With slow steps, I approached the table, under the hawk-like gaze of Varaxis, I lay down. I felt naked.

  “Please, dear. Remove your VITA, it makes examination difficult.”

  “M-maybe I-”

  “Do it,” Varaxis ordered.

  Taking a slow breath, I tried my best to make the VITA go away. Turning to light, it crawled inside myself, leaving me only in my underwear.

  “Now, Magnus, don’t move or I might mess something up.” She raised her hands, weaving forms one after another. They resembled the detection form in many ways and in others they looked like incomprehensible messes.

  I shuddered under the cold air, waiting for Simona to finish. A click resounded through the room and between all of Simona’s hands appeared a tiny cone of glowing silver.

  Animascope Construct

  Types: Phasics, Symbolics, Imbua, Reflectics

  Mastery: Count

  SE used: 168

  Description: Looks into the soul. It’s exactly the same here as it is in the soul dimension.

  Gently Simona pressed the cone against my chest. I jerked involuntarily, it felt like somebody massaged me deep inside of my ear.

  “Stay still, please.” She was frowning with one side of her face. The other remained calm.

  Varaxis, said, “No need, I’ll immobilize him with a-”

  “Not allowed. That’ll make the inspection difficult. Calm down, Xis. This is so very unlike you.”

  The dean let out a, “Hmpf.” Turning away from me.

  “H-how long will this take?”

  “Just ten minutes or so.” Simona moved the animascope into my chest, making my throat itch. Her eyes glinted with curiosity as she poked my chest and stomach. Her hands were warm… “Interesting.”

  Varaxis growled. “Do it faster.”

  “It will take however long it will take.” She moved the animascope around, making my stomach twist.

  The ten minutes were filled with unpleasant poking and swishing of the magical construct. Sometimes she phased it through my arm, while touching my hands, sometimes she put it into my head and scratched my neck. It was by far the weirdest examination that ever happened to me.

  Simona was hummed by the end, looking into nothing, which probably meant looking at the scouter. “I am done!” She said with a beaming smile. My lungs emptied in a soft sigh of relief.

  “Well, should he be executed?”

  I sprung up, with my heart beating like a drum. Simona pushed me down with her had. “Not at all! Magnus shows no signs of corruptive presence. In fact, his soul is extraordinarily healthy. He does know a questionable technique, but who doesn’t nowadays?”

  My fists clenched as I tried my best to stop panicking. It didn’t work.

  “What is the technique. Is it related to the geist trait?” Varaxis looked at me with barely hidden rage.

  “Little Magnus got it from an archive, but it has no relation to any geists. I can’t tell you any more, mind healer confidentiality pact.” She mimed zipping her lips.

  Varaxis swore under her breath. “I see.” She sighed and pointed a finger at me. “Since you are uncompromised, tell me everything you know about this geist.”

  VITA enveloped me in clothes, as I consider what to say. Mind acceleration was working overtime to help me find the correct path. “I tried scouting it in my dream. It was called the Betrayer.” By itself. “It said it wanted to take over my body and conquer the galaxy.” All technically true.

  I gulped. “I-i used my knowledge of dreams to force it out… And that’s it.” That should be enough information to get her started. “I know it’s very powerful and fell from grace… and that it wants revenge.” My head was throbbing with pain.

  Varaxis nodded. “As expected, you are useless. From now you will be examined daily in order to notice any signs of corruption.”

  The snake woman shook her head. “That’s unnecessary. Once a week will be more than enough to find signs. A corrupted initiate isn’t dangerous enough to warrant such effort.” Thank you, Simona, I love you!

  “Fine. You are free to go, human. The geist threat will be neutralized.” Vataxis knocked on her chest twice and turned around walking out.

  I was left awkwardly sitting on the operating table. With a grin, Simona grabbed me, lifting me into the air. “Wait, wait, wait!”

  “I’m so glad you’re safe!”

  “P-put me down please.” My stomach rumbled unpleasantly as some bile rose up my throat.

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  Simona gasped and quickly put me on the ground. “Sorry, little Magnus. Are you alright? Would you like some help?”

  I held on to the table, flooding my body with starpower. It helped a bit. “I’ll need some later… I just want to rest now.”

  She nodded, gently she put a hand on my head. Other two hands surrounded it and started weaving forms. Green light surged across my body, numbing the pain and alleviating exhaustion. “Go rest now. If you need anyone to talk to, professor Simona has your back!” The snake woman petted my head gently and smiled.

  “Thank you…” I shouldn’t have been embarrassed, but the heat on my cheeks didn’t lie. “I’ll see you.” Simona waved to me.

  The halls were in chaos. A pair of guards marched across the place, their menacing spears floating nearby. They used what I assumed were powerful detection techniques, searching for the Betrayer… Maybe I shouldn’t worry about it.

  As I passed them, shivers went down my spine, but they didn’t seem to care. There were few students at this time of day, and those that were here looked with wary.

  I hobbled back to my room, or anywhere that didn’t feel like a prison. Every single day here was filled with drama. I was beaten, cut, punched, crushed, brain damaged, soul cut and tortured in most terrible nightmares. It started turning from a horrifying happenstance to the new norm. I was tired of it all.

  If not for starpower making me feel better, I would have given up a long time ago. Soon the numbers 441 were in front of me and so was the door they were attached to. I slowly opened it.

  It was a room for sure. My drawings were splattered all over the place, the bed looked like a mess, but there was no blood or vomit. The only that proved the reality of what happened was a blob of black crusted sludge on the ground.

  The walls did have cleaning magic in them. I dropped on the bed and closed my eyes, uncaring about the future. There were no dreams.

  I got woken up by an endless barrage of knocking. Dropping the sheets that felt very dirty, I stood up, manifesting the full VITA. “It’s open.” I sighed.

  The knocking stopped and the door opened. A dragon girl with pure white hair and unbreakable gaze was standing there, staring at me.

  “Hey, Ivaldie.” I yawned, shaking my head.

  “Why did you miss ELEVATE course? Siege will kick you out.”

  The inner clock told me it was the middle of the day, far past where I should have been there. “I’m taking a vacation.” I rubbed my eyes, flaring starpower for a short burst of energy.

  She sighed. “You can’t do that. I asked him to not kick you out, but you only have a day. Do not disappoint.”

  Ivaldie only cared about becoming stronger. Why was she so focused on me? Did she go around to other students bothering them? “You know, recently I was brainstorming ways to kill you. If you were to say, what would be the best way?”

  Her mouth opened up, but she quickly straightened her back and regained her posture. There was faint red on her cheeks. “I don’t know.” She clenched her fists. “Overwhelming force always works.”

  “Yeah, that won’t work. Say does your trait grant immunity to necrosis or other such things?”

  Ivaldie tilted her head. “Figure it out yourself. If you don’t show up tomorrow, I will make sure you regret it.” There was no anger in her tone, no, she sounded pleading.

  The heaviness in my stomach deepened. “I’ll do my best.” These halfhearted words were not enough for her.

  With a flick of her wrist a sword construct appeared in her hand. The same one she used when I first appeared. “If you do not go, you will be punished. As the class leader I will not allow you to lag behind.”

  I stood up and grabbed the sword, flooding myself with strengthening starpower. It crushed like soft caramel. Ivaldie didn’t look amused. “I know you try to be intimidating or whatever, but it doesn’t work.” I shook my head. “You should be using draconic might instead or summoning your truthpower sword.”

  “T-this…” She pouted. “Don’t disrespect my authority, Magnus. I’m doing this for your own good.”

  “What does a class leader even do? Where are you supposed to lead us?”

  She stuttered for a moment. “To greatness.” Taking a deep breath, she turned around. “I expected better from you.”

  I didn’t understand her motivations. Why was she even bothering with me, when she was so much stronger? Ivaldie left, making me rub my head in annoyance.

  My head hurt too much today and I didn’t want to bother with anything. If not for the soul draining hunger, I wouldn’t have even left my room. So after wallowing in my misery for an hour, while my stomach digested itself, I decided to get up.

  Drudging through the halls and doing my very best not to look at occasional guards who appeared out of nowhere, I reached the cafeteria. Now there were a couple guards stationed there too, lazing around probably. The place remained the same. Constant chewing, talking and other things.

  Yet today I heard something out of the ordinary. They were talking about me.

  “… so now there’s a real actualized geist on in school! It’s terrifying. That damn human.”

  “I wonder if we can kill the geist? I think that’ll be fun.”

  “Maybe kill the human instead so he doesn’t make more?”

  This was one of the more vicious talks, but one thing was certain – nobody said good things about me.

  Grabbing a plate of three sandwiches and ten marshmallows I took an empty table in the corner. The discussions stopped whenever I passed and now, instead of curiosity or disregard all of them stared with disgust or anger.

  In my eyes they were children, so their gazes didn’t matter… Unfortunately, they were also very strong dragon children and I probably was in a lot of danger. At this point my sense of danger atrophied even worse than it did in my previous life.

  Keeping my calm, I slowly ate the food. That shut up the yawning abyss in my stomach and got rid of the acidic reflux. My eyes turned up, and I saw someone approaching me.

  Mitzi

  Species: Dragon-Tiershen (Imperfect Genome)

  Standing Emissions: 27

  Age: 9 standard years

  Affinity: Onyx

  “Greetings, human.” It was a slightly more aged up student, if I were basing it purely on looks she would be around thirteen or fourteen. She had black eyes and black scales and even her VITA had a black tinge, similar to mine. “Would you care for a spar?”

  “What’d you want a spar?” I bit into the sandwich. The way she looked at me gave me creeps.

  She gasped, and spoke with fake offence, “Can’t an older student give some pointers? As an elder it’s my duty.” The smug smirk annoyed me beyond anything.

  I didn’t like self-righteous know-it-alls, but truly smug assholes, I couldn’t stand them, likely due being one myself.

  “What are the rules?” My food was running out. I was voracious today.

  “You need rules? Is that some silly human concept? Don’t be laughable, as proud dragons we can fight fre-”

  Starpower was already blazing through me, mind acceleration slowed down the world to a crawl. The flow of power coalesced within my hand and I lunged at her. The fist connected to her face with a satisfying crack.

  Mitzi let out a scream of pain. Quickly I made a solidification form, and extended the flow further. Right behind her feet appeared a black cylinder. Putting my back into it, I shoved her with all my power.

  She didn’t even have the opportunity to regain balance, as she stumbled over the cylinder and fell to the ground. With both of my hands I made a force form, directing the angle of my wrists and my intention at her skull.

  “I gi-” Before she could utter the phrase, the force latched on to her head. Telekinetically I bashed her head against the floor. Once, twice, thrice, my hands lifted her head up and slammed it down.

  By the time my rage evaporated, there was a puddle of blood beneath her head. She got knocked out too quickly. I panted heavily. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I sat down. “That’s why you need rules, you damn amateur.” I scoffed.