Chapter 2: New MMORPG
August 10th, Year 215 of the Requiem Calendar.
University Campus, Shelter City 9
—
"I told you to stay the hell away from her, didn't I?"
The words barely left his mouth before his fist collided with the other boy's gut. The boy gasped, body folding from the impact, just in time for another fist to smash into his face and send him crashing to the cold, hard floor.
Books and papers flew everywhere, skidding along the ground. Their clatter was met with a few snickers from the watching students.
But the boy remained indifferent, as if he were accustomed to this treatment, and began to gather the scattered items from the ground.
Cole hovered above him, still fuming. "What, you think this is a joke?" he snapped, cracking his knuckles. "You deaf or just stupid?"
Grabbing a fistful of the boy's messy black hair, he yanked his head back, forcing him to look up. Then, without hesitation, he drove his fist into his face. A few drops of blood splattered onto the floor.
The boy went still. His shoulders gave a small twitch. His dull, dark brown eyes flicked toward the blood—then... nothing. Just a slow breath, as if the whole thing was no more than a mild annoyance.
He wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand, barely glancing up. "I thought you 'genetic salads' were supposed to be stronger," he muttered, voice calm and flat — almost bored — as he went back to gathering his scattered belongings.