*Click*
A strong breeze blew through the scenery as the students stood in awe and confusion. Just a moment ago, they were in a classroom with the field instructor, and with a single click, the entire environment changed.
"Spatial magic," Dio concluded as he looked around to notice the ever-expanding landscape that seemed too pretty to destroy or taint. Was there any reason to choose such a venue? He thought as his eyes fell upon the bed of flowers in the distance dancing in response to the waves that crashed into the cliff.
The sunlight was perfect, warm, forgiving, and accepting. On any other day, it would seem like the ideal getaway spot, but not this fine day, not in the crimson eyes of one boy. Everything present there, including the boulders and trees, seemed to acknowledge this.
It was almost poetic how contrasting Dio's appearance was to the environment they now stood in. Nevertheless, the light was accepting, and so were the trees, the flowers, the water. None of them rejected him because he didn't fit in; it almost seemed like they were leaning in. Or was this all just his perception?
Dio had a tendency of doing that. Of making things about himself.
"You will pick an opponent each. When both participants agree, they may wait on my right side. As you may have guessed, this is spatial magic, and to a certain extent, I control this dimension. Once your match-up is decided you will be isolated within this environment, well to be more precise, the rest of the class and I will be teleported away, allowing us to spectate the matches safely and unhindered," the instructor sat on a small rock while sharpening a blade made out of wood, he stared at his creation, unbothered by the students. 'I suppose he knows nobody would defy him,'
"You have 10 minutes. Do what you want in that time, but find a sparring partner," he yawned and placed his travel bag on the rock. Leaning back and using it as a pillow, he closed his eyes and allowed this dimension to work on his mental exhaustion.
Looking around, nobody wanted to spar at this moment, especially not in such a beautiful location. The air felt full, and the breeze was persistent; the blades of grass were lush and served as resting spots for the tiny creatures that fluttered about. How would this place look at night? Could the sun even set here?
To be honest, Dio loved nature. He adored the view, albeit a little embarrassed to admit it, but he enjoyed existing under the grace of the sunlight; he enjoyed the wind and the ticklish feeling of the greenery touching his skin. More than anything else, he found the feeling of his feet getting lost in a bed of grass the most satisfying.
In such a situation, animosity wasn't very easily found inside of him, he desperately wanted to beat the shit out of Jin, but wasn't there a time and place for things? This was hardly the space, or so he thought at least. This would continue to be the case if not for the voice of the instructor: "You never pick where you fight to save your life, and you most definitely don't pick your battlefield. Sometimes good things are lost in the process of destroying the bad."
'And from that, we derive meaning,' the instructor held back as he smiled to himself. What seemed like a rolled cigarette was now in his mouth as he continued to ponder with his eyes closed.
'…..he's not that cool,' Dio thought to himself before shifting his gaze towards Jin. Who once again seemed lost and unbothered. What did Alex even see in this kid?
"Would you like to spar with me?" a voice called out from behind Dio.
Turning around to see who it was, Dio almost thought it was Jin, the boy was shockingly similar to Jin except that he looked more composed and humane. "Sorry I wa-"
"Oh no. Not you Dio," the guy smiled and held out a cross with his arms, "your friend there," he pointed to John who had been standing quietly with his eyes glued to Dio or the ground.
"…..?" Dio was taken aback as well. In the first place, his reason for fighting Jin was because of how he treated John, moreover, there seemed to be no acknowledgment from Jin's side which only made Dio's anger worse. Now for another random person to want to spar with his roommate, it definitely did catch him off guard. "I see…." He turned around to look at John.
'I have to get stronger. This is only a spar, the first of many steps!' he reassured himself with his eyes closed before finally opening them with newfound resolve, "I accept," John said nervously.
"That's perfect, I look forward to the spar, let us head over there then?" the boy replied as Dio carefully analyzed every single thing. There was something about the timing that just made this whole thing difficult to process.
Without wasting any more time, Dio turned around and approached Jin, pushing away Alex who tried to talk to him, he was determined, but nobody was getting to him at the moment. In the first place, he believed Alex was being irrational and was merely smitten by Jin.
"Hey Trashbin, let's get this over with. You and I... let's go," Dio announced before turning around, he had begun to walk towards the instructor before Jin had even responded. But of course, he could sense how prideful the latter was, he knew there was no way someone like him would refuse such a blatant challenge, albeit, Jin did seem a little slow to Dio.
"Two fights already huh?" the instructor ashed his roll and stood up to take a better look at the contestants. "Dio versus Jin…..I better not see any foul play. I get that you guys have a score to settle but this is a spar. You may injure your opponent however you see fit, but I will intervene before anyone's life is lost. I will also stop the fight if I see any party incapacitated,"
"Alright, you guys are the second fight so you can wait or warm up. For the first fight, we have….Blue Godfrey and John Fade," the instructor announced, a sense of dread and rage instantly overcoming Dio's face.