Forsaken By The Gods, I Made A Contract With the Demon King

As the dust settled and the last sparks fizzled out from the broken simulation devices, an eerie silence fell over our immediate surroundings. I blinked, disoriented by the sudden shift from a chaotic battlefield to a quiet training ground. That's when I noticed something odd.

Beyond the wreckage of our simulation area, I could see the other student groups still engaged in their exercises. It was as if a dome had formed around each team, isolating them in their own pocket of simulated reality. The other students moved about, battling invisible monsters and navigating crumbling cityscapes that only they could see.

"Fascinating," I muttered, realizing the true complexity of the simulation technology. Each group was in their own self-contained scenario, unaware of the disaster that had just unfolded in our section.

Our bubble had burst, quite literally, leaving us exposed and our failure on full display.

Professor Vale and his assistants stood before us, their expressions a mix of shock, disbelief, and in the professor's case, a growing storm of frustration. The contrast between the continuing simulations around us and the destruction at our feet seemed to heighten the gravity of our situation.

For what felt like an eternity, no one spoke. The professor's eyes moved from the scattered debris of the simulation equipment to our ragtag group, his gaze sharp enough to cut steel.

Finally, Professor Vale broke the silence, his voice low and measured. "This is a first."

We all turned to him, tension thick in the air.

"This," he continued, gesturing at the devastation around us, "is the first time someone has managed to mess up this badly in my entire teaching career."

I felt my stomach drop. *There go our scores*, I thought, silently bidding farewell to any hope of a good evaluation.

The professor's calm demeanor suddenly shattered as he launched into his critique. "Your team was an absolute mess! Did any of you even consider evacuating civilians? That's day one stuff, people!"

He turned to Lysandra, his eyes narrowing. "You. You have immense power, I'll give you that. But did it ever occur to you that your uncontrolled rampage was limiting your team's effectiveness? Power without strategy is just wasted energy."

Lysandra's face flushed, a mix of anger and shame crossing her features.

The professor didn't stop there. He addressed each of us in turn, pointing out our failures with surgical precision.

"Alex, your enhanced strength is impressive, but you lack situational awareness. Ryn, your earth manipulation has potential, but you were too passive, always reacting instead of taking initiative."

When he turned to me, I braced myself for the critique. "And you," he said, his voice dripping with disappointment, "you were just watching them the whole time. Leadership isn't about standing back and observing. It's about guiding, coordinating, making tough decisions."

I wanted to argue, to explain my reasoning, but I held my tongue. Now wasn't the time.

Finally, Professor Vale's gaze landed on Toby. For a moment, he seemed at a loss for words. "You," he began, shaking his head, "I have no words for you! How did you even pass the entrance exam when you didn't have an ounce of control over your ability? Gravity manipulation is a powerful tool, but in your hands, it's like giving a toddler a loaded gun!"

Toby, who had been shifting uncomfortably throughout the professor's tirade, suddenly spoke up. His face was deadly serious as he looked the professor in the eye and asked, "Can I go to the washroom, please?"

The question was so unexpected, so out of place in the gravity of the moment, that for a second, everyone just stared at Toby in disbelief.

Professor Vale's eye twitched. For a moment, I thought he might explode. Instead, he let out a long, tired sigh. "Go," he said, waving his hand dismissively.

As Toby scurried off, clutching his crotch, the professor turned back to the rest of us. "This simulation was designed to test your abilities, your teamwork, and your decision-making under pressure. On all counts, you've failed spectacularly."

He paused, looking at each of us in turn. "However," he continued, his tone softening slightly, "failure can be the greatest teacher. I want a full report from each of you by tomorrow morning. Detail what went wrong, why it went wrong, and how you plan to improve. And Toby can do his after he's done in the washroom," he added with a grimace.

As the professor and his assistants walked away, presumably to assess the damage to their equipment, we were left standing there, the weight of our failure hanging heavy on our shoulders.

Ryn was the first to break the silence. "Well," he said, a wry smile on his face, "I guess we showed them what we're capable of, huh?"

Despite everything, I couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, capable of causing unprecedented destruction and giving our professor a migraine."

Alex relaxed at our joke, his tense shoulders dropping slightly. But someone didn't seem to take it too lightly.

Lysandra's face darkened, her silver eyes flashing with barely contained anger. Without a word, she turned on her heel and strode away, her steps quick and purposeful. The girl who had arrived with her hesitated for a moment before hurrying after Lysandra, leaving us in awkward silence.

I stood there, watching them go, my mind replaying the disaster that was our first session. How had things gone so spectacularly wrong? We had started as a group of promising individuals and ended up as a cautionary tale.

As we began to disperse, each lost in our own thoughts about the disastrous simulation, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning. We had a long way to go, but something told me that this odd, dysfunctional group might just have the potential to become something great.

Assuming, of course, we didn't destroy the academy first.

With a sigh, I turned to head back to the dorms. The report wasn't going to write itself, and I had a feeling sleep would be a luxury tonight as we all grappled with the consequences of our actions.

As I walked, I cast one last glance at the other groups, still immersed in their simulations. Their domes shimmered in the afternoon light, a reminder of what our exercise should have been. I couldn't help but wonder what challenges they were facing, and how they were faring compared to our spectacular failure.

One thing was certain - tomorrow was going to be interesting, to say the least.

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