Next day —
Inside the Devil Trio's hostel room, the morning carried an unusual quietness. Sunlight filtered through the half-closed curtains, falling across scattered books, empty coffee cups, and three boys pretending not to think too much.
Marcus leaned back in his chair.
"You both didn't go to college yesterday. The Principal saved us anyway."
Ethan shrugged, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I went. Not because of the Principal… I went because I want the King tag."
Leon, standing near the window, spoke without turning around.
"I didn't go. Dad said he might come today."
Ethan smirked.
"Your dad never comes. He'll send Mr. Lee."
Marcus nodded slowly.
"They never come."
Leon didn't respond. After a moment, he simply said:
"Let's go."
---
The college corridors were unusually disciplined that morning. Students walked quietly into their classrooms, opening notebooks before professors even entered.
No one wanted the Rat sticker.
Inside the classroom, Professor Finch continued his lecture while students paid rare, complete attention.
Even Ethan was focused — writing faster than usual.
He wanted the King sticker.
When the first lecture ended, a routine ten-minute break was announced. Students stood up, stretching, some preparing to step outside.
Then the small digital screen mounted near the classroom board flickered to life.
Photos began playing.
Simple moments.
Students laughing. Two friends sharing coffee. Group discussions under trees. Devil Trio sitting together with coffee cups. Keris with his old friends. Eden and Luther talking near the library steps.
The classroom grew silent.
Keris looked at the screen… then slowly toward the friends who were no longer his friends.
Eden watched his own image for a second.
A faint, fragile sense of peace crossed his face.
Luther smiled unconsciously.
A student near the back of the classroom whispered quietly,
"I forgot… we used to be like that."
After a few minutes, the clips stopped.
The next lecture began.
And after that lecture… the clips played again.
And again after the next.
---
In the staff corridor, two professors whispered quietly.
"The Principal is playing a psychological game."
"To increase focus and rebuild connection among students."
Professor Finch overheard and replied calmly:
"At least someone is trying to improve something."
---
Evening arrived.
The canteen buzzed with conversation, steel plates clinking, chairs scraping.
Marcus looked around.
"It's been the whole day. We didn't see the Principal. Where is he?"
Raymond answered while sipping tea.
"He was in his quarter an hour ago. Medical team came. Shoulder dressing partially removed. They gave him a clean chit."
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"So the shoulder is healed."
Raymond nodded.
Leon asked quietly:
"He never eats from the canteen… is that true?"
"Yes," Raymond replied. "He says he doesn't trust anyone here."
A few students exchanged glances.
Professor Finch muttered softly:
"He is also human."
Before the conversation could continue, the sound of a vehicle entering campus cut through the air.
A large black jeep stopped near the hostel.
Leon immediately recognized it.
Mr. Lee stepped out.
The three boys walked toward him without speaking.
---
Inside the hostel room, Mr. Lee stood with his usual composed posture.
"Sir, are you alright?" he asked Leon.
Leon nodded.
Mr. Lee continued:
"No one will try to touch you three now. I spoke to the inspector. Those clips have been suspended from the media."
He paused, then spoke more firmly.
"For the next one or two months, do nothing reckless. It will directly affect your fathers' reputations."
Leon's jaw tightened.
"His reputation…"
Mr. Lee turned to Marcus and Ethan.
"You two as well. Stay away from conflict. Your fathers are Unicorns. When controversies spread, they are affected too."
Ethan looked away.
"They care about their reputation… Sometimes I wonder why they even had us."
Mr. Lee sighed.
"You have problems with your fathers. I won't interfere. But don't let outsiders take advantage of it."
He added quietly:
"Your fathers built empires with effort. If you can't support them, at least don't destroy them."
Leon walked toward the door.
"They care about empires. That's all. You can leave."
Mr. Lee understood there was nothing more to say.
"If anything escalates, call me first."
"We'll think about it," Leon replied.
Mr. Lee left.
---
Outside, students whispered.
"That was Leon's father's bodyguard."
"Of course. Their fathers don't have time to come."
Raymond overheard fragments of those whispers… and fragments of Mr. Lee's earlier conversation.
He murmured to himself:
"It's a contradiction…"
---
Samuel entered the campus on his bike.
Raymond waved.
"You were on half-day leave. Didn't see you since morning."
Samuel replied casually:
"Principal sent me to buy a new SIM card."
"New one?" Raymond asked.
Samuel nodded and walked toward the Principal's quarter.
Raymond turned to Professor Finch.
"Sir… did the Principal change his number?"
Professor Finch shook his head.
"I don't know. But after Adrian's video went viral, he was getting constant calls and messages. Yesterday he kept his phone switched off all day."
"Maybe that's why," Raymond said.
---
Nearby, the Devil Trio had overheard everything.
Marcus spoke quietly.
"Yesterday… when he said he lost his reputation outside… it was true."
Leon replied coldly:
"He deserves it."
Marcus continued:
"But he saved us. He stopped the inspector from taking us to the station."
Ethan frowned.
"What are you trying to say?"
Marcus answered:
"We can repay it. We can take his video down. Mr. Lee suspended ours — he can remove Adrian's too."
Ethan hesitated.
"Why do you care?"
Marcus shrugged.
"Equal score. He helped us once. We help him once."
Leon spoke slowly:
"We're the ones who spread those videos."
Ethan sighed.
"If needed, we can humiliate him again later. But balancing the score now… makes sense."
Marcus nodded.
Leon took out his phone and messaged Mr. Lee.
---
Adrian sat alone in the principal quarter.
The room was quiet except for the faint ticking of the wall clock.
His phone screen glowed in the dim light.
Hundreds of notifications.
Missed calls. Unknown numbers. News alerts.
He opened one of the links.
A video thumbnail appeared — him, kneeling.
He watched for a few seconds, then closed it.
Below the video were comments.
Some mocking. Some angry. Some sympathetic. Most indifferent.
"Principal kneels before students." "Authority collapsing in private institutions." "Humiliating."
Adrian locked the phone and placed it on the table.
For a moment, he pressed his fingers gently against his injured shoulder.
The pain was dull now — manageable.
Outside, faint hostel noise echoed across the campus.
Students laughing. Footsteps in corridors. Life continuing as usual.
Adrian exhaled slowly.
"Reputation…" he murmured to himself.
---
Night.
Around 10 PM.
Students were leaving the canteen after dinner, walking toward hostels under dim yellow campus lights.
Lucas suddenly ran inside, breathless.
Raymond stood up.
"What happened?"
Lucas struggled to speak.
"A student… on top of the college tower… he might jump…"
Everything froze.
The Devil Trio, students, professors — everyone ran.
Raymond immediately called Adrian.
Within a minute, Adrian stepped out of his quarter.
"Raymond, go there. Try to talk to the student."
"Sir, you—"
"I'm coming. Go."
---
At the college tower, students gathered below, looking upward.
Leon squinted.
"That's Eden."
Keris went completely still.
Ethan shouted:
"Eden! Don't do this! Come down!"
High above, Eden stood trembling, hands shaking as wind brushed against him. The height itself terrified him — but the crowd below terrified him more.
"I am invisible…" Eden whispered.
Marcus called out:
"Eden! Come down!"
Leon turned toward Keris.
"What did you do?"
Keris snapped back:
"I didn't do anything! Why blame me?!"
Marcus shouted:
"Because you bully people!"
Keris replied angrily:
"And what about you three? Look at yourselves first! I haven't bullied anyone for three days!"
The Devil Trio had no reply.
Raymond stepped forward, trying to speak calmly to Eden.
Students cried, pleaded, shouted.
Samuel and Lucas rushed in carrying cotton sheets, spreading them on the ground. Other students helped immediately.
They layered the sheets repeatedly, creating a thick cushion.
Eden looked down at them.
Then he saw something else.
On a nearby building, Adrian was silently climbing a pipe, moving carefully toward the tower.
A few professors noticed — the fear in their eyes growing — but none spoke.
If Eden realized Adrian was coming… he might jump.
Eden's breathing became uneven.
His eyes filled with tears.
He closed them.
Then Eden opened his eyes again and looked down at the crowd below.
So many faces. So many voices calling his name.
For years, he had been surrounded by people — in classrooms, corridors, hostels.
Yet somehow, he had always been alone.
"Even now…" he whispered weakly, "…no one really sees me."
His foot shifted slightly at the edge.
And he jumped.
At the same instant, Adrian leapt from the neighboring structure.
For a fraction of a second, both bodies were suspended in the air.
Adrian caught Eden.
They crashed onto the cotton sheets.
Adrian positioned himself beneath Eden to absorb the impact.
Gasps echoed everywhere.
Students rushed forward.
Eden was unconscious.
Adrian was conscious.
His left shoulder trembled again.
"Take Eden… to the medical room," Adrian said through pain.
The Devil Trio and Keris lifted Eden and ran.
Adrian remained on the ground briefly.
Raymond and professors helped him up.
"I'm alright," Adrian said, though his face had gone pale.
---
Somewhere outside Hillcrest, Avein sat with a drink in hand.
"Tomorrow, Hillcrest shuts down," he said with a smile. "And those three go behind bars."
His phone buzzed.
He read the message.
"Principal saved Eden's life. Eden unconscious. Alive."
Avein's jaw tightened.
The glass shattered in his hand.
"Principal Adrian Cole…"
His breathing slowed, but his eyes burned with anger.
"So you want to be the hero…" he muttered.
Avein picked up another glass and poured his drink calmly.
"Let's see how long you survive."