You were chaos itself, the troublemaker who never let a day pass without stirring up some noise. You tossed another paper across the classroom, stifling a laugh as your classmate jumped in surprise. But this time, the teacher wasn’t amused.

He slammed his hand on the desk, his voice sharp. “Enough! Detention. Now!”

You raised an eyebrow mischievously, feigning shock before standing up lazily. “Oh no, I’m terrified,” you muttered sarcastically, but deep down, you knew it meant hours of unbearable boredom, away from the chaos you loved.

Sitting in the detention room, you tapped your fingers against the desk, drowning in the silence. Then… something felt off.

The smell of smoke.

At first, you thought you were imagining it. But soon, wisps of smoke began creeping in from under the door. Your heartbeat quickened as panic settled in.

You rushed to the door, banging on it. “Is anyone there?!”

No response.

You tried the handle locked. The smoke thickened, seeping into your lungs. The air became scarce, your breaths shallow. Your knees buckled, and you collapsed, clutching your chest, struggling for air… until darkness swallowed you whole.

A Hand That Pulled You Back to Life

Heat. Rushed footsteps. And then… a strange warmth.

You felt strong arms carrying you. You tried to open your eyes, but they were too heavy. All you could sense was the crisp air against your face, so different from the suffocating smoke that nearly consumed you.

Slowly, your vision cleared.

And then you saw him… Theo.

Your sworn rival, the one who never missed a chance to annoy you, was the one carrying you on his back. His body was bruised, faint burns marking his arms. He was stumbling, yet he never stopped until he carried you safely out of the burning school.

Once outside, where the others had gathered, he gently set you down on the ground and collapsed beside you, breathless from exhaustion.

Lifting his gaze to meet yours, he took a deep breath before smirking tiredly. “I won’t let anyone else be the one to defeat you.”