golden eyes bore straight into his. Curiously enough, her head was not shaped like a human's; it was slightly angular at the sides while her ears, large, furry, cat-like ears, twitched slightly as a breeze flew by.

Jason was stunned by her otherworldly beauty as he looked at her cold face, before realizing an unbearable pain coursed through his chest. Looking down, he realized in shock that her hand was stabbed into his chest.

“I know you love me. But I will always choose my people over you,” she said coldly as the hand in his chest tightened over his heart.

Jason smiled as he lifted his heavy hand and caressed her cheek, no shock or regret flowing through him, only love.

“You do what you have to do, it doesn't matter. I will always love you.” As he spoke, Jason fell backward, the world around him darkening.

“I regret it,” the woman's words were the last thing Jason heard as he slowly mulled over it

Which part did she regret? Meeting me? Giving me sanctuary against those bastards? Or killing me? He asked himself.

Jason opened his eyes and realized he had been dreaming.

Again? He thought. Why was I stupid enough to love someone like that?

This wasn't the only dream that came to haunt Jason. He had seen himself leading a large crew on an ancient wooden boat seeking some kind of gold item that could bless anyone. He witnessed himself fighting giants and beings made of lava, all by his lonesome. He also saw himself leading an army of demonic monsters, slaughtering an army enclosed in a holy golden hue.

The Curse of Samsara is it? Jason sighed. How long will this continue? How long has it continued for?

The bells signifying the end of classes rung abruptly and Jason shook his head before checking his watch. As he stood up, a small blackhole spun open beside him. He put his hand through the portal and pulled a lunchbox out.

Lunchtime huh? Better go give her the meal she forgot. He thought with a wry smile, ignoring his previous musings.

***

Alina and Asami both were collapsed on their desks respectively while Michelle was finishing her notes. Hearing the bell ring caused Asami to come back to life as she jumped out of her seat, her excitement jolting everyone near her.

“It's lunch time!” She exclaimed. “Let's head to the Dome! I've heard that they have all sorts of meals there. Tempura, here I come!”

The Dome was the Academy’s lunchroom but due to having an elementary, high, and college section there was a need to create a large building that was connected to all school levels of the Academy. This place was eventually named the Dome. After hearing Asami’s suggestion, Michelle nodded while Alina, who was going through her bag replied back.

“Sure, I'll go with you guys but I won't-” Alina stopped abruptly when she realized that she didn't bring her lunch. In her rush to leave home early and avoid Jason, she forgot to pack it.

“On second thought, I might as well get a meal too.” Alina brushed it off as the trio walked to the lunchroom. On their way to the Dome, however, they encountered an awful scene. Emily was arguing with a guy, who seemed to be a senior student from the college curriculum while two girls looked on disdainfully. One of the girls said something to Emily that angered the guy, causing him to shout and slap the latter.

Flames erupted in Alina's eyes as she immediately activated her ability and focused it on her legs, propelling herself forward. Reaching the guy in a second, Alina sent an upper-cut, with all her momentum, into his solar plexus. As he kneeled down with his head forward, Alina performed a spinning kick, smashing the bottom of her heel onto the back of his head. His head impacted the ground with such force that his nose broke and he lost consciousness.

"Alina! c'est assez!" Michelle said when Alina took a step forward to continue her attack.

"You okay?" Asami asked Emily as Alina approached them while Michelle called for a medical team to treat the injured student.

"I'm fine," replied Emily while trying to hide the bruise she got, a forlorn smile on her face. "It's nothing, really. Just one of my ex thinking he can control me."

"You have bad taste in men, sans vouloir vous offenser," Michelle said as she walked to them.

"What can I say? I was young and stupid," Emily replied. "Hey, I'm - I gotta go. I'll catch you guys later."

As Emily left, Alina wanted to call out to her but Asami stopped her.

"We can't," Asami told Alina and Michelle. "If we try, she'll just feel more inferior."

"What do you mean?" asked Michelle confused.

"Think about it, if she was a sixer or even a level three, would he treat her like this? Would anyone treat her like that?" as Asami spoke her eyes were on the other two girls who had fueled the fight. Right now, they had already walked away but Asami continued eyeing them.

"You can imagine how Emily must feel, and it won't help if we try talking to her. We're just a reminder of how powerless she is." All three sighed when Asami finished, each quiet and lost in their own thoughts.

***

Emily hurriedly walked through the empty hallways, looking for a quiet and empty place to gain her bearings. Looking down, Emily was unaware of an approaching figure until she slammed into his chest and flew backward.

"Whoa, hey now," the figure said as he easily caught her hand and pulled her towards him, balancing her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," said Emily, feeling like a broken record. Why was everyone asking her that?

"Right. Huh, you look just like the night I met you. You know, submissive, without a shred of fig- ah! There it is! Now you look more lively." Jason shameless egged Emily until she glared at him, smiling at her angry stare. Emily prepared to stomp away when Jason caught her arm.

"Wait, Wait, I- I'm sorry. I'm not good at ... comforting girls. With words," he explained when she looked at him.

"Oh? So how do you usually comfort them?" Emily asked back annoyed.

"Usually? With my tongue," his words appalled Emily into silence. "Okay, why don't I apologize by helping you. Now hold my hand."

"I- what?" asked a flustered Emily while looking at his outstretched hand.

"Hold my hand. Go on, don't be scared, it doesn't bite. It pinches." Jason answered roguishly.

Emily blushingly reached her hand out and daintily placed it in his open hand, but Jason grimaced as though he remembered something.

"Ah, my bad," he said, a rascal's smile was plastered on his face. "I meant my wrist, hold onto my wrist."

"Are you trying to annoy me?" asked Emily with a pointed stare as she quickly grasped his wrist.

"Focus on my arm. Focus on what you feel," Jason said sternly, any hint of playfulness vanishing as he spoke. "Feel the energy wrapped in your hand, feel it flowing."

As Jason continued speaking, his arm in Emily's grasp started glowing, the green energy crawling around them like wisps of smoke. Slowly, he lifted his hand and stroked the bruise on Emily's face with the back of his hand. The bruise disappeared as he moved his hand to her other cheek, gently stroking it. As she felt the warmth of his hand, she couldn't help but lean her face closer to it.

"What do you feel?" he asked, his quiet voice sounding much more exotic.

"It's warm and gentle. It feels comfortable but familiar..." Emily replied slowly with closed eyes.

"It's what you have inside you, the power to heal," Jason said as Emily opened her eyes and looked at him in surprise. "My ability ... it's Energy Manipulation. I basically copied the type of energy your ability would release when being used.

"Now focus on yourself, try to sense a similar sensation from within yourself."

"I can feel it. It's ... it's ...." Emily stuttered when she felt Jason move his hand from her face and gently sent it downwards, tracing down from her neck to between her breasts, all the way down to her navel.

"Here," he whispered, his hand and voice causing Emily to shudder. Looking up with watery eyes, she realized that he didn't have a trace of lust in his eyes, rather, he took that as normal behavior.

"Focus over there and try to move it like another limb. If you succeed then you'll advance to level one, I promise." Jason continued. "Well, I have to go and find Alina, keep practicing in the meantime. I'll see you in tomorrow's class."

Jason waved his hand and walked away leaving Emily, who was still shocked by his caress, standing like a frozen sculpture.

***

“Whoa,” said Asami, surprised, as they entered the Dome. It was shaped like its name, with various tables and holographic screens at the top that simulated the outside weather. There was a small second floor, with a railing overlooking the first floor, which was meant for teachers and below it was the counter to buy the meals from.

After buying their meals, the three sat down on a table and started discussing various things, trying to suppress their feelings. From the best place to buy clothes to the kind of boys they were interested in, and they failed to notice Jason walking towards them.

“C'mon, I bet you like the cool, arrogant type!” Asami said to Alina.

“No, I don't think so. Truth is, I’m not entirely sure, cause ... I haven't actually had a date before…” replied Alina in a small voice.

“Is your brother that protecteur?” asked Michelle in disbelief.

“That's not entirely it. We were always moving from one place to another. Sometimes every week or so. Because of that, I could hardly connect with people.” Alina explained.

“Aw, you poor thing. Here, Lemme give you a hug!” Asami leaped onto Alina, hugging her tightly. “And don't worry, we'll connect really well! Let's go to a salon, paint our toenails, and check out boys at the mall! Ooh, we could also go underwear shopping!”

“Yeah, not exactly something you wanna shout out loud kid, the boys are listening in with bleeding noses,” An amused voice in front of them said, causing all three to jump. Looking up, they saw Jason standing there with a smile on his face.

“Hey kid,” his lazy voice said in a husky tone. “You forgot your lunch.”

He then saw Alina with a tray of food in front of her. “Oh, you already got that covered. Guess I was too late.”

“Sorry, I didn't know you'd bring my lunch,” Alina replied guiltily.

“Don't worry about it Alle. In fact, it's a good thing. I actually forgot to bring mine.” Jason said while ruffling Alina's hair before he started to walk away.

“Wait are you heading to the teachers' canteen?” Alina asked.

“Nah, seems like my papers haven’t been authorized yet, so I can't enter areas like that without an ID. I'm heading back to Silvie's office, why?” Jason explained while Alina's eyes widened.

‘Silvie's office’? The hell, are they that close? She thought.

“You could join us instead!” Asami declared quickly.

“Yeah, it's not a problem, right? You're my brother and I’m sure no one will complain,” Alina added.

Jason raised an eyebrow while looking at Alina, thinking about how she was misunderstanding the relationship between him and Silvia.

Then again, this could be fun, He thought mischievously as he chuckled inwardly. I should invite Silvy home once, see how they both react to each other.

Jason then sat down next to Michelle and opposite Alina, while the former quietly played with her salad. Jason opened Alina's lunchbox, a pretty pink colored box, and started eating casually while the three girls looked on. At first, they felt that it would be awkward seeing a guy eat from a girly box, but they realized that Jason managed to pull it off.

“You've been quiet for a while now, Michelle. Your name's Michelle right?” Jason asked Michelle next to him who nodded.

“Oui, my name is Michelle LeBlanc.” She replied in a shy voice.

“LeBlanc?” Jason asked surprised, looking at her face carefully. “You wouldn't happen to have a brother right? Pretty dude, looks like a teen despite being old, has wavy blonde hair, beardless, is named Raphael?”

“You know mon frère? How?” Michelle's sapphire blue eyes widened as she asked.

“Hmm, how can I say it? Ah, I do know him and I ended up kicking his ass black and blue.” All three looked at Jason incredulously. “What? He wanted to arrest me even though we were on the same side. Who cares if a human trafficker ended up decorating the streets down below.”

“You are militaire, non, are you a mercenaire?” Asked Michelle when seeing how nonchalant he was about killing.

“Classified, ma belle dame.” Replied Jason in fluent French while winking, causing Michelle to blush, distracting her. Asami, in the meantime, was scribbling all of this into a notepad.

Uh ... he just admitted to kicking your brother's ass, and now you're flirting with him?! Thought Alina with exasperation. And stop writing all this down!

“Sorry for, you know, hurting him. But he had this idiotic self-righteous attitude. Even if we didn't fight I'd try to find an excuse and beat him up,” Jason told Michelle as he opened a can of root beer and downed it one go.

“Dumbasses like him tend to act like heroes and always end up dying.” A depressed Jason muttered under his breath, but Michelle heard him.

“Were you deux friends?” She asked curiously.

“Nah, he just reminded me of someone. Bastard was just like him and had to go and be a hero.” Jason replied quietly, his head looking up.

The table became quiet as all three contemplated on his last words, realizing that this friend of his had probably died.

“Well, I'm off. Ah, I forgot, I'll be making some changes to the combat course, so make sure you don't eat too much,” said Jason as he finished his meal and stood up to leave. “Oh and Alina? No skipping class.”

Sweat fell from Alina's pale face when she heard what Jason said, as the other two looked on confusingly.

“Qu'est-ce que ne va pas? You look like you seen a ghost.” Michelle asked.

“Yeah, c'mon, his training can't be as bad as Ms. Silvia … right?” Asami added hesitantly.

“Worse. We’ll probably need an ambulance when he's done with us,” groaned Alina as the two winced.

Sure enough, when the time came Alina realized she was right. Jason walked into the class, Combat Theory, and took one look at the holo-text on the desk, then turned it off.

“All right, that's a load of bull,” Jason said. “You can't learn these types of combat maneuvers from a book. No, let's do something else. Hmm… ah! I know, let's combine Combat Theory with the Practical Combat class! 3 hours of fun.”

As Jason laughed the entire class felt a chill go down their backs…

Fifteen minutes later, the entire class had changed and were ready for the Practical Combat class. The skin-tight white armor had small hexagonal weavings while optical fibers circuits streaked over the armor like veins. Each suit had a green glow flowing through the circuits, the green light indicating that it was operational and all systems were active. As the group talked among each other, Alina dragged Michelle and Asami to the back.

“We need a plan,” she told them, her eyes stern. “Knowing him, he'll tell us to jump at him together, but that won't work.”

“So what's the plan?” A voice whispered to her from behind, as Michelle's eyes widened and Asami tried tapping Alina's shoulder to warn her.

“I strike first, Michelle hangs back and defends Asa-” Realizing something, Alina turned around and saw Jason, his cocky smile directed at her. Before she could respond, Jason started calling out to everyone.

“Okay, class is starting people! First off: a little reminder. What you're wearing right now is an old prototype armor that was used during the later period of WW3. It enhances your strength while letting you take a bullet, or two, without getting hurt.

“Unfortunately, since it's an under-armor [3], most of you will feel … exposed. But here's a tip, ladies. Just remember which guy is looking at you and give him an 'accidental’ kick if you don't like him. It'll hurt like hell, but you won't leave any lasting damage. As for couples, well aren't you proud to show off to your lovers?” Jason lectured before ending in a tease. Alina however, did not smile.

Shit, She thought. He intentionally made us come to the front!

“So, let's get this party started. How about a game of tag? I'm it and if I catch you, you're out for five minutes or so. After that, I'll come for you again.” Jason cracked his knuckles as he spoke.

“Uh, sir? Don't you need to wear an .. an armor?” A shy and timid girl asked, hesitant to use the word 'under-armor’.

“Oh sweetie, I promise to wear one if any of you can survive today's class without being caught,” Jason chuckled as he rolled his sleeves up. “Ready, set, go!”

As Jason charged forwards, Alina pushed Asami to the front before bolting backwards.

“Every girl for herself!” She shouted as she ran.

Asami barely had time to comprehend what happened before she found the world spinning: Jason had grabbed her and tossed her into a wall, knocking her out.

Michelle grabbed her gun and aimed at Jason but he appeared right before her and easily disarmed her, taking the gun for himself. He then turned the gun at the students behind her. As he fired, each shot ended up hitting a student on the head, the only part that was unprotected. Then he turned to Michelle, winking as he cocked the gun to her head.

“Oh pisse,” she muttered before getting hit by a rubber bullet. Jason threw the gun aside and looked for Alina among the survivors, a smile on his face.

“There you are, my little rabbit,” he whispered when he located her. Immediately he started running after her, bulldozing anyone in the way as Alina tried weaving through the crowd. Jason eventually caught up to her but only grabbed her, a scowl on his face.

“That was 48 seconds, a lot slower than your normal record. And this time you had shields all around you, disappointing.” Jason then lifted a shrieking Alina up with both hands and flung her at a group of nearby students, who all collapsed like bowling pins. Eventually, he caught everyone in the class and knocked them out ... with extreme prejudice.

“Alright, now that, that was fun, eh?” said Jason with a refreshing look on his face while moans and groans surrounded him. “But there's still about… oh, I don't know… 2 hours and 36 minutes. Why don't we start again in 5?”

Three hours later, every student slowly crawled back to their perspective locker rooms, causing several seniors to look on in shock…

[1] Holo-lens: It’s a contact lens that permanently binds to the user.

[2] I feel like I should explain this better. While there will be a flashback showing how they met, it wouldn’t cover how Silvia felt about him. Basically, she had a crush on him despite him being younger but he didn’t reciprocate her feelings and soon started going out with Mary. This hurt Silvia, who was able to see that Mary did not truly like Jason, and she tried convincing him to let her go. Soon after, however, Jason disappeared in the ill-fated mission to Budapest, leaving her heartbroken. Now, in the present, Silvia is telling Jason that she sees him as a close friend rather than a love interest but deep in her heart, she hopes for him to open his heart again.

[3] Under-armor: The reason why they’re called under-armor is that they usually have flexible armor platings over it as the primary armor, providing its wearer with more protection. You know, like Batman's Arkham Knight suit.