A Dragon's Call

Andre had learned to navigate the crowded hallways of the school like a shadow, slipping unnoticed through the throng of students over the past few weeks, making him avoid lots of confrontation. Today as always, most of his peers ignored him, dismissing him as unremarkable, but not everyone left him alone.

There were three in particular who seemed to take a much twisted pleasure in making his life miserable. Bruce, a hulking brute; Flynn, sharp-tongued and cruel; and Idel, the ringleader, who had a knack for cruelty disguised as charm. Together, they had made Andre's school days an ongoing ordeal.

Andre had done his best to avoid them, taking alternate routes, skipping the busier hallways, and staying near the edges of the courtyard during breaks, he most certainly could not afford to reveal that he was much stronger. But luck wasn't always on his side, and today, as he rounded a corner on his way to the library, he nearly ran straight into them.

"Oh, look who we have here" Idel said, his voice dripping with mock friendliness. He ran his finger over his blond hair, a habit Andre had come to notice he was fond of, especially when he was on the brink of performing his cruelest acts. Idel's ever-present smirk twisted into something far more menacing. "What a perfect day this promises to be, you're just the person we were looking for."

Andre's stomach sank. He glanced around, but the corridor was empty save for the four of them and a few students here and there, whom he was sure wouldn't come to his rescue. This had afterall been a recurring scene in his life at this school.

"Yeah," Bruce said, cracking his knuckles, "We've got some unfinished business, don't we?"

Andre backed up a step, his heart pounding. He could feel the warmth in his chest stir as if it was against his fear, but he clamped down on it. Using his powers here wasn't an option, it would only draw more attention, and he couldn't risk anyone discovering his secret.

"What do you want?" Andre asked, his voice calm despite the tension in his body.

Flynn grinned, his dark eyes narrowing. "Oh, nothing much. Just thought you might need a reminder of your place. You've been looking a little too confident lately."

'A little too confident!! Wasn't this being devilish?!' Andre screamed in his head. He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to stay composed. "I don't want any trouble. Just let me go."

"Let you go?" Idel laughed, the sound sharp and cold. "Where's the fun in that?"

Assessing the situation, Andre knew he had the advantage of being underestimated, to the point that they wouldn't think of using their abilities as they hadn't bothered to use it in his most recent encounters with them. He recognized Flynn to be the weakest link, his ability of magnetism was not as strong as the two, not yet Earl Class. Bruce had the ability of super strength, not yet Earl class either but coupled with his towering figure of six foot three, he was pretty much an unstoppable force - atleast for most ember class students - and Idel being an Earl class water ability user.

Before Andre could respond, Bruce lunged at him, swinging a massive fist. Andre sidestepped easily, his movements fluid and precise. Bruce's punch missed, his momentum carrying him forward and nearly sending him into the wall.

"Too slow," Andre muttered under his breath, his instincts kicking in.

Flynn was next, darting in with surprising speed. He aimed a kick at Andre's midsection, but Andre twisted out of the way, grabbing Flynn's leg and pulling it upward. The bully yelped as he lost his balance, crashing onto his back with a loud thud, he seemed to have passed out.

"Stay down," Andre said, his voice low.

Idel watched the exchange, his smirk faltering for the first time. "Not bad, Andre," he said, his tone laced with mock approval. "But you're still outnumbered."

"You think so?" Andre turned to face him, his posture relaxed but ready. "Well technically maybe, but numbers don't matter if you can't land a hit."

Idel's expression darkened, and he signaled to Bruce, who had recovered and was advancing again, this time more cautiously. Andre met him head-on, ducking under a wild swing and delivering a quick jab to Bruce's side. The larger boy grunted in pain, stumbling back.

Andre used the opening to spin around and kick Bruce's legs out from under him. The bigger boy went down hard, groaning as he hit the floor.

Idel's smirk returned, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.

"Seems like you've been training some karate. Let's see how cocky you are against this," Idel said, pointing his palm as he released a jet of water from it.

Andre's heart skipped a beat as he had no time to think, lest dodge a blast as fast in such close proximity. With his quick refllexes, he could only move his body to allow the water not hit him on the chest but on his arms instead.

The water jet blasted him across the corridor, skidding along for several meters on his rear. He knew Idel wasn't a particularly skilled ability user in comparison to many other students out there but he was still considered an Earl Class afterall, and his attack could cause serious damage in close quarters.

"Not so cocky now, are we?" Idel muttered mockingly as he sauntered forward.

'I have the advantage of distance now, and I can dodge and finish this before his buddies fully get back on their feet.' Andre thought to himself as he judged the situation at hand.

With this in mind, Andre surged forward, eliciting a panicked reaction from Idel who had been so sure of his victory. In his panic, Idel had sent out blasts of water jet which Andre had dodged pretty easily, covering the distance between them quickly.

In one swift motion, Andre grabbed Idel's wrist and twisted, forcing out a cry of pain from Idel who was trying to wrench his arm free, but Andre held firm. He swept Idel's legs out from under him, sending the ringleader sprawling beside his fallen comrades.

Andre stepped back, breathing heavily. All three bullies were on the floor, groaning and nursing their bruises.

"Still think I need a reminder of my place?" Andre asked, his voice steady.

Idel glared up at him, his face flushed with humiliation. "This isn't over, Andre," he spat. "You'll regret this."

Andre shook his head, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Maybe. But for now, I think we're done here."

He turned and walked away, his confidence restored. The warmth in his chest pulsed faintly, almost as if in approval. Andre didn't look back, he didn't need to.

For the first time in a long while, he felt in control; not just of his powers, but of himself. The bullies might try again, but Andre knew he could handle them.

He was done running.