Late at night, the school's facilities were closed. Most of the lights were off, and only a few students and security guards lingered.
Keven sat sullenly on a bench, the scent of alcohol wafting from his body. Across from him was one of his friends. The two had been sharing drinks and venting about their problems.
"Those bitches! I've never been disrespected like this before! And now my grandfather tells me to avoid that bastard? I hate it!" Keven slammed back another drink, seething.
"And Thea's still ignoring me… I don't know what to do." Nik shook his head at his friend's troubles, silently thankful that he didn't share the same misfortune.
"Forget about that for now." Nik said. "I know someone who can let us in through the back door of the girls' dorm. There's a guy in the security office who'll turn a blind eye if we slip him some cash. No worries about the cameras either. Do with that information what you will."
Keven's eyes lit up as he slapped the table.
"Why didn't you tell me about this before?! Call him up, I need to talk to him!"
Then, pausing, he sobered a little, a flicker of fear crossing his face.
"Actually, I've got another job for you. Go to the 4th floor, room 14. There's a short girl with blonde hair there. I need you to…" As he explained, Nik's eyes gleamed at the prospect of making some money. He'd already blown his allowance at the club, so he could use more cash to play with.
With the plan set, the two got up and walked off.
Unbeknownst to them, someone had overheard everything.
Sya, returning from the hospital after visiting her mother, had caught their entire conversation. Mortified, she quickly pulled out her phone and sent frantic warning texts to the twins.
Not trusting the authorities around them, she sent one last message to someone else.
After about 15 minutes, Nik met with his contacts, and Keven paid them off. After giving instructions, they left.
"Alright." Keven whispered, "I'll be in my room. I'll provide your alibi as well. Let me know how it goes, and keep me updated."
With the plan in motion, Nik made his way around to the back of the dorm building, heading toward the emergency exit. A staff member had already disabled the alarm.
He took the elevator up to the fourth floor, moving leisurely as he searched for the right room. After a few minutes, he found it and…
*Bang, bang, bang.*
He pounded on the door, unconcerned about disturbing anyone nearby. When there was no response, Nik pressed his ear against the door, hearing faint shuffling inside.
Annoyed, he knocked harder, his patience wearing thin.
Meanwhile, downstairs, the guard who had let him inside was kneeling in tears. In front of him stood a tall man with long, light blue hair. The stranger said nothing. Just one glance made him feel as though he were trapped in an icy cellar, a mountain weighing down on his chest.
Akashic didn't speak, merely reading the man's memories to piece together the situation.
'Nik?' he thought. He recognized the name, he looked forward to seeing him. With all the information he needed, Akashic fully unleashed his [King's Aura].
He was way weaker than Z3 so the effect was immediate. The pressure on the man intensified greatly. The sound of chanting rang in his ears as he lost his will to fight back.
The sound grew louder and louder, causing his heart to start beating at unbelievable speeds. With no defense, his organs began to fail, and he passed out—his fate was sealed.
Akashic kicked the body aside and ran on up the stairs, ignoring the elevator. In seconds he reached the fourth floor, spotting Nik banging on a door.
"I don't have time for this—UGH!"
Nik, out of patience and ready to force entry, was suddenly blasted down the hallway, crashing into the wall with a sickening thud. Pain shot through every inch of his body as he struggled to process what had just happened.
*Tap, tap, tap.*
Footsteps approached. Nik, barely able to move, strained to lift his head. He caught a glimpse of someone he knew well.
"You peasant! You dare—*CRACK!* AAGGHH, FUCK!"
Before he could finish, his arm was stepped on, snapping it.
Akashic wasn't worried about the cameras. Not because of any shady deal Nik had made, but because he had already destroyed them. No one was coming to help Nik now, leaving him at Akashic's mercy.
"What a shame, you let Keven order you around for years. You even let him send you to your death." He spoke with mock pity.
For a moment, Akashic considered whether he was going too far. He didn't know Nik's exact intentions, though they were clearly no good. But did that justify ending his life?
After a brief thought, he arrived at his answer.
'I don't care.' It wasn't meant to be cold or heartless—just the truth.
He didn't feel anything was wrong with his actions.
'If I were to go and kill a random person, I definitely would feel guilty about that, I'd lose points for sure.'
'But people like this, like Z3? If anything, I feel pleased with it.' Akashic felt those words resonate within him. A feeling deep in his mind told him this wasn't an unfamiliar topic.
He was concerned at his thoughts, but he didn't want to fight it.
Being soft lead to his downfall once already. As long as he retained what he considered his morals, the rest didn't matter.
Pushing that away for later, he looked down at Nik and smiled.
"Both times I've killed I used other means, avoiding getting physical. But, that won't always be an option in the future." Nik was horrified, what monster did he run in to? What kind of school is this??
"Stand." An absolute command came as he found his body moving on its own, sending more pain throughout.
Akashic placed a hand on Nik's throat and slowly applied pressure, causing him to panic and try to pry the hand away.
Kicking, scratching, whatever could work he tried.
But… As Akashic Increased his strength little by little, Nik's struggling began to slow as his body stopped flailing around.
Soon, there was no movement as his sight dimmed.
His final thought was cursing Keven, hoping he'd meet the same fate soon.
With the unconscious Nik, Akashic strengthened his grip more until he felt and heard something crack.
With that out of the way, he dropped the body and saw the red handprint
Not sparing Nik another glance, Akashic turned and headed toward the twins' room.
Before he could knock, the door flew open, and two women rushed into his arms.