Chapter 31: Bright Lions

Date 21 Mar 2321

Time 9:25 

Location Sky Blossom City, Lion Cubs High School.

Descending the stairs of School I remembered that a bunch of delinquents liked to spend their time behind the School Gym smoking, eating tobacco while doing weird and stupid stuff.

That bunch could be considered Jason’s acquaintance. These guys milked young Wyatt like a cow for money. 

With no parents or guardians and being of legal adult age, young Wyatt had full control over his finances and he had a lot of it, enough for a mortal family to live carefree for their lifetime.

Having no other way and since no one is stopping him Wyatt spent money to save his ass from being bullied and it was more of a short term solution than a long term one.

But young Wyatt did not consider one thing that he seemed to be just fueling their greed. These delinquents just got greedier and did not care where the money came from as long as they got it.

And when young Wyatt lost all his money in a scam the situation took the worst possible turn. Not getting their daily money the bullying just turned into assault and violence. 

These fu<kers started leaving burn marks on young Wyatt’s covered part of the body with tobacco butts and used him as a combat dummy to try their stupid stunts, young Wyatt end up in the school infirmary in the past few weeks more than in his entire life. 

Since the Healer used healing cards which were enough to treat flesh wounds without checking the patient they never knew what Wyatt had been through. 

Because of this, there was no evidence of the delinquents cruel act left and they got fresh flesh to canvas on again.

These past few weeks were the most painful, humiliating, mind-numbing experience of young Wyatt’s life. 

Yet he still went to school because that was the only way he could get into a good college and fulfil his parent’s dream of him being ranked in the Card Apprentice Championship.

But every mind has a breaking point which Young Wyatt had crossed four days ago leading to him attempting suicide.

The more I went through these memories the more enraged I was, as I realised that Wyatt may be a nerd when it comes to cards and grimoires but he was a sunny good-hearted boy who did not deserve this. I finally thought justice was not enough vengeance had to be achieved.

These morons don’t get to just walk away with it. Some would argue they were just children and did not know better. To them, I had only this to say ‘go X X yourself’.

Changing my route I headed to the school gym, but to my disappointment, nobody was there.

It’s at this moment I question myself, what am I doing? Who am I to judge these delinquents? It’s one thing to punish those that came seeking trouble but to find trouble myself I am no less of a monster, than them.

I think I have taken this whole vengeance thing personally. It didn’t seem like vengeance anymore it was like I was the strong one was bullying the weak. What’s up with me?

I almost crushed two students windpipes just because they voiced their opinion, they had not wronged young Wyatt in any way yet why was I cruel to them. 

I did not understand where my hatred and anger stemmed from? but it had to go! I wasn’t being myself, to think I would actively be seeking out people to hurt.

Don’t get me wrong I don’t regret breaking Jason’s nose or even punching students in their throats. I just don’t want to be a person who is headstrong and impulsive trying to punch his way out of every problem he faces.

Disgusted with what I was doing? who I had become! I decided to bottle all my feelings and walk it off. I had to stop letting my rage direct me and start acting my mental age.

I guess that today is the delinquents lucky day, but fate seemed to have different plans, as I was thinking about leaving, 4 students with messy hair and shabby dress walked by.

“Hey, look who’s here?”

“It’s our cash cow, Wyatt. Did you finally change your mind and decided to stop resisting?”

“Sharing is good, say buddy could you lend us some money. We are bored eating in the school canteen, it would be good to have lunch outside for a change.”

“Yes! Yes! Let’s go to uncle cheng’s he makes the best bbq and cheap.”

Hearing these cu*ts there was a tremor in my soul, it originated from the remnant fear of young Wyatt. Even though young Wyatt’s soul passed away his remnant resentment, hate, fear, rage etc was left behind in this body for me. No wonder my emotions overpowered my judgement. 

The four delinquents surrounded me as they tried to extrude money from me.

In a rage, I balled my hands into fists and shouted “you beggers ain’t getting a shit from me.”

With that, I summoned my grimoire and went total berserk on them. To my surprise, all four of them had advanced to card students and officially became card apprentices.

But they were a bit lacking in the skill/item card department after all four of them had a humble background and their families pockets were nearly empty sending them to a good private high school.

With no prior training and useless cards, these four were worse than the three goons from Zhang Mercenary.

Within a few seconds, they all kneeled on the ground trembling in fear with bruises all over their body.

“Wyatt, we are part of Bright Lions?”

One of the goons shouted as if it was supposed to mean something to me.

“Bright Lions? Never heard of it.”

“This school comes under Bright Lions territory, as of yesterday.” 

“And we are part of Bright Lions, they will avenge us.”

I was running out of patients, and these clowns kept spouting nonsense Bright Lions that! Bright Lion this!

So I punched the loudest one in the face. Learning the lesson they went quiet.

“Don’t waste my time, answer when asked?” 

I looked at the stout one and asked” who are these Bright Lions? Some kind of local gang or mercenaries.”

“No, Bright Lions are a student gang consisting of almost all the card apprentices in our Lion Cub high, led by the Bright families Bright brothers trio. Within a day they united all of us card apprentices and established this gang yesterday claiming Lion Cub high as Bright Lion gang territory.”

Turns out all this build-up for a bunch of students playing a gangster.

“How many people are there in this gang?”

“As of now 22 including the Bright Brothers trio. Pretty soon many will join us.”

“How many card apprentices are there in senior year?”

“157 registered as for the rest yet to register we don’t know.”

“Wow you guys are weak in math, 22 is no way near 157, Your parents should be proud. You got cigarettes on you?”

“Yes! Yes! …” all four of them took out a pack of cigarettes hurriedly.

“Okay take one each and throw the remaining ones here.” 

The delinquents each took one and threw the rest of the pack at my foot. 

“Now sit in a circle with your back facing each other.”

Under the intimidating aura of abyssal bear, they did as I asked them to.

“Remove your shirts, light the smoke and show me your best masterpiece yet on your friends back. You guys should be pro in this since you had enough practice on me. Failure to do so I will start breaking your limbs one by one. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Soon painful moans started to sound from behind the gym building. 

…