CHAPTER 35: END OF THE BEGINNING

As soon as Damion reaches the garden, he knows it's too late. They found Chauncey's cold body lying in the middle of the camellias. As soon as he gets Fynn's text, he immediately rushes out to the garden, hoping to catch the enemy yet.. there are no students here, only Fynn, Elyze and him. He starts walking towards his direction, but as he expected, he can't find any evidence that can point to who killed Chauncey. Then, he sees the symbol of a weighing scale carved into the trees behind him. After seeing this, he let out a sigh and stands up and calls Alexandra's phone..

"Chauncey.. had been killed."

[...What..?] on the other hand, Alexandra's mind went adrift, when she heard an unexpected report coming from damion. he just hang up the phone. she almost lose it's balance if not only because of zepphyr supporting him, and even though he already knew what happened, he still asked Alexandra nonetheless.

"What happened..?"

"C-Chauncey.. Chauncey is dead." she said with her voice is trembling, hearing this, zepphyr just clench his fist.

"I see.." On the other hand, Alexandra's mind went wandering when she heard an unexpected report coming from Damion. He just hung up the phone. She almost lost her balance if not for Zepphyr's support, and even though he already knew what happened, he still asked Alexandra nonetheless.

meanwhile, at Damion's direction, as soon as Alexandra hang up the phone, he contact rohan next. inside of the men's rest room, rohan comes out on the cubicle, while holding a laptop and when he saw damion's name on his cellphone screen, he already understand what happened. so he opened his laptop once more where Chauncey's points can be seen before going outside of the rest room where rheyne was waiting, after that, he answer his calls and press the loud speaker.

[Chauncey Steinhart.. is dead.]

"I see.. where are you?"

[angelical garden. at the back of class zero building. elyze was with me. ]

"..have you ever contacted Alexandra..?"

[.. yes. ]

"Is that so..? we will go there right away." after hearing those words, he hung up the phone and started typing on his keyboard, before opening a few tabs with information about three hundred top climbers. After a few minutes, he clicked the "enter" button, and a new loading screen appeared.

As the statistic graph with three hundred codenames continued to grow higher and higher, it started to gain more and more points, while Chauncey's points began to dwindle. On the one hand, all of their smartwatches began to light up as Damion opened it. When he saw that his points had grown higher, he couldn't help but to stare at it with a solemn look.

"My points.." fynn said in surprise. elyze didn't get shock anymore as she already expected this to happen. to avoid suspicion from the higher ups, she decided to divide Chauncey's points and give some of it to the top climbers as well as the supreme 10 rather than owning them all. besides, she's been accumulating atleast fifty thousand points every night without devian knowing, in addition of her excellent records when it comes to test and exams as well as edwin's debt to her and then the points that she stole from caitlyn. she's just waiting a right time to reveal herself.

At the same time, there are changes to the ranks of the supreme ten, one thing that stands out most is the person with a codename of 'Licht' who has now risen to rank 15th. It then goes up to rank 12th until it reaches rank 9th with a total points of four hundred and fifty million. Finally, it stops revealing the new supreme ten of P.N academy, meanwhile, the survivors inside of the gymnasium started to whisper to each other, no longer caring about the piles of bloody corpses surrounding them. Their eyes were fixed on their smartwatch as they awaited the results.

'Supreme 10: Snake.. 300M pts

Supreme 9: Licht.. 450M pts

Supreme 8: Cosmos.. 560M pts

Supreme 7: Hermes.. 660M pts

Supreme 6: Twilight.. 670M pts

Supreme 5: kitsune.. 740M pts

Supreme 4: Nemesis.. 845M pts

Supreme 3: Serene.. 945M pts

Supreme 2: Sonata.. 2. 5B pts

Supreme 1: purple hyacinth.. 5.6B pts.'

"Camellia is gone.. so that was Chauncey huh.." fynn added while staring on his smartwatch, at the same time, there's a hint of happiness on his narrowed green eyes as soon as he saw his overall points.

"And the person who took his place was this Licht, do you think this person was behind this commotion..?" he added once more to damion who still wearing his expressionless face.

"Who knows.. but there's only one thing that I know of, this is just the beginning." said by damion while looking above the sky. meanwhile, elyze just stare at him meaningfully as she just stare on her smartwatch, revealing her overall points as well as her basic information as a small smirk curve on her lips.

'Name: Elyze Moriarty

Codename: ???

Age: 18 years old

Overall Points: 55, 600, 000 pts

Congratulations! You are now rank 25th! would you like to put your name in Hall of fame?'

after seeing this, she close her smartwatch as she glance on damion and murmured, "Indeed. this is just the beginning."

when damion felt that someone was glaring at him, he glance to that person coldly but it changes into frowned when she saw elyze. she just smile at him and avoid his gaze.

thirty minutes later, rheyne and rohan came to them as they glance at chauncey's dead body. and when rohan saw how peaceful his face was, he couldn't help but to glance at it meaningfully as darius went out from his shoulder and stare to him.

"He look so peaceful.." he heard darius spoke to rohan's mind, so he just smile.

" he should be.. he got freed from the shackles that keeps binding him ever since he still a child after all, wherever he is, he probably living in peace by now." rohan added with a hint of contented to his face, so he just caressed his cheek. "though.. it still unfortunate for him to die in the hands of his best friend." he whispered before standing up and step back.

"Can't we call Ms. Amara?" rohan asked to damion while staring at him.

"I already called a reinforcement from the organization, they were already on their way. although it would take an hours to rescue the survivors inside of the gymnasium hall, I also heard from Alexandra that their situation was kinda bad there."

this time, it was rheyne who asked, " what about the evidences?"

"there are no evidences might point out the instigator of this event, but only the symbol of judgement carve on the camellia trees. I suspect that.. everything was planned by the revolutionaries."

rheyne didn't ask him anymore and just nod, on the one hand, elyze phone vibrates out of the blue so elyze just walk 50 meters away from them, damion notice this, so he couldn't help but to frowned and followed her.

when elyze saw devian's name from her phone screen, she immediately answer him.

"Where the hell are you again? go back here at once."

her eyes widened in surprise when he felt someone laugh softly on his ears. she was about to look behind her when someone hugged her from the back that makes her heart skipped a beat.

"Did you perhaps missed me..?" devian, whose hair went back to it's true color, said softly as though he's teasing her, so elyze just give him a glare.

"Missed your ass. let go of me. you're so gross."

"and damion did not? he kissed your neck, hold your waist and even hug you. so why can't I? actually, he's way too worse than me. if not only because you're my master, I probably throw you in the bed right now and eating you. you're so sexy tonight that I almost thought that you're seducing or perhaps..." devian step back when elyze use his elbow to hit his stomach, and when devian saw her glaring at him while blushing, he chuckled.

"I'm just kidding. don't look at me like that."

"your joke was too annoying then."

"but you're blushing."

"out of anger, yes."

for the second time, devian just chuckled once more to her, while giving elyze a look with an intent. he smile before flicking her forehead that makes her gasp.

"don't be snobber, no guys will took liking you if you keep glaring at them." this time, it was elyze who snickered while giving him a teasing look.

"is that a problem? not that I care to them or anything and furthermore.. it was you who keep driving them away from me, isn't it?" she touch his cheeks while giving him a seductive look then she added, "you are really.. creepy as hell." before laughing at him.

meanwhile, a small smile curve on devian's lips while looking at elyze evil smirk, so he let out a sigh and spread his hands wide. "you got me there, my lady. but there's something I want to make clear to you, It's not creepy to care someone you want to protect, right?"

she stop laughing because of that and avoid her gaze to him before clicked his tongue and change their conversation.

"we should go back now." she said as they started to walk back to the crime scene where Chauncey's dead body was. elyze didn't realize that damion followed her but devian immediately notice this so he glance at the trees beside them and give him a serious glance.

"since when did you become elyze stalker?"

"and since when did you become clingy to her?"

"she's my fiancée."

"that doesn't look like to me. are you really her fiancée? or perhaps.. you're just saying it because you like her?"

"does it matter to you?"

they just keep exchanging frosty words to each other as though there's a lightning bolt forming around them. they stare to each other's eyes coldly, as if they are ready to clashed each other anytime. but in the end, it was damion who give up first.

"just make sure that you and elyze isn't related to this incident, if that happens.." damion glance at elyze back before smiling to devian.

"I might do something unethical to a lady."

....

Oslo, norway..

sitting beside the bed, you will see angeline looking at charlotte from the balcony. she's still sleeping soundly and peacefully, while beside her was her nanny, thanks to the incense that contains a sleeping drug that rhonoven place beside her bed.

"will she be okay? we just put her in sleep right?" angeline asked with worried look on her face.

"rest assured, she would wake up exactly at 7:00 am in the morning, the same as her nanny. and once they woke up, they won't remember anything about us."

hearing rhonoven's words, angeline felt assured, she could kill lots of people but if it is a child, her conscience won't let her get away for sure. children was her weakness, after all.

"well, anyway.." rhonoven glance up to the pale moon hanging above the sky as his dark purple hair flutters due to the scorching wind that hits him. he felt the coldness coming from the air so he just crossed his arms and let out a sigh.

"they probably done now, it's just a pity that she won't see her older brother once again. but I'm sure.. when the time comes, once that girl grew up and found out the whole truth, she will surely take a revenge to us." he said seriously to angeline.

" which is why, I don't understand the reason why elyze let her live, rather, on what reason why does she always keep letting children to live? out of pity? or perhaps.. out of jealousness?"

those are the questions that keep bugging on rhonoven's mind, she knows how ruthless elyze was but when it comes to children, she become soft to them.

but rhonoven didn't know.. her reason was just simple. and that is something that she have been wanted to accomplish since then.

...

london, england..

nee-naw.. nee-naw.. nee-naw..

London's bustling cityscape is interrupted by the sound of emergency vehicles as they rush to help in a situation. Traffic jams form at the bridge as people try to figure out what's going on. Nearby, a suburban house is ablaze, and the smoke starts to pour out the windows. People living near it start to feel worried.

It took the firefighter at least three hours to put out the fire, and now it's the medic's turn to rescue those people who got trapped inside.

However, a few minutes later, only three people exited the house - two of them were the rescuer and the other was a child around ten years old with a teary eyes and sorrowful look, indicating that he had just finished crying. He has ash-gray hair, green eyes with a handsome face and he was wearing a white wet T-shirt covered with ashes. The fireman gave him a towel so he just accepted it. Then, he heard people starting to whisper.

'Poor boy..'

'he's the only person who got survive.. I don't know if it was unfortunate or not.'

'I heard that he was just adopted one year ago.'

'now, he need to go back to the orphanage again.'

hearing this, the boy just clench his fist and gritted his teeth, but later then.. it turns into a smirk as the door of the ambulance closed. he put the towel beside him as he glance to the burned suburban house from the window with an expressionless look on his face.

...

Back to the P.N academy.. at damion's room.

As soon as Damion reaches inside his dorm, he heads to the bathroom to take a bath. Not long after, he has finished bathing, so he just takes the white robe from his closet.

He simply wore a simple black linen shirt and trousers, which made his bulging muscles become visible. Soon after, he heard his phone ringing, so he took it on the table. When he saw the name of the caller, he clenched his fist before answering it.

Soon, a gentle and calm tone came from the other end of the phone, but it was enough to make Damion tremble slightly, so he just bit his lip so as not to stutter [..you will go back to the mansion tomorrow.]

"Yes.. father."

As soon as he hung up, Damion just tossed it on the table before sitting on his bed and clasping his hands together. a cold expression is seen on his face, this is the first time he has been called by his father and it is so frustrating for him. but at the same time he could not help feeling amused at the instigator of this event.

Nonetheless, it does not mean that he has to let him go. There is no way that Damion Del Luna will let him go without repaying what they did to him.

"Nevermind.."

...

Somewhere in new york city, at 172 madison ave. Le penthouse.

You will see a man with silver hair standing in front of the glass window watching the scenery where you can see the futuristic city of New York as well as the rivers and the town's square. He's holding a champagne glass until a man with black hair enters inside, so he turns his back to that person, revealing his green eyes. He has a gentle expression on his face.

"We have found the person you've been looking for, he's in london right now."

"That's good to hear, can we perhaps bring him here in new york?"

"He's a famous person, not only in london, but also around the world, if we were to force him, this might affect your reputation."

when he heard the reports, a hint of bitterness can be seen on his handsome face, ".. I see."

"but... he was using your family's surname." the bitterness on his face had faded when he think something as a small smile curve on his pinkish lips.

"Good, we will head to london tomorrow at once, it seems like my little brother was having fun here that he even forgot what are his duty." there's still a smile on his face, but it as if like he's threatening someone to the point that he almost break the glass he was holding.

As you wish.. young master léger, I'll prepare everything right away."

"thank you."

this man is none other than Auriel Léger, the third prince of empyrean kingdom and.. Devian's third brother.

and at this point.. he already joined the stage. without having any idea what kind of misfortune or luck that awaits for him.

...

END OF BOOK 1