Eden couldn't sleep.
Every time he closed his eyes, the same thought returned.
Principal Adrian saved me… and now he's in lockup because of it.
The idea kept circling in his mind like something alive, refusing to fade.
If Adrian hadn't come to the tower…
If Adrian hadn't held him…
Maybe none of this would have happened.
Eden's hands began trembling without him noticing.
His father, sitting beside the bed, noticed immediately. He quietly poured water into a glass and handed it to him.
"Hey… slow down," his father said gently. "Drink."
Eden took the glass with shaking fingers.
"Dad…" his voice cracked, "Principal sir paid the price for saving me."
His father leaned forward.
"No," he said firmly. "Look at me."
Eden obeyed.
"Breathe," his father said.
They sat like that for several seconds. Eden inhaled slowly, then exhaled. Again. And again.
Gradually, the trembling eased.
Minutes later, Eden lay down again, trying to rest.
Then his phone buzzed.
A single notification.
Unknown number.
Eden opened it.
"Next time, no one will catch you."
The message vanished after ten seconds.
But the damage remained.
Eden's hands began shaking violently.
"Dad…" he whispered. "They're watching me."
His father stood immediately.
"Who?" he asked. "Tell me."
Eden tried to speak, but no words came out.
His chest tightened.
His father placed both hands on Eden's shoulders.
"You're safe," he said calmly. "You're safe here."
Eden shook his head weakly.
"No…"
"I'm here," his father said. "And tomorrow the individual counselling sessions begin. You don't have to carry this alone."
Eden's breathing slowly stabilized again.
"Nothing happened because of you," his father added quietly.
After several minutes, exhaustion finally overtook fear.
Eden fell asleep.
But his grip on the bedsheet remained tight.
---
In another hostel room, a suitcase lay open on the bed.
Keris watched his father pack quietly.
"Dad… can you stay a few more days?" he asked.
His father paused, then shook his head.
"I want to," he said. "But your grandmother's medical checkup is tomorrow."
Keris nodded, though disappointment showed clearly on his face.
His father zipped the suitcase.
"Listen carefully," he said. "You won't end up in a lockup unless you do something wrong."
Keris swallowed.
"And attend the individual counselling sessions," his father continued. "Guilt doesn't disappear on its own."
"…Okay."
His father looked at him for a moment longer.
"And next time I visit this academy," he said, "I don't want to see my son alone."
Keris lowered his eyes.
"Or a bully."
"…I'll change," Keris whispered.
His father nodded once and left.
The door closed softly.
The room felt much larger than before.
---
From across the hostel building, Leon watched through the window as Keris's father walked away.
"Something similar," Leon murmured.
Marcus glanced up from his chair.
"You miss your dad."
"I don't," Leon replied immediately.
Marcus smiled faintly.
"I do."
Leon scoffed.
"You miss people who call us stains on their legacy?"
His voice hardened.
"What was our mistake? Being born into their families?"
Marcus didn't answer.
"They have other children," Leon continued. "Perfect heirs. We're just the ones they sent away."
Marcus looked down.
"Mr. Lee stayed," he said quietly. "Some contractors too."
Leon shook his head.
"I don't want to change. Not for people who abandoned us."
Marcus didn't argue.
Because part of him agreed.
And another part didn't.
Leon exhaled.
"Leave it. Where's Ethan?"
"He went to a nearby club," Marcus said.
Leon turned sharply.
"What?"
"I tried to stop him. He said he'd be back in two hours."
Leon frowned.
"Mr. Lee told us not to go anywhere."
Marcus hesitated.
"I got a message from Eva," he said.
Leon's expression changed.
"What happened?"
"Ethan's father is planning to reduce his share in the company."
Leon's eyes widened.
"Does Ethan know?"
"…Maybe."
Leon stood up immediately.
"No. He knows. That's why he went to the club."
Marcus grabbed his phone.
Within seconds, both of them were leaving the room.
Marcus dialed Ethan repeatedly while Leon drove.
Neither spoke.
---
At the academy gate, Lucas noticed their car leaving.
He quickly typed a message.
Leon and Marcus left the hostel.
Raymond read it while washing dishes in the canteen.
"Don't know what those three are up to now," he muttered.
Samuel, repairing benches nearby, checked his phone and nodded.
"Tomorrow's sun will come with something," he said.
Neither of them realized they were right.
---
A police officer stationed outside Hillcrest in plain clothes also noticed the departure.
He spoke quietly into his phone.
"Two of the Unicorn sons just left campus."
Inside the police station, the information reached the inspector within minutes.
He listened without reacting.
Then he nodded once.
"Keep watching."
---
Adrian sat inside the lockup, back against the wall.
He could hear fragments of police conversation drifting through the corridor.
"…left campus…"
"…surveillance…"
"…watch them…"
He closed his eyes.
"These boys weren't born villains," he murmured to himself. "They were made into one."
Memories surfaced.
His first day at Hillcrest. Students watching him with quiet pity.
The Devil Trio's first display of power.
Professors trying — and failing — to resist.
The video clips he discovered later.
The reason he stayed instead of resigning.
Then his own humiliation.
The viral video.
The comments.
The hatred.
And finally—
Eden falling.
And his own hands grabbing him.
"Everything happened too fast," Adrian whispered.
Adrian lowered his head slightly.
For the first time in two days, exhaustion crept into his bones.
Not fear.
Not regret.
Just exhaustion.
Hillcrest had always been heavier than he expected.
But leaving had never been an option.
Not after what he had already seen.
He slowly exhaled and rested his head against the wall.
Outside, the police station continued moving normally.
Inside, Adrian remained still.
His fingers trembled slightly.
Only once.
Across the corridor, the inspector had been watching for several minutes.
"He's not reacting like a guilty man," the inspector said quietly.
A junior officer nodded.
"Forty-eight hours in custody," the officer said. "Still calm. No lawyer. No panic."
"Background verification?" the inspector asked.
"Team is working on it."
Another officer entered.
"Sir, the Unicorn boys left campus."
The inspector sighed.
"If they create trouble now," he said, "I won't protect them."
---
Back at Hillcrest, the campus had already begun sinking into silence.
Night settled quietly over Hillcrest Academy.
Most hostel lights were off.
Only the dim security lamps near the administrative block remained.
Behind the auditorium, near the old storage building, a faint engine sound stopped.
Headlights turned off immediately.
Silence returned.
A shadow stepped out of the darkness and moved toward the storage door.
A key turned slowly in the lock.
The door opened just enough to slip inside.
The person did not switch on the lights.
They already knew the room.
Stacks of unused desks, sealed cartons, and broken laboratory stands filled the space.
The figure walked to the far corner.
A floor tile was lifted carefully.
Underneath was a narrow hidden compartment.
Inside lay a black pouch.
The figure opened it.
Several small sealed packets were arranged neatly beside a bundle of cash.
A pen drive rested beneath them.
The figure added a new packet to the pouch.
Then closed it.
The tile returned to place with practiced precision.
Footsteps passed outside the storage building.
The figure froze.
Breathing slowed.
Waiting.
After a few seconds, the footsteps faded.
The shadow moved again.
The door closed softly.
The storage room returned to silence.
Only the hidden compartment remained — holding things that did not belong inside a acadmey.
---
Elsewhere, in a private lounge filled with music and dim lights, Avein read the same update.
Marcus and Leon left campus.
He smiled faintly.
"So you're moving already," he whispered.
He typed a short message.
Phase 2.
Then he locked the phone.
"Let's see who breaks first," he said softly, raising his glass.
The music continued.
But somewhere else, events were already accelerating.
Avein raised his glass slowly.
The music continued.
And far away, Hillcrest Academy stood silent in the dark.