A Mysterious Contract

"Yes, father?"

A meek voice resounded throughout the room, almost akin to the squeak of a mouse trapped inside a cage.

The voice belonged to one of the strongest students in Academy 07, Leo Kadz.

However, currently, he was as submissive as a trained pet while approaching his father, whose figure was hidden by the darkness.

Leo's hands shuddered uncontrollably and were clasped behind his back, near the top of his buttocks.

It was a dimly lit room with darkness encompassing the figure of Leo's father.

"Sit, Leo."

A gentle yet cold voice entered Leo's ears, and immediately, he sat on the metal chair in front of his father.

Now, he was able to view his face partially.

His face was perfect, as if he was a god able to differentiate his appearance to his liking.

His blonde hair fell down to the upper neck, revealing a curtain haircut.

His pupils glowed sea blue, illuminating the surroundings with a majestic hue.

"Yes, father?"

Leo squeaked once again, his body shaking visibly this time.

"Oh, you don't need to be afraid of me anymore."

Leo tilted his head as a perplexed expression blossomed on his pale face, that currently had sweat dripping down it.

As his eyes focused inside the darkness, he was able to spot the features on his father's face that had the potential to topple countries.

His beauty was unparalleled, as even actors of models would fawn over and desire it.

However, one thing he found a little uncomfortable was the suspicious smile that spread across his face.

"Anymore?"

His father's smile only grew wider and wider as confusion spread across Leo's face.

"We'll get to that later. Firstly, tell me about your life. I haven't seen you in a year and a half now."

Having visited the area possessed by the Neutral Faction to view its construction, he hadn't met Leo for over a year and a half.

For Leo, this was paradise, which he considered better than heaven.

However, now that his father, George Kadz, was back…

"My life has been wonderful, father. Firstly, after the dungeon attack, I began training for countless hours every day, hoping to improve on my weakness while expanding on my strengths. I had also become the #1 King in Academy 07 for a while and was the strongest… for a while. That was until Ace Ambrosia returned from the dead."

He grit his teeth in an exaggerated manner, trying to fool his father with a show of hostility towards his best friend.

George's smile, which had now contorted into a demented expression that could not be considered one of happiness, had only grown wider with every word uttered by his son.

"I see, so that pest has returned."

A shadow was cast upon his face, which turned gloomy for a split second, but then contorted once again into a deranged grin.

His teeth, which were abnormally sharp, could be viewed clearly from the outside, making him look like a predator savoring the last moments of his prey.

"Anyway, shall we get to the point of today's discussion?"

Leo's heart sank as he nodded his head.

He had hoped that maybe… maybe, he would've changed and that he would care about Leo's well-being without any strings attached to it.

However, that thought had dissolved before it even had the chance to blossom.

Having been neglected and sometimes even abused by his father, brothers, sisters, and most of his family, Leo had always relied on his so-called 'friends' for any type of social connection.

However, they were either his 'friends' for financial purposes or some kind of backing.

The others willingly become his underlings for protection and safety from those who they have offended.

It was a regular occurrence that Leo had learned not to mind.

However, when he found a person who acknowledged him for himself and not for his wealth or family, those thoughts couldn't help but return in a negative format.

The things he had learned not to mind had now become unbearable and wrong.

One can't return to something worse when they have tasted better.

"Yes, father. We shall."

"Good. I'm sure you've heard of a process called 'disownment'."

Leo heard cricket noises as his brain entered a state of stupor.

It felt like his ears were blocked by something that noise could not pass through at all.

His heart sank as he doubted his ears and brain for mishearing the words that came out of his father's mouth.

No, he hoped he had misheard.

"Father!?"

He suddenly stood up after processing the words inside of his head, pushing his chair back to the force applied.

Immediately, a pressure heavier than a thousand elephants was pressed upon him, making him feel like he had been crushed by a building.

He fell to his knees, his back twisted. Blood trickled down his back as it dripped on the cold floor.

"Do not raise your voice against me."

Gritting his teeth due to his father's voice, which was unusually cold, he held up his hand, showing off his middle finger.

He had been suffering such torture for the past nine years, ever since his mother's death.

He couldn't take it anymore, so he flipped him off.

That, however, turned out to be his greatest mistake.

Crack!

Pressure more intense than the previous one weighed down upon his lower back, bending it the wrong way.

Leo desperately desired to raise his voice and scream, but his throat muscles were restricted by his father's mana.

"Now, I leave you with a thousand Clo. I don't care what you do, but never appear before me again unless you want my head and have the means to pull it off."

Saying such violent words that struck Leo's eardrums as if he had been struck with the worst pain in his entire life, George extended his palm towards the door.

Immediately, a blue shockwave was sent out, pushing Leo out of the room and closing the door behind him.

Slam!

*

*

*

In a wasteland surrounded by debris lay a corpse so dismantled that its features didn't even look remotely like a human.

His clothes had been burn to a crisp and a river of blood emerged from inside his body.

The red substance encompassed the body, preventing all external view aside from a human smothered in sizzling blood.

Not far from it sat a boy, also covered in the same substance.

Despite his lack of energy or stamina, his consciousness remained clear as day. However, that only prompted the pain to feel sharper.

His entire body was screaming, I want to die!

His skin cells burnt rapidly, leaving behind nothing but the remains of the once handsome body he possessed.

Now, his entire figure was smothered in blood, his arms were almost detached from the rest of his body, and the enormous hole in the middle of his well-toned stomach leaked blood like as if it were a fountain.

His eyes were lifeless and his arms had lost the strength to move.

His consciousness was becoming hazier by the second, following his willingness to give into the urge to close his eyes.

However, he knew he couldn't do so.

Slowly turning his head to glance at his parents and sister, who were too stunned even to form a reaction.

However, their tearful eyes displayed their message clearly to their son and brother, respectively.

Beside them was a man with a frown on his face, either from annoyance or worry.

Due to his scrunched-up eyebrows and an expression of disgust, Ace couldn't discern whether it was the former or the latter.

Ace extended his arm towards Felix, raising his thumb.

As he received a slight nod from the principal of the academy he attended, he revealed a faint smile before collapsing on the ground.

Due to the blood that poured out of his orifices as well as the wounds, he was now on the verge of death… again.

Only, this time, neither Akash and Larry nor that mysterious figure would be there to rescue the poor soul.

As he lay on the floor covered in debris, his smile remained on his bloodied face as a memento of defeating an S Rank individual while only being at the B- Rank.

Despite the individual being severely wounded to the verge of death, he was still an S Rank individual nonetheless.

He also felt a sense of pride for having personally rescued his family, even though it was from a danger he'd indirectly exposed them to.

Suddenly, black limos arrived at the scene as men dressed in black emerged from them. Ambulances, firefighters, and the police also arrived at the scene.

All of them nodded at Felix before getting to work.

"I believe we shall go, too. As per Ace's request, I'll take you guys to a hotel."

Felix explained to Amanda, Adam, and Alice, who were still zoned out.

Alice, who was the first to return to her senses, asked…

"What about our home?"

She kept staring at the ground, probably due to her desire to keep her emotions hidden from the man in front of them.

Despite Ace having trusted him for some reason, Alice could feel a hint of malicious intent from Felix towards her brother, which is why she stayed vigilant even after the events that had just occurred.

"Unfortunately, it was burned down by the same enemy your brother defeated, probably to remove all evidence it was his doing."

With her eyes widened to the size of saucers, she calmly muttered, "I see."

Lowering his head, he motioned for her to wake her parents from their stupor, which she immediately did.

As Felix explained the situation to the two, the medic team retrieved Ace's body, revealing annoyance since the latter had been admitted to the school infirmary multiple times with severe injuries.

As if on cue, dawn finally arrived as the sun shone upon those who had survived the encounter.

For some of them, the current situation was of darkness, such as the assassins and Phantom.

As Adam, Amanda, and Alice entered a black limo, they were greeted by the driver, who was a sophisticated man dressed in black.

Since Alice was the only person who had regained her rationality, she nodded at their chauffeur, who nodded back with a gentle gaze.

"Our son, is he dead?"

Amanda asked, a darkened expression appearing on her face instead of the previous blank look.

"No, mum. He's gonna be all right."

Alice comforted her mother, hugging her with all her might.

*

*

*

"Why hasn't he appeared yet?"

A booming voice resounded throughout the room, scaring those who witnessed it shitless.

It was the voice of the #3 Ranked King of the third year, Lily Yearning. However, she had already proved her prowess to be miles above those who surpassed her in seniority.

Leo stared downwards as if he were zoned out while the Kings of the other years desperately tried to calm her down.

"King of Bravery, would you help us calm her down?"

A King voiced out as several people directed their gazes towards the lanky-armed individual.

Receiving no response from the person in question, they soon gave up.

"Where the fuck is Ace!?"

The voice reverberated throughout the room once again, piercing the hearts of those who heard it.

Some cowered in fright as some ran away.

Suddenly, a voice more authoritative than hers thundered across the room.

"Ace is severely injured and will not be participating in the main events until the initiation of the Battle Royale, which is in two days."

Stunned, everyone directed their gaze towards the brave speaker, who happened to be the principal of the academy.

Even Lily's eyes were wide open, trying to discern if it were the real principal.

"But–"

"There will be no objections."

Another voice interrupted Lily's protest.

Raising an eyebrow at Leo's determined tone, Felix nodded and was about to leave.

"However, I think it is our right to know what occurred during the night."

His footsteps suddenly halted. Veins popped up on his forehead as he clenched his fists.

He had received news of the abandonment of Leo from the Kadz Family due to Ace, and could not believe that the person in question still cared about him.

He could not reveal the entirety of the truth to the school, so he said…

"Ace has performed brave acts to ensure the safety of his family and those caught in the crossfire of a deadly event. That is all I will be revealing. Leo and Lily, if you want to know more, you shall have to visit my office later today."

Without turning around, he walked out, leaving the two to fend for themselves due to the hungry gazes of the Kings, who desperately desired answers.

'Ace… it's the third time in the past year and a half.'

For a second, Leo forgot about everything he had on his mind, solely dedicating the situation to helping his friend.

However, negative thoughts soon poured into his mind following the departure of principal Felix.

*

*

*

Knock!

Knock!

"Come in. Mr. Kadz and Ms. Yearning."

A gruff voice entered their ears as they pushed the door open, only to see a middle-aged man that seemed to be turning and sitting on an office chair.

The man's gaze was solemn as if the words he was about to utter would shake or even topple the Faction whole.

"Sit."

The two blondes sat on the chairs located before principal Felix's desk, directed their gazes towards the person in question.

The atmosphere was tense, and the silence only contributed to the worsening of it.

"Now, I believe you have come here to know the truth about what the recent events and the injuries of your acquaintance, Mr. Ambrosia."

A couple of seconds went by, and the two nodded simultaneously.

Felix revealed a gentle smile before asking…

"Would it be okay if I ask a few questions before making my decision?"

Narrowing his eyes, Leo nodded.

However, the same was not for Lily, who crossed her legs before demanding the information first.

"I apologize deeply, Ms. Yearning. However, that is not possible."

Frowning, Lily said…

"All right, ask us the question."

"Of course, ma'am."

His gentle gaze suddenly turned expressionless as he rested his arms on the desk.

"Mr. Kadz, I believe you have been disowned recently. My question for you is, do you still retain any form of loyalty towards your family?"

Leo's expression froze as his heart sank at the mention of his disownment.

He began wondering about the sources of information Felix possessed but soon gave up and decided to answer the question.

"No, I do not."

Lily, who was unbeknownst to the news, had her eyes wide open. However, she decided not to voice out her surprise.

"Now, Ms. Yearning. Do you have any form of loyalty towards your father or family that would endanger you to execution if you were caught doing something illegal? Such as joining an organization based on overthrowing the factions?"

The two students suddenly froze, their expressions clearly revealing their thoughts of retaliation.

However, Felix soon raised his hands in defeat and chuckled.

"I'm not going to force you to join the organization. However, if you still have any desire to know what has happened to your acquaintance, I believe you should accept my offer."

Lily suddenly stood up, throwing her chair at the wall beside Felix, who didn't even flinch.

Then, the former walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Not minding her absence, Felix turned to Leo with an expectant gaze.

The latter bit his lip while contemplating his choices.

It was true that he was not affiliated with his family anymore and did not have to retain any form of loyalty towards them.

Moreover, he desperately wanted to know how such an injury was inflicted on his friend, the only person who still respected him… possibly.

"I will need some details before I make my decision."

"Very well, Mr. Kadz. I shall send you the contract at a later date."

Shaking his head, Leo placed his palm on the desk.

"I'll make my decision right now. Give me the contract."

Raising an eyebrow at Leo's somewhat impulsive decision, Felix soon retained his calm expression while nodding.

He slid a piece of paper towards the lanky-armed individual, revealing his canine-looking teeth.

Leo quickly picked up the contract before reading it as quickly as possible.

As he finished reading the entire contract, he faced Felix with an indifferent gaze.

"So, you want me to…

*

*

*

A blonde-haired girl stomped towards her dorm as non-existent fumes emerged from her ears.

Her clenched fists leaked blood, and her expression could scare anyone shitless.

She reflected on the outrageous offer made by their principal and predicted he was in cahoots with an underground organization.

"Max."

She muttered as a figure appeared out of nothingness.

"Did you hear what the principal said?"

Shaking his head in disappointment, Max explained the situation.

"No, m'lady. I believe principal Felix had created a forcefield to prevent people above a certain rank from entering. If I were equivalent to him in power, I could have bypassed the law. However, I am not."

Groaning in frustration, she kicked the door of her room opened, slamming it shut right afterwards.

"I believe we should ask Mr. Ambrosia himself after he awakens from his slumber."

"Yes, I believe we should."

Lily muttered, a devilish smile overshadowing her previously furious expression.

"I will challenge him after the Battle Royale, and use 'that' to defeat him."

Max's eyes widened to the size of saucers as he desperately protested…

"No, m'lady! That's not what I meant! Sir Harold will kill me if you use that!"

"Max… come over here for a second."

Groaning, Max approached Lily with a fearful expression etched on his previously indifferent face.

Lily motioned for him to bend down, as she brought herself close to his face.

"M'lady?"

Bringing her lips close to his ears, she muttered…

"I. Don't. Care."