Reform

Chapter 20: A Slap in the Face

He opened his eyes as he was crouched on the ground.
    "Where am I?"
He looked at his sword and saw his reflection.
    "Right, I have time before it's too late,"
Arata got up and started sprinting towards a destroyed building in the middle of nowhere. Everywhere was just sand, dirt, garbage, and metal scraps.
    "Come out!"
"So, I can ram my sword into your body," He muttered.
    "Watch what you say," Levi said.
She ran ahead of him but, Arata stopped her with a question.
    "Levi, you've been acting weird ever since the beginning of this fight. You're usually calm but, this doesn't feel like you,"
    "Sometimes, the truth must be kept from those who seek it. I'm sorry for whatever happens after this. You deserved better but, we couldn't stop it. I did all I could to save our friends; we tried," Levi said as she suddenly covered her mouth. Arata kept studying her expression during her explanation. He then had a feeling that whoever was talking to him wasn't Levi. Before Arata could do anything else, Levi sprinted off into the building where Arata was heading.
    "What the fuck!" Aloysius woke up gasping.
"Damn, even my dreams are a disturbance. I really can't have peace anywhere now." Aloysius thought. 
"But, it's morning now so, I should get up before more unnecessary problems fall into my hands."
    "You think you're SO GOOD and BETTER than us?" Aloysius heard a student yell.
    "Oh my fucking god, can this day let me live peacefully," Aloysius muttered.

    Aloysius swiftly washed his face and put on his shoes. He walked out of his dorm and saw in the distance a group of students in the cafeteria. It was nothing urgent, nor was it something that involved Aloysius. Yet, he was intrigued by the argument. And with that, his curiosity won him over as Aloysius walked to the crowd of students. Not surprisingly, the center of attention was Tuomo. Two students were confronting him for some childish reason.
    "C'mon, fight me!" The student yelled.
    "Please, I don't want to get in trouble," Tuomo said.
    "What? You scared?" The other student taunted.
    "Not necessarily," Tuomo said.
As the three continued to throw insults at each other, the crowd started to chant, "Fight!". Apparently, Tuomo being rank #3 was a big deal in the academy that Aloysius didn't just quite catch.
    "I don't think it's a good idea to fight a student, especially one that's rank #3," a student said.
    "What do you know? I shouldn't be listening to someone who is ranked #200."
    "And you shouldn't be ranked #50. Stop acting like you're the greatest in the world just because you jumped over 10 ranks,"
    "Actually, if we fight, it might be good to blow off some steam. It's alright as long as I don't kill," Tuomo thought.
"Hey, #50, what's your power?" He asked.
    "Defense, and you?" The student asked.
    "I'm not saying, as usual."

    Tuomo took out his ninjato as the student summoned a small shield. Although Aloysius has seen Tuomo move fast, the student was surprised and, his face could express that well.
    "Let me be your mentor for a while," Tuomo said.
"Rule 1: Always be aware," He said as he tripped the student.
Tuomo took the chance and purposefully struck the student's shield at full force.
"Rule 2: Misdirect," Tuomo stomped on the student's hand, causing the defense to disappear and hit the student's upper chest with the hilt of his ninjato. Tuomo allowed the student to get up as he pushed him back.
"Rule 3: Be a step ahead," Tuomo said as he grinned. He and the student were not close enough for a strike to land. So, the student took a step forward but, he soon felt a piercing pain in his foot. The student looked at his foot only to see a small but sharp blade causing the pain. Tuomo got ready to dash and finish the student. As Tuomo dashed, something blocked his attack.
    "You were losing self-control, Tuomo," Cyrus said.
    "You know very well I wasn't," Tuomo denied as he pulled his blade out of Cyrus's shield.
    "If that student died, we would've been in a lot of trouble of all sorts. You also would've been pulverized," Cyrus said as he smiled.
    "By who?" Tuomo asked.
    "By me," Darren said behind Tuomo.
"Geez, you were causing a lot of unnecessary attention and damage." Tuomo turned around as Darren finished.
    "He asked for it!" Tuomo argued.
    "You could've just walked away, is that right?" Darren said as Tuomo felt defeated.
    "Thank you, Cyrus, for protecting the innocent student," Darren said as he dragged Tuomo away from the crowd.
    "Well, that could've ended better," Aloysius yawned as he walked back to his dorm.
"Shit, I forgot my food but, hunger isn't enough to get me off this bed."

    Aloysius slowly fell asleep without any dreams. But when he woke up, he realized that he missed most of his classes once again. Then again, has there ever been grades or attendance count? It was too unimportant for Aloysius to even grasp the main idea of the question.
    "You're awfully tired," Natuso said.
    "Shut up," Aloysius said quietly.
    "Does my crypticness bother you?" Natuso chuckled.
    "I had enough of it; you're just so goddamn annoying with your cryptic and indirect answers. W-Why? Why won't you tell me the truth? Why?" Aloysius said calmly.
    "I'm sorry but. . . never mind. Let's just hope you don't die in the next few days," Natuso said as he disappeared again.
    "My mind wanders back and forth. Sudden mood swings and reflections. This is too confusing and misleading," Aloysius thought.
    "Thinking in this form won't get you anywhere," Arata said.
"I've been where you've been. Trust me, it isn't fun, and it never was. Don't lose who you have already and, be grateful because I lost it all twice."
"Lilith... Levi...," Arata continued to mutter names.
    "You haven't been of help either. You just stay hidden like..." Aloysius paused.
"Like me..."
    "Don't involve yourself with my personal matters. That isn't the wise thing to do when death is written all over you," Arata said.
    "Then what do you suggest?" Aloysius asked.
    "Move on, no matter what you suffer from, move on," Arata said.
    "Easier said than done."

    Arata's voice faded away as Aloysius yawned. Then, if things could not get any more boring, Aloysius heard booming sounds. The occasional trouble has arrived to kill Aloysius. That idea alone is nothing more than just an idea. Why bother going outside of his dorm？ Outside of the academy, Tatsuya had arrived for the third time. Aloysius continued to roll around on his bed. The booming would not halt as it continued to disturb Aloysius's attempt to sleep. Aloysius then felt something familiar that happened when he first came here. It looks like Aloysius was not the only one that woke up from the booming. Mirai continued to use her magic to move Aloysius outside and into the hallway. That idea is the stupidest in the world of stupidest ideas.
Once Aloysius was out in the hallway, Mirai expressed the urgency to stay quiet. Aloysius could not care less in that situation. Tatsuya was apparently trying to break in by breaking the cafeteria walls. The cracks on the walls became more visible by the minute. Then again, why break the walls just to get in？ There is a door to the left, and they are unlocked. Nevertheless, the booming still had Mirai shook. Aloysius got to his feet as he was dropped once he arrived at Mirai's location. They glanced at each other from time to time, but it was just that. As the wall soon began to give in, thoughts started to run through their heads about what they should do. Tuomo was not there, which is surprising. When the wall broke, all you could see was a silhouette in the snow. Tatsuya has arrived with his menacing mantra enchantments. Was Natuso right?

A/N: Heyo, sorry for this huge delay on this update. No, I haven't forgotten about my fic. Lots of things are keeping me occupied. I'll be trying my best to use my spare time to write the next chapter! Bye.