Adam : From a man to a God

Gabriel, the instructor, looked down at Adam, who was still on the ground.

(This guy is something else. He reacted just before I almost landed the punch. What exactly was he doing in the other world?) Gabriel thought, intrigued.

Adam stood up and glanced at the students in the back. Alex and his friends were watching him, whispering among themselves.

"Go join the others," Gabriel commanded.

Adam walked over to join the group. (When he came after me, I could feel Killer Adam's bloodlust rising inside me. I'm glad Instructor Kim stopped it when he did.)

"Okay everyone, today we're gonna focus on speed. Get into groups of three. Since we have another candidate, it should be fine now. We were lacking one. I'm gonna have to strengthen your body before I teach you how to use your elemental power," Gabriel announced.

All the students quickly found partners, but everyone rejected Adam. Eventually, he found a group that was missing one member: Akira and Eddie.

"Why did it have to be us?" Akira grumbled.

"He's gonna cause us to lose," Eddie complained.

"I'm not. Why do you guys suddenly think I'm—" Adam started.

"Shut up. No talking," Gabriel cut him off, pulling out a handful of bracelets from his pocket. "Class, I want you to put these on. These things will let me track your speed and see how fast you can all run. You're gonna play a game."

"A game?" a random student asked.

Gabriel created a small flame ball and flicked it with his middle finger. It shot towards the student, exploding on contact. The student fell to the ground, still conscious but clearly shaken. Some students jumped back, surprised.

"I said shut up. Get up; that was a negative percentage of my power," Gabriel said, his tone menacing.

(He’s bluffing, right?) Adam thought, watching the student struggle to stand.

"That's more like it. Now, you're gonna play a game of tag. If you are tagged, the wristband explodes," Gabriel explained. The students began murmuring quietly. Gabriel's gaze silenced them. "I will split you into teams because you'll be going off against each other in those woods. Now, pick a leader for your group."

(What is this even for?) Adam wondered.

"I'll be the leader," Akira declared.

"Yeah, I'm not a leader type of guy," Eddie agreed.

"What about you, Adam?" Akira asked.

"Yeah, you should lead. (Something tells me she would even if I said no,)" Adam replied.

*10 minutes later*

"Okay, I shall name your teams," Gabriel said, pointing at Adam. "You are Team A. That one is Team B, Team C, and Team D."

Gabriel named all the groups.

"Okay, we will be starting with the last team I named versus the second last. That's right, we are going in descending order. Oh, and make sure the bracelets in your teams touch each other before we start. They will glow different colors for each team. You'll be recognized by the bracelets that you're a team member. If bracelets with different colors touch each other, they'll explode," Gabriel explained.

He picked one of the teams and told them to run into the woods first and wait a minute before the other team followed. Adam was surprised by how fast the first group ran but felt confident that he was a bit faster.

Gabriel looked at the tablet he was holding. "Okay, I will be displaying everyone's speed for everyone to see next week. Team O, you may go after them."

Akira raised her hand. "Sir, what happens if people in the same team touch each other? Will the bracelets explode?"

"There is a certain amount of force needed to activate the explosion. Simply touching doesn't cause the explosion. The one wearing the band will get hurt a little. The one who tagged won't, since we're all immune to fire. (Could have just increased the amount of the explosion. They can just heal.) To specify my answer, no, they will not since they recognize you as members. When you punch someone or hit them, yours won't explode from the amount of force you put in hitting that person. I'm sure you know how curses work," Gabriel explained.

Suddenly, they heard a bang. They looked and saw smoke.

"Oh, it started," Gabriel commented.

(Hurt a little? That sounded like a grenade,) Adam thought, watching as both teams returned. All members of Team P were hurt, while only one member of Team O was injured.

Gabriel instructed the next teams to go. Team N and Team M lined up. Adam heard some students saying that Team M had the real deal.

Team M had Jenny, Tyler, and Berry. The other team had Tom, Tim, and Naomi.

Team M arrived deep in the woods, Tyler leading the way.

"Looks like they're not here," Tyler muttered, scanning the area. "Maybe they're hiding, trying to catch us off guard."

Suddenly, a boy in a blue jacket and black trousers flew at Tyler, his feet ablaze. Tyler barely dodged the fiery kick, the leg passing so close he could feel the heat. The attacker didn't stop, darting into the bushes.

"Hey!" Tyler shouted, sprinting after him.

"Damn, that guy is fast," Berry said, concerned. "What if it's a trap?"

"There goes our leader," Jenny sighed. "What do we do now? He's the fastest and strongest in our group."

"We follow him," Berry decided. "If it's a trap, he'll need our help. If not, we'll have the advantage."

They raced after Tyler, who had stopped running, facing off against the mysterious boy. Another figure, Tom, dropped from the sky beside the boy.

"Good work, Tim," Tom smirked. "I wasn't sure he'd fall for it. (Everybody knows Tyler is one of the strongest first years in the flame dorm. Knowing the others, they obviously chose him as the leader. He's short-tempered, confident in his abilities. But that's his downfall. We needed someone faster than all of us, and that's where Tim came in)."

"You think the two of you can take me on?" Tyler scoffed. "I can handle all three of you."

"Now!" Tom commanded.

Naomi leapt from the trees, aiming a punch at Tyler. But he was quicker, jumping back and delivering a midair kick to her stomach. Naomi crashed to the ground, her band exploding. She groaned in pain as Tyler turned to face the others.

Tim charged at Tyler, but Tyler dodged and delivered an uppercut, launching Tim into the air. With a swift roundhouse kick, he sent Tim flying towards Tom. As Tim's bracelet exploded, dust filled the air, obscuring Tom's vision.

"You need to be taught a lesson," Tyler growled.

Tom barely saw Tyler coming at him at an incredible speed. Tyler's fist slammed into Tom's gut, launching him skyward. Tyler followed with a barrage of eleven punches, finishing with a flaming fist to Tom's chest. Tom's ribs cracked as he was sent crashing into a tree, landing in a heap beside it.

Berry and Jenny arrived just in time to see the aftermath.

"We're here to... Oh, you-" Berry started.

"He did it all by himself," Jenny marveled.

"Just look at them," Berry whispered, stunned. "This is insane. That guy looks like he needs help. I'll carry him back."

Akira noticed a student carrying another.

"Sir, I think that one is hurt real bad," Akira called out.

"Let's see," Gabriel responded.

Adam observed the scene, noting the injured but unscathed members of the other team.

"See that door? Take the elevator in the hallway. You know where to go," Gabriel instructed.

*1 hour 26 minutes later*

Adam's team was the last to go, facing Team B. Adam realized something unsettling.

"Oh no, we're going up against Alex's team," he thought. Alex was known as the second strongest first-year.

"This might be an interesting game," Gabriel mused. "Let's see how it plays out. I wish I could have sent drones so the students and I could watch. Well, next time I guess. OK, last team go. You're my last lesson, I want to go to sleep, so hurry up. (Even though time moves slowly in here)."

Team B went first, followed by Adam's team.

*Minutes later*

A massive explosion echoed, creating a small mushroom cloud.

"What the hell was that?" Gabriel exclaimed. "No first year can make an explosion that intense before they're taught."

He heard three more loud explosions and a student scream.

"What the hell is going on?"