Shattered Sanity

”They were forgetting their place, Professor, so I simply put them where they belonged.”

Riven declared, as Professor Mike was momentarily stunned into silence.

Never in his one and a half decades of teaching students at the Academy had he encountered a student quite as brazen as Riven Dawnriver.

Had this been the military rather than an institution where nobles sent their children to learn and grow, Mike probably would have taken Riven’s side without much hesitation, since he had never possessed much sympathy for people who started fights only to complain once someone stronger finished them.

However, this was still the Imperial Academy, and regardless of how Mike personally felt about the situation, he could not allow either side to walk away without consequences after turning his physical conditioning class into their personal battleground.

For several seconds, Mike simply looked between Riven and the Aureate students surrounding him before eventually releasing a deep sigh.

”Does anyone here want to refute what Dawnriver just told me?” Mike asked, as his gaze settled upon the group responsible for starting the confrontation.

”Did you or did you not instigate this?”

The first Aureate student Riven had accused of deliberately tripping him immediately looked uncomfortable, especially after realizing that dozens of students were now watching him.

”N-No, Professor. He’s lying. I didn’t deliberately trip him,” the boy stuttered, as he hurriedly shook his head.

”It was unintentional. Mistakes happen while running with this many people.”

Mike stared towards him for several seconds before slowly shaking his head.

”Son, I might not have seen you explicitly tripping Dawnriver, and I didn’t see the other kid elbowing him either, so I’m not going to pretend that I did.”

The boy seemed momentarily relieved.

”But here’s what I did see.”

Mike’s expression hardened.

”I saw you House Aureate members repeatedly gathering around Dawnriver throughout the exercise. I saw you blocking his lane while he was running, crowding him around obstacles and sticking close to him even when there was absolutely no reason for you to do so.”

Several of the Aureate students lowered their gazes.

”I’m not fucking stupid, boy. I heard the laughter, I saw the way all of you kept looking towards one another, and I knew something was happening over here whenever my attention was focused elsewhere.

At the time, I said nothing, because a little heat between house members always goes a long way to motivate both sides, however, it should never turn confrontational.”

Mike’s eyes moved across the entire group before finally settling upon the student who had denied tripping Riven.

”And considering how Dawnriver spent several laps minding his own business before suddenly deciding to punch one of you in the face, I’m fairly certain you boys did something to provoke that reaction out of him.”

Mike finished, as nobody answered this time, with the silence doing all the talking.

”I could deduct House points for this,” he continued, causing several Aureate students to immediately stiffen.

”However, I won’t.”

Their relief lasted only until Mike turned towards Riven.

”Because your response to their actions was completely blown out of proportion too, Dawnriver.”

Mike began, as Riven remained silent.

”You don’t get to knock someone unconscious simply because another student elbows you during training. You had plenty of opportunities to come to me, explain what was happening and let me handle the situation properly.”

Mike briefly glanced towards the unconscious Aureate student before looking back towards Riven.

”But instead, you waited until I wasn’t looking, punched one student in the face, clotheslined another onto the ground and then proceeded to hit him twice more until he lost consciousness.”

Riven did not attempt to defend himself.

”Since you decided to take matters into your own hands, you’re going to share the punishment with everyone else involved.”

Mike turned towards the Aureate students.

”Every single one of you involved in this incident, including Dawnriver, is going to wear a weighted vest and leg shackles during physical conditioning for the next week.”

Several faces immediately changed.

”And since all of you apparently have enough energy remaining during my classes to harass one another, I’m going to personally make sure that excess energy disappears.”

Mike pointed towards the running track surrounding the training grounds.

”Every morning for the next week, once everyone else finishes physical conditioning, the lot of you are going to continue running until I decide you’ve had enough.”

One Aureate student opened his mouth as though he wanted to protest, although a single look from Mike immediately convinced him otherwise.

”You wanted to pull this stunt inside my class, so now you’re going to learn exactly why that was a terrible fucking idea.”

Mike’s gaze passed slowly across every student receiving the punishment.

”And I promise you this much. By the time I’m finished with all of you, you’re going to pray that you’d never made this mistake in the first place.”

Nobody dared answer.

The Aureate students who had surrounded Riven earlier could only lower their heads as the consequences of their actions finally began settling upon them.

Their attempt to humiliate Riven had accomplished absolutely nothing.

They wanted to get revenge for Gary, but had instead gotten into trouble themselves, while Riven did not come out of this incident looking like the joker they hoped he would.

”We are sorry sir, as future rulers of this land, this behaviour was not something befitting of us.

It will not happen again.”

One of the House Aureate students said, as the others nodded in agreement.

”We are sorry....”

The others added in unanimously as Mike nodded in approval before turning towards Riven, as though expecting the same from the Argent member.

”Well, I’m sorry for disturbing the flow of your class sir.

I did not intend to do that.

However, if these or any other pricks try to bully me again, my response is going to remain the same.

I’m not going to run to a professor every time someone decides to test me.

I will defend myself.

And I’m not sorry for knocking that bum out.”

Riven clarified, as his response only stoked the hatred that the Aureate members felt towards him at this moment.