Sigma/Star

Chapter 79: Standby

"Uh...tell me Ardwen, does Porter seem different to you lately?" Chase nudged his academic leader and pointed at the darkened Porter.

"Well..." Ardwen tapped his pen against his lips, pausing to mull over his observational thoughts on Porter. Instead there was a memory of Gretta, then of Gretta at lunch, then some Goliath schematics, then Gretta again but there wasn't much in his brain about Porter. "No, I haven't really noticed anything strange."

"I have," Raul cut in, leaning over in his seat to put his head between the two, his serious demeanour slicing apart Ardwen's absentmindedness. "He has seemed a little less perky of late."

"Maybe it has to do with his studies?" Ardwen continued to tap his pen as he thought. "Stressing about tests or assignments."

"This would make the most sense here," Raul stated with empty emotions.

"Well then why don't you ask him about that then Chase?" Ardwen flipped his pen around and started to take notes again.

"Me?!" Chase waved his hands in front of his body, shaking his head back and forth. "No way, I'm not going near him again. He will suck out my soul."

"He will what?" Ardwen said, his eyes shifting back to Chase. "I don't even think souls are real there mister, and how could they even get sucked out to begin with?"

"Wait a second, wait a second," Chase argued. "We power giant robot battle suits with the embodiment of our life force called chi but you're wondering about souls being real or not?"

"Yes," came the unified reply from Raul and Ardwen.

"Fine, then you talk to him Ardwen."

"Sure, it's not that hard to just talk to a friend." Ardwen twisted his chair around to look at Porter's dead eyes. "So Porter, what's up? Anything going on lately?"

Porter's head slowly turned, bringing with him a wave of cold air that wrapped around Ardwen and sucked out his warmth. "Nothing...nothing at all."

Ardwen and Raul snapped back in their chairs, staying as far away from Porter as possible. "Our souls..." Ardwen started.

"...will be sucked out..." Raul finished.

"He is the embodiment of death itself," Ardwen said.

"My life essence is drained by his vision," Raul muttered.

"What did I tell you?" Chase gloated, though he was equally as terrified as the other two.

"Quiet in my classroom," Mr. Shotuku shouted, giving a death glare that would normally have petrified the students, were they not already stricken with fear. "Chatter brings with it the highest punishment! The death penalty!" Four black slippers whipped through the air, smashing into each student's forehead. Only Porter remained seated after, enduring the blow without flinching, while the rest toppled to the ground.

"Interesting," Shotuku mused, stroking his beard. "He appears to be possessed by the spirit of an invincible demon," the teacher concluded, noting the spirits of Porter's classmates floating around the youth's head.

"What on earth are you talking about you old buffoon?!" Chase shouted but he was silenced with footwear to the face.

"Then it seems I will need to use the highest penalty on the indestructible Porter...the Triple Death Penalty!" Three slippers smashed into Porter's forehead at once, with enough force to put a hole through a wall. Instead, they harmlessly fell to the ground, and the teens dead eyes remained unchanged.

"Nothing...nothing is up," Porter mumbled.

"You silly boys don't know anything about dealing with emotions," Nami butted in, standing up from her chair with Riya following suit. Gretta poked her head in through the hallway door but a flying slipper scared her away from making any comments.