It was hard fitting in at the Academy for Exceptional Individuals, but then again, it was hard fitting in anywhere, not that anyone ever noticed.

I just felt… disconnected from everyone and everything. Nothing ever really mattered. Nothing made me happy, or sad, or angry, or anything else… I was just…

Calm.

As I grew up, I started to notice the difference between myself and others. People would get upset over things that no rational being should even care about. Others would fall in love and do all sorts of foolish things.

Falling in love sounded nice, though. It never happened, of course. It would probably be quite a bother, anyhow. It seemed to complicate people's lives to no end. People would empty their pockets. Others would ruin their lives over some nebulous romantic notion that had little significance in the real world.

Sex, I understood. It was necessary for procreation, a necessary part of the continuation of the species, and an indication of an individual's success if that actually mattered to me…

…it didn't. To be honest, I didn't care what others thought about me as long as that opinion did not directly affect me or my interests, which weren't all that numerous.

I actually tried sex once. Its seemingly universal appeal intrigued me.

Like anything else, it didn't really do anything for me. It was a lot of physical effort, messy, and required far more interaction with another human being than I preferred.

I must have been good, though. They kept trying to contact me further and became very upset when I indicated that I had no further interest in maintaining contact and certainly did not want a relationship, regardless of what they led themselves to believe.

Their reaction was… unreasonable but not unexpected.

I digress.

Little truly surprises me since things are usually so utterly predictable, but when the letter from AEI arrived, I was taken aback. They only were interested in "exceptional" individuals, people with supernatural or superhuman abilities, like those brightly dressed fools that dueled with each other over our city's streets, battling for some pointless goal or virtue or whatever. It was foolish and pointless, like so many other pursuits people needlessly dedicate and sacrifice their lives for.

I have nothing like that. Why would I? Why would any reasonable human being? A nice beverage, a nutritious meal, perhaps some light physical or mental challenge, and a nice long refreshing dreamless sleep were far more admiral goals than anything they screamed at each other about.

I was reluctant, but AEI had a very impressive reputation for scholarship and research. With so many "super geniuses" there, that came as little surprise, but I thought that, at the very least, they would have good facilities to pursue my far more realistic goals, a degree in electrical engineering which statistically had excellent income potential and relatively comfortable working conditions provided I obtained the right job, which I would.

Things went smoothly at first. I found the classes challenging. While I derive no particular "joy" in challenges as some do, the existence of the challenge indicates that I am undergoing sufficient stress to improve my ability in that area.

AEI certainly did not lack in that regard. Exceptional was the average, and I, for once, was average, perhaps even less than average. This would typically be a concern as one's grade point average impacted one's future prospects, but any degree from AEI was the proverbial golden ticket. I would be in demand even if I barely passed. You know the joke about what you call the person who graduated last in medical school? Well, an AEI degree meant that you were "exceptional," pure and simple.

With that, my future would be secure.

Unfortunately, as with many things, some people cannot simply mind their own business and feel the need to pointlessly meddle in the affairs of others.

So it was with Jason Avenger. He was the scion of the Avenger family line, a long and proud dynasty of superheroes, super scientists, and other things "super".

He was also, subjectively, a "dick".

Because I had no "exceptional" qualities, he felt that, in direct contradiction of the AEI board, I did not belong in that august institution.

He made no secret of this. Unfortunately, due to his popularity and the attractiveness of the Vigil, the organization that the Avengers operated, and many of my much more "exceptional" classmates wanted to join, this sentiment spread to others.

They expressed their disdain with such pettiness as derisive looks, supposedly cutting words, social isolation, and even direct insults. Of course, I did not care. I was not there for them.

I was there for myself.

Again, unfortunately, when this failed to deter me, Jason started to employ more direct methods. Most items people covet being unnecessary, I did not have many physical possessions. However, the ones I did have I retained out of necessity. They were required.

Jason started to destroy these.

I filed the appropriate complaints but was informed that AEI preferred to let students work these things out for themselves.

Unfortunate.

Because I lived frugally and did not waste my money on pointless things, I had a surplus of funds, so any destroyed items were easily enough replaced. Not being a fool, any data necessary for any class was in secure cloud storage. Any damage to my laptop or any physical data storage had no real effect. For the replacement items, I simply focused on economy alone instead of value.

Not an issue.

Then something very unfortunate happened.

Because of the uniquely challenging nature of their engineering curriculum, I was hard-pressed in my physics 101 class. I had a very challenging project upon which I had expended no lack of effort and upon which my passing grade relied.

One evening, I pulled out another replacement laptop and accessed my cloud storage to find all my work gone. It had been erased.

There could be only one cause.

Jason. He was incapable of it himself, but there was more than one super hacker, netrunner, or whatnot who could easily be turned to his efforts.

This was a clear and escalating trend. Jason was going to damage my interests.

I had a decision to make. I could either alter my goals or I could protect them.

I took the following day off to replace a set of clothes that had been burned to a crisp…

…and make a few more purchases, easily obtained with my rapidly dwindling savings.

To be honest, I had every intention of simply withdrawing from AEI and transferring to another institution of learning. Considering I was in AEI, any university would happily accept me, likely with a full scholarship.

However, I had one concern and needed to determine its severity.

Since I had additional tasks to complete, I remained off campus that evening, electing to stay in a cheap hotel. I usually would not stay in such a place because the one I selected was particularly cheap and particularly run down, in a less than reputable area. Statistically speaking, it was needlessly unsafe when much safer lodging was not much more expensive.

However, an odd noise or smell would not likely be noticed.

The following day, and much to the surprise of everyone, I returned to campus. My main reason was to drop physics and initiate my transfer to another university.

I also wished to speak with Jason.

He, clearly thinking that he had succeeded in running me off, expressed surprise that I was still there.

I asked if he was responsible for the loss of my project. He sneered and said he had no idea what I was talking about as his cronies gathered around, likely to derive some pointless pleasure in the proceedings.

My lack of a reaction angered him as it always did.

I told him that his pointless efforts had succeeded and that I would simply take advantage of my status as an AEI student to transfer to a prestigious mundane university where my goals would be easily met and that I would have a very happy life, likely much more satisfying and likely much longer than him or any of his friends.

I lied about the happy part. Happiness is another thing I simply do not understand. However, the deception was necessary to determine if my concerns were correct.

Jason became very angry and said that he would personally see to it that I would never benefit from any association with AEI and that he would see to it that I would have as miserable a life as I deserved.

Well, I can only assume that was what he was going to say.

Once my concerns were verified, I drew the .22 revolver that I had purchased the previous day, loaded with the modified rounds now containing witchroot, rose hips, phosphoectoplasm, and a smattering of other ingredients easily obtainable at any witchcraft supply, of which there were no lack near AEI and a certain Voodoo practitioner that I was easily able to locate on the dark web.

While I was struggling in physics, alchemy was easy enough. It was simple memorization of ingredients and techniques.

Since Jason was a potential threat, I researched him and his family. I discovered that his great-grandfather died in a confrontation with Sophia the Dark Dominatrix due to being scratched with one of her fingernails dipped in "the blood of a fallen angel".

It was not difficult to determine that Sophia was, in fact, a master of a certain type of Voodoo, exactly the same as the individual I contacted, who was all too happy to assist with what I proposed.

I am unsure if Jason did not see me draw the small weapon or was just confident it would not hurt him.

Based on his abilities and attitude, especially towards me, I suspect that his intent was to let me shoot him and then use it as pretext to do what he truly wanted to do, inflict grievous bodily harm upon me.

After all, a normal bullet wouldn't harm him.

Unfortunately for someone else this time, it wasn't a normal bullet.

His features quickly shifted from smug conceit to alarm, to agony, and finally to terror as the alchemical mixture, imbued with the curse of a being now known as a Vodoun but was originally one of the fallen angels who rebelled against God.

They actually exist. I was mildly surprised at this. Who knew?

It only took a conversation with the right Houngan, who was connected to the right Vodoun, to provide all of the information that I required.

After that, it was a simple recipe and a rather formulaic ritual that required no special ability, just a simple adherence to clearly defined procedures and the willingness to pay the blood price required to make a pact with the entity in question.

This would typically be paid for by the one performing the ritual. It was something I had no use for and was prepared to lose, but the Vodoun stated with surprise that I was incapable of paying, so another must pay instead.

I had someone perfect to offer. They were more than pleased with my proposal as well.

Again, I digress.

Jason Avenger died in agony, and his soul was violently ripped away by the Vodoun. This was not visible, but the psychics, mediums, and other such individuals were very upset.

Five passed out, one required counseling, and another fled the grounds that day, never to return.

I then looked at the crowd and stated that I expected my physics project to be returned, unaltered, by the end of the day.

It was.

The Avengers were understandably angered and upset by the true loss of their son, but as the school's administrators had clearly stated to me, students were to sort these things out for themselves, and my use of a weapon, no matter how horrific, was no different than the powers of those around me and the ones that their son abused to my detriment.

They also made the observation that if their son had been adequately guided during his development, he would still be alive, soul intact.

There was then a development that I did not expect. In retrospect, I should have, but because I admittedly have some difficulty identifying with pointless emotional outbursts, I did not foresee the Avengers clan swearing that their son would be, pardon the pun, avenged and that my life would be forfeit upon my departure from the campus grounds.

I fail to see the point. Their son was already dead. Killing me would have no beneficial outcome. Also, the killing was in keeping with the traditions of the school traditions that they and their son should have known better than I. Sadly, I sometimes miss society's unwritten rules... because they aren't written down.

I knew they would be displeased, but I had no idea they would be that upset.

Because of this complication, my life goals changed from comfort to survival. My first idea was to simply remain on the campus grounds indefinitely. But, unfortunately, I was informed that my continued presence post-matriculation would be "problematic".

That was less than ideal. I desired to live as long as possible.

I still do.

I will admit this particular challenge took a couple of days to solve.

Fortunately, another hacker, fearful of being implicated and suffering Jason's fate, gave up the identity of Jason's accomplice. I also still had the ritual to summon the Vodun I had contacted to provide the recipe and imbue the poison.

I had the ritual, and I had an appropriate blood sacrifice.

The rest was a simple enough negotiation.

I transferred from AEI to another "institute of learning" where the Avengers clan or the Vigil cannot reach. There I am learning a new form of "engineering" that anyone with the desire to learn, the intelligence to comprehend, and the ability to withstand the true horror and madness that comprehension will inflict can use to obtain whatever life they desire.

When I stated that I had no desires, the fallen angel simply said that is why I was not only exceptional but "perfect," the only perfect herald of the ancient ones she had ever beheld in her very long life.

My new university is in a very strange place indeed, and my curriculum becomes increasingly challenging as the courses become increasingly "profane" (I fail to see the difference, really.), and the instructors become increasingly alien.

Most of my fellow classmates, not all human, have died, gone insane, or were irreparably damaged by the somewhat chaotic nature of this place, but a few of my class still remain. I do not think the others will last much longer, though. That last lab practical was exceptionally challenging, and my classmates did not fare particularly well. While technically passing, I do not think they will survive the next one.

Despite the nature of the school and the environment, I find this place rather pleasant. In some ways, I "fit in" far better here than anywhere else…

…not that I care.

The classes are engaging, the instructors supportive and attentive, and the skills and abilities I am learning will certainly be useful in the future.

As time passes, I find the challenging environment more and more pleasant and find this place as good as any in which to reside and pursue my future.

Unfortunately, my tuition consisted of a pledge to "cross the veil and herald the end of days". It sounds like it will be quite the bother. It turns out that there are more veils than the one between the world from which I came and this place. I will have to cross and herald quite a bit.

However, the compensation will be significant. I will sit among the chief servants of the true gods. It's quite an honor, not that I particularly care. When I told the gods this, they laughed their (presumably) madness-inducing laughter and said I both amused and pleased them to no small extent. During my last visit to the temple of the dreaming ones, I was shown where those of us favored by the true gods dwell. It was more than sufficient for my needs.

Then again, so is my cell here at the university. There is sufficient room to lie down, and the heavy robes and obsidian mask that I now wear for the sanity of the underclassmen are well-crafted and comfortable.

The food here is also quite good… and very fresh.

There is always someone failing out, after all.