One very big fool

Three boys about his age, maybe a little older, walked up to him, smirks on their faces.

The one in the middle was huge, and the first few buttons of his shirt were undone, partly for fashion, or maybe because it was too tight.

Stefan could make out an outline of a serpent on his chest that disappeared beneath his clothes. He'd seen that symbol before, but he couldn't remember where.

The other two guys were tall but lanky, one had a completely shaved head, and the other tied his hair in a ponytail. The huge guy in the middle had blue epaulettes, and the others had white ones. Stefan had seen three different colors of epaulettes now: white, gray, and blue.

Was this signifying their ranks or something? He had a lot of questions.

The girl who was accompanying him suddenly moved to stand beside the guys who had just approached him.

"I saw him looking lost at the gates and brought him in. Can you believe he actually came back alive? I thought the Vocras would have shredded him to pieces."

The girl concluded with an annoying laugh that sounded like those of the bullies in high school who derived joy from other people's suffering.

What was he thinking when he thought she was kind? It seemed like her brains were exchanged with boobs.

"You came back alive?" The guy in the middle spoke. Closing the gap between him and Stefan, he gave him a loud, resonating knock.

Fuck...

Stefan felt the pain of the knock coursing through his body, sending an electric charge down his spine. Almost immediately, memories of these guys bullying him rushed back.

Once they had made him eat shit from the toilet; another time, they had made him fight with an F-level Vocra that they had captured, and only let him go when a member of the disciplinary committee intervened.

His name was Thad, and he was dating the girl with the boobs. Anger burned through Stefan's bones as he glanced at the girl who was laughing beside them.

Her name was Lou. He remembered all the moments when she had pretended to be on his side, only to lure him to Thad's hideouts to be severely beaten up.

To think that Stefan was fooled over and over again because he liked her. He had hoped that the girl would reciprocate his feelings, but he was just a fool. A very big fool.

Stefan raised his hand to his head, his eyes nearly tearing. He looked at the guy who just knocked him, rage coursing through his soul.

Thad's epaulette was blue. From the memories he had just regained, he was a rank just after the white and gray, which was still in realm two in the realm of shadows.

Thad was strong but not very strong compared to other blue epaulletes. The only reason he could bully Stefan was that Stefan had no powers, and he loved to show off to his witch of a girlfriend— whom he recalled was not even that into him.

Thad was not the only one who bullied him; there were others, but Thad was at the top of the list. Stefan could not imagine what he had to go through in the hands of these people just because he had no powers. Even in this world, the weak were always trampled on.

"I told you, you're dead if you come back, and you still returned. Seems you have chosen to die by my hands, cute boy."

The other two... What were their names again? Stefan could not remember. They were just annoying side characters always tagging along with Thad. They were both still in meager realm one, and about as skilled at cultivating as a potato trying to dance the tango, but it seemed they loved the idea of being better than someone more than improving their own cultivation.

With what had just occurred, Stefan was sure that no one at the school knew he had powers. So when did he gain them? Or was he... truly...

No, that couldn't be true. It was not true. He had not fully recovered his memories of Vocras, but he remembered that once a human turned into a Vocra, they were filled with an uncontrollable, insatiable desire to kill.

Yet here he was, perfectly normal, except for his growing frustration with these dim-witted dunderheads blocking his way. They irked him to his very bones.

Stefan breathed out, rubbing the spot where he'd been knocked.

"Thad or whatever your name is, I've got pressing matters to attend to, and I'm in no mood to engage with you right now, so do me a favor and get out of my way."

At his words, there was an instant silence, as though they had heard something foreign, something strange, something unbelievable. They looked at each other, a bit confused as to what just happened.

Did Stefan just talk back to Thad?

The question was clearly written on their faces, but no one said a word, as though they all knew what was on their minds.

Stefan was not scared. He had literally killed a Vocra, and from his memories, to be able to kill even the lowest ranked Vocra, one must be at least in realm two in the realm of shadows.

Therefore Stefan knew he was at least in the first stages of realm two. The last time he remembered, Thad was also in the first stages of realm two, so they would be on par in strength, and even if he managed to beat him, he was sure he would not leave him unscathed.

Thad burst out laughing after a long while of shock.

"Did you just talk back at ME?"

He asked, his eyes wide with surprise, mixed with shock.

Stefan looked behind him and then in front of him.

"I'm sure there's no one else blocking my path," he replied nonchalantly, staring Thad straight in the eyes.

Stefan did not want to fight with Thad, at least not right now. He needed to meet the dean, apologize for running away, and maybe even admit that he had gained his powers.

Fighting immediately after returning would not make a good impression.

Thad stared at Stefan as he fumed with fury, balls of flame forming in his hands.

"I'll kill you and spread your carcass for the birds of the air!"