Xander was dressed in the black academy uniform. A black cape was attached to his shoulders, flowing down to his knees.
The golden embroidery on his blazer and the badge he wore identified him as the student council president.
A palpable tension filled the air.
The group of boys scrambled back from him with their eyes wide after realizing who it was.
Xander stared at Bruce with an indiscernible expression on his face.
Bruce opened his mouth first.
" Before you open your mouth to speak, I would suggest you don’t think about trying to lie to me."
Xander spoke quietly, glaring coldly at Bruce. His dark eyes were devoid of warmth, boring into his own with a silent promise of pain should he lie.
Bruce’s hand trembled slightly.
Xander noted the tremor with amusement.
"Well?" Xander asked.
Morgan felt himself break into a cold sweat. Adrenaline rushed through his body, his heart pumping furiously. He outwardly remained calm, watching for Xander’s next move.
" I can tell, this guy is definitely stronger than Scott. Who the hell is he?"
Morgan felt the subtle threat that Xander radiated just from standing in his vicinity.
The subtle difference in his presence and the fear in Bruce’s eyes were a dead giveaway that he wasn’t just any ordinary student council member.
"Could he be a maestro?" Morgan pondered.
"No, that’s not it, if he’s stronger than Scott, does that mean he’s an initiate or a novice?"
Xander had appeared so suddenly that they couldn’t tell whether he’d observed the whole thing from the beginning or arrived at the last second.
" Shit! I didn’t account for this. Why is he of all people here in the first place?"
Bruce gulped visibly, his face turning paler by the second.
He struggled to find the right words to say. His eyes furtively darted back and forth.
The rest of the boys shuffled around, slowly moving until they were standing behind Bruce.
"These fools are using me as their scapegoat." He furiously thought.
" We were just having a bit of fun with our friends here." He bit out.
Xander’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, then he slowly turned to Morgan.
The minions nodded rigorously, praying with all their might that Morgan would spare them.
The ire of the student council president was something no one wanted to be on the receiving end of.
The student council president had the power to expel students from the academy.
Bruce smiled nervously, his eyes pleading with Morgan to agree.
" What a bunch of idiots," Morgan thought in disgust.
Bruce and his little group of minions were positively shitting themselves.
" Yeah, it was just fun. We had a bit of a disagreement, and Bruce here realized he was wrong." Morgan said.
" Yeah, just a bit of fun." Cassius chipped in with an amused smile.
Lucian nodded as well.
Xander stared at Morgan sternly, then sighed.
" I’ll let you all off with a warning. Oh, and Bruce, next time you decide to have fun, refrain from making it so obvious."
Bruce felt a slight chill run down his spine.
" He knows, but at least we get to live to see another day," he thought, breathing a quiet sigh of relief.
Bruce and his minions hurriedly scampered off.
Xander nodded at Morgan and his friends, then watched them continue on their way.
" A bit of fun, huh?" he thought, his brown eyes narrowing.
" Now is not yet the time. We’ll meet properly soon, heir of Thane."
Xander casually glanced around, then focused on a particular nearby alley.
" You can come out now."
A shadowy figure stepped out from behind the nearby alley and nonchalantly walked up to Xander.
" Scott," Xander said, nodding at the white haired youth who stood in front of
Scott smirked, a roguish light gleaming in his green eyes.
" You never cease to impress, your Grace," he said with a sarcastic bow.
" And your cousin somehow keeps stirring up trouble."
Scott regarded him seriously, piercing him with a calm gaze.
"Like I said previously, I’ll keep an eye on him."
Scott watched Xander walk off with a calm expression.
Inwardly, he was intrigued.
" The real question here, Xander, is why you’re interested in him," He thought, watching Xander’s retreating figure.
Winter finally arrived, and with it, the long-awaited aspirants’ exam.
The fateful day began like any other.
The aspirants’ classes were temporarily suspended.
Morgan spent the day roaming about the academy.
He left Lucian in their room. He was writing a letter to his father, just in case.
Morgan didn’t think of writing to anyone. It would feel a bit superficial. Follow current novels on novèlfire.net
" Better to stick to the truth, then."
He entered the cafeteria and found Scott seated alone.
" This is quite rare, meeting you here of all places."
Scott glanced up at him with an unreadable expression on his face.
" I was actually hoping to run into you."
Morgan sat down with a quizzical look.
" What gives, you know where to find me."
" You’re right, I know. Listen, man, I just wanted to wish you good luck out there. But since it’s you, I’m not even sure you’ll need it."
Morgan grinned, rising to his feet.
" It’s alright, it’s just a brief trip, right, one month and we’ll be back. Easy peasy."
His expression faltered for a split second as Morgan turned to leave.
" Listen, Morgan, be careful out there. Only trust the people you’d trust with your life." He said quietly.
"The instructors can’t be everywhere at once, so sometimes accidents can happen. You get what I mean?"
Morgan nodded seriously.
"Don’t worry. I’ll be careful."
Morgan headed back to the dorms to prepare.
Cassius passed by to bid them farewell.
" We’ll be remaining at the academy to train; we can’t allow you guys to leave us in the dust." He said with a grin.
Morgan donned the sleek black suit that the academy had provided.
He slipped on his Blood Reaper blades, firmly strapping them to his back, then headed to the venue for the exam.
The venue was in a specific part of the Black Forest.
" The rift between Tenebris and Earth is thinnest here."
" You mean there’s a dimensional rift in the forest?!"
" It’s the most compatible point for aspirants to enter Tenebris without much resistance."
Several armed guards stood in front of a cordoned-off section of the forest.
They moved aside, allowing the aspirants to pass.
"This part of the forest is usually sealed off throughout the year."
A cold breeze swept through the forest, rustling the trees. The earthy scent of pine and soil wafted through the air, reminding Morgan of the culinary classes.
A vast glass-walled structure had been carved into the rock face, providing VVIPs and staff with a clear view of the ceremony.
Below the platform, a large part of the forest had been cleared out to create grounds for the aspirants to stand during the ceremony.
The rest of the academy had also gathered to send them off.
The Talented stood to one side.
The Council of Assassins had also assembled to witness the send-off.
Ordinarily, such a thing should not have been possible, but for the first time since its founding, Talented were going to witness the hallowed ceremony.
The VVIPs sat on a raised platform cordoned off from the academy staff, in an area reserved exclusively for them.
A few members of the Praesagius had also come to witness the ceremony.
Sierra Mordrew slowly approached Marco Dark.
She was dressed in a long, flowing black dress.
Black roses adorned her stylishly braided hair, giving her the appearance of an ethereal goddess.
" You seem quite happy, Marco."
" Well, of course, we are watching history in the making." Marco Dark said, smiling pleasantly.
His dark hair was fashionably parted to the side.
Clad in a black single-breasted suit, he had a noble, dignified appearance and gave off a regal aura.
" I never knew the day would come when Talented watched us send off our young aspirants to Tenebris. Possibly to their deaths even."
Sierra sighed, taking a delicate sip from the wine glass she held.
" My daughter will be taking part this year." She said somberly.
Marco grinned at her, his dark eyes carrying a rare hint of empathy.
" You must be proud."
" Most of our children are taking part this winter." Vincent, the head of House Varas, quietly spoke.
" I wonder how Talia is doing," He thought wistfully.
"What a coincidence, I remember the time when it was us standing down there getting ready to set off into Tenebris. Do you remember it, Cedric?"
Marco asked casually, swirling the dark red wine in his glass.
The big man glanced at him, then turned back.
His thick, muscular arms were folded across his chest.
He wore an expensive-looking black double-breasted suit. His bulging muscles strained visibly against the fabric.
" I remember it well," Cedric said gruffly.
" Speaking of which, will Marcus and Damien be joining us this ostentatious evening?"
Just then, Damien arrived with Luke and Rebecca in tow.
Damien was dressed in his trademark white suit.
Luke and Rebecca were dressed all in black.
" Speak of the devil."
Damien briskly nodded at the other heads of the family before taking his seat.
" Marcus will not be joining us today. He is, how did he put it, indisposed at the moment."
" Well then, let’s begin."