The Phantom of New York

Figment

Inside the room, all sorts of wooden weapons and training equipment were scattered throughout the room. Giant weights were hung on the wall and all other forms of equipment used for working out were stored in bins and boxes everywhere. In the back of the room, benches were sitting on the ground, with 6 guys sitting on them.

"So this is the new transfer kid? If I'm being honest, he doesn't seem very strong. Are you sure he belongs in this class?" one of them said.

"He is a transfer student though and the first shadow star to ever be in this class. I think that speaks for itself, so it's best we don't underestimate him, Shawn," another boy said.

"Tsk, whatever. I won't be sure unless I see for myself. So how about we crush the newbie," Shawn asked.

Everyone on the bench stood up in agreement, obvious they were all curious as well. Zane looked confused when none of them activated their armbands and just stood there waiting for Phelps's go-ahead.

"Before you all fight, let me at least explain the class," Phelps asked. "As you know, this is combat training. Straight-up combat without the use of magic. We focus on honing our physical skills for worst-case scenarios."

Everyone sat down instantly without any retort. Their respect for Phelps was blatantly obvious.

"Although that doesn't mean we are incompetent with magic. It's the exact opposite; you could just say we were too good, so we expanded our horizons into combat," Shawn bragged.

One of the men behind Shawn lifted their hand and chopped his neck with incredible speed and precision. His hand was a flash that Zane's trained eyes could barely perceive. Shawn cracked his neck and turned around to stare at the boy that hit him.

"Now there Jamie," Shawn asked," why exactly did you just attack me?"

"Your cockiness is ruining all of our reputations," Jamie sighed.

"Well I'm the most important member of Faitingubīsuto, so I guess I represent all of you," Shawn laughed.

Zane looked over at Phelps, "What exactly is Faitingubīsuto?"

"The name of our competitive team. We travel around the world competing in tournaments. Until last year, we were the world champions," Phelps said.

All across the room, every one of Faitingubīsuto's faces turned sour and regretful. In the very back of the bench, one of the kids spoke.

"And we still would be champions, but someone decided it would be a good idea to try and show off in the tournament and ended up getting us eliminated."

Shawn had an annoyed look on his face and turned to look away from everyone. Everyone in the room except for Phelps and Zane looked on edge and ready to fight. Instead of stopping the impending engagement, Phelps snapped his fingers and disappeared into nothingness. Instantly, everyone on the bench turned to look at Zane once they heard the snap. Shawn smiled like there hadn't been any previous alteration and stepped off the bench to the ground.

"And there's just the signal I was waiting for," Shawn said," now it's time to crush a newbie."

Zane stared blankly at every one of Faitingubīsuto getting off the bench. Some of the members cracked their knuckles, the sound echoing off the thick stone walls that enclosed the room. He had a strange feeling inside his heart. Whether it be regret, pain, excitement, or joy, Zane couldn't decide. and settled on it being a mix of every emotion he could describe. He felt lost as he stared at the group of 6 men, all of them ready to supposedly crush him. Zane did not feel distaste though. He had no ill feelings towards them. Yet, he couldn't hold back. Anger consumed him, his muscles tensed and he prepared for the onslaught. His intent was unknown to even himself. Shawn noticed and grew even more excited.

"Are you ready Ben?" Shawn questioned.

"Formation B everyone, be cautious as possible. Do not overestimate your skills and do not underestimate your enemy. Proceed as if this is a real combat situation. Go," Ben ordered.

Before Zane could even react, he heard a voice behind him.

"It's nothing personal, kid, let us have a formal introduction after you wake up," Jamie said.

Just like with Shawn, Jamie prepared to chop the back of Zane's neck. He moved his neck to dodge the blow, but Jamie's fingers barely clipped the edge of Zane's neck. It felt like a boulder had slammed into his neck, sending him crashing to the ground. Before any of the other members could take advantage of him on the ground, Zane shook off the pain and jumped backwards quickly. Jamie looked at his hand, then at Zane.

"It would seem I missed. How perplexing," Jamie said.

Ben pointed at Zane and ordered two other members to attack.

"Ambush failed. Brysen and Austin, your turn."

The tallest and shortest members both stepped forward together and grinned.

The tallest held out his hand," Are you ready Brysen?"

Brysen nodded his head and grabbed Austin's hand. He lifted him and stepped back. Austin lifted back his arm and threw Brysen across the room. Brysen soared above Zane and grabbed a pull-up bar to stop the momentum. Zane now had Brysen behind him and Austin in front of him. Then, the anger materialized. The sound of a harp rang inside his head, producing a song that invaded his thoughts.

"Game over," Brysen laughed.

Brysen swung off the bar and Austin started running forward. Using the momentum from swinging, Brysen kicked off the wall and flew downwards, his plan to slam into Zane. Zane recognized the attack, as it was one he had used in his past. And he remembered just how to counter it. Just as he was about to avoid the attack, the anger completely engulfed him. Instead of dodging, Zane grabbed Brysen's leg and slammed him onto the ground. He hit the ground with so much force that his body was bounced up. Using the chance, Zane kicked Brysen out of the air, crushing Austin as he was running forwards. The two of them slammed into the benches, both falling to the ground unconscious. The remaining 4 members gathered up next to the unconscious bodies. Shawn looked as if he was shaking from excitement.

"I guess we have to fight a bit more seriously, eh Ben," Shawn asked.

In the room next door

Phelps walked towards a velvet couch, mug in hand, filled to the brim with dark black coffee. His left eye was glowing blue, showing him the live feed of the fight occurring next door. He was slightly disappointed as he saw Zane slam to the ground. As he saw Brysen and Austin fall unconscious, his eye turned back to a normal brown pigment. Phelps looked around the room, searching for something.

"It's a surprise to see you attending school, Anastasia. Did something happen," Phelps said, seemingly speaking to no one.

Suddenly, from across the room, a figure appeared. It was a girl. She had light-brown skin, her dark black hair reached under her shoulders. She wore a long-sleeve white shirt, with pictures of roses scattered around the shirt. Aqua-blue jeans covered her legs, with white shoes over her feet. When she appeared, she had been looking down, but now was looking up towards Phelps with an emotionless expression. Her face was coated in light makeup, but it was her eyes that stood out most. They were red, just like Mrs. Croix's. But instead of the warm red, like a ruby, which Mrs. Croix had, Anastasia had a dark red, similar to the shade of blood. She stood up and waved her hand, flames appeared and started swirling around her hand. The flames took shape and formed into a harp made of flames.

"I heard there was a transfer student, so why not come and see," she said.

"Anastasia Lucifer, the number one student in the school, who's rarely interested in anything, is curious. That's a sight to behold," Phelps laughed.

Anastasia flicked the harp string, causing it to disappear.

"Curious'' isn't really the correct word. I have a special connection with him," Anastasia said.

"Oh? You know the kid," Phelps questioned.

"Yeah, I know him better than anyone. Zane Goldheart, the child-hero that saved the world from war. The legend referred to as Code-P. Although I've heard he's going by The Phantom of New York now. Such a pretentious nickname, it doesn't fit him."

From behind Anastasia, Wells appeared and snickered.

"I actually came up with it, ya know," Wells laughed.

"Of course you would, that fits you too well Thomas," Anastasia said, disappearing in a circle of flames.

"How scary," Wells laughed," she even knows my real name."