BLOODLINE FIVE

I can still feel his lips on mine; something courses through my body as I recall that scene.

"Shione!!" I snapped back to reality upon hearing my father's voice on the phone.

"Uh, yes, Dad?" I asked.

"Sigh... What's wrong, son?" he asked from the other end.

"Nothing, Dad. I'm just excited because today's my first day at Emerald. You know it's been my dream to get in there, right? I still can't believe I made it," I replied.

"Alright, son, congrats. By the way, what's your power?" he asked.

"I have Flame powers, Dad," I answered.

"Wow! That's impressive, my son! Alright, go to your classroom now before you're late," he said.

"Okay, Dad. Love you."

"Love you too, son. Take care, okay?"

"Hmm."

I hung up the phone. I know you might be wondering why my power changed. Well, here's the thing.

According to Ms. Alice, the mana flow in my body changed, resulting in my old power being replaced. She said it's a normal thing, but as a former Lightning Esper, it hurt. And to make it worse, my new power is completely different. It's okay, though; my new power is unique—purple flames. They don't emit heat and have a violet hue.

Enough of that; I need to get ready because I'm heading to the classroom. It's almost seven, so I need to hurry. It's my first day, and being late would be a disaster. Oh yeah, we have physical training today, and I'm not particularly strong in that area.

Checking the clock, I realized time was running out, so I hurriedly got myself together.

After fixing myself up, I headed straight to the Emerald building. Thankfully, the teacher hadn't arrived yet. Hardly any students were around either; they were probably still outside having fun. I found my seat with my name tag on it and sat down.

Glancing outside, I noticed two figures under a tree. They wore what looked like white and black togas, their faces obscured by their hoods.

ring

The bell startled me, causing me to blink. When I looked back outside, the two figures were gone.

One by one, my classmates started arriving. They were noisy, to say the least—like they were yelling across mountains even though the seats were close together.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a guy walked in. He wore glasses, a green long-sleeve shirt, and white pants. He looked cute, with chubby features and a baby face.

"Good morning, class," he greeted as he set his things on the desk.

We all stood up and greeted him back, "Good morning, Mr. Suarez," even though I didn't know him yet. Haha.

"As you all know, we have two new students in our class. Please stand up, both of you, and introduce yourselves," Mr. Suarez said.

I stood up, and so did the lightning magic guy.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm Shione Andrew, 16 years old. Nice to meet you all," I introduced myself before sitting back down.

"I'm Ardaux Les," he said briefly before sitting down as well.

That was a brief introduction.

"Now that you know our new students, let's talk about today's agenda. We'll have a military examination, no exceptions. Head to the battle dome now," Mr. Suarez instructed.

-_- Seriously, I'm so nervous. I don't know much about combat except the basics, and I'm not particularly physically fit. But it's now or never; I have to give it a shot.

We quickly arrived at the battle dome. Before, I used to only look from afar, but now I was actually entering.

"First military training match: Abrias and Les," Mr. Suarez announced, and the dome erupted in cheers.

They both went to the center of the dome and prepared themselves.

I didn't expect there would be so many spectators. The dome was almost full.

"Battle, start!" Mr. Suarez declared.

They immediately attacked each other face-to-face, tooth and nail.

Ardaux pointed his finger towards the horizon.

"Thunder Sprite, heed my call and strike down my foe!" he chanted.

At the top of the dome, a dark cloud rapidly formed. A loud thunderclap followed, and lightning struck his opponent, electrocuting Abrias.

"And the winner is Ardaux Les!" Mr. Suarez announced.

Wow, that was a quick victory for Ardaux.

"Next match: Andrew and Piro," Mr. Suarez called out.

I quickly headed to the center of the dome and waited for my opponent. A guy with red eyes and hair stood up. His aura felt incredibly hot, like he was always ready to fight.

"Battle, start!" Mr. Suarez declared.

I immediately went on the offensive. I kicked him, but he dodged quickly. Unexpectedly, he grabbed my foot and threw me.

"Argh!" I cried out in pain. My body wasn't used to this kind of punishment, and I hadn't received any martial arts training. I had only self-studied hand-to-hand combat because no one else taught me.

I quickly got up to compose myself. I attacked him again—kicks, punches—but he dodged every move.

"Surrender," he said in a monotone voice.

I frowned; I didn't understand what he was implying.

"Surrender. You can't win against me," he repeated.

My ears burned at his words. Was he underestimating me?

I ignored him and continued attacking.

"I warned you," he said again in a monotone voice.

"Ignite, Fire!" he chanted.

Suddenly, fireballs surged towards me. I quickly dodged and evaded his attacks.

"Not bad," he said, smiling.

"But it ends here. My schedule can't wait any longer," he added.

"Kyoukodai Mahou, Sacred Flame," he chanted.

A magic circle appeared behind him, and flames circled within it. I was sweating profusely. His magic power was extraordinary. I couldn't defeat him with my useless power. I didn't even know what type of flame it was.

"Release," he commanded.

Blue and red flames surged towards me. It was a sight I'd never seen before. I felt the heat, but instead of burning, it felt purifying, cleansing.

My body collapsed from the impact of his attack.

"You're just a lost child in a big city, crying without knowing what to do," he said, looking down on me.

Yeah, I'm just weak, useless, trash. I can't even utilize this useless power of mine.

"You... are... defeated."