Chapter 121 The Public Perception

"Why does everyone talk about the hierarchy?" Lee Seng asked. The nurse stood up and smiled at Lee Seng.

"It's the way things work around here. If you aren't useful to the Academy, you're at the bottom. If you practice your power and grow to be really useful, then the more respect you get. The ones at the top are those who've worked their butts off to get the reputation they have."

"And how does that exactly work?"

"Well, doing missions, field work like I'm doing, attending student activities, having good grades, the list could go on. You do what your told and put in the effort, you'll be fine around here. Not sure how that works for someone like you, though. You're well-known as the Creator's son and your changed appearance makes you stand out more." The nurse shrugged. He turned and Lee Seng stood up, grabbing his katana and started to follow him.

"So someone like me will always be watched?"

"Yup. I'm glad I don't have that kind of pressure."

"Mmm, I envy you. You can work a ghost shift in the hospital wing and be considered a good student. Probably not the highest nor lowest rank on the hierarchy either, too." Lee Seng shook his head. The nurse turned and stopped. He narrowed his eyes at Lee Seng for a moment and Lee Seng raised his eyebrows. "What am I right?"

"We don't even know each other and you're assuming everything?" The male nurse's tone shifted into defense. Lee Seng sighed and took a step back.

"We don't even know each other and you're assuming everything?" Lee Seng repeated the statement back at the nursing student. "Shouldn't that be my line?"

"I don't got time for someone who just wants everyone's attention. I got a job to do. Bye." The nurse turned to leave. Lee Seng sighed and blurred forward. He stood in front of the door and the nursing student stopped in his tracks. Lee Seng watched as the nursing student's nervousness grew.

"But it's true, right? You're sought after because of your ability. You can expedite a person's self-healing with yours. Healers will always be sought after in this new predicament we're in. Death rates have skyrocketed because the Biohuman serum changed the entire world as we know it, but it's going down because of people like you." Lee Seng motioned at the nursing student.

"But people like me," Lee Seng pointed at himself. "We're just troublemakers, right? That's what you are saying. You don't like it when I say things about you, so what makes you think I would like it when you say things about me?"

"That's your own damn fault for doing it to yourself. If you didn't get into needless fights, stuck into your own lane and listened to your own father, you wouldn't have turned out like this. Maybe you killed your own mo--" The nurse student stopped and felt a heavy weight push down onto him. Lee Seng had lifted his arm and was slowly pushing his hand down towards the ground. Lee Seng's nose twitched and he watched as the student's legs buckled beneath him.

"Don't talk about my mom like that. You don't even know how my dad really is. If you did, you'd done the same things I've done. That I'm sure of." Lee Seng released the nursing student from his hold and shook his head. He didn't like the small truths hidden in the nursing students comment.

'If I stayed in my lane and listened to my father, I wouldn't be here.' Lee Seng thought. The nursing student stood up, legs shaking. Lee Seng sighed and moved away from the door. He watched as the nursing student slowly scrambled over to the door and Lee Seng threw his arm out to block him right as he was about to get to the door.

"One last thing," Lee Seng glanced at his name tag. "Adams. I honestly don't care if you spread gossip about me, but don't bring my dead mother into this. I don't care what people spin on me or my father, but my mother is off limits. Don't let her roll in her grave and come back to curse every single one of you that speaks ill of her. Or maybe, don't speak ill about me at all or else you might just feel something on your chest when you wake up."

He removed his arm and watched as the nursing student ran out of the gym.

"Idiot." Lee Seng shook his head. He followed the nursing students scent for awhile. He recognized one of the hallways and turned. The lights were dim and he found himself popping out into the cafeteria room. He turned right and followed it. He found himself walking down the steps and breathed in the chilly night air.

Lee Seng made his way back to the dorm without incident. His feet were bare and cold. Autumn was already here yet he didn't feel cold. He moved to the front entrance and grabbed the door. The door didn't budge and Lee Seng sighed.

"Ah, dammit, it's locked." He groaned. He dug his hand into his left pocket, finding no phone. He switched the katana into his other hand and duge in his right pocket. Nothing.

"I'm screwed." Lee Seng groaned. He moved out of the front entrance and onto the parking lot. He followed the left side of the building and stopped at the third balcony.

"Manny won't wake up to anything and I don't have a way back in. I don't have a my badge to get me in or my phone. I'm gonna be left out here in the cold... Well, not like I'm cold or anything." Lee Seng sighed and studied the building. His balcony was the third on the left. There wasn't anything he could climb to get to the second floor balcony.

"I could use my powers but I'd be out here all night..." Lee Seng thought aloud. "I'd be out here all night but when he wakes up, he would probably assume I got up early... I might fall asleep out here, too, so I wouldn't hear him... Wait, couldn't I just Realmwalk?" Lee Seng snapped his fingers and moved to the door. He took a deep breath of the cool autumn air and prepared himself.

"I walk among the kingdoms. I wish to enter the land of souls." Lee Seng spoke the spell. He grabbed onto the door and pulled. The familiar noise of air ripping around him started and the next thing he knew, he was entering the building.

"This is a cool power." He stepped inside and looked around. The familiar and desolate gym stood in front of him, again.

"What the hell?!?" He shouted. He spun around and watched the door slide shut. He groaned and shook his head. "I take it back, this isn't a cool power. It just takes me where ever it wants me to be!"

The air rippled around him and the monochrome colors turned back to full color. The gym was lit up, still and no one was around. Lee Seng sighed as he sat down.

"I didn't even say the spell."

"Hello, please state your name for personal customization." The AI voice chimed. Lee Seng fell into his back and ignored the AI voice whirring to life.

'If I can't get back into the building until the doors are unlocked, I'll have to fill the time with something... This would be a good time to figure out whatever new stuff I have with my Fox Spirit powers.'

"User, Lee Seng Chang." Lee Seng answered the AI. The AI began to whirl and Lee Seng sat up.

"User, Lee Seng Chang, recognized." The AI voice chimed. "What may I do for Lee Seng Chang?"

"Do you have a way to conceal this gym so no one comes in or out?"

"Private mode may be activated for users wishing to get some private training in. Does this suit your needs?"

'Keng can come out if private mode is activated. If it stops people from looking in and people going out unless I say otherwise, I can practice in private and keep up with my Fox Spirit abilities...' Lee Seng nodded and cleared his throat.

"Yeah, turn on private mode." Lee Seng answered. The walls and floors shimmered as Lee Seng turned to look at the entrance/exit. The small windows blurred and frosted over. The door clicked and the AI chimed.

"Private mode has been activated. If you wish to use any other functions while in private mode, you may. Let me know when you want private mode off." The AI voice spoke.

"Keng, come out. We got a lot to figure out."

Lee Seng shimmered as his tail began to grow and split into two tails. Lee Seng felt Keng's energy push past Lee Seng's energy and a gold and white energy hand shot out of the tail.