The rest of the day passed quickly, and Jack spent most of his time thinking about what Fae had said to him about his recklessness. She was right, whether he liked it or not, when he did something stupid he was risking more than just his own life, and hurting the people closest to him. He needed some rules to follow, rules he would not break. Jack considered the previous situations he had been in, and began taking notes in his head on how he could have avoided unnecessary risk, and from these notes he began to form a set of rules.

The first rule: fight only to protect. Whether it’s is a loved one or a total stranger, something considered valuable or worthless, if you consider it worth protecting, then fight to protect it. Never fight just because you feel like it, or to test out an ability, if you need to test something, then try it out on an inanimate target.

The second rule: don’t be cocky. When you decide to fight, don’t hesitate or show off, that creates unnecessary risks and openings that your opponent can exploit, not to mention breeds overconfidence.

The third rule: fight responsibly. When you fight, make sure to minimize collateral damage, but don’t risk losing the thing your protecting, just avoid dragging others into the fight unwillingly. Your opponent will likely break this rule, so make sure you are prepared, and try to move the fight as far from other people as possible.

The fourth rule: consider your opponent. Fighting with fists is not always the best way to win a fight, there are different kinds of opponents with different skill sets, so be sure to consider what kind of opponent you are dealing with before selecting a method to fight.

The fifth and final rule: don’t overthink it. If you stop to take these rules into consideration while in the middle of a fight, it will probably cost you. Don’t hesitate to act if there isn’t time to consider the variables, because a moment’s hesitation can cost you everything.

Jack scribbled down the list on a small, lined piece of paper, folded it, then shoved it in his pocket. He figured he would have to make some modifications later, but as for now, these would help him keep on track. Jack was now dressed in new clothes, his wounds treated by Val and Jenny, and he was feeling good as new after a good nights sleep. He had slept on the couch despite Val’s complaints, letting her sleep in his room along with Jenny, who wouldn’t leave his apartment. Jack hadn’t seen Fae since Val and Jenny had treated him, disappearing after making sure none of his injuries would need her help before leaving without saying a word.

Jack was now standing in his kitchen, awake before the others, and making himself breakfast while preparing to go to school. He had missed quite a few lectures, and was determined to make it to school today, though he still had several hours before he even had to leave. Jack pulled a cup out of the cabinet, then grabbed a small white packet that was in a box on the refrigerator, tearing it open and pouring a fine brown powder into the glass, before opening his fridge, pulling out the milk, and filling the glass. He mixed the concoction with a spoon, thinking about what he could do until school started. After a while, he stopped mixing, and lifted the cup of smooth brown liquid to his lips, remembering his destroyed phone, and making up his mind to get a new one.

Jack reached over to the notepad he had just used, and tore another piece of paper off the front, and proceeded to write a note telling the girls where he went, and used a magnet to pin it against the refrigerator. Jack then left the apartment building, and turned right, walking down the sidewalk to where he knew a phone store was. He enjoyed his walk, still early in the morning with the cool, crisp air gently brushing his face, and filling his lungs, and the dark sky, that still made him feel like it was night. After several minutes, Jack reached his destination, the glass front displaying signs advertising their service plans, and the phones they had available. Jack approached the door, but saw another sign displayed, but this one wasn’t an advertisement, it was just a bland white sign with black cursive letters stating the store was closed.

(Tough luck.)

Jack sighed and nodded, turning away from the glass door.

(I’m sorry to say this now, but it’s only going to get worse. I can sense a decently strong magical energy nearby, something much stronger than anything you’ve faced so far.)

Jack’s attention was directed to his surroundings, scanning for any signs of life but finding none, aside from a homeless man across the street.

‘It’s not him, right?’

(No, its off to your right, and moving around a certain area with speed that far surpasses yours. If I were to take a guess, It’s probably a ghoul.)

Jack shifted, turning his body to the right, just in case, looking out while scanning for signs of life. Now that he had a general direction, he could hear faint shouts and screams from somewhere out of his sight.

‘What’s a ghoul?’

(The second evolution of a fury, it’s next an final evolution is a wraith, which is considered a high-level monster, and, in some cases, can even hold it’s own against a dragon.)

Jack felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he heard a woman scream with a mixture of fear and pain evident in her voice, and Jack made up his mind.

‘Ellis, can I go through the magical enhancement now?’

Jack began to walk toward the sound at a decent pace, the light from a couple of stores casting long shadows across his face. He was wearing blue jeans, a dark blue hooded jacket shifting as he walked, and some old, red tennis shoes on his feet, stepping lightly on the ground.

(Yes, you can, though you do have some scratches, but they would likely do no more than bleed now.)

Jack smiled, then ducked in an alleyway between a clothes store and a fast-food Mexican restaurant, quickly lying down on a relatively clean part of the ground, looking up at the early morning sky. Jack prepared himself, and then focused, easily accessing the magic flowing inside of him, and followed it’s movement.

‘I hate this part.’

Jack forced the flow to reverse, forcing the magic through his entire body, and once again experiencing the the agonizing pain as he rolled on the ground, sweating heavily.

A man in his early twenties stumbled over a trash bag in his attempt to escape, stumbling, but regaining his footing quickly, and resuming his previous pace. His breaths were ragged, gulping the crisp, cool air that burned like fire while his heart beat so hard, he though it would explode at any moment.

“Ah. Where do you think you’re going?”

The voice of his pursuer was calm, unfazed by the events that just took place, and almost sounded bored. The man heard something wet fall on the ground behind him, making a splattering noise, and he threw his body out of the alleyway, landing hard on the asphalt of the open street. No one was there, the street was completely void of life as the man picked himself up off the concrete slowly, blood dripping and creating small crimson pools below him.

“Goddammit.”

The man whispered through his panting, his legs and back were burning from where he had been thrown against the wall earlier, and he knew he couldn’t run anymore. His adrenaline had gone out, and he was losing blood fast, as he pushed with all his might to lift himself up, but only managed a sitting position. He faced the dark alleyway he just exited, and let out a sigh as his heartbeat lessened, resigning himself to his fate.

“My my, you really don’t put up much of a fight. And I though I was going to get a chase out of it.”

A tall figure emerged, one the man had seen many times, but never like this. There was a boy, about eighteen or nineteen, wearing a light blue t-shirt with a picture that was hidden under the mass of blood and gore that was clinging to him, and dark brown slacks which were almost black now.

“Thomas, why?”

The man stared at the boy, who had once been his friend, with a look of sadness and anger on his face. The boy didn’t react, he just stopped, holding his hand up, which had some unrecognizable organ in it, with a satisfied look on his face. The man recalled that same face as the boy known as Thomas slaughtered the people he called friends, ripping them apart while they were still conscious. The man shook his head, pushing the memory from his mind with a shudder, before looking back up at Thomas, barely able to hold up his head.

“You know, it’s not as fun as it used to be.”

Thomas crushed the organ in his hand, and blood sprayed on his face with a noise that nearly made the man vomit.

“That look of betrayal on their face gives me a feeling that borders orgasmic, but now... now people only show fear for their own lives. It’s sad, really.”

The boy tossed the remains on the ground next to him before turning to face the man, and a smile appeared on his face. He took a step forward, his foot coming down off the sidewalk, and onto the asphalt road.

“Yes, that’s the look... that’s what I’m looking for.”

He took another step, his smile twisted with wicked intent openly displayed on his face. The man tried to escape, but only fell on his back, which sent a shocking pain coursing through his body.

“I think I’ll take your face now, before that look disappears, so I can see it whenever I choose.”

Thomas was now standing over the man, looking down at him with glassy eyes, a faint green light in his irises, dancing with pleasure. The air turned cold, and the man was shivering violently from the pain and fear that clutched his body tightened it’s grip. Thomas’s head jerked up suddenly, sensing something before a loud explosion and a roaring wind rushed over the man, nearly lifting him off the ground and he closed his eyes.

The man opened his eyes again moments later, realizing he was still alive, when he heard something to his left. The man looked over to his left to see a series of blurs and explosions, pink electricity occasionally smashing into a nearby window, or destroying the front wall of a building. The asphalt was destroyed where the event was happening, kicking up and flying in every direction as blows were exchanged between two powerful beings.

One exceptionally loud shock ended the fight, sending something careening over the man’s head, and down the street to his right, spraying blood across the walls and ground before landing, digging up the road, only a pile of red pulp left. The sky was getting brighter as the sun drew near, and the man was able to see much better now.

Footsteps sounded to the man’s left, and he turned to see a boy, about eighteen or nineteen years old standing there with a smile on his face. It wasn’t Thomas, it was someone else, a tall boy with dark black hair, and red light dancing in his irises. His left arm was glowing light pink static occasionally flicking out in a random direction, casting an unearthly light on it’s surroundings. His right hand was open, long red threads with light pink flames came from each of his fingertips, floating around in the air as if under water, and the man wondered who this person could be.

The boy’s face seemed familiar, as if he’d seen him somewhere before, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He would have asked if he weren’t stricken dumb by the sight that seemed to happen almost in slow motion.

“Call 911, and get an ambulance.”

The boy said, then disappeared the air exploding out from where he had previously been. The man laid there shocked for a moment, then took his phone out of his pocket, and dialed 911. The phone rang for a moment, then an operator picked up.

[911, what is your emergency?]

“I need an ambulance on Old Hickory Road. I got a bit hurt, and can’t get to a hospital.”

[Okay, got it. Is there anyone around you?]

The man paused. He knew who that boy was, he was the kid in his class, the one that always sat in the back with that ridiculously beautiful girl that is obviously smitten with him.

“No, I am alone.”

‘That’s right, I remember now! It’s Jack!’