Loud rock music played inside of one girl's dorm, the music being able to be heard through the walls. Inside, a young woman laid upon her stomach on top of her bed, scrolling through her social medias and chewing on her gum, laughing along with her friend's gossip.
"Aah.. Really? She's such a cunt...I can't believe Grisha would totally ignore you like that! Like who does she think she is? She really thinks she's bigger than the system huh?" The girl with half black and pink hair said, blowing a bubble with her gum.
"Honestly...Ever since she joined up with Squad XII with Lord Reinhart, she's been acting brand new. But aside from her, did you hear about the rumors?" The friend asked, sitting up on her bed to look at her friend.
"Rumors? What rumors?" The two toned hair girl asked, lowering her phone to look at her friend.
"Huh? You really didn't hear? The Prince of Exzodia goes to our institution now, and apparently he's been really close with the Council on his first day. Number 9 and Number 4," The friend answered, turning her head as she heard banging on their door.
The banging continued, a voice sounding from the other side of the door. "Moon-li-a, Eun-Song-a! Come on already, you're gonna be late for afternoon classes!"
Moon-li sighed softly at the voice and rose her phone again to check the time, running her fingers through the pink half of her hair. "Alright, let's get out of here before Queen bursts a blood vessel."
Eun-Song let out an exaggerated sigh and sat up on her bed, fixing her hair then grabbed her black hat. She grabbed her phone off the charger then got up, stretching her arms and humming lightly. "By the way... Do you think Tang and West know about the Prince?"
"Doubt it, those delinquents don't care about anything about this institution like you think. I doubt they'd even pay attention to them," Moon-li said, grunting lightly as she rolled off her bed.
The two girls got ready for their classes and left their dorm, seeing Queen and Chester waiting outside their dorm for them. The four of them began to make their way to the Virgo Department together for their class, each of them making conversation with one another.
"Hey, Chester, did you go to the Sagittarius Department yet?" Eun-Song asked, leaning forward to look at Chester, who walked on the other side of Queen.
"Mmm," Chester nodded, continuing to walk forward with his hands coolly in his pockets.
"Oh, did you happen to see Lady Yang Ru there? Neither me or Pok Moon-li saw here all day today. Is she off today?" Eun-Song asked with a curious tone, tilting her head to the side cutely for an immediate answer.
Chester continued to walk forward without looking Myong Eun-Song's way, chewing his gum with a light smirk and chuckled lightly as he lowered his head. "Nope. It's funny, I asked the same thing an hour earlier. Looks like she has the same disappearance tendencies as her predecessor."
"Why are you looking for her anyway?" Queen asked, looking over at the two girls with a questioning gaze.
The two girls were about to answer until they heard commotion ahead, a crowd of people circled within the Virgo Department's front courtyard. The four hurried toward the crowd to see the action, noticing me in the center unguarded against another guy with cold orange eyes.
"Ah shit..! It's Tang..! Why's he fighting the new guy already?" Eun-Song squeaked, using two taller guys' shoulders as support to see the full scene.
"Yo, Nox! Don't let this guy beat you!" Peter cheered from the crowd, having to be held back by Andrew and another athletic male.
"Please just end this quickly, Nox!" Luciel called out to me, her gaze softening with worry as she watched me with Fleur and Effie.
Tang looked at me with a quiet gaze, scanning my appearance and cracked a light smirk. "Huh...so you are the famous talk of the institution right now. Mr. Nox Exzodia, the Prince."
I stared at Tang with my hands in my pockets, shifting my stance and exhaling softly through my nose. "Am I supposed to know you? Or are you just here to waste my time?"
Tang paused for a moment, looking back at his crew with a light scoff with a grin. "This asshole...listen punk.." Tang began, letting out a soft sigh and walking toward me then placed a hand upon my shoulder.
"I don't care if you were the freaking king of this land...do you think for a second this institution will accept a murderer like you? The killer of Zachary, your own brother, murder of the Fosters. You think running away with somehow...cleanse you?" Tang asked, grabbing a handful of my jacket and looking at me in my eyes.
I didn't reply, only meeting his orange eyes with a calm expression. I sighed softly and smacked his hand off my shoulder then took a step past him, but stopped as he grabbed my wrist, the students around us murmuring and exclaiming softly.
"Hey...I didn't say you could leave yet. You don't belong here. Someone who...would ruin his own family's life for his own benefits," Tang sneered and chuckled, his eyes gleaming with subtle venom. "But don't worry, I'll escort you out of here safely..."
I snatched my arm away from Tang then landed an off guard elbow to his ribs, causing him to groan and stumble backwards with his hand clutching his side. I didn't turn to look at him, fiery energy forming around my fingers to form brass knuckles.
"You...bastard!" Tang yelled, charging toward me with a flying kick.
I avoided his attack, leaving behind a dark blue silhouette in my place then rose my hands, guarding my chin then spread my feet. Tang looked at me with a glare then charged toward me once again, launching a powerful straight, but I slipped through it then landed a hook to his jaw.
Tang grunted softly and stumbled backwards, lifting his hands to guard his face against my next strike. He blocked my next attack then grabbed my jacket, landing a powerful blow to my stomach with a knee strike then threw me to the ground then ran toward me with a spinning kick.
I ducked under his kick, exhaling slowly and my eyes began to glow an amber light. 'He's fast and strong...trains with the Sagittarius Department for sure. I'll have to end this fast before he wastes more time...'
Tang watched me stand up on my feet then chuckled softly, walking around the crowd made arena then cracked his knuckles. "Had enough yet? Ready to leave?"
I wiped off a bit of dirt from my face and closed my eyes, unzipping my jacket and hummed softly. I opened my eyes slowly while I took off my jacket, dropping it on the ground with a scoff. "Leave..? You're funny..."
Tang's eyes widened as I suddenly warped in front of him, his body instinctively raising his guard to block my attack. I warped once more, changing the location of my kick from his head to his midsection, my foot whipping around and crashing into his midsection.
Tang groaned as he was launched backwards, the crowd of people catching him and saving him from a heavy impact. They noticed the wind was knocked out of Tang, my warping strike being the straw that put the camel down.
I picked up my jacket from the ground then looked around the crowd before walking toward the Virgo Department building. A few students watched as I walked off from beating Tang in a quick duel, my group and Peter's following behind me.
"Move," I said, walking by a few students that stood in my path.
The students immediately moved out of the way, the crowd breaking apart after the events were done. Moon-li, Eun-Song, Chester, and Queen watched as I entered inside the building, the four looking at one another before deciding to follow me inside.
Fleur, Effie, and Luciel caught up to me and stopped me by grabbing my wrist, each of them panting softly from the distance they covered. Chester's group managed to catch up as well, each of them looking at me and noticing the girls comforting me.
"Nox, are you okay?" Fleur asked, looking up at me and noticing the same terrifying stare from two years ago playing across my face.
I looked up from the ground and closed my eyes, letting out a soft chuckle and wiped my face slowly. I could hear the sounds of a few peers murmuring as they watched us within the hall, the sounds of their judgemental whispers filling my ears.
"Didn't you see earlier...he beat Tang in a fight earlier. He totally took out his rage on him after being called out," One girl gossiped to her friend, glancing over at her with her hand covering her mouth.
"Totally... You should be careful, or you could be next...let's get outta here," The girl's friend said, hurrying away from the halls to her classroom.
"Everyone watch out..." Another peer whispered, keeping a cautious gaze upon me.
Chester glanced around the halls with an analyzing gaze, hearing the negative whispers amongst our peers and hummed softly. 'Merin's influence runs deep...who would've guessed everyone would believe him.'
Peter, Ava, and Andrew finally made it to the halls, Ava and Andrew dragging behind with deep pants. The three of them watched everything unfold, also hearing the negative whispers around the halls. Everyone seemed to believe the tale that got around, not a single person other than those within my circle trusted me.
Within the crowd, a man with blue dyed hair with an open black jacket began making his way through the crowd with two of his other lackeys. His eyes glanced around the crowd, listening in closely to the gossip going around.
"Hey, pipsqueak. What's with all the commotion?" The man asked, looking down at a girl who stood next to her group of friends.
The girl slowly looked up at the man, feeling his terrifying presence and gulped lightly, taking a cautious step back from him. "U-Uhm...we were talking about...how Tang got beat up earlier.."
The man rose an eyebrow with curiosity and intrigue, looking up to search around the vicinity for anyone who could've put their hands on his friend. His gaze shifted toward Peter, known for his impulsiveness, and he began marching toward him.
"Uhm, brother...he's coming toward you," Andrew warned quietly, his hand gripping onto Ava's robes tightly.
Peter watched as the man walked toward him, his gaze subtly flicking over toward me, my back still turned from the commotion. He looked back up at the man, shifting his stance and tilting his head. "What is it, tough guy?"
"I know it was you... What was it for this time? Hitting on your little virgin again? Or was it bullying the little brat?" The man asked, his tone demanding answers from Peter.
Peter inhaled sharped and rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from the man and exhaled softly. "Look, West. It wasn't me who beat Tang up."
"Yeah, it really wasn't him!" Moon-li spoke up, flinching slightly as West glanced in her direction.
"Then who was it?" West asked, his voice deepening as if to threaten with a single question.
Luciel glanced over at me, feeling the intense tensions within the halls and turned toward West. She bit her lip gently, as if trying to muster up strength to speak, but before her words came out, she paused at the sound of admission.
"I did," I admitted, not turning around to face West.
West turned around to look at me, looking me up and down and tilting his head slightly. "Huh? And who are you?"
I glanced back toward West, my eyes shimmering an amber gleam as I met West's gaze. "The Royal Crown...The man you all believe ruined Exzodia."
West glared at me after confirming my identity, holding his hand out for one of his back up to hand him his wooden club. "Oh, you must don't know...there is an active local bounty on your head placed by Squad IV, given the green light by the Dean himself..."
Our three groups were caught off guard by the sudden news of the bounty, the two most surprised being Chester and Effie, who weren't expecting Leonidas to approve of such a request. Earlier, we were all just having tea and reading the Chronicles together, now there's a bounty on my head.
'He must be testing me...no way Leonidas would betray Effie like this. Fine, it seems he still even holds a bit of doubt...or maybe...he wants me to expose my Holy Fire to them...' I thought to myself, glancing down at my chest and exhaling deeply.
West grinned as he began walking toward me, holding the bat tightly with both hands then stopped as Effie charged in front of me with her arms stretched out. He sighed softly and lowered his bat, gesturing for Effie to move aside.
"No! Stop this, West! It's an official order!" Effie commanded, her four butterflies manifesting around her and swarmed around her body.
"Aah...Listen, tiny, this bounty is sanctioned by your uncle. I don't care if you're Number 1 around here...he is worth seven million. I'm not passing that money up!" West said, raising his bat to swing once again.
"I'm not moving! You're gonna have to make me move!" Effie yelled, her butterflies glowing an electric yellow, lightning crackling around her body.
"Fine...then you'll die too!" West yelled, swinging his bat toward Effie at high speeds.
Before his bat could connect, Effie's body became a dark blue silhouette and warped next to me. I walked toward West with a fearsome glare, my blood boiling from witnessing West nearly knocking Effie's head off her shoulders.
"I don't care...who Squad IV is or who the hell their Prince or Princess is. I'll make one thing clear...anyone who dare threaten anyone in Squad V, will pay by my hand!" I bellowed, releasing my aura at full force, a powerful heat wave rushing through the halls.
The pure pressure of my aura began shattering windows, cracking the walls and tiles, high winds blowing within the halls. West stared at me with disbelief, his body drenched with sweat from the intense heat and his shaking limbs.
I walked toward West and placed my hand upon his shoulder, leaning in toward his ear and gripped his pressure point tightly, forcing him upon one knee. "Do not forget your place...you are in the presence of royalty..."
I crouched down in front of West and gripped his neck, slamming him onto the ground and stared deeply into his eyes as he gripped my arm as resistance. "We are not the same, West...you will bow down to the one my Father sent down to save you lost simpletons. Believe what you want...serve whatever master you want...kill me if you want...but dare to touch those girls again and I'll make your death slow and painful.."
West grunted softly as he stared into my eyes, his eyes slowly shifting to the side and pausing as he noticed Leona standing over him with deep growls. He shifted his gaze back toward me quickly. "Wait, wait! I'll tell you who put the bounty out! I'll—ack!!"
I held his neck tighter, preventing him from talking then gripped the skin of his throat with my sharpened nails, stopping flow from his windpipes. "I don't give a shit who sent the bounty out...they will come to light soon...just like every other sin. Remember this moment...I spared you unlike Tang."
I shoved his face to the side and rose up, dusting myself off once again then walked off toward my class. The students in my path all moved aside without me having to say a word, each of them too afraid to make a sound.
Chester tilted his head with an intrigued expression, looking down and taking his hand out of his pocket, noticing it was slightly shaking. 'What is this feeling..? I've never felt this before...is this...fear..?'
Peter and the others were just as stunned as the other peers were, not expecting me to unleash my presence at full force, most of them stunned from pure fear of the Apex Lion's heat wave.
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Leonidas sat in his office as he looked at the paperwork in his hand and hummed softly at the bounty, his gaze shifting toward the camera feed showing the ruined halls. "Nox...don't take this as betrayal. This is merely a test from the Sagittarius to show you who you can truly trust here.."
Anna stood next to Leonidas's seat with her clipboard in hand, her gaze shifting over to Leonidas with an analyzing eye. "Are you sure about this, Mr. Proud? No one here aside from those truly knowledgeable about prophecy trusts Nox. This bounty will have the entire institution after him."
"Exactly...if he manages to survive the length of this bounty, he'll be ready for what's to truly come outside. Only teaching him prosperity and comfort will not transform him into The Messiah the world needs. He needs to see the truth first hand...the truth about how everyone else sees him," Leonidas said, setting down the paper and took off his glasses.
"You see, I know how this goes down already as I am the descendant of Ryoma Miyazaki...I know what it's like to be on the other side. Nox will face much worse than bounties. This is simply only the beginning of the sufferings he will experience," He finished, standing up from his seat and adjusting his tie as he began walking out of his office.
Anna followed behind quickly, her heart a bit weary for my safety. "And what about the Council? Will they be going after Nox as well? Without Yochanan here, there will be no order established... especially since you're not going to interfere."
"Exactly, and that's how Yuvah designed it. This is all a part of his masterful plan to raise Nox into what he's meant to become. Sure, there will be those who will try to kill him for the seven million, but Nox will have to learn how to take the High Road...and balance Mercy with Justice," Leonidas said, walking down the halls of the executive floor to the elevators.
"Listen, Ms. Anna. If you're this worried about Nox, protect him like Squad V and my students will. You have the necessary equipment and tools to help him reach his current ceiling. The bounty lasts for a week...do you think you can bare your cross with him?" Leonidas asked, walking into the elevator as the doors opened then turned around to face Anna with a smile.
Anna stared at Leonidas for a moment, deciding on if she wanted to get onto the elevator or not. She sucked her teeth and turned on her heels to walk the opposite direction, gripping her clipboard tightly in her hands.
'I was brought here for a reason beyond this...All of those innocent people who died for their Faith...who never got to see The Messiah, I can't let it go in vain. Especially not when there are others who will suffer the same fate because of this corrupted world. This is not the world I know...' Anna said mentally, taking in a deep breath before exhaling.
"Ms. Anna, one more thing before you take off for your calling," Leonidas said, pressing the button to stop the door from closing.
Anna stopped in her tracks, closing her eyes and curling her lips before turning around to face Leonidas. She watched as Leonidas waved goodbye to her, her eyes locking onto his.
"As I've said before...I won't interfere with this until the bounty is done. Protect Nox, with everything. Humans..." Leonidas began, closing his eyes and chuckling lightly. "Humans are strange creatures. Greed, Lust, Envy, Betrayal, Rebellion...watch for those sins. People will do anything...for a lie.."
Anna watched as the elevator doors finally closed, Leonidas's words weighing heavy in her mind. She closed her eyes and gulped lightly, turning around once more before walking away. "Yeah...I know..."