At the Industrial sector of the Sunken Metropolis, within a warehouse adjacent to the North-Eastern port.
A man wearing a ceremonial and over-sized black robe with markings on it and a sinister-looking red mask was standing straight with his hands behind back.
The mask only hid the upper part of his face, so his wide grin could be seen from a distance away.
He had dozens of cultists standing orderly behind him, all of which wore regular black masks and hooded cloaks.
“Took you long enough, Signora.”
Red Mask Viper was pleased to see the woman arrive. He didn’t prepare any flashy welcome, but his heightened mood was apparent.
Although he wasn’t particularly close to Velvet Signora, the two had worked together on several occasions and could be said to be a perfect match.
As she wore high heels and walked towards the smirking man, Red Mask Signora, also known as the Collector, clicked her tongue and grumbled,
“Couldn’t you have chosen a ‘cleaner’ place? I can’t stand the smell of fish.”
“It was out of my hands. There are Special Agents roaming all the important streets of the city, which makes it difficult to procure a more suitable base of operations. However, I employed expensive artifacts to obfuscate this warehouse and allow us to come and go unnoticed.”
Upon hearing this, she snorted and looked around in a disinterested manner.
“Always so guarded, Viper. So, what’s the urgent help you need?”
“It concerns the System holders I had told you about. His name is Zeke Orland. You know… that kid whom Fanti kidnapped years ago. I don’t know how, but the kid was lucky enough to acquire a System.”
“And you want to steal it from him? Or just kill him?”
“Kill him?” Viper coldly laughed and shook his head, “He would be a perfect gift for our gracious leader. Even if the System in his possession is a weak one, it would still be worth it.”
The man sounded highly-enthusiastic, but Velvet couldn’t help but furrow her brows and scrutinise him.
“Viper… you seem to be in a hurry. And you’re not telling me everything.”
Seeing her oggly him with eyes filled with suspicion, he washed the smile off his face and, with a slightly quieter tone, stated,
“I have, on good authority, that the boy will be…”
****
Erys wasn’t obligated to return to Erys thanks to the Summer vacation, which lasted for a little over a month. However, after spending four days in the office, content with sleeping on the couch, he had finally decided to head to school.
By now, the results of the Theoretical and Practical Final Exams should have been made public and the rankings would have been refreshed.
Although Zeke’s fight against Julia was stopped prematurely, he was still confident in placing amongst the top 5.
One more reason to go to Erys was to check on Xavier and make sure he had finished all the necessary preparations for Angel’s upcoming operation.
…
As soon as he entered the spacious hall at the ground floor of the Administrative Bureau Building, Zeke saw the crowd of students whispering as they stole glances at him.
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Used to such a treatment, he rolled his eyes and focused on the giant board hanging on the wall.
Surprisingly, he didn’t see his name at all, which confused him. He skimmed through it thrice but his name was really not on it.
When he was wondering about the reason, a gust of wind blew across his body, instantly followed by the abrupt appearance of a tall and wobbly figure.
Professor Nayro looked down at his students and exclaimed, “You’re finally back, my boy!”
While swallowing his shock and perplexion, Zeke stared back at the Zyth. Nayro was an overly-energetic and eccentric individual, but it was his obsession with the inexplicable, specifically his student’s strange ‘late awakening’, was what made Zeke feel uncomfortable.
While pulling Zeke to the side, Nayro moved his long and slimy arms in the air while speaking,
“Many things happened during your absence. There was a very displeasant Board Meeting which resembled a kindergarten in which children were bickering idiotically.”
“Why are you telling me this, sir?”
“Because it concerns you, my boy! Come with me!”
Zeke felt his body blow against the wind as the Zyth pulled him forward at an outrageous speed.
Even with maximum efficiency and a boost from [Surge of Pain] and [Self-Injection], Zeke couldn’t hope to achieve Nayro’s impressive movement speed.
When he regained his senses and the dizziness lessened, he found himself at the top floor, facing the closed door leading to the Principal’s office.
Nayro laughed and gently pushed Zeke as the large door opened. Inside, he saw the solitary silhouette of an old man standing near a bookshelf and absent-mindedly sweeping his wrinkled hand across the books.
“Welcome, Zeke.”
Solas walked to his leather chair and sat down, silently for Zeke to sit too.
“Did something happen, sir?”
“Haah!” Solas let out a heavy sigh, “It seems Nayro couldn’t keep it to himself. As for your question: Yes, something did happen.”
The old man paused for a couple of breaths, his cunning and unfathomable gaze lingering on the young man.
“This place has been fortified with Magic and not even a System Holder could eavesdrop on us, so feel free to speak your mind, Zeke.”
“I’m not sure I follow, sir.”
“I’m talking about the reasons behind killing the Ambassador. Your involvement with the Ivory Oak Order. Attacking a government facility. Your entanglement with Frederic Whitefort. Have I said enough?”
“...”
Solemn and silent, Zeke stared back at the smiling old man, who didn’t look angry.
“Just so you know, during our latest Board Meeting, many of our teachers voted to kick you out but I objected to their decision. Do you know why?”
“Because you protect the students of the school at all costs?”
“That’s precisely the case, Zeke. Expelling prominent and talented students wouldn’t give us a good image, even if you were the one at fault. However, that doesn’t mean I feel safe with you around the students either. Do you understand where I’m getting to?”
Zeke nodded with an expressionless face and responded, “Rather than expelling me, you want me to drop out.”
“Yes.”
Solas let out a second long sigh as he massaged his temples, “No matter how high you are going to rise, Zeke, it will still not be favorable for Erys. At least not right now. You’ve gotten the authorities off your back, but you keep getting embroiled in dangerous affairs and that eventually led to the brutal death of one of the students.”
“Do you think I don’t regret my actions? Or that I willingly put Samuel in danger? If I had known that they-”
“I know how you feel.” Interrupted the Principal as he raised his hand.
A bout of silence flowed between the elder and the youth, one which was broken by the latter.
“What happened to ‘listening to your’ and ‘trusting you’, sir? Was it not you who ensured my stay as long as I didn’t cause trouble. Furthermore, it’s not like I’m purposely trying to cause one mess after the other.”
“Do you think I’m being unreasonable?” Solas softly asked as his eyes narrowed.
“Hypocritical, sir.”
“...”
Zeke felt a bone-chilling pressure emanate from the old man, but he didn’t back off, instead, resolutely continuing, “In the end, you seem to care more about your school’s prestige than its students. You’ve proved my point just by suggesting I drop out. If you’re so determined to kick me out, then please be direct, sir.”
Zeke stopped for a moment, his voice getting louder, “You speak of my involvement with the Ivory Oak Order but it’s not like you didn’t have a secret pact with them either or else Veronica would have been expelled. The assassination of the Ambassador bore no repercussion to Erys or its students. The only ‘crime’ I’m guilty of was provoking the Vyrsan Family and consequently leading to Samuel’s death. Anything else is irrelevant.”
When he said his piece, Zeke put his hand in his pocket and took out a brand new business card with a spark of crimson flames surrounded by thin blue lines.
“Co-founder of the Lightning Flame Merc Group. If you ever need help, which I’m certain some day you will, you know where to find me.”
Zeke politely bowed, then slowly exited the office, leaving Solas in a seemingly gloomy mood as he stared at the business card.