Sacrifice ring and the arrival of Marcelo after a "long break"

"Put on my victim's ring."

"What?! "- I exclaimed, and the girl momentarily closed her eyes. Suddenly, my stomach twisted, and I groaned. To avoid falling, I put my hand on a shelf for support. When the pain in my stomach subsided, I raised my eyes and met two piercing brown eyes that were studying me with curiosity.

And there we stood in quite an interesting pose. It seemed as if I were pressing the brunette against a closet and about to do something. Deymi chuckled and tapped my arm. A gentle touch ran across my palm, and I shuddered.

"Excuse me... forgive me" - I sighed.

"Let's get back to the conversation. So, what?"

Y"ou want me to..."

"Wear the ring my victim wears."

"But why?"

"Well, it's for your safety. When you wear my mark, other mafia groups won't touch you. And also..." - she exhaled and spoke with irritation, - "Your dimwitted friend nearly revealed to your entire family who you are. Because of that, my father and I had an argument. And now..."

"I understand."

"So, are you willing?"

"Yes, if you won't refer to me as your property," - I extended my hand, and the girl pulled the ring out of her pocket. I examined her: rough, wide, with a cross in the middle, it looked like a target.

"I can't promise anything, "- Miss Mort said slyly. - "Alright, you agreed. So, shall we go?"

She walked towards the exit, and I stayed behind, exhaling in relief and leaning against the shelf, which wobbled under my weight. From one of the shelves, a book fell directly on my head. I caught it and covered my face with it. It could serve as a substitute for a pillow, on which I needed to scream. I felt a slight blush on my cheeks.

"She did that on purpose, didn't she? "- I asked, looking at the portrait on the back of the book. It seemed like the portrait nodded. - "Really? But imagine. Her eyes... da-damn." - It seemed like the portrait rolled its eyes.

"Hey, are you coming?" - she peeked out, and I jolted.

"Yes, yes," - I hurriedly put the book back on the shelf and followed her. We approached the unfortunate Grace, who had drunk all my water and was dying of thirst.

"I'm going to die of curiosity right now. Something's happening here, "- he shouted. We left the library, and two girls in racing suits with trays appeared in front of us. I raised an eyebrow and noticed that dozens of such students, dressed the same way, were walking through the corridors and offering drinks (the same drinks). I took a mango Pepsi since there weren't any other options.

"What's the occasion today? "- I wondered aloud as we descended to the landing and began to observe the people. Music was playing as if in a club, and dozens of students were dancing with cups in their hands.

And then, Vesper walked into the school in a flawless red racing suit with a Ferrari logo. He had a black band on his forehead, and his hair was slicked back. The music faded, and applause rang out. With a radiant smile, the brunet waved to everyone and grabbed a soda. Two chubby guys brought a tall wooden table and placed it in front of him. He said something, and they glowed with pride. The guy quickly climbed onto the table and greeted everyone, lifting a plastic bottle.

"Welcome, all Owl school students," - I felt the silence, and everyone hung on his every word, - "Before you start asking questions, I'd like to do a couple of things. First, I want to explain why I've been absent for so long."

"Dude, you've been gone for 3-4 days, are you kidding?" - someone hissed quietly, and my agreement was echoed by Grace.

"The thing is, during these past few days, I've been thinking about the purpose of my existence. The existence of people. Will I just be a simple school thug, behaving like a sultan to everyone? I'm just ordinary, like all the other students."

"Doesn't he want to say that he's special, just like me?" - Mort commented coolly, and her sister nodded.

"You're a king! "- someone shouted, and most voices hummed in agreement. Vesper smiled and waved his hand to silence them.

"I'm really grateful for such an attitude, but let's come to an agreement. Over these few days, a lot has happened that made me angry, sad, and even led me to harm myself. To be honest, I even thought about suicide." - There were gasps in the crowd, and my gaze fell on his wrist. It was indeed bandaged.

"He talks about it so casually, don't you think"? - Mort hissed, and the brunette laughed and set her drink aside.

"But at the last moment, a real angel came to me and talked to me for a long time. I've never felt this light from a conversation with... a being before. I allowed myself to trust and poured out everything that was on my mind. I was given advice, support, and comfort. But the problem was that people in reality consider this angel a real demon and see only the outer shell. I realized one thing for myself. Angels who often can't show kindness are considered demons."

"What's he getting at?" - Mort whispered, and the brunette fluttered and put the liquid aside.

"So, from now on, I want to reveal the world and make it more comfortable. Will you help me?

Help yourself first, "- Deymi said dryly. Cheers and shouts echoed. The brunette smiled, and I noticed that his gaze was constantly searching for someone.

"Second, I want to apologize." - Vesper spoke when everyone fell silent. I was genuinely glad; I could sense sincerity in his words. - "I want to apologize to my fans who chased after someone like me and allowed themselves to be demeaned. I want to apologize for never once looking at one of you, not saying thank you, not even giving a compliment."

Girls with posters were almost fainting from his gaze, directed specifically at them, and the words that were said especially for them. Some were sobbing, shouting for joy, hugging, and waving to him.

"Apologize to the teachers and students who received from me and suffered from my behavior." - he exhaled and continued, - "As compensation, I sent each of you packages with gadgets, gifts, and all sorts of little things."

"How kind," - Grace rolled his eyes.

"And don't say that, "- Miss Mort laughed.

"And lastly, I want to apologize to the son and daughter of the Mort Mafia and their loyal friend." - everyone fell silent and looked at us, even Marcelo himself.