School was shut down for a few weeks after the incident. Alina told me everything that happened that day, she was shaking with anger having to relive everything. Even though I know everything that happened that day was out of my hands, I felt guilty for not being there. Wyatt and I haven't spoken since the news dropped, I wouldn't be able to get a read on how he felt about it anyway. For me, there wasn't really anything to do. Travers held off our rematch until further notice, can't really blame him for that. Alina didn't spell it out, but I could tell she needed time to process things alone for a while. So, in the meantime, I brainstormed as to what this meant for the whole "war" situation Travers brought up before. The fact that he didn't involve any other teachers, at least to my knowledge started to add up.

After what Alina had told me, I don't exactly know how i would fight a freak like Buchanan. His style is live earth, so because his constructs are really just plant life that has been manipulated by his magis and rune work, I wouldn't be able to completely break them down. The only reason Alina made it out alive is she's apparently stacked as all get-out! I stopped by 26B after I heard the news, the place might as well have never been warded at all. Despite her completely totaling the place, she said he left the situation without even a single scratch. Not that knowing all of that would stop me from tearing that creep a new one next time I lay eyes on him.

People were taking this whole situation as their que to split. The academy's numbers basically dropped in half, so on the bright said a lot of electives were opening up. In general, I don't really have a direction to move in right now. Travers told me to get stronger to beat the bad guys. That's a pretty digestible objective, but I feel like I should be doing a lot more right now I just can't put my finger on what I can do.

The day was quiet, Lloyd hadn't even knocked. Lloyd always knocks. I suppose he's pretty shaken up about things too.

BAM BAM BAM

Maybe not, I make my way to the front door and I'm completely clueless as to why I'm looking at this visitor. No, this guy's more like a trespasser...

"Toby?"

Kurt just stood there in silence, he hadn't even brought his fist down from knocking. There wasn't anything in his eyes either, he was just spacing out like he didn't know why he did anything.

"I... you... we need to go right now." His voice is so shaky, there's no way I broke his spirit that bad right?

"Yeah, I'll bite. Just let me grab my shoes."

* * *

I hope this isn’t becoming a thing, but Kurt brought me to the same park Wyatt did the other day. He didn’t explain anything on the way, and I didn’t ask. He seems even more off than usual, I think last time I saw him he was crying about the city being under attack and how he was going to move away. Yeah, let’s start with that.

“Hey so weren’t you moving or something? What’s up with that?”

He kicked some rocks away once we go to the field, I’m starting to feel like I’ll be getting some exercise today after all whether I want it or not.

“I can’t leave things like this.” It started to rain, and he was mumbling a bit so I’m officially ready to be done here.

“Okay speak up man, and stop being so cryptic. I don’t get a lot of visitors and you’re one of the last people I’d expect a house call from, so I humored you. But now I’m getting wet and losing patience.”

He turns around to reveal a face that I’ve only seen once before, staring down the barrel of Wyatt’s wand. My stance widens instinctively, he cricks his fingers and engulfs his hands in flame. His level of control has improved, not only is he a pyro casting in the rain, but those fireballs on his fists are crudely shaped like boxing gloves.

“Wow, you know that’s actually pretty cool!” His face is unchanged from my comments, he’s serious. “Toby, I love a good spar as much as the next guy, and if it’s a rematch you want you can get it anytime. But you should ward yourself and be safe, you could’ve died last time, right?”

He dug his feet in and made a dash for me without warning, left, left, right, he even threw a quick feint before going for a haymaker. But my partner as of late has been The Hank Travers, a portal plying pugilist on a professional level. Craven as Kurt was acting, he was too easy to read. His swings were wide and heavily telegraphed. “Toby I could dodge this in my sleep, please ward up before you get hurt.”

Kurt’s veins pop on his temple as he lets out a blood curdling roar that echoes through the field. He slams his fist into the earth, causing an eruption of flame to jettison out from beneath me. I barely reacted in time to jump out of the way. Just before my feet hit the ground, he lands a burning body blow that ate straight through my shirt. “Ugh, good hit buddy you win. That was a cool attack too, lets call it a day.”

He continues to star at me in disbelief, “What’re you doing asshole?! Put up your dukes and fight me like a man! What’re you scared or something?!”

I hold my side and chuckle a bit as he pants at me like a pissed off mutt. “Like I said, I want you to put a ward on. Listen I think you’re a jerk, you’re incorrigible, and I loved mopping the floor with you the other day you have no idea. But this whole thing right now feels way too desperate. It feels wrong. Until you put that ward on yourself, I can’t hit you back with a clean conscience.” My mind flashed back to the feeling of Wyatt’s ribs being crushed under me. I wince at the thought. “So yeah, good hit dude. But if you’re not gonna protect yourself I’m not interested in fighting you, in any capacity.”

The flames on his fists went out instantly. He grits his teeth and grinds them while glaring at me. “Fight me seriously you bitch! You pussy! Come on!” He lunges at me and I throw him over my shoulder sending him flat on his back. I can tell from the way he laid there for a minute it knocked the wind out of him.

“This feels gross and sad dude. I’m leaving.” I walk back towards the playground thinking about grabbing some tea to calm myself down after what just happened. The light burns from that gut punch were starting to heal up, but they still stung a bit.

“It’s not fair… a few weeks ago I was on top of the world, you were a nobody, and I felt like I fuckin’ mattered. Then you knock my lights out, some freakin’ supervillain destroys the town square, I hit him with a massive fireball, biggest I ever threw. He just brushed it off like I’m nothing. Because I am nothing...” Holy shit, Toby’s sobbing in the rain after an emotional breakdown. What a cliché. Still, I feel for the guy, and I had no idea he had actually tried to help Alina that day and he was just simply outclassed.

“On top of realizing how little I really mattered, and how low I am on the totem pole as an artist, one of my teachers goes postal and murders and an entire class. For what?! You’re supposed to be able to trust your teachers!” He sits up making his way up to his feet. “I lost fuckin’ friends to that monster, he betrayed his students! No one feels safe anywhere and I can’t make a damn difference!” He points at me with tears streaming down his face and his lips quiver as he forced out the words, “This shit all started when I lost to you. If I can show that I’m better than you and I can fight and I can win when the chips are down, then I’ll know I can make a difference here! I’ll get my life back the way it was!” He extends his left arm and a blade of concentrated flame came forth from his fist and he begin to charge at me.

I’m not used to fighting armed opponents, just never had the experience. So, I start running. I made my way over to the jungle gym and slid my way inside so he couldn’t reach me easily. He was all over me though, poking and prodding every angle he could get to until he started to tucker himself out. “Toby, listen to me I understand ho- “

“There is NO WAY you could ever understand me!” He bellowed as he took both hands on his makeshift saber and began to cut his way through the jungle gym to get to me. He’s fully out of his gourd, I gotta defend myself at some point. He raises his blade up and comes down with an overheard swing with all of his weight behind it. I already took one hit for this nutcase and he didn’t take the hint, I’m not about to get cut for him too! Just like I practiced with Wyatt, but fire affinities are way easier to read no matter how complex the shaping technique is. I bolster both of my palms lining them with magis and catch his blade.

“I already gave you too many chances!” I went for the most personal kind of strike there is and pulled his burner blade to the side before I knocked our noggins together. Kurt stumbled back, just as I expected that rocked him and made him lose his concentration. I’m gonna knock some sense into him. No magis, just hands. I lunged in and stuffed him with body blows until his legs got wobbly and let him catch his breath once he dropped to his knees. “I get it Kurt, these last few weeks have been totally fucked! Believe me I’ve been jammed right in the middle of all of this, and I know I don’t have a lot of people in my corner, unlike you. All the same I’ve been working hard to try to be able to help against whatever has been happening lately. I’m not gonna lie to you it’s a big fuckin’ world out there!” I kicked him with that last statement, I didn’t know how pent up I was.

“The point is, all I can do is try my best to be better, and I am. Now you’re a total jerk, but some of the moves you just showed me… even for a pyro your shaping was crazy good, and you did it in the rain! Just because you can’t flatten whatever is in your path doesn’t make you useless and it definitely doesn’t mean you don’t matter. You’re going to fail again at some point and so am I! The factor that’s gonna seal the deal in making you an honest-to-goodness-brain-dead-no-nut-chump loser is giving up and throwing a tantrum when you don’t feel like trying anymore!” I had to stop because I’m screaming at this point and I about ran out of breath.

I can’t believe I’m doing this but, it’d be a waste if I left him like this. Kurt stared up at me incredulously as I marched close to him again and offered him my hand. “Things have sucked for me for years, and just as things started to get kinda nice, some weirdos try to come screw things up. I’ve taken a few licks, but I’m not stopping for anything. What about you?!” He just stared at my hand for a few moments, his forehead was growing a bump where I bashed him earlier.

“Tobias, help me out here. We’ve had our differences before, and we still do. The thing I’m sure we can both agree on is that the crazy shit that has been going on can’t happen again, not in our town. Let’s work together to keep things in check, please.” He hesitated but after a few seconds, he reached out to me and I pulled him up.

“Tyson, I’m… I’m sorry. I just felt like things were falling apart and I found a way to blame you for it somehow.”

“We’ll kiss and make up over tea Toby, also you’re gonna weld that jungle gym back together and pay for my new shirt. After that, there’s someone I want you to meet.”