Kaizel's POV
I paused my push-ups when the door to my room suddenly swung open.
My companion entered, looking as if he was searching for something, and his eyes landed on me.
He spoke breathlessly, “So you’re here, Kaizel. Loki is looking for you and wants to talk to you on the rooftop.”
I wiped the sweat from my body and replied, “I’ll be there in a moment.” He nodded and stepped out.
I left my room and headed for the rooftop, with students stepping aside when they saw me in the hallway.
I climbed the stairs to the rooftop, one floor above, since my room is on the third floor.
When I reached the rooftop, I spotted two people up there.
My gaze shifted to the man sitting on a chair, while another guy stood to his right.
I approached them and faced the seated man, asking, “Do you need something from me, Loki?” He stared at me seriously.
I felt a wave of unease from his gaze, and I couldn't hold eye contact any longer.
He replied, “I heard there’s a first-year named Zero.” I gathered my courage to look at him as he continued, “You’re in charge of that first-year, Kaizel.”
“What do you want me to do to him” I started, but I couldn’t finish my sentence as his companion punched me in the stomach with his left fist.
I fell to my knees from the pain and slowly raised my gaze to the man seated in front of me.
He said, “Know your place, Kaizel. You better answer me properly.” I looked down, fear gripping me.
He added, “I want you to finish off that first-year as soon as possible.” I had no choice but to nod in agreement and get to my feet.
I asked, “Can I leave now?” I glanced at him, then quickly looked down again.
He replied, “Get out of my sight, but make sure you do what I told you.”
I nodded and left quickly, planning to return to my room.
Once back, I found my companions waiting for me, eager to hear what had happened.
They were shocked by what I shared and began to express their disdain for Loki with harsh words, saying things like:
“That third-year is such a jerk; we should have dealt with him a long time ago.”
“Exactly! They think they can do whatever they want to us.”
“We don’t stand a chance against them because of their numbers. We’d just end up worse off if we fought back.”
They fell silent after one of our friends spoke up. He was right; we had no chance against them considering the number of third-years following Loki and the second-years trailing behind him.
A heavy silence settled in our room due to the tension in the air.
Finally, one of us gathered the courage to ask, “What are we going to do now, Kaizel?” he inquired.
I couldn’t respond quickly and took a moment to think. The phrase “We’ll follow what Loki said” popped into my head. They were surprised by my words, and I signaled for them to wait, indicating that I wasn’t finished.
I spoke again, “We’ll test the strength of those first-years to see if they can take down Loki’s group.” I said this seriously, and they nodded in response.
“But how are we going to fight them?” one of our companions asked.
Another chimed in, “I heard that Zero had a fight with a second-year before he became that representative.” I turned to him and asked, “Why? What did Zero do to a second-year like us?”
He explained, “Zero apparently bumped into a second-year, things heated up, and of course, a fight broke out. Miyuki was even with him that day.” He elaborated, detailing the whole scenario.
An idea struck me: we could use the second-years who were angry at Zero to gauge just how strong he really was.
I responded, “We’ll challenge them to a fight group against group to see if they can take us down.” I looked at each one of them, searching for support.
The day will come when you, Loki, will fall, and a new leader will emerge here at Taesan High not like you, who intimidates and abuses students to instill fear.
Because I am confident that the person who will become the new number one at Taesan High will earn the respect of every student here and will be recognized not out of fear, but for their integrity and fairness.
As the discussion continued, I could see the determination in my friends’ eyes. They were ready to take on the challenge. I could sense their anger toward Loki and the oppressive atmosphere he had created.
We began to strategize, mapping out how we would confront both the first-years and the second-years who were loyal to Zero. Our goal was clear: to find out if these first-years could actually stand up to Loki’s crew.
“We’ll need to gather information about the first-years,” I said. “We have to understand their strengths and weaknesses if we want a fair fight.”
“Agreed,” one of my friends responded. “We should observe them during lunch or in the gym.”
“Let’s not underestimate them,” I warned. “Just because they are first-years doesn’t mean they’re weak. We need to be careful.”
As we planned our approach, the atmosphere shifted from one of fear to determination. The thought of challenging Loki and his gang fueled our spirits.
We all knew the risks involved, but the desire to stand up against tyranny was stronger than the fear of retaliation. We would not allow ourselves to be pushed around any longer.
The following days were filled with reconnaissance. We watched the first-years closely, noting their skills, their camaraderie, and any weaknesses we could exploit. I could feel the tension building, not just between us and Loki’s group but within our own ranks as well.
But we kept our spirits high. We trained harder, pushing ourselves to be ready for the upcoming confrontation. I could see the fire in my friends' eyes as they sparred and worked on their techniques.
“Together, we can make a difference,” I encouraged them. “This is our chance to change the landscape at Taesan High.”
And deep down, I believed that if we stood together, we could break the cycle of fear that Loki had instilled in our school.
The day of the challenge drew closer, and I felt a mix of excitement and apprehension. Would we be able to hold our own against Loki’s crew?
But one thing was certain: we would face them together, and I was ready to fight for our right to exist without fear.
The countdown had begun, and I knew that whatever happened next would change everything for us at Taesan High.
To be continued…..