False heroes

Gabriel Stone had perfected the art of invisibility.

At fifteen he'd spend three years at Heroic 

Dawn Academy mastered only one skill: how to walk through the hallway without drawing attention, how to sit in class without being called upon,how to exist without really existing at all. 

This wasn't magic in fact he had none

Every student at the academy wore a special collar that displayed their rank through different lights , blue for the top hundred heroes in waiting, white for the decent ones, yellow for the managing student and red for failures. Gabriel's collar had glowed red for so long he had forgotten what hope looked like while it was still on.

He ranked 847 out of 850 

“ There he is… the ghost boy” someone whispered as he hurried down the hallway towards breakfast. He kept his head down throughout clutching his book tightly if only he could make it to the dining hall without.

“Stone!!”

Gabriel's heart sank. That voice belonged to Thane Morrison, a third year student with perfectly styled brown hair and a very confident smile that belonged on an advertisement poster. 

Thane's collar glowed steady blue. Rank 34 and famously known as the iron tempest. 

Gabriel stopped walking but didn't turn around. Maybe if he pretended not to hear him things would be..

A hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. Thane stood there with two of his friends, all tall and strong and everything Gabriel wasn't. 

“You know when someone calls your name you answer” Thane said tighten his grip “that's basic manners, stone. I guess they don't teach these to charity cases”

“Sorry” he muttered starting at his shoes

“ Sorry what?”

“ Sorry sir” 

Thane's friends laughed “sir!” Did you hear that? This failure thinks he's in the military”

 Gabriel's face burned with embarrassment, but he said nothing. Speaking only made things worse for him and he had to learn that lesson the hard way over the past three years. 

“ You know what I heard, stone? Thane leaned in closer, his voice mild in a whisper that felt more like a threat . I heard the academy decided to kick all wanna- be out and your part of them. Three years without a single manifestation that's got to be some kind of record” 

“Maybe his power is being useless," said one of Thane's friends, a boy named Derek whose collar glowed white. "That would explain a lot

More laughter. Gabriel closed his eyes and waited for it to end it always ended eventually

“Look at me when I'm talking to you” 

Gabriel forced himself to raise his head up while Thane was busy studying him like some interesting insect 

“You know what? I'm feeling generous today so how about I make you a deal." Thane's smile turned cruel. "The monthly ranking battles start next week. If you really participate I mean do something wholesome and not just stand there and get beaten up. I'll leave you alone for a whole month.”

Gabriel blinked his eye “what?” 

‘You heard me. One whole month all to yourself. All you have to do is enter the ranking battle and try to fight back. What do you say?

This was a pretty obvious trap. It had to be. But the idea of a whole month without bullying, a month of being invisible in the best possible way 

I…. I don't know how to fight” Gabriel said quietly 

Then you'll learn fast, won't you? Thane patted his cheek like he was a small child “think about it, stone but don't think for too long. Offer expires at dinner tonight. 

They walked away laughing, leaving him standing alone in the hallway with his book scattered at his feet. Other students stepped around without a second glance. To them this was just another regular Tuesday.

Gabriel gathered his books with shaking hands. The ranking battles were voluntary for students below Rank 100. In reality, refusing to participate was social suicide. And participating especially when you had no powers...

He hurried toward class.

The day passed in its usual wave of humiliation. In Magical theory. Professor Hendrick called Gabriel to demonstrate basic energy manipulation. Gabriel stood at the front of the class staring at the small crystal he was supposed to make glow, while the other students watched him fail for the hundredth time.  

Perhaps next time, Mr. Stone," Professor Hendricks said with forced kindness after two minutes of nothing happening. "Take your seat

Gabriel walked back to his desk while whispers followed him. “How is he still here?” It's embarrassing. “ I heard his parents paid extra just to keep him enrolled such a waste if you ask me” 

That last part made him clutch his fists. His parents had died in a car accident when he was twelve. The academy took him in as a charity cases hoping grift might be the source of his manifestation but still three years into the future he was still powerless 

and alone.

In Combat Training, he was paired with Emma , the elf with silver hair and violet eyes. She was ranked 189….. not really amazing but it was far better than him and respectable. Her power let her create small bursts of starlight, beautiful but harmful. 

 Just try to block”, she said gently. “I won't hurt you” 

Gabriel raised his arms in the defensive stance they'd had been taught. Emma moved forward slowly telegraphing her attacks so obviously that he could see them coming. She trapped his shoulder with a practice sword made of hardened light. 

Your doing just fine” she said encouraging him 

 They both knew it was a lie, but Gabriel appreciated it anyway. Emma was one of the few students who treated him like a normal person instead of an obstacle or joke. 

Emma” he said as they took their stance. Do you think…. So you think I should enter the ranking battle?” 

She paused, her sword halfway raised. “And why would you want to do that?” 

"Thane said he'd leave me alone for a month if I did 

Emma's expression darkened. “Gaberiel, that battle isn't a game. Students gets hurt. 

Emma was quiet for a while. Then she said, “if you really want to do it, I could help you train. you know basic defense and all” 

"You'd do that?"

" Of course”. She smiled, and for a moment he felt something almost forgotten hope 

That evening, Gabriel sat alone in the dining hall, picking at his dinner while others laughed and talked around him. The Academy’s ranking battles were the highlight of every month, broadcast live across the kingdom. Students could challenge anyone within ten ranks to them, moving up and down based on the results. 

For most students, it was a way of building public fame while proving themselves. For Gabriel, it would be public humiliation on a scale he'd never experienced. 

But a month without Thane's bullying……

"Stone."

Gabriel looked up to find Thane standing over him, surrounded by his usual group. Maya Thronwick was with them tonight, her red hair seeming to flicker with contained flamed magic. She was ranked 12, one of the most promising students in the Academy.

"Decision time,” Thane said. “What's it going to be?” 

Gabriel's mouth felt dry. Around them, conversations were stopping as other students noticed the confrontation. This was entertainment for them. 

"I..." Gaberiel started, then stopped.His voice came out as a whisper. “I'll do it.” 

Thane’s grin was sharp as a knife. “Excellent. Maya, you heard that right?” Stone here is going to participate in the ranking battle” 

"How sporting of him,” Maya said, her voice carrying just a hint of flame- warmth. “I do hope he puts on a good fight."

Oh, I'm sure he will,” Thane said. “In fact let's make things interesting. I'll bet anyone here twenty silver coins that stone doesn't land a single hit in his first match." 

"Make it fifty,” called out Derek. “I bet he surrenders before the fight even starts.”

"Seventy says he cries," added another voice.

Soon half the dining hall was placing bets on different aspects of Gabriel’s inevitable defeat. How quickly he'd lose, whether he'd be conscious at the end, how many healing spells he'd need. Gaberiel sat frozen in his chair, listening to his fellow students wagering on his pain. 

Emma appeared at his side, her face pale with anger. “ This is disgusting,”she said loudly enough for everyone to hear.

" Just business whispers, " Thane replied” supply and demand. Stone here is supplying the entertainment, and we're demanding front row seats.” 

"You're betting on someone getting hurt.”

I'm betting on reality,” Thane corrected. “ Stone has no power, no training, and no chance . The only question is how badly he'll lose.” Gabriel stood up abruptly, his chair scraping against the stone floor, the sound echoed in the sudden silence. silence.

"I should go,” he mumbled 

"Probably a good idea,” Thane agreed. “Get your rest, stone. A big day is coming up.” 

Gabriel hurried out of the dining hall,Emma concerned voice calling his name behind him. But he didn't stop. He couldn't face her kindness right now couldn't handle the pity in her

He needed to be alone.

 Twenty minutes later,Gabriel found himself in the basement levels of the Academy, in a section most students avoided. The hallway down here was older, made of rough stone instead of polished marble. Fewer magical lights meant more shadows, and the air felt thick and stale. 

He'd discovered this place in his first year, when he'd needed somewhere to cry without being seen. Now it was his refuge, the one place in the Academy where he could exist without judgment 

Gabriel slumped against a wall and buried his face in his hands. What had he gotten himself into? The ranking battle was in six days. Six days to somehow develop three year's worth of combat skills and magical power. 

It was impossible.

 But the alternative was three more years of daily humiliation,of being nothing,of being less than nothing.

"Maybe I should just leave,” he whispered to the empty hallways. “ Drop out. Find some normal job in some normal town where nobody knows I'm a failure.” 

His words echoed off the stone walls, coming back to him distorted and strange. The sound seemed to go on longer than it seemed to go on longer than it should have, as if the darkness itself was answering him. 

 Gabriel looked up, suddenly aware that he was lost. He'd been walking without paying attention, letting his feet carry him deeper into that Academy’s forgotten corners. The hallway stretche

d ahead of him, lit by a faint, pulsing glow that seemed to come from somewhere far away. 

Curious despite himself, Gabriel stood and followed the light.