Chapter 4: Turning Point
Lex noticed the serious look his homeroom teacher had towards the sky.
He also looked out.
The clouds were becoming strange…
"What's that?" This was the question both he and many in the vicinity had.
Why were the clouds turning into gold?
"…Get down."
"Sir?" Lex couldn't hear what his teacher barely murmured. He asked for clarity.
"Tell everyone to get inside now!" The man suddenly shouted and pushed him.
Going the opposite way to get his voice across and onto the school's speakers.
Leaving him by himself.
Gold clouds… A hurried voice filled with fear from his teacher. It couldn't be an accident. There was likely a good reason why his homeroom teacher asked him.
'That somehow feels dangerous…' Lex wasn't sure why, but he felt this innately.
His instincts were ringing.
Telling him to stay inside. Don't go under those clouds. Stay safe. Stay healthy.
If he was right, then it was finally time to live up to his Class. He straightened his back. Deciding that now was the time to throw around the pride of a top student.
"You all! Get inside!" Lex roared at the people in the astroturf. His voice booming to them. There was a look of confusion on their face towards him.
Before someone could shout back, he quickly justified his actions a little:
"The principal is calling attendance. He's saying to gather inside!" Lex spoke a white lie. He knew his own authority wasn't enough to move his schoolmates.
But the principal could.
When he finished his words, a good portion of the students followed his instructions. There were few delinquents that wanted to go against their principal.
It was an important position that could affect their future. Too crucial to ignore.
However, there were still a few people who ignored him out of suspicion.
Thinking he was saying nonsense.
"Hey…" Lex called out to them, but they continued to ignore him casually: "HEY!"
His loud voice gained attention, but it looked like they wouldn't listen to him.
There was no time…!
'Ah damn.' Lex realised that before he even knew it, he was jumping out.
Leaping out of the third floor window.
A gust of air directly hit his face at that moment. Many didn't react that much.
The third floor was nothing to them.
Only a 'U Tier Cadet Rank' like Lex would think twice about jumping out a window.
Those who knew of him felt interested.
Many believed that someone like him would break his legs like a normal person.
They had no reason to believe otherwise.
Surprisingly, they were all wrong.
He fell down real hard and struck the ground. Kicking up a dust cloud.
However, he was still unharmed.
This only made those who noticed see him in a new light, but that was it.
They turned away after seeing him safe.
Lex smacked off the dust and ran towards the delinquents. His heart was pumping.
Thumping and drumming an alarm.
Telling him to turn back.
Turn back or suffer consequences he could've avoided. He just had to listen.
Go with the flow…
"Hey, quickly get inside-" Lex grabbed a guy's wrist, but he slapped him off.
Who are you touching?
There was a look of scorn on the youth's face. He recognised the only 'U Tier'.
"Who are you touching?" The sky started to rumble, but this kid didn't care.
He wasn't concerned about rain.
"You need to get inside!" Lex didn't have time to explain himself. He tried to drag the student away, only to get thrown off in disgust. They had deep prejudice.
"What? Are we in danger?" Ironically, the youth said exactly what Lex thought.
"Please just listen to me." The clock was ticking, and the rumbling got stronger.
Flickers of lightning in the gold clouds.
'Please… PLEASE!' Lex begged in his heart. Not wanting to abandon them.
Even so, it wasn't like pure feelings moved the world. There was a problem.
His status…
Even though his Tier as a Cadet had changed, the world was the same.
It'd take time before they announced his change in Tier, but the world didn't care.
The people of it only knew their thoughts.
"You're just a U Tier. What do-" Before the youth could continue arguing, a crack of thunder as loud as the sky shattering resounded. Breaking the school windows.
It muffled the other sounds. Making the delinquent realise the school speakers had been resounding since earlier. Lex's homeroom teacher was calling everyone.
Telling them to return.
They were too late to listen now.
Too late to regret.
Thr world turned white.
A pillar of lightning struck down like heaven's wrath. Destroying the astroturf and anyone who was left. Screams came from within the school at the sight.
An explosion threw Lex back.
His consciousness faded into the abyss upon being caught despite knowing.
The whiteness turned to black, and that darkness gradually subsided into grey.
Lex felt great fatigue.
He didn't know why, but it felt like he had simply transitioned into another world.
The school building was gone. Graphic glitches occurred while transitioning.
Changing the landscape tremendously.
…..
….
…
..
.
In the grey world, there was only old ruins of a city. It was seemingly destroyed.
Lex didn't understand where he got to.
He was trying to save his schoolmates earlier, and now everything had changed.
Was this just a dream?
"You try to save people, but there is always a problem getting there. Some people are to weak, and others simply low status." A voice suddenly rang out.
Lex turned his head. Seeing a shirtless old man with white hair and a youthful black beard. It looked like someone who had regained their youth via an ability.
Either that, or it was something else.
When Lex looked closer, his eyes shook after seeing the old man's appearance.
Black scars of impurity marked him. This was a familiar sight to Heroes of this era.
"You're corrupted…!" Lex sounded out what seemed like an accusation.
However, it was more words full of pity.
In this wide world, those influenced by Life Force were those living normally.
And those influenced by 'Death Force' were known to corrupt into monsters.
Black marks on the man's face showed that he was already too late to save.
"You feel sorry for me?" The man didn't even seem to notice his mouth smiling.
Looking at Lex warmly.
"I.. No, who are you and where is this place? I need to wake up!" Even though Lex seemed confused, he knew exactly what he wanted. Where he'd get it.
He needed to get out to survive…!
"You are going to die." The old man spoke again. His voice returned to tranquility.
Showing no signs of emotions.
"What do you want?" Lex was feeling more impatient the more time went on.
How could he not?
"Even if you wake up, what will you do next?" A voice of reason spoke.
Lex wasn't sure if this was his own subconscious or a nonsensical dream.
Still, he felt the urge to answer him.
Looking at the old man in rebellion.
"I will climb higher. Like I always do. I'll achieve my dreams…!" He felt this deep.
Lex always knew how insignificant he was in the grand scheme of things, but he was still young. There was plenty of time to rise higher and gain greater standing.
He must had to work for it.
"You want to grow into a 'Hero'?"
"Exactly."
"What if you can't?" The old man stared.
"…What do you mean?" He couldn't just say that. This wasn't something to say.
"The greatest villains never waits for a Hero to grow. Even if they do, this is the result." The old man gestured at the ruins of the city. No life other than them.
Even starting to monologue:
"My name is Simon Rainglow. I was once a person like you. Wanting to be a Hero."
The world changed as he kept his sitting posture. Always resting on something.
Lex felt like he was seeing another's story. Like he was being sucked into the pace of this 'Simon Rainglow' guy. A man who seemed deeply related somehow.
How were they related?
He could only stay silent to find out.
"I grew up as a butler in the Swordwick Household. Vowing to protect Lady Sapphire from harm… only to ultimately fail in protecting our families."
Simon showed a memory of him serving in a medieval magical society. How all his hopes turned to despair when his little sister and parents died in a disaster.
He kept his promise, but it was useless.
They both looked like they wanted to die after that incident. Both he and that girl.
'Lady Sapphire'…
"We promised to not let anyone else go what we went through. To save our world from a growing evil." Simon's feelings were etched into each and every word.
Writing an epic tale of adventure and hope. Fighting against a greater foe.
Finding comrades on the way.
He was a typical hero. One who was not afraid to sacrifice himself every time.
Bleeding for the sake of his comrades.
Every battle felt like it would be their last one. Simon spoke about his experiences.
The struggles of a 'Hero'.
The destiny everyone who wanted to be a wannabe hero had to go through in life.
An eventuality…
The young butler gradually casted away his shell and became a great leader.
Fighting for a better future.
At first they were winning. Each victory gave everyone hope for a new tomorrow.
A better future to gain.
However, time rusted all convictions.
The young boy gradually became an old man. His victories gradually dwindled.
They started to be defeated again and again. Again and again and again.
Win. Win. Win. Loss. Win. Win. Loss. Loss. Loss. Win. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss. Loss.
They were defeated so many times by the corrupted. Humanity slowly going extinct.
That was not even mentioning the biggest obstacles among them.
'Calamities'.
Overpowering creatures that had the power to level a city and destroy life.
Lex stiffened when he heard.
Feeling it was familiar…
He saw the old man gain more scars and grow strong. Becoming an invincible hero. Controlling the forces of the world to his leisure. Fighting back the evils.
Bringing justice to the Calamities.
Victory would be theirs in the future.
It would be theirs to gain once more.
This was only until a certain incident.
After he was corrupted by a Calamity himself, Simon had to give up powers.
He became completely human.
Throwing away all his abilities.
However, even in that state, he was no less invincible than he was in the past.
There was only one problem.
Tears started to steam from the old man's face. He started to look more ferocious.
"When I finally became strong, there was no one left for me to protect. My family was gone. Everything changed, and I had no future." Simon gazed at the youth.
Lex started to react violently. His face turning purple after remembering them.
His parents…
Were they still alive?
"I feel so regretful about being strong. I wish I had these powers before, when they really mattered." Seeing Simon say this only made the youth bolt at him.
Lex grabbed his shoulders.
"If you don't want it, then give that power to me. You're the Grace that granted me this Class, aren't you?! Give me my Stigmata Gifts!" He roared at the man.
However, Simon showed no change.
The world started to rumble in a similar way to when that lightning pillar struck.
"Time is running out. I'll give you your Stigmata… but only if you show me the resolve of a true hero. Prove to me you're more than deserving of it. Be a real 'Hero' and kill the Calamity." Simon decreed.
The world returned to its former splendour, and light entered the cracks of the dream that became his reality. He had woken up and found he was still alive.
And so were the delinquents from earlier.
"What happened?" Lex woke up in the infirmary and asked the nurse there.
He then heard that the initial explosion threw them towards the school building.
"Hah…" Lex somehow felt glad.
"Wait! You still haven't recovered-" The adamant youth didn't stop for anything.
'Mum… Dad…' The faces of his parents appeared in his mind. He chose to walk.
"AAARGH!!!" A scream followed the sound of teeth sinking into flesh.
Lex quickly looked around the corner to see a corrupted much worse than Simon.
It had red veins going through its body and grey skin. Ashen like burnt wood.
One of the students seemed to have became a zombie, his bite sunk in.
Infecting those he bit.
"R-run…!" His homeroom teacher dropped the report card he was holding.
It looked like he wanted to give this to him early. Wanting to assure him.
This all ended after he was bitten.
"Sir?" He stuck his neck out for him.
The desire to save had became a noose around his neck. Two zombies had leapt.
One of them being his good teacher.
"Eeeih!" The nurse had screamed, only for the youth to break out the window.
Taking the zombies with him.
'I have to save them!' After hitting the ground hard, he incapacitated the two.
The solid drop on their back was enough.
Lex hardened his hard when he saw a legion of flesh rotted zombies outside.
Charging through them to get home.
'Be safe. Just please… please!' Lex was begging inwardly his parents were safe.
Avoiding the zombies altogether.
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[Simon Rainglow Gallery]
Weekly Power Status
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