“Not like… us…” Steve mumbled under his breath, slowly composing himself.

“Hm?” Sarah asked.

“That’s what he said, right? He’s not like us. Does that mean he isn't a spiriter?” Perhaps Steve wasn’t the only one denying his spirit awakening?

“Yeah, I don’t get it though," Sarah answered. "He’s confusing. Plus, you saw… all that, right? Non-spiriters can’t simply fly up two stories with fire—or jets, or whatever—in their feet."

“I mean, yeah, but—” Steve didn’t know what to say. She's right. “Everyone is super weird here. I’m so out of place... You’re the only normal person around.”

“Well, the same goes for you. I’ve only been here a couple hours and I already know this place is crazy…” Her eyes dropped to her discolored sneakers.

“Damn.” Steve nodded, and looked down at his own skinny forearms and long fingers. How in the world did he end up in here?

Even Mattiaz—though clearly manic—was ambitious despite his lack of formal training. But Steve had no interest in pursuing his awakened abilities. Not that I have any, he mused.

“Sarah, are you sure you are a spiriter?” he asked, interested in her perspective. So far, everyone he met had either accepted their abilities or showed their power directly; everyone except for Sarah. She seemed like a regular person to Steve, and had even admitted that the other students’ powers scared her.

“I…” Sarah found it difficult to respond. She stretched her shoulders to release some tension before she said, “That’s a bit of a personal question, you know?”

“Oh, sorry if I offended you.” Steve offered a regretful smile. “It’s just that, personally, I can’t see myself being a spiriter,” he admitted. Sarah finally met his eyes, her brows knit in confusion “Ever since my doc gave me the news, I expected I’d feel at least a little different. But nothing changed. You don’t have to specify if it makes you uncomfortable, but is your case similar to mine?”

“...I mean, sort of, but also no…” She shook her head, unable to find a less complicated answer. “It’s scary… I would rather not…”

Guess I’m the only one after all…

“No, that’s okay. I shouldn’t ask,” Steve said, smiling reassuringly as he shook his head to dismiss what seemed to be an uncomfortable topic for the girl.

Sarah looked away without a word. She hadn’t planned to tell anyone about her 'awakening'; just the thought of it made her chest tight with anxiety. Her pigtails brushed against her shoulders as she swivelled to face the door.

“This place is starting to feel claustrophobic. Do you want to take a walk?” Steve suggested, noticing her glancing at the exit. “Don’t worry, I promise I won’t trip this time.” He chuckled at his own joke, but his laughter died off when Sarah didn’t react.

“... Sure…” she said, her expression solemn.

Steve smiled, rising from the bed to put his shoes on—the same pair he’d been wearing all day. It wasn’t like he had a choice, since he hadn’t unpacked yet. Best-case scenario, he wouldn't have to unpack at all. He walked Sarah out, making sure to lock his door. They strode through the hollow corridor and greeted the receptionist before they made it outside.

Steve relaxed as he breathed in the fresh air. The two of them wandered onto the dirt path, making their way through the students hanging around the dormitory area. The crowd made Steve a little anxious, but he knew he was much safer here than in the city; he hoped there would be no gangsters running around campus picking fights.

The lingering silence between them soon became insufferable. Sarah had been unbearably quiet since Steve had asked her about her spirit awakening. He wanted to apologize to her, but couldn’t find the right words to do it.

He stole a glance at her, watching as she stared at the empty running track in the distant sports field. Steve gulped, imagining the physical feats the teachers would expect from them during training.

A croaky voice pulled him from his thoughts.

“Ey, we got some rookies over here!”

Sarah and Steve turned to the source of the noise: two figures watched them from beneath the shadow of a nearby tree, one blond and the other with a cleanly shaven white head. The bald one greeted them with a malevolent grin.

Steve jolted at the sight of them—vaguely reminded of his encounter with the gangsters—but resisted the urge to cower behind Sarah. Surely, I won't get beaten up for being a Spirit Academy student by other Spirit Academy students... right? Right!

“Come over here, you two!” the bald one called out. He cracked his neck as he waited, muscular arms flexing as he tossed a football from hand to hand.

“Should we?” Steve turned to Sarah, uncertain. Her expression screamed “no”.

“Come on already. I ain’t got all day.” Sarah and Steve mumbled to each other in deliberation, but the bald one wouldn’t wait any longer. He threw the ball towards them and shouted, “Catch!”

“Wha—“ The ball smacked Steve square in the face, bouncing back for the bald teenager to catch. Steve dropped to the ground as the strangers exploded with laughter.

“Come on, dude. That’s pathetic. You won’t impress your girl like that, you know,” his assailant said between fits of laughter. “You saw that, Seb?”

The blond shook his head as he leaned against the tree. “No, Kent. Just leave them alone.”

Disappointed, Kent focused his attention on Sarah instead. “Hey girl, what’s your name?”

She should have been at least a little intimidated. But she wasn’t; something about him had her relaxed, as if she knew he didn’t have any bad intentions. She knelt to help Steve before she answered, “... it’s Sarah.”

“Ey, Sarah.” Kent said with a wink. Sarah couldn’t help but blush, but Kent didn’t notice as he tucked the football under one arm. “You kids wanna see something cool?”

Seb rolled his eyes. “Ignore him. He just wants to flex.” He turned to Kent and said, “you should really stop showing off your spirit control. It’s not as impressive as you think.” He looked down at his phone, scrolling to demonstrate his disinterest in Kent’s schemes.

“Oh, come on. It’s fun.” Kent grinned just before his expression grew serious. He placed his palm on the trunk of the tree, fingers spread wide against the bark as he beckoned Sarah and Steve over.

Both approached in silence, concentrating on his act. As Sarah closed the distance, she recognized a certain coldness emanating from his palm. As she focused, she began to see an outline similar to that of the roof stalker boy, but it wasn't green. Rather, a vibrant blue shade. This has to be spirit related somehow, she thought.

Sarah and Steve watched in awe as Kent’s fingers pushed through the tree trunk like a hot knife through butter. Little did they know, his show had just begun; he grinned, drinking in their dumbstruck expressions.

Suddenly, Sarah noticed a distortion in the air surrounding Kent’s palm. It was as if the blue vapor had transformed into undulating particles. Bewildered, she stared as the vapor shrunk to Kent’s fingers like a transparent glove, bursting from his palm to cut a hole clean through the trunk. She blinked rapidly, wondering if her eyes had deceived her.

“Wow…” Sarah muttered. She tentatively approached the tree, eager to examine the aftermath. Sliding her hand inside the trunk, she felt around the smoothed-out hollow core, the texture reminiscent of polished wood furniture. The coldness slowly dissipated the longer she explored. She wanted to ask the older students about the curious feeling, but was too shy to say a word.

“Impressive, huh?” Kent bragged. “You probably won’t be as good as me, but you might get close if you study prop—”

Sarah silenced him with an unexpected scream. She fell to the grass, holding her shaking knees to her chest. The boys were numb with confusion until a massive blast sliced through the air between them. The shockwave threw Steve off his feet; the second years barely held their ground.

When the students collected themselves, they all saw what had become of the tree: the blast had vaporized half the trunk, leaving the crown of leaves to collapse onto the grass below. Leaves and broken twigs scattered around them in a great crash.

“Impressive, huh?” a familiar nasally voice called out in a clear imitation of Kent’s earlier bragging. Sarah and Steve recognized the voice: it was the same green-haired roof stalker from Steve’s dorm.

“You think your little show was impressive? I could do that shit when I was a toddler! Don’t throw all of us first-year students in the same dumpster as these two weaklings!” He singled out Sarah and Steve with an accusing point of his finger.

“Rude,” Sarah mumbled, wiping the dirt and debris from her clothes as she got to her feet. On solid ground, she finally had a chance to properly examine the green-haired stranger. The chest pocket of his blue overalls bore the initials ‘TSD’, and below that, a name: Levi Enpiro; both were unfamiliar to her. By his own admission, this boy was also a rookie student, a sixteen-year-old like Sarah and Steve, yet his appearance reminded her of someone much younger.

“What did you say, you little shit?” Kent yelled, temper flaring as he raised his fists.

“WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE?” Levi screamed at the top of his lungs, his outburst likely reaching across the entire campus.

As the screaming match wore on, Seb tried his best to remain calm. He scanned the quad, taking note of how many passers by had stopped to stare at the scene Kent and Levi were making. Amongst the crowd, someone familiar was searching for the source of the disturbance—it was his least favourite teacher.

“Mrs. Farah’s coming. We have to dip!” Seb grabbed Kent by the shoulder, yanking him away before the fight could turn physical.

Kent’s eyes widened when he saw Mrs. Farah. “Shit, you’re right.” He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth and sprinted away at full speed.

Sarah looked back at the older students but was met with empty space.

“What is all this mess?” A woman’s shrill voice called out, paired with the rhythmic sound of clicking heels fast approaching. She hovered over them thanks to her heeled shoes. With the second years gone, the tall lady directed her wrath towards the rookies. “Did you three destroy this tree?” She waited for an answer, fiddling expectantly with the beige scarf that covered her hair.

Levi tilted his chin up in an expression of pride, singling himself out. “Excuse you, ma’am. This is solely my—”

“What do you think you’re doing?” She interrupted, completely ignoring whatever Levi was about to say. Her eyebrows rose up her face as she recognized something. “First years! I should have expected that. A troublemaking homeroom teacher is bound to end up with even worse students," she complained, confusing two of the first years.

But before any could react, she ordered: "Clean up this mess, immediately!"