Chapter Text
The car had been driving for three hours.
Wemmbu knew because he'd watched the numbers on the dashboard change.
He had stopped counting the minutes somewhere around two hours and forty-three.
There wasn't much else to do.
He sat in the back seat with his forehead against the window, watching the world smear into green and gray.
Trees.
Road.
More trees.
Buildings appearing between them.
Then disappearing again.
He watched them without really seeing them.
His reflection stared back at him in the glass.
Pale face.
Tired eyes.
Dark purple hair that hadn't been properly brushed in days.
Two horns rising from his head.
And behind him, folded as tightly against his back as possible, were his wings.
Black.
Batlike.
Too large for the seat.
Too awkward to hide.
One of them was pressed against the door, the membrane bent uncomfortably where it met the window.
Wemmbu shifted.
Pain shot through the wing.
He stopped moving.
Fine.
He could deal with it.
He always did.
The adult driving didn't say anything.
Neither did the other person sitting in the passenger seat.
They hadn't spoken to him much since they had dragged him out of his room.
That was fine.
Wemmbu preferred silence.
Silence didn't ask questions.
Silence didn't stare.
Silence didn't tell him what he was.
He closed his eyes.
For a few seconds, the car disappeared.
The school disappeared.
The road disappeared.
He was somewhere else.
Somewhere smaller.
Darker.
His bedroom.
He could remember the carpet beneath his hands.
The taste of blood in his mouth.
The sound of laughter.
"Get up."
He hadn't.
He'd stayed where he was.
"Come on. Get up."
A shoe had nudged his side.
Wemmbu remembered staring at the floor.
He'd been trying to make himself smaller.
It hadn't worked.
Someone had grabbed his shoulder.
He'd flinched.
That had made them laugh.
"Look at him."
"He's scared."
"Of course he's scared."
Another voice.
"Freak."
Wemmbu remembered closing his eyes.
He'd wanted them to leave.
That was all.
He hadn't wanted to fight.
He hadn't wanted revenge.
He hadn't wanted to hurt anybody.
He had simply wanted it to stop.
The pain had come suddenly.
His arm.
A horrible, sharp burst that made his entire body tense.
Something had broken.
He remembered gasping.
And then...
Nothing.
The pain disappeared.
Not slowly.
Instantly.
It had been swallowed by something inside him.
Wemmbu had opened his eyes.
The people around him were no longer laughing.
One of them had stumbled backward.
Another had grabbed their own arm.
"What did you do?"
Wemmbu hadn't known.
He still didn't understand it.
He'd only known that the pain wasn't his anymore.
It had become something else.
Something inside him.
Something feeding him.
The more they hurt, the stronger he felt.
That was the first time he'd understood his power.
It wasn't a gift.
It wasn't a miracle.
It was simply another thing his body had learned to do because nobody had protected him.
The memory blurred.
A door opening.
Hands grabbing him.
"You're going."
Wemmbu had stared at them.
"No."
"Get your things."
"I don't have any."
"Then get up."
He'd stayed sitting.
A hand had closed around his arm.
He'd pulled away.
"Don't touch me."
Nobody had listened.
He remembered being dragged from the room.
His wing had caught against the doorway.
He'd cried out.
Nobody stopped.
His belongings had been left behind.
There hadn't been much anyway.
A few clothes.
A handful of things that weren't worth enough for anyone to steal.
Nothing that felt like his.
Nothing that felt like home.
They'd pushed him into the car.
He remembered looking back through the window.
The building had gotten smaller.
Smaller.
Smaller.
Until it disappeared.
He hadn't felt sad.
That was the part that frightened him.
He'd felt nothing.
The car continued down the road.
Wemmbu opened his eyes.
His reflection was still there.
He looked away.
He didn't want to think about it.
He didn't want to think about anything.
Especially not the school.
He didn't know why they'd sent him.
Apparently people with powers were supposed to attend.
Apparently he had one.
Apparently that meant he belonged somewhere.
Wemmbu didn't believe that.
He didn't belong anywhere.
He had learned that already.
The car slowed.
Wemmbu looked up.
A massive stone gate appeared ahead.
Beyond it stood the academy.
It was enormous.
Several buildings rose above the surrounding trees, connected by walkways and bridges. Tall towers stood around the main structure. There were training fields visible farther inside, along with what looked like a stadium.
The school looked less like a school and more like a small city.
Students moved through the entrance.
Hundreds of them.
Some walked.
Some flew.
Some had wings.
Others had tails, horns, scales, feathers, claws.
Some looked completely human.
Wemmbu watched them.
A group of students passed by laughing.
One had their arm around another's shoulder.
Someone else was talking animatedly about a fight from the previous week.
Two students raced each other toward the entrance.
Someone shouted after them.
They laughed.
Wemmbu looked away.
He didn't want that.
Friends.
Groups.
People who knew your name.
People who noticed when you were gone.
People who expected you to come back.
It sounded exhausting.
The car stopped.
The driver looked into the rearview mirror.
"Get out."
Wemmbu didn't move.
The driver sighed.
"Wemmbu."
He opened the door.
Cold air rushed inside.
His wings immediately twitched.
He pulled them tighter.
He stepped out.
The door slammed behind him.
For a moment, he simply stood there.
The gates were directly in front of him.
He looked up.
There was a massive emblem above the entrance.
He didn't recognize it.
He didn't care enough to ask.
"Go."
Wemmbu started walking.
He didn't look back.
The adults followed him only as far as the entrance.
Then one of them stopped.
"You're enrolled. They'll explain everything."
Wemmbu stared ahead.
"Okay."
"Your dorm information is inside."
"Okay."
There was silence.
Wemmbu waited.
Maybe they would say something.
Maybe they'd tell him when they were coming back.
Maybe they'd tell him where his things were.
Maybe they'd say goodbye.
Nothing.
Footsteps moved behind him.
The car doors opened.
Then closed.
The engine started.
Wemmbu turned around.
The car drove away.
He watched until it disappeared around the corner.
Then he looked at the school.
He was alone.
He shoved his hands into his pockets.
And walked inside.
The reception hall was enormous.
Wemmbu immediately hated it.
Too bright.
Too many people.
Too many voices.
He stayed along the wall as he walked toward the reception desk.
Nobody stopped him.
That was good.
A few students glanced at his wings.
One stared at his horns.
Wemmbu ignored them.
He reached the desk.
A woman sitting behind it looked up.
"Hello."
Wemmbu said nothing.
She smiled politely.
"Can I help you?"
"Wemmbu."
She blinked.
"Your name?"
He nodded.
She typed something into the computer.
"Ah."
Her eyes moved across the screen.
"Late enrollment."
Wemmbu nodded again.
"You're seventeen?"
"Yeah."
"You manifested your ability after the usual enrollment period?"
"Yeah."
She seemed to understand that he wasn't interested in talking.
She didn't push.
"Alright. Let me get you oriented."
She pulled a folder from beneath the desk.
"This academy operates slightly differently from a conventional high school."
Wemmbu stared at the papers.
"You'll have ordinary academic classes, but because you've manifested an ability, you'll also have practical training."
She slid his schedule across the desk.
"Ability control."
"Combat fundamentals."
"Power theory."
"Physical conditioning."
"Standard academics."
"Your instructors will assess your current abilities during your first week."
Wemmbu picked up the schedule.
"Do I have to fight?"
"Not necessarily."
That answer made him look up.
She smiled.
"Students are encouraged to learn how to defend themselves and control their powers. The academy doesn't officially dictate what you do after graduation."
She pointed toward a section on the welcome packet.
"Students may pursue LAW, independent hero work, vigilante work, villain careers, or remain unaffiliated."
Wemmbu stared at the list.
"You're free to decide."
He looked back at her.
"Okay."
She continued.
"There is a ranking system."
Of course there was.
"Students are ranked according to several factors, including academic performance, power control, combat ability, and overall capability."
Wemmbu's eyes drifted toward the crowded hallway behind her.
Students wore different expressions.
Some looked confident.
Some nervous.
Some excited.
Others were already showing off.
The secretary continued.
"Your ranking won't be established immediately. You'll need to complete your initial evaluations first."
Wemmbu already understood.
Strong people went up.
Weak people went down.
It was the same everywhere.
Just with nicer walls.
She handed him a student card.
"This is yours."
He took it.
"And your dorm key."
A small metal key landed in his palm.
"Building C. Second floor. Room 214."
Wemmbu looked at it.
"Your roommate has already been assigned."
He didn't respond.
"The dorm has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a shared living room, and a small kitchen. Your roommate should already be there."
"Okay."
She gave him one final sheet.
"Classes begin tomorrow."
Wemmbu nodded.
"Welcome to the academy, Wemmbu."
He turned away.
He heard her say something else behind him.
He didn't listen.
Building C was quieter.
Thank God.
Wemmbu climbed the stairs slowly.
His wings hurt.
He'd been keeping them folded for too long.
He didn't know how other people managed.
Maybe they had been taught.
Maybe somebody had shown them how to sleep with wings.
How to stretch them.
How to fold them properly.
How to deal with injuries.
How to fly.
Nobody had ever taught him.
He'd figured out most of it himself.
Badly.
Room 214.
Wemmbu stopped outside.
He unlocked the door.
The room was bigger than he expected.
A small living room.
A kitchen.
Two doors leading to separate bedrooms.
Two bathrooms.
He stood there.
It was strange.
He'd never had a place with this much space.
He didn't know what to do with it.
A voice came from the living room.
"You're Wemmbu?"
Wemmbu looked up.
A boy was sitting on the couch.
Human.
He looked around the same age.
He stood.
"Yungy."
He pointed toward himself.
"I'm your roommate."
Wemmbu stared at him.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Yungy's eyes moved over him.
The horns.
The wings.
His face.
His clothes.
Wemmbu waited.
There it was.
That look.
Curiosity.
Maybe confusion.
Maybe something else.
Wemmbu was familiar with it.
People always looked.
Yungy didn't ask anything, though.
He simply gestured toward the hallway.
"Your room's that one."
Wemmbu followed his hand.
"Okay."
He walked past him.
"Nice to meet you."
Wemmbu stopped.
The words felt foreign.
He turned slightly.
"Wemmbu."
Then he kept walking.
Yungy watched him disappear into the bedroom.
The door closed.
Silence.
Yungy remained standing in the living room.
His eyes lingered on the door.
Then his gaze moved toward the wings he'd seen.
There was something about Wemmbu that didn't fit.
Not just the wings.
Not just the horns.
Everything.
The way he walked.
The way he avoided eye contact.
The way he'd barely spoken.
Yungy had seen plenty of strange people at the academy.
But Wemmbu didn't seem strange because he was a hybrid.
He seemed strange because he looked like someone who had already decided there was nothing here worth caring about.
Yungy eventually sat back down.
He glanced at the school handbook lying beside him.
His eyes stopped on the ranking system.
He'd already heard plenty about it.
The academy loved strength.
Students at the top got better training.
More opportunities.
More attention.
More respect.
Students at the bottom?
Not so much.
Yungy looked toward Wemmbu's closed door again.
He had no idea where the new student would end up.
But somehow...
He suspected this year was going to be interesting.
Wemmbu sat on the edge of his bed.
He stared at the empty room.
There was a desk.
A bed.
A closet.
A window.
That was it.
No decorations.
No personal belongings.
No reason for anyone to come inside.
Perfect.
He opened the closet.
Empty.
He closed it.
He looked at the desk.
Empty.
He sat down.
His student card lay beside him.
WEMMBU
The name looked strange printed like that.
Official.
Permanent.
Like he belonged here.
He picked up the schedule.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow he'd have to walk into a classroom full of strangers.
Then another.
Then another.
He'd have to learn how to use his power.
He'd have to let people watch him.
Assess him.
Rank him.
Judge him.
He didn't want any of it.
He wanted to leave.
But there wasn't anywhere to go.
Wemmbu lay down.
He pulled the blanket over himself.
His wings remained awkwardly folded beneath it.
They hurt.
He ignored that too.
His eyes closed.
Maybe tomorrow wouldn't be so bad.
He didn't believe that.
He fell asleep anyway.
Morning came with sunlight.
Wemmbu woke up alone.
The other bedroom door was open.
Yungy was gone.
He stared at the empty living room for several seconds.
Then shrugged.
Whatever.
He got dressed.
His wings took several minutes.
They always did.
He tried to stretch one.
Pain.
He stopped.
He adjusted his clothes around them instead.
His horns caught slightly against the collar of his shirt.
He tugged it loose.
Then left.
The hallways were already crowded.
Wemmbu lowered his head.
He followed the schedule.
Building A.
Third floor.
Room 306.
He got lost twice.
Nobody noticed.
Eventually he found the classroom.
He slipped inside.
The teacher wasn't there yet.
Good.
Wemmbu immediately chose the seat furthest toward the back corner.
He sat down.
Folded his arms.
Put his head on them.
And closed his eyes.
Students entered.
He ignored them.
Someone laughed loudly.
Someone dropped a bag.
Someone complained about their schedule.
Someone discussed rankings.
Wemmbu didn't care.
He only wanted the day to end.
He could already feel the exhaustion settling into his bones.
Another student entered.
Then another.
Then another.
The classroom became louder.
Wemmbu kept his head down.
Maybe if he stayed quiet enough, nobody would notice him.
Maybe if he didn't speak, nobody would remember he was there.
A chair scraped across the floor nearby.
Footsteps approached.
They stopped beside his desk.
"Hey."
Wemmbu's fingers tightened around his sleeve.
He didn't look up.
"You're new, right?"
Silence.
The person waited.
"What's your name?"
Wemmbu closed his eyes.
He hated this already.
He didn't want friends.
He didn't want conversations.
He didn't want anyone asking questions.
He just wanted everyone to leave him alone.
The person spoke again.
"Wemmbu, right?"
His eyes opened.
Slowly, he lifted his head.
And looked at them.
For the first time since entering the academy, someone had actually come looking for him.
Wemmbu stared at them.
He already wished they hadn't.