"At this point, I'm scared they might actually kill him, so I try to extend my claws and…"

  In his lengthy tenure as head of student medicine at Wellston Private High School, Darren Brown had encountered thousands of reckless students and a dozen idiotic conflicts for each of them. And yet, as he hurried to prepare the components for a fast-acting regenerative tonic, he couldn't help but wonder if today's incident took the cake.

  He sighed in exasperation, palmed his forehead, and felt that its wrinkles had once again multiplied.

  Such was life when you had to care for a thousand violent, superpowered teenagers. As the old saying went, "The real loser of a fight is the guy who has to heal both fighters."

  Not that it was actually an old saying. He'd just started using it so people could understand that their violence made his life tangibly more miserable.

  At least the rare nonviolent Wellston student still isn't extinct, he thought, glancing at the redheaded young woman recounting her experiences. Meili Strauss. She'd tried her best to de-escalate and prevent injuries, the absolute pinnacle of what he could expect from a high schooler.

  Assuming her story wasn't grossly twisted or fabricated, naturally. After past incidents he knew to double-check.

  "...And then, after I made sure they were gone, I activated my ability and carried him here as fast as I- Is something wrong, Doctor Darren?" She glanced back at him. "Was I going a little too fast?"

  He coughed, belatedly realizing that he'd been staring. "Sorry about that. I was just meaning to ask you to elaborate more about the fight."

  "Oh. You should have told me that I'd missed something."

  He shook his head. "You didn't. I always prefer that students give me a general rundown of a conflict before diving into specifics - but to clarify, you're saying that a green-haired second-year named Kralik challenged Ventus here to a fight." He gestured incredulously to the unconscious teen, "and then had two of his friends ambush Ventus in the middle of it?"

  "I only saw the part where they ganged up on him, but that's my best guess as to what happened," Meili affirmed.

  "And what are you basing this guess on?"

  "Well, it's based on what they said when they were yelling at each other," she said. "If I remember correctly, Kralik was confronting Ventus for beating him up in middle school, and Ventus said that someone who planned to ambush him with multiple people didn't get to take the high ground."

  "I see… What did Kralik say in response to that?"

  "I think he shouted, 'Shut Your Mouth!' and blasted him with his energy beam ability," She said with a sardonic look, "So not exactly a denial."

  Darren rubbed at his temples, chronic stress and frustration once again making their appearance in his brain's limbic system. You've got to be kidding me, he thought. I might have to deal with a blood feud between students… And the school year hasn't even started yet?

  "Miss Strauss…" He began slowly.

  "Yes?"

  "Are you telling me that both sides of this conflict likely feel they were wronged, making it exceedingly probable that they will not only come to blows again - but continue to fight until one side is permanently disabled or worse?"

  The girl shrugged, cracking a small smile.

  "It's funny. My mom's actually a surgeon, and you sound similar to how she does whenever she rants about her repeat patients. I think you two would get along."

  Darren sent some silent condolences to that poor, poor woman and himself.

  "But let's put aside the issue of Ventus for now," she continued. "I had another reason to come here besides getting him medical attention. I was wondering if you could do an aura imaging scan on my hands… You have the equipment to do that here, right?"

  Darren raised an eyebrow, making a small show of eyeing Ventus's grievous injuries.

  "We certainly have the capability, but I would prefer you gave me a compelling reason first."

  "Oh. No, I - It's not urgent. You should prioritize treating him," the girl stumbled. "It's just - the claw extension move I used to pull Ventus out of danger - I was never even able to get my claws to six feet in the past, but today I stretched them to twenty!"

  "Mhm." He switched back to his serum-making work, nodding skeptically, not really understanding her point. "If anything, that sounds like a cause for celebration, not a medical examination."

  "It would… The problem is that my ability, 'Demon Claws,' is pretty well documented online. I was doing some research on the way here, and from what I read, high-tier users can't even lengthen their claws to half that length."

  She stared down at her hand, clenching and unclenching it. "And I'm certainly no high-tier, so I'm not sure if this is just the normal development of my ability or if there's something wrong with my aura channels."

  Darren paused, trying to recall if he'd seen any similar cases, but came up short.

  "That is quite abnormal," he muttered, drumming his index finger against the bottom of his chin. "Let me see what I can do."

  He dug through his cabinet, searching for a particular... there it was.

  "This is a unique type of camera," he explained, pulling it out of its case. "It has a lot of functions, one of them being aura pathway snapshots. If I were to give you a formal scan, it would require my complete attention for a while," he glanced at Ventus, "Which isn't a great idea. Instead, I can snap a few quick images now and run the analysis sometime else."

  The camera was about half his salary, the type of equipment you'd usually find at a specialized research institute rather than a high school. The most egregious part was that barely anyone ever used it... but now he could finally put Wellston's extravagant, donor-funded medical budget to good use.

  She nodded in understanding.

  After he had taken a few pictures of her, the first aura snapshot was fully processed. It didn't reveal anything wrong at first glance, and Darren turned to take care of Ventus' injuries, resolving to do a deeper analysis of the images later. Meili said goodbye with a quick thank-you.

  Still, as he quickly treated the teen boy's fractures and bruises, he couldn't help but notice a niggling feeling of deja vu in the back of his mind. How Meili described her concerns with her ability felt vaguely familiar. Perhaps a professor had mentioned a similar scenario in one of the niche elective classes he'd taken during university?

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Eyes widening in a sudden realization, he logged into his research database and typed a keyword search.

  Ability Evolution Demon Claw.

  ***Beautiful***

  The parking lot was mostly empty, populated only by the cars of a few families who had chosen to get their kids settled in a week before school started.

  "My beautiful baby girl… I can't believe that happened right as you moved in. What were we thinking, sending you away like this?" My dad whined, squeezing me in a constricting stranglehold hug.

  Unfortunately for me, my family was one of those few, and my father didn't seem to want to leave me on my own.

  "Can you stop it, Dad," I said, slightly mortified. "Everything turned out just fine. I didn't get injured, and Doctor Darren was great at dealing with the situation."

  He wrapped me tighter, and I sighed. "It's only a thirty-minute drive from the house to Wellston; you could see me every day if you're really that worried."

  My mom mussed up my hair with a smile.

  "But you can understand where we're coming from, can't you?" she said. Most parents are terrified of sending their grown-up children to college. We're sending our 14-year-old to live alone at boarding school!"

  I nodded a little, patting him on the back rhythmically. My embarrassment at their protectiveness mainly stemmed from the fact that I had been a full-grown adult in my previous life, but I also knew their worries. There was more to fear in this world's schools than even the worst public high school in my previous one.

  "Everybody says that Wellston has some of the best medical technology and staff in the region. I believe it now that I've seen it firsthand," I tried to assure them. "Even if I end up getting hurt, I'm sure they'll be able to take care of me. Plus, I've gotten really good at avoiding fights and de-escalating conflicts - so don't worry! This is what middle school trained me for."

  This was all true, but it didn't seem to help. As my father and I separated from our embrace, the worried bitterness in his expression seemed suddenly real, not half-joking like before.

  He and my mother met eyes, communicating purely through their expressions… then looked away, both glancing toward the ground shamefully.

  All the while, I stood there awkwardly, unable to understand what was happening.

  "Is something wro-?"

  "The doctor measured your ability level at 3.0 the last time we visited, right Meili?" She asked, seemingly out of the blue.

  "Yeah. And I might've gotten a little bit stronger since then," I replied. "I've been training consistently and making steady progress… What is it?"

  She avoided looking me straight in the eyes.

  "You're finally at that age where rapid ability growth is possible, and it would be a shame for you to waste it." She grimaced, a sliver of frustration creeping up on her face. "I also want you to enjoy a low-stress, healthy school life, but I know as well as anybody how important your level is for success in life."

  "I understand?" I replied. It was half a question and half a statement.

  "What I think your mother means to say is that we've tried to instill good moral values into you, and we're delighted at what a mature person you've become," my father said gently. "Not many kids your age understand the value of peace, that brutalizing others is rarely the answer, but…" he trailed off.

  "Yes?"

  "But - but there's nothing wrong with getting into it as a high-schooler, especially at a school like Wellston. It's part of the school's culture!" He gave a shaky smile. "A-and conflict is good for development. You've heard the phrase 'steel sharpens steel' before, right?"

  I blinked at him, confused. "Are you telling me to get into fights purposefully?"

  "All we want is for you to reach your full potential," he said quietly. "Meili, we believe you have the talent to become a high-tier, and the research says that the best way to do that is to get into serious battles very often. You're a smart girl. You understand, right?"

  My mother and father, arm-in-arm, wore the saddest, most untruthful smiles I had ever seen. At that moment, twenty journal entries since my arrival, I finally started understanding the world that I lived in.

  So I smiled back.

  "I get it. You only want what's best for me, right?"

  ***Beautiful***

  Meili's Journal

  Entry #21:

  Dear future self,

  Let me first make a note to explore the new aspects of my ability. Now that you can extend and manipulate the shape of your claws to such a great extent, you should probably spend some time practicing and experimenting to find your exact limits. Unless these changes result from some sort of harmful condition or injury, in which case you shouldn't.

  Okay, enough about that. Onto the point of this journal entry.

  I'm currently fourteen years old, writing this in my newly acquired dorm room at Wellston High School. This entry is actually my first one in over a year. I have a good reason. I intended that number twenty would be my last one.

  I thought I understood common knowledge and common sense. I thought I could live a reasonably successful life by simply reviewing what I'd already learned.

  I was wrong.

  I've been thinking about this world as a kind of hyper-hierarchical lion's pride, where strength is used to secure social position. That's still a fine analogy. But it turns out that there's another layer to unpack. The incentive structures relating to ability progression in this world are terrifying.

  God, my thoughts are so wildly unorganized right now… I'll try to give an example.

  Imagine a 7-year-old named Judas who just unlocked his ability. Let's say Judas has two mid-tier parents, a 2.4 and a 2.5 (because that's how marriage works in this world).

  Judas's parents want him to be successful in life (of course), so they do everything they can to ensure he achieves his full potential in terms of ability level. They've seen the benefits of a high ability level and want them for their child. As a result, Judas grows up encouraged by his parents to fight – not just to fight, but to resort to fighting at the first sign of a disagreement.

  Why?

  Because fighting (not play-fighting or sparring, but actual fighting with real stakes and anger) has been known for thousands of years to result in the highest amount of ability growth. Judas's parents want to maximize his ability growth, so they want him to get into as many conflicts as possible from an early age.

  Let's say Judas is slightly more genetically predisposed towards violence, anger, and conflict than average. He's perfectly fine with his parents' encouragements, and he ends up maxing out his inherent ability potential. By the time he's an adult, he's reached a final level of 2.7.

  Now, imagine Judas has a fraternal twin brother, Adam.

  Adam has the same inherent ability potential of 2.7. The only significant difference between them is that Adam is genetically predisposed towards compromise, conflict avoidance, and peace. Adam's moral inclinations naturally swing toward the 'violence is evil/wrong' side of things, and he hates to resolve issues through fighting.

  Adam still trains a lot, but his growth as a teenager is lackluster compared to Judas, and by the time he's a fully grown adult, his ability level is stuck at 2.2.

  Who do you think is more likely to have children, Judas or Adam?

  Yeah, the brother with a higher ability level, who functions more confidently within the hierarchy, who is vastly favored by their parents, and is likely higher-paid/more successful. All else being equal, people more predisposed towards violence are more likely to reproduce.

  I think this world has been breeding peaceful people to extinction since the dawn of civilization.

  I've met a whole lot more Judases than Adams in my 4.5-year stay in this world. I thought it was simply a result of cultural influences, but it's become apparent that isn't the case. Violence isn't 'wrong' here in the same way it was in my old world. It probably hasn't been for generations.

  Murder is a crime, assault is a crime. Reporters still denounce violent aggression on TV. But that's just it, no one says the law has to be enforced, not when the culture is to fight and strike and bleed. I seriously doubt that such a massive difference in moral values can be society's doing alone. I think people are fundamentally different here.

  I realize, now, that kindness and cooperation are privileges of the naturally gifted rather than universal virtues in this world.

  My mother and father, for example, have a lot of high-tier ancestry – they probably could have become high-tiers themselves if they were more bloodthirsty. Even as elite-tiers, they've been able to make a good life for themselves. But I hate imagining what would have happened to them if they had mid-tier ancestry instead – if their relative peacefulness led to them ending up as low-tiers, unable to even land a decent career or live in a safe neighborhood.

  They're good people, kind, moral people. I've struggled to understand this world because they're such positive outliers. But even still, it weighs heavily on them, the opportunities they've lost because they aren't high-tiers. Of course, they're doing just fine, but if they had to choose for me to end up stronger or weaker than they are…

  They don't want me to be an Adam.