The Other Side of Paradise

The Special Infermum

“Who do you want to kill with that swing? I think you won't last a minute in a fight”, snicker a boy his age. There are two other girls beside him, mockingly looking at him. The three of them holding a sword, posing as if they are superior, act as if they're infermum. They are obviously an elementalist. Their eyes give away the act.

"How about we fight? Let's see who wins”, said the boy again. Without waiting for Apo's answer, he attacked him. Apo was unprepared but he managed to block his attack with his sword. His force is so powerful that Apo fell hard on his butt.

The unknown boy laughed at his ungraceful fall. His friends make hurt comments about how weak he is. A lowly infermum. Well he has never fought in his life, so it's fair. 

“See what I can do with him”, he cackled. He makes a hand motion, his normally fair hand suddenly shines with bluish colour. Apo was alarmed, he knew that he was fighting with an elementalist, by nature, they are powerful beings. Without warning his clothes were drenched with water. The boy had used a moderate amount of power to humiliate him. It honestly pissed him off but he kept on chanting in his mind that he didn't want to make any enemies, at least not from an elementalist.

The girl with brown hair also makes a hand movement. A dust gathering on her hand, slowly turning into bigger rocks. Before she even managed to attack him. A full wind pushed the girl aside. Apo was shocked, but saw Jeff's angry face as he approached them.

“Pick up someone as skillful as you if you want to fight”, Jeff's voice is calm but deadly. Apo can feel a shiver running down his spine. His aura is different, the light blue eyes, shining with anger.

“Then, let's fight!”, yells the boy that drenched him with water. Apo was shivering from the cold. Job helped him move from the scene, Apo stopped him. He can see the boy push the water into Jeff's direction but with a swift of his hands, Jeff freezes the water mid air, Apo stood in awe, that is why his eyes are extra menacing. An elementalist with a high rank of power, he could breeze an air of coldness. The ice breaks as soon as it contacts the ground. Job was still trying to drag him out of the scene but he stopped him again, he wanted to see what would happen next.

The other girl with red hair looked angry as her friend was humiliated. Not that they noticed that they  assaulted and humiliated Apo first. The red-haired girl finally made a hand movement and a crackling noise can be heard from miles. The blue lightning strikes Jeff. Jeff shrieked from the lightning contact, but managed to still stand. Weak power. The red-haired girl wants to make a second attack when there is another bluish yellow lightning block. Apo soon realised that Bas had joined the fight. His eyes were beautiful as the thunder he produced. The other boys and girls, whether an elementalist or infermum, started to take interest in this fight. To study the situation. Apo knows that if they don't stop now. Someone will get hurt.

But what happened next is something Apo regretted a bit. The brown-haired girl's rock came out of nowhere and directed it in Jeff and Bas's direction as both of them were busy fighting the other two, they were too focused to realise what would happen. Without thinking, Apo threw himself to push them out of the way. Job tried to stop him but Apo was a second faster to slip out of his hand. There was a stinging pain on his head then darkness welcome him

•••

He didn't know how long he had fainted. When he wakes up, he is already in the comfy of his own bed. He was alone in the room. Apo's hand wanders to touch his face. He can feel a bandage around his head. He thinks the rock is directly hitting his head. The stinging pain is hurting him. It was hard to open his eyes.

He hears the door opening and closing. He glanced at the door with one eye closed and saw all his three roommates finally arrive. They brought something with them. Before Apo could observe further, a shot of pain abruptly attacked his head. 

“That must be hurt, Sorm always uses the hardest rock to attack people when she's angry", Apo opened his eyes and saw Bas staring at him. It was the first time he spoke.

“That girl should stop being a bitch here”, Jeff said as he put a plate of food on a table beside Apo bed. “Eat”

"Thanks”, Apo mumbled but it still hurt his head. Nonetheless, his hungry stomach protested, he grabbed the soft bread, slowly nibbling it bit by bit.

Bas smiled and chuckled "You lose a fight with literally a level 2 elementalist. Just throw that small wooden sword you hold, they will lose," he joked, then with a soft smile, he continued, "But thanks for saving us. You don't have to, but you did”, it was the longest sentence someone has said to him in this house. He never thinks that Bas is someone talkative.

Shy, Apo stopped nibbling, and joked “Stop talking. My head feels like it's gonna split into two”, Apo said suddenly and it brought laughter to the other. They were sitting on Jeff's perfectly tidy bed, looking at him eating, like a child

The silence was awkward, he pushed his thoughts out of his head, "Run me down with your power please. So I have reason to not offend you" Apo said while his eyebrow scrunched in pain, and continued eating the sweet bread. He had mildly known about their power by the eyes, but it did not prepare him to know that they were capable of more. Eyes colour did not equal ability. It was the aura they amits that shows the level of power.

"I can control the earth, level 4. Jeff can control wind and is skillful enough to change anything into ice using the wind, level 5 elementalist. Bas can control lightning, level 4. I guess you're infermum”, Job answered Apo question, gladly

“That's cool. Not that I’m jealous. Having power over elements is a great responsibility. I'm happy with who I am now”, the three of them listen to him. They knew they have a higher responsibility to fight for the country and Apo knows that he is not capable of doing so if he had the power

Jeff slightly smiles, his eyes constantly looking at Apo's injured head. It has been throbbing since he woke up. "Sorry that we can't call a healer," he sadly murmured.His finger hover on his blood stained gauze bandage around his head. Worried look adorns his usually stoic face. He then looks around the room, looking uncomfortable, Apo looks at him confusedly.

Bas gently held Jeff's shoulder, "It is not your fault. It was an accident," he assured. Then it clicked to him that Jeff had felt guilty.

He held Jeff hand gently, "Hey, it's not your fault. I was too dumb to jump into the fight I can't win," he assured him too, then he lightly touched the injury, "It'll heal eventually. Knock some sense to not do something dumb again too," Apo chuckled, then hiss after a stabbing pain attacked him. Job immediately held his arms. The soft smile on Jeff's lips washed his worry away, only relief he felt.

Jeff chuckled, "You should rest," he said gently. Before they helped lower him down to bed, and tucked the blanket.

It was the night he felt some sort of connection with them. It's refreshing.

[Author note: This story is slow burn. And its almost all in Apo's pov. Also, if you want you can call me Rose or stick with author. Either way I am happy]