Battle Academia (The original one)

Chapter 54: Inner Flame

He opened his eyes with an unsettling feeling in his heart. The blonde boy took a quick look around his dorm room. Kayn's bed was empty. His sheets were a mess.
Lazily, he lifted his chin and glanced out the window. It was still dark outside. Where is that dumbass? He pondered as he stood up.

He opened the door without bothering to dress up. His feet were bare but he wasn't cold. The corridor outside was bleak. His footsteps echoed around the place as he let out a paradoxically loud yawn. It was too quiet.

Without notice, he was back in class. Listening to Professor Graves rumbling about why you should never trust the government or something. Whatever.. He searched the room for Lux's smiling face but she wasn't there. All of a sudden, he was alone in an empty classroom.

What is this thing even made of? Ezreal wondered as he hit the target dummy with multiple mystic shots. Professor Zed was nearby probably lecturing Yasuo on why patience is really important and you can't just "hasagi" your way our of every situation. He huffed a laugh.

"Booya!", he exclaimed when he had finally succeeded in making the mannequin's head explode. But no one was there to cheer him on. Or even tell him to shut up cause he was an annoying prick. A feeling of terror resonated within him.

"Zoe!", he called out the girl's name. He could see the back of her head at the door from where he stood. Her long floating hair almost touched her feet. He rushed over to her and reached out with his hands to grab nothing but air. She was gone.

The bookcases were filled with old, hardcover books. Most of them looked pretty heavy. The walls were ornated with beautiful ancient artifacts. Bright crystals, weapons, even clothing from god-knows what periods.

And there it was. A shining, sapphire crystal on the center of a scarlet gauntlet. He couldn't help but grin at the sight. Eagerly, he put his hands all over the glass case leaving a trail of blurry fingerprints.

He held it with both hands in awe. Surprisingly, it wasn't as light as he initially thought it would be. He wanted to wear it so badly. He put it on his left hand. It was like it fit him perfectly. Like it was originally created with him in mind.

A loud bang coming from the other side of the school library broke his chain of thoughts. He raised his hand. Ready to attack. But the gauntlet was no longer there. And his hand.. it was bare and bloody.

He finally woke up.

His heart was still beating fast. It was just a dream..

He looked over to his left hand but the gauntlet was missing. Only then did he remember that he had given it up. He took a deep breath as he sat up in his bed. Well.. It wasn't exactly HIS bed but it was still good enough.

He rubbed his eyelids feeling even more exhausted than before he'd slept. Ezreal dragged his feet over to the bathroom. He opened the faucet and let the water run aimlessly for a few seconds before he washed his face.

He looked over to his own reflection in the mirror. Honestly, he looked like crap. Blonde roots had started to grow and the black dye job was starting to fade. The dark circles under his blue eyes weren't doing him any favors and neither was the constant frown he just couldn't shake off.

He sighed at what he'd become before he stopped the running water and went back to the tiny room. Cans of beer and all sorts of leftover food were scattered around the floor. The smell was even worse but at this point, he couldn't care less.

He'd been closed up in here for what seemed like an eternity already.

Jayce was the last person he'd expected to help him find a hide out but let's be real for a second: it was the last thing this asshole could do to somewhat redeem himself.