Astral Odyssey: Dying Ember

World 2.2: Alice

Alice began practicing martial arts on top of her physical training. Many people neglected physical skills because they relied on the power of their abilities. An ability user would always win against one with no abilities no matter how physically strong that person may be after all. However, Alice refused to believe that. That rule only applied if a good fighter was placed against a good ability user. If a good fighter fought against a sub-par user, he would move faster than the user could react and still win. 

Another 2 weeks passed this way and Alice finally returned to class.

Abilities classes split students up according to the number of abilities they have and the nature of their ability. 

The divisions between the one, two, and three abilities users were clear for all to see. One ability users wore white blazers and ate at the crowded canteen on the first floor. Two abilities users wore blue blazers and ate on the second floor that served better food with the three abilities users who wore maroon blazers. Nonetheless, it was a school that costed a lot to attend. Ignoring the colours of the blazers, their uniform looked and felt great. The material of the white buttoned shirt, black pants and skirt, and different coloured jackets, were all satin or silk.

Alice found that classes were about the same and quite mundane. It was usually emphasized how they should seek to understand their ability as if it were a part of their body and to use it as such. This was how everyone gradually found their most comfortable way of defending and attacking. There was the theory part and the practical part of class. 

During the theory half, they simply gave many suggestions about what they could do with their powers and different ways they could understand their powers, such as the personality of the element and how it complements the user's personality. 

During the practical half, it was simply practice in the combat hall where there were targets they could throw attacks at. However, students would often hold mock and friendly battles with the teacher as the referee instead. 

Alice did not want people to find out about her sudden growth in strength so she pretended to be weak. She carelessly threw water bombs at targets in an effort to recreate the standard of the original soul. The original soul did not have much imagination with regards to the use of her ability and never thought to look at others for inspiration. 

At the end of class, a boy approached her. "What a pathetic idol you have. Where was she when you needed her?" He mocked. 

Alice simply ignored him and walked around him to head to the canteen. He suddenly pulled her roughly by her right arm. "Lucky you, looks like it healed up all nicely."

"Let go." Alice said coldly.

"Maybe we should break it agai- Ah!!!" The boy cried out in pain when Alice twisted his arm that was holding onto her to his back.

"I warned you. Touch me again and I will break your arm." Alice threatened him in a cold and calm manner. She pushed him aside then headed towards the canteen as she had intended. 

The boy stumbled into the wall. He turned around in anger to point a trembling finger at her. "You just wait for it, you little twit!"

At the canteen, Alice looked at the huge variety of food available.

BaoBao, do you think that I should just stick to making my own food?

What do you mean you, I'm the one making it for the past month...

Yes, yes, good helpful BaoBao.

Just try the food here first. If it's not as nourishing or delicious, then I could cook for you. That looks pretty goo- Ah behind you!

As BaoBao was distracted and Alice was among a crowd of people, he only noticed the bullies when someone reached for her collar from the back. Alice successfully dodged the hand but was immediately grabbed by her arms and dragged away. She saw how the others around her were either nonchalant or smirking.

I just wanted to eat...

She got dragged out of the canteen into an open field. However, instead of crossing the field, they took an immediate turn and a short distance away, she got thrown down onto the ground. She got up and dusted herself off. She looked up and around her. She was surrounded by a group of boys in a secluded corner of the field and building. A 2 abilities user was standing in front of a gang of four 1 ability users. He has brown hair and orange eyes. 

Alice looked bored. Just riding on another's coattails...

"I heard that someone became daring and actually fought back. Tell me, which paw of yours touched my lackey?" The leader spoke up.

"You speak as if you'd leave me alone if I didn't fight back." Alice quipped back.

"Looks like he's right, you're stupidly daring now. I'll show you how I treat defiant people!" He looked at the boy whose arm she twisted earlier. "Which paw of hers did she use?"

He pointed to her left. The leader then jumped at her, wanting to dominate her completely through sheer physical power to humiliate her. "I don't even need my abilities to defeat you!"

However, the next few moments humiliated him instead. 

She easily dodged all his attacks and even turned some of his attacks onto himself by redirecting his punch or kick. When Alice finally had enough, she concentrated her spiritual energy in her right arm that swung towards him. He suddenly felt immense danger and used his earth ability to create a shield in front of him. She managed to smash through his shield and punched his face. The power became a normal punch because of the shield but it still caused his nose to bleed thanks to her physical training.

The leader turned red in anger and embarrassment. He used his earth ability to encase her legs and formed a fire ball in his hand. 

She frowned slightly at this. How tiresome. She thought.

"Now you're scared. I'll teach you a lesson for messing with me!" He threw the fire ball that was the size of her face at her but she made a water wall at the last moment that caused his fire ball to fizzle out. The suddenness of it coupled with the comical sizzling sound made one of the boys giggle. The leader slapped the boy hard with the back of his hand then burnt him to a crisp with fire spewing out from his hand. All the other boys stared at the burnt boy in fear then looked at their leader.

"Still think it's funny?!" 

The remaining three shook their head vigorously.

The 2 abilities user then turned back to Alice. "I'll make you regret making fun of me!" 

BaoBao, when did I make fun of him?

I don't know. 

What an egoistic freak...

The leader directed a strong blaze of fire at Alice. She responded with a water wall that simultaneously shot water bullets. However, the leader's anger fueled the temperature of his fire and it caused her water to evaporate before it could reach him. She increased the size of the bullets and tried to maintain the fast speed at which it flew but it still did not work. She tried raining sharp water arrows at him from above but they evaporated too. 

Instead, each of her attack seemed to fuel his anger and attack. Her hands was already burnt and blistering from the steam that was created from her water wall. She tried making a water jet like he was spewing fire out of his hands but she was still weaker. 

Alice decided that she was still too weak to fight back so she tried to escape. 

She broke her legs free by directing her spiritual energy into her legs and jumped high up. However, the leader quickly redirected his aim and shot her. She made a water wall again.

Because she was in air, her hand touched her water wall as she fell onto it. It was boiling hot water. She propelled herself off the water wall and directed her jump to reach behind the group of boys. She was prepared to take off the moment she landed but the leader caught onto her intention to escape. 

Before she could even land, he trapped her in a small box made out of earth. He knew that she would be able to break out of it if it was too thin so he began reinforcing all the sides except the side facing him while he blasted fire towards the earth box.