Proem

Five more days until the Queen’s Guard Exams. The school was buzzing with excitement. Everywhere Z went, he could hear students chattering about the potential new Guard members. Their voices were starting to grate on his nerves.

Z blankly stared at a spot on the ceiling, tuning out the professor, who was drawling on and on about some stupid academic requirements to graduate. As soon as the bell rang, Z was the first out the door.

The chaos began to accumulate quickly as more and more students rushed out of their classrooms to make it back to home sweet home. Those who had one, at least. Z sighed, taking advantage of the temporarily empty halls to slip into the boy’s shower unnoticed.

He hummed, pulling his shirt over his head in one fell swoop. His toned muscles flexed as he moved, gently placing his shirt on the counter. Z undressed quickly, removing everything but the dark gloves on his hands and stepping into the shower.

He took a deep breath when he felt the familiar stinging sensation of hot water splashing onto his skin. The best part about executing a job was the shower before it. Perhaps it was the only good part.

Z hummed, basking in the warm water. The water intoxicated him, making his muscles loose and his bones soft like pudding. A bit… too soft, as he suddenly felt his knees buckle under him.

Z’s eyes shot open in alarm, his vision blurring while his head began to pound. The boy cursed, steadying himself with a hand on the shower wall as he swayed back and forth.

The water… there was something wrong with it. It seemed to seep into his skin, diluting his bloodstream and clouding his mind. A faint sizzling sound reached his ears as his skin began to scald painfully.

Was it just him or was the Earth spinning just a tad faster than normal? Z gulped, the hand on the shower wall slipping as everything bled into black.