All eyes remained on Louis, eyes filled with pity, amusement, and anticipation for what was about to happen next.
His heart raced; he wanted to turn around and leave, but his legs felt frozen.
"Come on, Louis Grey," Kade mocked, water swirling above his palm.
The crowd chuckled cruelly.
Louis clenched his fists, knowing running would only worsen things. He stepped forward.
"There he is," Kael grinned, ice forming in his hands. "We knew you wouldn't let us down."
Louis could feel every gaze on him, every whisper behind his back. His parents' faces flashed in his mind; he had promised himself to be strong like them.But he wasn't his parents.
Kael and Kade moved in unison, their powers surging to life.
The air chilled.
Kade's water orb elongated, curling like a serpent.
Kael's ice spread across the floor, forming spikes that seemed to grow toward Louis.The students leaned forward, eager for the spectacle.
"Let's see how our powerless friend handles a little teamwork," Kade sneered.
Louis swallowed hard; he knew he had no defense plan. Was he insane to accept the challenge?
Kael struck first.
He thrust his hand forward, and a jagged shard of ice shot toward Louis' feet. Louis leapt back but unfortunately stumbled.
Laughter erupting around him. Kade followed, hitting him with a stream of water that knocked him off to the icy floor.
"Look at him," Kade sneered, circling Louis like a predator stalking wounded prey.
"The son of Earth Defenders, reduced to this. Pathetic bitch."Kael snorted. "If I were his parents, I'd be rolling in my grave."
"Shut up!" Louis cried, his voice shaky.
"What's that?" Kael mocked, leaning in. "Speak up, Grey. We can't hear you over the sound of how useless you are."
"I said shut up!" Louis gritted his teeth, clenching his fist.
"Enough."
A voice cut through the chaos.
Everyone turned to see Head Instructor Veylen standing in the doorway, her presence silencing everyone.
Kael and Kade froze, their powers dissipating as they stepped back.
"Bullying is not tolerated here," Veylen commanded. "Kael, Kade, to the disciplinary hall immediately."
The twins looked like they wanted to protest, but one glance from Veylen was enough to send them scurrying out of the room.
The head instructor's gaze then landed on Louis."Louis, come with me."
Louis followed her to her office, his heart racing.
Inside, the room felt imposing, filled with artifacts and ancient knowledge of magic.
"Step forward," she ordered.
Louis obeyed, feeling like a child facing punishment.
After a tense silence, she locked eyes with him.
"Do you know why you're here, Louis Grey?" she asked.
"N-no, ma'am," he stuttered.
"Do not stammer," she snapped. "You are here because you're failing to meet the academy's standards. Failing to show even the faintest potential. Failing to prove that you belong here. Do you understand?"
Her words were brutal.
"Yes, ma'am," he replied, swallowing hard.
Veylen rose from her chair and paced.
"This institution can not manage the weak," she continued. "We are training Earth Defenders. And yet, here you are. A student who cannot manifest even the faintest spark of elemental power. A student who is more liability than asset."
Each word shattered Louis confidence, he stared down.
"If you do not show improvement by the term's end, you will be expelled. Is that clear?"
The word "expelled" echoed in his mind. Louis was sad.
"Yes, ma'am," he whispered.
Veylen stopped pacing and turned to face him. "Good. Dismissed."
That evening, after classes had ended, Louis pedaled his bicycle away from campus, desperate to escape the academy's humiliation and into the bustling streets because he had work to do.
The basket at the front of Louis's bike was filled with small jars of balms and oils he had prepared himself.
They weren't much, but they were all he could sell to scrape together enough money to survive.
Only students with elemental powers received stipends from the Academy, while Louis was left off to fend for himself.
Louis's first stop was a small general store where the kind owner bought his products.
She gave him a pouch of coins, just enough for him to buy some medicines for his sick grandmother. After his deliveries, he proceeded to the pharmacy.
"What do you need, kid?" the pharmacist asked gruffly.
"Just the usual," Louis said, sliding the coins across the counter.
The pharmacist handed him a small bag of medication without another word.
Louis tucked the bag into his satchel and climbed back onto his bike.
He had one last stop to make.
By the time he arrived at his grandmother's house, it was already dark.
The interior was, however, lit with lamps.
Louis could hear his grandmother coughing in the next room; her illness had worsened over the past few months.
Louis set the medicine on the bedside table and sat beside her.
"You look tired," she said, her voice soft.
"I'm fine," he replied, though his slumped shoulders betrayed him.
She placed her frail hand over his. "You're carrying too much, Louis. You always have."
He looked away, guilty. "I'm trying, Grandma. But I failed the test. I don't even have powers. I'm useless."
Her grip on his hand tightened. "I know it might seem hard right now, but power doesn't always come when we want it to; it comes when we need it most. You are not useless. You're my grandson. And you're the son of two of the bravest people I've ever known."
"But they were heroes??! They gave everything to protect the world. I can't even protect myself."
"They'd be proud of you," she said firmly.
"How could they be?" he whispered. "I've done nothing worth being proud of."
"You've survived," she said. "That means you're meant for something greater. I can feel it."
Louis wanted to believe her. He wanted to believe that he could be more than what the world saw him as.
But deep down, he wasn't sure he could.
Then, the ground shook.
Louis shot up to his feet; an inhuman screech pierced the air.
"What was that?"
A fiery streak tore across the sky, followed by another and another.
His grandmother's face paled. "Louis..."
He turned to the window, his stomach sinking as the sky erupted in chaos.
Then they appeared.
Massive ships broke through the clouds, their sleek black forms casting shadows over the city.
"Th…The Veltrix." Louis stammered in shock and fear.