The sleek black limo glinted in the evening sun as it pulled up into the Asterian Mansion.
Kai was inside with Edgar. The silence between them felt heavier than usual, pressing down in a way that had nothing to do with Edgar, and everything to do with what was waiting inside.
The earlier adrenaline had long since faded. What remained was exhaustion. Pain settled deep in Kai's ribs and shoulders, dull but constant, flaring with every small movement. Kai shifted slightly in his seat, trying not to show it.
'I failed', he thought. 'I was too useless to save myself.' Kai clenched his fist at his own uselessness.
He glanced sideways at Edgar just as the car came to a stop.
Edgar was already looking at him.
Not with annoyance or even with anger.
But something colder.
Kai looked away first, annoyed.
"Don't even start," he muttered.
Edgar didn't respond. He just looked at Kai, unmoving.
The door opened and Michael stood outside, composed as always, holding the door open with quiet efficiency.
Edgar stepped out first. Kai moved to follow, ignoring the way his body protested. The moment his foot touched the ground, pain shot up his side, but he didn't let it show.
Edgar reached out instinctively.
Kai slapped his hand away.
"I've got it," he said flatly.
Edgar rolled his eyes. "You're so stubborn."
Kai shot him a glare, steadying himself as he stood fully upright. "No. I'm just not helpless."
The words came out sharper than they should have.
They hung in the air for a second.
Edgar didn't argue.
Which somehow made it worse, in Kai's perspective.
He stepped out fully, closing the car door behind him. For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then the air shifted and Kai felt it immediately. That unmistakable chill, the suffocating, controlled pressure that didn't need to announce itself to be known.
His stomach tightened.
"He knows," Kai muttered, a tiny bit nervous.
Edgar didn't deny it. "Of course he does."
Kai exhaled slowly, trying to ignore the tension creeping up his spine. "How?"
Edgar started walking toward the entrance. "You really think something like that wouldn't reach him?"
Kai didn't answer because he knew the truth.
Nothing escaped Leon. He and Edgar reached the grand mahoney oak doors and knocked. The butler, Alfred, who was an old man with grey hair and a mustache opened it.
"welcome home young masters" he said in that unmistakable british accent. He glanced at Kai and raised an eyebrow. "Are you all right master Kai?" He asked. Kai glanced at the their butler and opened his mouth to speak, but Edgar butt in.
"Just a small mishap at school Alfred, no need to worry" Edgar said smoothly.
Alfred raised an eyebrow but nodded. "If you say so Master Edgar. Should I call the medic?"
Edgar shook his head. "Kai will be fine for the moment, Leon will decide if the medic is needed, thank you Alfred" he said sincerely. Alfred was the only person the Asterians respected because he filled in when their parents died.
Alfred bowed. "As you wish young master Edgar." He then left to fulfill his other duties.
Kai just stood there as they conversed, expression bored. Edgar then grabbed kais arm and pulled him along towards Leon's study.
The main doors closed behind them with a soft, final sound.
And the pressure intensified.
Kai's steps slowed slightly, his body still sore, but his attention shifted completely now. The mansion felt… quieter than usual. Not empty—controlled.
Like something was waiting.
Edgar noticed his hesitation.
"…Walk," he said quietly.
Kai scoffed, forcing himself forward. "I am walking." he said irritated, although he was barley walking.
They moved through the long hallway in silence, their footsteps echoing against polished floors. Servants passed by, heads lowered, movements precise.
No one spoke.
No one even looked at them for longer than a second.
Kai's chest felt tight.
The closer they got—
The worse it felt.
They reached the main room and the doors were already open.
Of course they were.
Kai stopped just outside for a split second.
Edgar didn't.
"Don't hesitate now," he said, not even looking back.
Kai clicked his tongue and stepped inside. He closed the door behind him.
Leon Asterian stood near the center of the room.
Not by the window this time. He was waiting, with his hands in his pockets.
His expression was calm.
Too calm, for Kai's liking.
Cale stood off to the side, leaning slightly against a table, his posture relaxed—but his eyes were sharp, already assessing the situation.
The moment they entered—
Leon's gaze landed on Kai.
And didn't move.
Kai felt it immediately.
That pressure that felt like you were pinned from all sides.
That weight.
It was different from before, somehow heavier and colder. Definitely not amused this time.
"You're late." Leon stated. His voice was quiet and controlled.
Kai swallowed, forcing himself to meet Leon's gaze. "We came straight back." he said, voice slightly unsteady.
Leon didn't respond to that.
His eyes moved slowly—taking in everything.
Kai's posture.
The way he was standing.
The injuries he wasn't hiding well enough.
Silence stretched.
Then he finally said, "Who did this?"
The question was simple but it landed like a command.
Kai hesitated. "It doesn't matter." he said defensively. That was the wrong answer.
The air shifted instantly.
"Answer the question," Leon said sharply.
Kai's jaw tightened. "Just some guys at school." Leons icy gaze locked onto Kai's. "Names." he commanded.
"I don't know." Kai muttered because that wasn't entirely true.
Leon knew it and Kai knew he knew.
"…You allowed three opponents to corner you," Leon continued, his tone still calm. "And you failed to respond effectively."
Kai's hands clenched at his sides.
"I didn't 'allow' anything," he snapped. "They jumped me."
"And you were unprepared." he said in a low voice, but there was a slight tightness to it.
"That's not my fault!" Kai raised his voice a bit.
"It is." Leon stated.
The word cut cleanly through the room.
Kai froze.
Leon took a step forward.
The pressure increased instantly, suffocating, controlled, impossible to ignore.
"If you cannot anticipate a threat," Leon said, "then you are already at a disadvantage."
Kai glared at him, anger flaring despite the weight pressing down on him. "There were three of them!"
"And you are an Asterian."
Silence.
The words hit harder than anything else.
Kai's chest tightened.
"…So that means I'm supposed to win every fight?" he shot back. "Even when I'm outnumbered?"
"Yes."
There was no hesitation or doubt in. His voice.
Kai stared at him, unbelieving.
"…That's insane." he muttered. Leon's eyes narrowed slightly. "It's reality." he said curtly.
Kai let out a sharp, frustrated breath, looking away for a second before snapping back. "I'm not like you!"
"I am aware."
The calmness in Leon's voice only made it worse.
Kai's fists clenched tighter. "Then stop expecting me to be!"
"I don't expect you to be me," Leon said.
A pause.
Then he added, "I expect you to survive."
Silence fell.
It was heavy, and Kai then took a moment and looked around to see Cale and Edgar just observing this back and forth conversation. Kai suddenly felt uncomfortable.
His anger faltered slightly, caught off guard by the shift in the atmosphere.
"…I did survive," he muttered.
"Barely." Leon shot back.
That stung.
Kai looked away again, jaw tight.
Cale spoke then, his voice cutting in smoothly. "Three opponents. Coordinated enough to overwhelm him quickly."
Kai shot him a glare. "Whose side are you on?"
Cale didn't even look at him. "I'm not on a side. I'm stating facts."
"Yeah? Then state this—" Kai snapped. "I didn't lose."
Cale finally looked at him.
"You were on the ground," he said calmly. "Unable to continue."
Kai didn't respond because he couldn't. He knew Cale was right and his pride didn't let him admit it.
Edgar's voice came next, colder than before. "They kept hitting you."
Kai's head snapped toward him. "I noticed." he said sarcastically.
Edgar's eyes narrowed slightly. "And you still didn't call for help."
"I didn't need—" Kai started, but Edgar cut in. "You did." he said sharply.
Silence.
Kai's chest tightened again, frustration building.
"I wasn't going to rely on someone else," he said.
Leon's gaze sharpened.
"That mindset," he said, "is exactly why you failed."
Kai snapped. "So what? I'm just supposed to call for backup every time something happens?!"
"Yes."
The answer came instantly.
"Support exists for a reason." Leon continued.
"I don't want support!" Kai grit out.
"And that," Leon said quietly, "is irrelevant."
The room fell silent again.
Kai's breathing was uneven now, anger and something else mixing together.
"…I'm not one of your subordinates," he said.
"No," Leon replied. "You're more reckless and a liability."
Kai flinched slightly.
"You are vulnerable," Leon continued. "Which makes you a target."
Kai looked down, his vision blurring slightly—not from pain this time.
"…So what?" he muttered. "I just accept that?"
Leon stepped closer.
Close enough that Kai could feel the full weight of his presence.
"You adapt." he said, his tall frame looming over Kai.
The word hit differently this time.
Cale's voice echoed faintly in his mind.
'You adapt' he said back then.
Kai's hands trembled slightly.
"…And if I don't?" he asked quietly.
Leon didn't hesitate.
"Then you will continue to fail."
Silence.
Kai swallowed hard.
Leon straightened slightly, his expression returning to that calm, controlled state.
"From tomorrow," he said, "you will not be alone at school."
Kai's head snapped up. "What?"
"You will have guards."
"No." Kai said defiantly.
It came out instantly.
Leon's gaze didn't change.
"Yes."
"I said no!" Kai snapped. "I'm not walking around with guards like some—some—"
"Like someone who requires protection?" Leon finished.
Kai glared at him. "I don't need it."
"You do."
"I don't!" Kai snapped.
Leon's voice dropped slightly.
"You were just proven wrong."
That shut Kai up for a second.
Kai's chest rose and fell unevenly.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered.
Leon turned slightly, as if the conversation was already over.
"It is necessary."
Kai clenched his fists.
"…I hate this."
Leon paused briefly.
Then—
"I know." he said.
Kai froze just for a second. He hated the way Leon never showed any emotion. He just says he knows like he doesn't care.
Kai looked away again, jaw tight.
"…Go to your room," Leon said.
Kai didn't argue this time.
Didn't snap back.
Didn't push.
He just turned—
And walked out.
Slower than usual and quieter.
The doors closed behind him with a soft click as he walked out.
Inside the room, silence lingered.
Cale exhaled quietly. "That went about as expected."
Edgar didn't respond.
His gaze was still on the door.
"…You're being too hard on him," he said finally.
Leon didn't look at him.
"I'm not being hard enough."
Cale raised an eyebrow slightly. "He got jumped."
"He got careless."
Edgar's jaw tightened. "He's twelve."
"And already a target." Leon said firmly.
The silence was heavy. Unresolved issues was in the air.
Leon's gaze shifted slightly toward the door.
"That will not happen again." he vowed. Edgar glanced at Leon and said, "the boys were three nobels. Just maybe don't destroy their lives too much" he said. Leon just looked at him and said nothing.
After a few seconds he said, "no promises." And then, he turned around and went to his desk, intending to make a few phone calls. He dismissed Cale and Edgar.
Upstairs, Kai leaned against the wall outside his room, his breathing uneven.
His whole body hurt, but he didn't want a medic.
That wasn't what bothered him though.
"…Barely," he muttered.
The word echoed in his head.
He pushed himself off the wall and stepped into his room, closing the door behind him.
He didn't slam it this time.
He walked to his bed slowly and sat down, staring at the floor.
"Next time…"
His hands clenched slightly.
Not entirely in anger, but something else instead.
Something more determined.
"I won't lose." Kai vowed to himself. Little did he know, from this day on Kai's life would change forever.