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CHAPTER 325. Lines in the Dust
The night after the rooftop fight, the academy refused to sleep. Rumors spread like fire through the dorm corridors. Every whisper carried a new version of the same story, Oliver Vale, the unstable student, the Retaliant, the one who fought the Iron Banner and lived.By morning, the academy was a pressure cooker. Fear hummed in the walls. Even the teachers spoke in hushed tones. “He blew up the roof.”“No one saw the attackers leave.”“They say his eyes glow like an awakened beast.”Oliver walked through the cafeteria with Billy at his side. Conversations stopped when he entered. Eyes followed him everywhere.He sat down with his tray of untouched food. Billy sat across from him, muttering, “You know, being famous isn’t as fun as people think.”Oliver didn’t respond. His gaze was distant, fixed on nothing. Billy sighed. “You didn’t sleep, did you?”“No.”“You’re thinking about what Kael said.”Oliver nodded slowly. “She was right. The more I use this power, the less it listens to me.
CHAPTER 324. Ambush on the Roof
The sky burned with streaks of orange and violet as the sun began to set over the academy. The rooftops gleamed under the fading light, and the wind carried the faint scent of metal and ozone.Oliver stood at the edge of the rooftop training deck, his shirt damp with sweat. He was breathing hard, hands wrapped in old bandages, eyes sharp and alert.Billy circled him lazily, rolling his shoulders. “You’re pushing yourself too hard again.”Oliver smirked. “And you’re still too slow.”Billy grinned. “Says the guy who almost blew up the field yesterday.”“Accident,” Oliver said.“Sure,” Billy replied. “And I accidentally knocked down a wall once. With my face.”Oliver chuckled, the first real laugh he’d had in days. For a moment, the tension between them eased, the quiet hum of the city below blending with their breathing.“Alright,” Billy said, raising his fists. “Let’s go again. Defensive spar. No explosions this time.”“Deal,” Oliver said, taking his stance.They began to move, slow,
CHAPTER 323. Power and Consequence
The morning sky glowed pale gold, soft light filtering through the academy courtyard. The air felt calm, almost too calm, the kind that comes before a storm.Students gathered for morning drills, forming neat lines on the practice field. Their chatter filled the air until the instructor’s whistle cut through the noise.“Focus up! Defensive forms, positions!”Oliver stood in the front row, shoulders squared. Sweat already traced his neck, though the air was cool. He exhaled slowly, trying to quiet the hum under his skin, that pulse of energy that hadn’t stopped since the night in the tunnels.Billy nudged him from behind. “You good, man? You look like you’re about to melt the floor.”“I’m fine,” Oliver muttered.He wasn’t. The System had been whispering since dawn, quiet, rhythmic, like breathing that wasn’t his own.[Energy reserves: 132% of stable output.][Recommendation: Discharge.]He tried to ignore it. The class began their formation drills. The sound of synchronized steps echo
CHAPTER 322. The Underground Ring
The night air was thick with humidity and the faint hum of machinery. Oliver stood near the back of the maintenance corridor, his hoodie pulled up, shadows swallowing his face. Beside him, Billy adjusted a small flashlight, its weak beam cutting through the dust. “Are you sure about this?” Billy asked. His voice was low, wary.Oliver nodded. “If I’m going to stop Sikes, I need to understand how he works. What he built.”Billy exhaled through his teeth. “Understanding him won’t make him less dangerous.”“I don’t care,” Oliver said. “He’s turning people into weapons. I can’t ignore that.”Billy muttered, “You’re starting to sound like the old me, before everything went to hell.”The metal grates beneath their feet creaked as they walked. Pipes ran along the tunnel walls, dripping water. Somewhere ahead, faint echoes rose, cheers, clapping, the roar of a crowd.Billy stopped and turned off the flashlight. “We’re close.”They crouched behind a half-open maintenance hatch. Light leaked th
CHAPTER 321. Faction Games
The rain had stopped, but the air inside the academy still felt heavy, like a storm waiting to return.Days had passed since the raid, yet the tension hadn’t faded. Students whispered about “the Retaliant,” half in awe, half in fear. The once-busy courtyards now grew quiet whenever Oliver appeared. He had become both a legend and warning.Billy noticed it too. “They look at you like you’re a ghost,” he muttered as they crossed the courtyard.“Maybe that’s what I am,” Oliver said softly.Billy gave a crooked grin. “Then you’re the first ghost who can punch holes through steel.”But behind his humor, Oliver saw the truth, fear lingered in both of them. They were waiting for the next move. Because Sikes Wilbert never stayed silent for long.That move came two days later. A message appeared on Oliver’s desk during morning class. A thin envelope, no signature. Only his name, written in perfect handwriting. He hesitated before opening it.Inside was a small black card. A symbol was engrav
CHAPTER 320. Aftermath and Rumors
The sun rose over the academy like nothing had happened, golden light touching broken walls and shattered glass. But everyone knew better.The air was thick with whispers. The gym had been destroyed. The Gambit Gang had invaded, and Oliver Beckett, the “failure”, had beaten them.Every corner buzzed with stories, half true and half wild. “He fought ten of them alone!”“They say he can bend metal with his mind.”“Sikes Wilbert’s people are watching him now.”Oliver walked through the courtyard quietly, his hood up, his hands in his pockets. Each voice felt like a weight pressing against his back.The students who once laughed at him now moved aside when he passed. Some stared in awe, others in fear.It should have felt like victory, but it didn’t. The System was silent, too silent.He reached the infirmary doors and pushed them open. The smell of antiseptic hit him immediately. Billy lay on a bed near the window, his chest bandaged, one arm in a sling. He looked up with a grin that ba
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