Torch of Will

Chapter Five - Bout of Rage

The Dreemurr siblings carried Ryan in silence. Monsters that walked past stopped to gape at the Human, covered in bruises and blood. HIs unconscious form continued to be dragged across the hallway to the nurse's office.

"Chara?" Frisk called.

"..."

"Did you see his-"

"Yes," Chara interrupted. "I know. I saw his eyes, too." They continued to walk in silence. "I still can't believe what I saw."

Asriel grunted in frustration. "I just don't get it! How does he have Magic?! That generation died out years ago!" Frisk tilted her head.

"We have Magic, though." Chara sighed.

"Frisky, we have Determination as a Soul Trait. The rarest of any of them. If we didn't have Magic, we'd be one of a kind. But for this kid..." She ran a hand through her hair. "How long did he have this?"

Asriel looked at his new friend worriedly. "What would happen if others found out?"

They all felt a chill in their spines. Even if they didn't know much about the surface world, they knew that Ryan could be targeted if people found out that he was able to use such arcane abilities.

"No," Frisk whispered. "We can't let the other Humans know." Asriel looked at her.

"How about those other guys?" Chara snorted.

" 'Oi, Teach! The guy whose friend we tried to drown had glowing eyes!' " She sent a deadpan look. "I'll be surprised if anyone believes them. They're not our worry. What IS our biggest worry is Ryan screwing up in front of the whole school." They frowned at her.

"He's not going to try to expose himself, " Frisk said.

"But, it's a possibility. Besides," Chara averted her eyes. "I'm pretty sure that what I did an hour ago made him snap..." she mumbled. She shook herself off. "He needs to learn how to control himself. Especially his Soul."

Asriel's eyes widened. "You want to teach him THAT?"

She huffed. "It's not like we have a choice or something! I'm just trying to make sure the guy doesn't get kidnapped! Just...ugh. Forget it." She let go of Ryan's arm and ran off. "I'm going to get something from my bag. Don't wait up." Before they could say anything, she already ran off.

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Chara ran back to the now-empty cafeteria and found her bag. She hurriedly rummaged through it, hoping to find the familiar hardcover. That whole time, though, she could only think about what just happened. She snarled in frustration. What was with this Human?! Why was he so different from the rest?!

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"What...what happened?"

One junior laid on the floor, groaning about his chest and back. The senior was still standing, but he was...afraid. They saw Ryan, and...

Ryan's eyes...they were glowing?

Asriel choked at the realization. "Soul Magic..." he whispered. Frisk and Chara looked to him in alarm. "His eyes are glowing purple. That's a Soul Trait!"

WHAM!

They snapped their heads back to Ryan as they heard the loud impact of a fist. Ryan still stood strong, but with a bruise on his right cheek. Suddenly, the bully started to wail on him!