♛
THE THIRD DAY OF the Annual Brotherhood Reranking has ended, and the results of their written examination have left everyone in complete shock. All the students in the five houses couldn't help but talk about the latest rankings.
"Those six brotherhoods are really scary."
"They literally just dominated the top ranks."
"Are they even normal?"
Everyone was talking about the six brotherhoods who easily perfected the exam results. As the brotherhoods who have been in J.S High the longest, it is safe to say that when it comes to their academics, the students in the House of Kings will not disappoint.
"Brotherhoods of J.S High," President Ian says, holding onto a gold envelope before looking down at the brotherhoods from the stage.
The members of the Elites were at the stadium. After the examination, they were all asked to head back to the campus. Despite their overwhelming achievement at the examination, there were no white uniforms in school, so there wasn't anyone there to cheer for them when they arrived.
"This might not mean much to you, but congratulations on the results of your third day. You have given great pride to this house," Ian says before giving a small bow.
"Now, I know you're all eager to leave so you can prepare for tomorrow's battle, but before that, I am here to announce where the second battle will be held," President Ian says while showing everyone the envelope that he's been holding.
"Please, not at the House of Pawns. Please not at the House of Pawns," a member of Jokers, Rome, repeatedly stated while his hands were intertwined together, almost like he was praying.
Everyone else was patiently waiting as Ian opened the sealed envelope. "This was delivered by the Association earlier," he says as he finally pulls the card out. He then looks down and reads it, and right after, he sighs and looks back at the brotherhoods before finally revealing, "Tomorrow, for the 4th day of the Annual Brotherhood Reranking, the school that was chosen for the battle is...J.S High."
As soon as the name was revealed, all the brotherhoods ended up becoming completely quiet. No one said a thing, but even President Ian and Vice President Gavriil could sense the frustration that they were all feeling.
"This is fucking bullshit!" Viktor suddenly shouts in anger, removing his gloves and throwing them to the ground before walking out of the stadium.
"Vi!" Joon calls back, immediately following him out.
The members of PHD and Busters are about to follow him out too, but Hans stops them. And surprisingly enough, the two groups listened.
"Fuck," Cj curses under his breath before turning to look at Krist, who also has a troubled look on him. "It's actually happening...that fucker was right. What are we going to do now?"
[A few days ago: at the McKay Industries]
"Have you prepared the presentation for tomorrow's meeting? My father will be back from Singapore. It's important that everything is prepared before he arrives," Magnus McKay, the only son of McKay Industries, asked while he typed down his report on his computer.
"Yes sir, everything is ready."
"Alright. Then you may go."
"Actually, sir, I came because a guest is waiting for you outside. This person is someone that we couldn't easily escort out, so I hope you properly meet with him," his secretary explained, making Magnus remove his eyes from the computer screen to look back at him confusingly.
"Someone you can't easily escort out? Who?"
Magnus's secretary adjusted his necktie and then answered, "The second son of the Hendrix Group, sir. Tanis Hendrix."
Magnus's eyes instantly widened in shock. The moment he heard of the name, he immediately stood from his seat and looked at his secretary with complete nervousness. "N-No, you have to ask him to leave. Do you understand me? Ask him to leave this building immediately!"
"What? Sir, we can't. This might be related to the business partnership that your father mentioned the other day during the meeting. Remember? The big investor?" His secretary explains, instantly making Magnus's jaw drop.
"Hendrix Group? The company my father made a business partnership with...was Hendrix Group?" Magnus asked in shock before sitting back down on his chair in defeat.
"Yes, sir Magnus. Will I call him inside now?" He then asked.
Magnus clenched his fist, and then he bit his lower lip and tried his best to stay calm. He doesn't know why Tanis is here anyway. Maybe he really was here for business, so all Magnus could do was stay calm and make sure he didn't say the wrong thing.
"A-Alright...you may call him in," Magnus finally answered, and his secretary nodded his head and left the room.
As soon as the door shut, Magnus's chest started to beat even faster. "S-Shit...shit! What do I do? Do I call..." Magnus was about to pick up his cell phone, but he immediately stopped himself, remembering the warning that was given to him, stating that someone among them was a genius hacker and using digital devices can be very dangerous.
"It's okay. I just have to stay calm. They have no evidence. They don't know that I'm the spy that was sent to their school. They don't know anything yet," Magnus reassured himself as the door to his office finally opened.
"Sir Magnus, Mr. Tanis is here," the secretary stated, opening the door wider to reveal Tanis Hendrix, the second son of the Hendrix Group and the kings' leader that J.S High introduced during the Elite School Convention.
Magnus swallowed the lump in his throat before looking at Tanis with a fake smile. Tanis entered the office wearing a formal suit, but as soon as he entered, Magnus's smile disappeared when he saw another man standing behind him wearing casual clothes. He couldn't tell who he was because he was wearing a pair of dark shades and a black face mask, but even with his hidden identity, Magnus could tell that he was someone he should greatly fear.
Magnus's secretary closed the door and waited inside the room, but Magnus immediately looked at him and said, "Secretary Wayne, can you wait outside? Actually, head downstairs and finish your work. I know Mr. Tanis personally, and I would like to speak with him privately."
"Is that so? Then I will take my leave."
The Secretary, whose name was actually Wayne, bowed to Magnus and his guests before finally leaving them inside the office. As soon as he was gone, Magnus cleared his throat and looked back at Tanis again before giving him a much more nervous smile this time.
"Tanis Hendrix. It's a surprise to see you here. I'm assuming you're here to talk about the partnership with our company. Please, take a seat. I'd love to—" Before Magnus could even finish his sentence, the man standing beside Tanis suddenly started laughing, immediately making Magnus stop talking.
"I'll guard the door," Tanis stated before walking out of the room, leaving the two of them alone inside.
"Hey! What's going on?!" Magnus called out before looking back at the covered stranger in front of him. "Who are you? What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
"We knew that it would be impossible to meet you like this, but I guess a mere business partnership is enough to make your company bend down on its knees to favor us. I guess the rumors are true," the man says.
"Rumors? What rumors? Was this business partnership your plan?"
The man smirked as he looked at Magnus, but then he pulled out an envelope from his pocket before tossing it to him. "I had someone help me with this. I hope you enjoy my gift," the man said as Magnus finally opened the envelope. He thought it would be a formal letter, but what he found inside immediately made him drop the paper in shock.
Confession No. 1: I have a father who sold my mother to the minister to escape our company's tax evasion scandal. In order to help fix the problem, I assisted someone to spy on a certain school. Who do you think I am?
"W-What is this? Who the fuck are you?!"
"Oh, what's wrong? Do you not like my gift?" The man teasingly asked before laughing loudly again. Soon after, he finally removed his glasses and mask, revealing his true identity to Magnus.
For a second, Magnus was confused, but after a while, his expression changed into horror, almost like he just saw a ghost. He wasn't sure who this person was at first, but his eyes could never lie. Only one heir comes to mind when you see those intimidating grey eyes.
"V-Viktor...Viktor Stepanov. You're...you're alive. They were right," Magnus said in shock as Viktor looked at him with a smirk.
"They were right? Who, Magnus? Who was right? The people who asked you to spy on my House? The people who told you that you'll never be caught? The people who said you were going to be safe?" Viktor asked with a menacing grin.
Magnus swallowed the lump in his throat and decided not to say anything. Instead, he slowly reached out to the button under his table to alert the guards, but when he was already inches away from it, Viktor stopped him.
"I suggest you don't do anything stupid, Magnus McKay. I have a gun in my pocket, and if you think killing you will scare me, then you're mistaken. I have already died before. Consequences don't entirely scare me," Viktor threatened.
Magnus thought that he was only bluffing, but he stopped himself anyway because he didn't want to take the chance.
"I can leave you alone and never show myself to you. You can pretend like you were hallucinating, or better yet, you can pretend like you just saw a ghost!" Viktor exclaimed with an excited grin, showing that he was enjoying this more than he thought he would. "All you have to do is tell me what on earth you were doing in J.S High, and tell me who ordered you to do it. And I'm not playing around here too, Magus. The confession I gave you isn't props. I can end your entire family with one word."
"I j-just got tangled into this. I don't know—"
"Then more reasons to spill it out! Don't you think?"
"Look, someone else knew about our family's scandal. They threatened me with the same thing, so I did what they asked me to do. If I tell you who it was, then I'm fucked," Magnus explained, desperation present in his voice.
"It's a matter of choice then," Viktor stated as he walked closer to Magnus's desk. "Who do you fear more, right? Who do you think will fuck you up more? Will it be that other person...or will it be me?" Viktor asked, leaning close to Magnus's face.
Magnus gulped, but then he bravely replied, "I do not fear a man whose entire family was already killed."
Viktor wasn't expecting to hear such a thing from him, so he backed away from Magnus and turned around. Right after, he started laughing again, his laughter echoing around the entire office. Magnus was confused, but he decided to reach for the emergency button again while Viktor wasn't looking. But as he was about to do it, Viktor immediately pulled his gun out of his pocket. And in a matter of seconds, he pulled the trigger.
Magnus's heart dropped as the sound of the gun resonated in his ear. He slowly looked at his chest but sighed when he realized that he was okay. Instead, what Viktor shot was the hidden button attached to his desk.
"Y-You...you actually have a gun. You were going to kill me!" Magnus finally shouted, and the grin on Viktor's face was now replaced by an intimidating expression.
"I told you not to do anything stupid. My patience is slim, Magnus McKay. If you do not tell me what I need to hear, I won't miss this time," Viktor threatened, and Magnus's eyes were finally filled with tears as fear consumed him. He had never experienced such a thing before. And all Magnus could remember was the question that Viktor told him earlier.
"Who do you fear more?"
Magnus thought that he'd be more scared of the person who initially asked him to spy on J.S High, but now...standing right in front of him was fear himself. This was Viktor Stepanov, the heir that was once ranked 1 in Crème de la Crème. He knew that at the very moment that defying him would secure nothing but his death.
"I'm not the real spy," Magnus finally answered as Viktor continued to point the gun at him. "T-There's someone...someone in J.S High...he's the real spy. He's the one who's been fucking you over since day one, but I don't know who it is. I swear."
"Then what the fuck were you doing in our house?" Viktor asked.
Magnus continued to stare at the gun as sweat started to stream down the side of his forehead. "I was tasked to deliver something. I don't know what it was. It was inside a small aluminum case. During the closing ceremony, they asked me to leave it inside a trashcan in the restroom found on the third floor. They said the CCTV cameras can't reach that area."
"Small aluminum case?" Viktor confusingly whispered under his breath before looking back at Magnus again. "What else? Why would you leave something like that here?"
"I don't know. They mentioned about a battle...said something about J.S High being the chosen location on the 4th day. That's all I know. I swear. Please, don't kill me. I told you everything I know," Magnus then begged.
Viktor continued to stare at him, but after a while, he finally pulled the gun away, instantly making Magnus give out a relieved sigh.
"Looks like you know how to talk after all," Viktor said as he hid his gun back inside his coat. "But I'm assuming you're still not going to tell me who ask you to do this. I'm not stupid, Magnus McKay. You know something, but you still wouldn't tell me. But no matter. I'll find out about it myself eventually."
Viktor stared at the terrified expression that Magnus had with a smirk before finally walking towards the door.
"My family's scandal...you're not going to expose it, are you?" Magnus immediately asked.
Viktor chuckled and grabbed the doorknob before replying, "If you behave and be a good boy, I'll consider it." And when Viktor finally opened the door, Magnus's jaw dropped when he saw a bunch of his guards knocked down on the floor while some of the employees hid in fear.
Tanis's knuckles were bleeding, but his expression was still ice cold. It seemed like the gunshots were heard outside the office, and the guards tried to enter and interfere with their conversation, but Tanis didn't let them.
"The moment you decided to disrespect the House of Kings is the very moment your life was cut short. Don't make any mistakes, Magnus McKay, my mercy today will be your curse. Now I suggest you start praying," Viktor threatened for one last time before finally leaving with his right-hand man, and all Magnus could do was tremble in complete terror.
He definitely chose the wrong opponent.
[Present time: Outside the Stadium, J.S High]
"Vi!" Joon called out as Viktor continued walking away. He didn't stop walking despite the calls, so Joon walked faster and finally grabbed his hand.
"Will you please calm down?" Joon asks.
Viktor angrily pulls his hand away from the prince and looks at Joon with irritation, almost grabbing his cheeks again like how he always does, but he stops himself and looks away from him instead. "Leave," he tried telling him.
"Viktor, nothing will change now. We're too late. Even after all those years, we never found who the real spy was in J.S High. There is nothing we can do to change fate," Hee-joon explains, and Viktor looks back at him again.
"Nothing is too late. Until the battle hasn't started, it is never too late."
"God, Vi, just give up! We lost, that's it. Just face it now and move on. But this doesn't mean we can't come back stronger. We are brotherhoods born in J.S High. If anything, we can still turn things around and—"
"It is so easy for you to give up when you had nothing to lose!" Viktor shouted in the spur of the moment. But as soon as he saw the expression on Joon's face, Viktor immediately cursed at himself.
"Had nothing to lose?" Joon asked back.
"Joon..."
"You do not know what I had to lose to be here in this very spot. You do not know what I had to lose to be here in this very spot with you!" Joon angrily shouted, his rage leaving Viktor speechless as this was an emotion that the leader had seldom shown.
"I had to sacrifice so much to be with you, Viktor, do you not know that?! When everyone left you...I was the only one who stood by your side. I trained day and night to be your prince so that I can proudly stand beside you. And the things that Paradox did to me in the past...the things I did to serve you...you still think I had nothing to lose?" Joon continued to ask, and soon after, a tear fell from his eyes.
Viktor's expression turned into pain as he tried reaching out to Hee-joon's face, but the leader pushed his hand away from him.
"I love you...Viktor...and I am willing to fail...so that you can be king," Joon declared, now in a softer tone as tears continued to pour out of his eyes.
"Joon, don't say that. Please."
"I told you once...My heart is cold, yet my anger is burning like a flame I can't seem to put out. If you think you know what that feels like, then you should know how painful it is to burn," Joon told him before clenching his fist.
"And I will burn. I will burn for eternity if I must," Viktor replied, but Joon shook his head.
"I would rather fail and leave J.S High than you. You cannot stop this storm, Viktor. And I will not let you drown in the flood." Hee-joon finally walks away. Viktor wanted to follow him, but his feet couldn't move an inch. All that was left was the pain in his chest and tears that couldn't seem to fall from his eyes, tears that were already nonexistent.
When Hee-joon was gone, Viktor turned around and punched the wall as hard as he could, bruising his knuckles. As the blood dripped to the floor, Viktor looked up and saw the dark clouds forming above their great school.
A storm really was coming.
And nothing was more painful than a king who could only watch as his castle drowned.
- END -