AT THE DEATH DOOR

The man's face was already covered in bruises. Just as he was about to increase the damage on the man's face, he heard a sharp voice. "Stop!"

He paused his punch and raised his head. He saw Eliza staring at him with blazing eyes.

"What are you doing?" She roared at him.

"Just teaching a fool a little lesson," Blake stood up and said offhandedly.

The man had already passed out by this time.

"Teaching a little fool? He's responsible for the news in Brooke City. Stay away from my daughter," Eliza hissed at him.

He stared at her, at a loss of words. After a moment of speechless daze, he turned around and walked away. Unaware that he just escaped a plot by Jasper to arrest him.

"What made you lose your self-control?" Hecate said, feeling his desolate emotions.

"You already know my memory, so you should know the man who beat me until I was unconscious because I scratched his car. I got sent to the hospital. His character is similar to that man," Blake said with a smile, but Hecate could feel the sadness behind the smile.

It was a new feeling to her – sadness. She was an empress who had nobody to care about. So, sadness was never on her emotional list.

"The city is gloomy. Maybe I should leave," Blake said to Hecate.

Both of them walked in silence, enjoying each other's presence; even though they were enemies. When they got to the gate, Blake saw a group of aged men waving banners. When he looked closer, he saw himself on all the banners.

"Expel the murderer!"

"Kill the psychopath!"

"Burn the son-slayer!"

Those were some of the words he saw on the banners.

When he walked past them, they threw some things at him. They would have drowned him with their population if not for the security holding them in place. He walked into the school and found out that everybody was giving him strange eyes. Although he doesn't care, the city doesn't look like something he could continue to live in. But where would he go?

He walked absentmindedly and found himself at the training ground. Looking around, he saw people training.

He had to admit that they are good. He spotted Ella shooting seven arrows per second. Three hit the bullseye.

This made him realize that he luckily survived, and Ella was frightened to perform well due to the dark demon. His skills were trash compared to the people in the training field. He used a sword like a chopping knife.

It was at that moment he noticed that the test registration was at the training ground. Without delay, he walked up to the instructor. Unfortunately, it was Ethan.

He registered and was given a badge. It surprised him that Ethan did not try to make things difficult. However, Ethan was giving him a smile that made him uncomfortable.

"Is everything alright?" He whispered to Hecate. Hecate was always walking beside him.

"Yup!" Hecate said calmly.

"Then why is that idiot smiling like an imbecile?" Blake grumbled.

After registering, Blake walked back to his dorm. He found out that the Basic Academy section is coming to an end.

However, when he got to his room, everybody avoided him like a plague. He just arranged his bag and luckily found the necklace. Only Jake had a light conversation with him.

"School didn't work out for me in this lifetime. I didn't attend in my previous lifetime," Blake muttered with a melancholic sigh.

"Then why did you register for the test?" Hecate asked.

"I don't know," Blake said with a light laugh. But Hecate could feel his heart-wrenching sadness. Blake felt the sadness of being alone in a place. Everything he knew vanished.

He left the school and walked home without meeting anybody. He was uncomfortable in school because he felt an uneasiness, and he couldn't pinpoint where it came from.

"Why did you not hate him? You look at him like a pest," Hecate asked when he crossed the school gate.

"Why won't I be annoyed? He's fighting me for a girl I'm neither dating nor chasing," Blake said with a nasty grimace.

"What's your plan?" Hecate asked.

"Fate will decide," Blake replied without looking at her.

When he walked home, he started seeing the clip of him punching that man into a stupor. It was on many holographic banners. Many hands were pointing at him on the road. But he didn't even bat his eyelid. He was too lazy to care.

When he got home, he was planning of accessing the system when Hecate said, "You got big trouble knocking on your door,"

It alerted Blake. He stared at the door with narrow eyes.

Some minutes later, the door abruptly burst open.

Boom! The door burst open.

He saw Jasper, Bob, Raymond, and the man in yellow. They were all clad in different colors of armor.

"Kid, what did the doctor give you?" Jasper growled.

"Give me what?" Blake asked in shock.

"Don't take me for a fool. Ella told us you had a private conversation with him. So, where is it?" Jasper roared, abruptly setting his body, the house, and the furniture on fire. However, the fire just kept dancing bewitchingly without burning anything. The temperature started rising slowly.

Blake saw the power of Jasper for the first time. His heart turned cold from Ella's betrayal.

"I'm controlling the flame. I wonder what will happen if I let go of my control," Jasper said with a wicked grin.

Blake turned to the other people for help, but they just pretended to be looking at the ceiling and wall.

"It got destroyed in the battle," Blake admitted.

"That's a lie, kid. Let me stimulate your memory," Jasper hissed as he raised his hand and pointed at Blake.

A tiny rope of fire, formed out of thin air, just in front of his extended palm. It started elongating until it became as long as a whip.

"Scarlett won't be able to save you this time. For the last time, where is the serum?" Jasper said calmly and silently, no longer roaring.

"I don't know," Blake gritted his teeth and said. His heart was racing at an unbelievable pace, but he maintained his answer. Maybe they might kill him if he gives them the serum.

"Fine." Jasper suddenly dropped his hand slowly and weakly, making Blake think he bought his answer. However, Jasper suddenly raised his hand and performed a claw-grappling sign toward Blake.

The whip, made of fire, twirled in the air, flew towards Blake, and wrapped itself around his neck.

"After every second, the whip is going to tighten. I will ask you again. Think critically before replying. Where is the serum?" Jasper asked with a low but dangerous tone.

The fire whip slowly raised Blake off the ground and started tightening. Blake started flailing his legs while trying to untie the whip.

"We will be outside," Bob yelled before walking out. The others followed, leaving only Blake and Jasper inside the room.