TRIGGER WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS CONTENT (ABOUT OBSESSION, SEX, AND STALKING) THAT YOU MAY FIND DISTURBING AND NASTY. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
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Hex Chronos
Eveland Academy, Dorm II, Fifth Floor, Room 317
BEING A KINGDOM located near the equator, Eveland Kingdom sure is a warm country. Yet I couldn't comprehend why must their uniform be layers of a white dress shirt, a finely crocheted coffee vest, and a velvety maroon coat that reaches a bit past my knees. The silky maroon necktie suffocates me. The satin gray slacks is not helping either. The brown leather shoes with golden accents and a slightly pointed design made my feet look even smaller.
Good thing I've seen this climate coming in advance, which is why I brought undergarments made of fabric that automatically cools my body. It's a pair of an undershirt and boxer shorts. My socks cold my feet too.
Thanks to my family's inventions, I'll survive the heat of this Kingdom. I was never accustomed to warmth, since Griffini, located near to the north pole, is usually cool, only the summer season is warm.
My hands reached for my net gloves and I immediately slid them inside, feeling the artificial breeze it gives me. It also had cooling technology like my undergarments. What if I recreate my Evish uniform with our cooling fabrics? I smiled at the idea. Maybe next time.
I brushed my fingertips along the 13 Arcadia Pins on my coat: seven on my left and the other six on my right. I smirked. Yesterday, the academy has sent me these pins in a velvety box along with a luxurious bottle of wine, congratulating me for being the new member of the Arcadian Scholars.
Even if the usual way of them welcoming a new scholar is introducing him to the whole academy, I didn't mind even if they would rather just send me the box of my pins asking with a bottle of wine in my own apartment outside the campus. In fact, I prefer this better even if they just seem to be boasting about their wealth.
As for why I live in an apartment outside the academy even if there are available dorms inside it, it would be easier for me to move if I'm guarded. But I'm still considering of getting myself a room inside. I need to keep my targets close.
Anyways, I decided to transfer some wine inside a glass flask that I will keep inside my coat. It's prohibited to bring alcohol to the academy, but now that I'm a Scholar, especially the one with the most number of pins, I'm definitely exempted from the rule. The Scholars drink inside the campus all the time.
I messed my fringes with my fingers a bit to make them look slightly unkept but in a nice way, which I succeeded in doing. I brushed my hair again to make sure they are soft, rubbed some fragrant oil at the back of my ears and roots of my hair before brushing it again, then applied some lip lacquer on my lips to keep them nourished. Lastly, I applied some sunscreen all over my face and neck, as the heat of this kingdom could turn my skin beet red. I didn't bother covering my scar. It looks badass and I like it a lot.
I know this scar will put me at the receiving end of bullying and criticism, but I don't care. I practiced my sweet smile in the mirror as Noeh Corxus and veiled Hex Chronos' poker and sinister face.
Well now, I'm prepared to take off. And the first step towards my goal is securing connections.
By that, it means I need to make the King dance while I pull the strings. And I know exactly how to accomplish that.
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I'VE BEEN USED TO being stared at for all my life. Being the son of the most influential family aside from the royal bloods of Griffini, and going to the same class with students five years older than me when I was in high school, I was sure I have been accustomed to be the subject of people's judging eyes.
However, I almost forgot that Griffinians aren't as judgemental as the rest of the world. We've always been known to welcome diversity and uniqueness, but that's not the case with others from outside my country of origin.
From the looks of other students I'm receiving as I walk in the inner campus, it's pretty obvious they are intrigued with my presence. The physical differences scream I'm a different race from a foreign kingdom.
I blew out a slowed sigh, but kept the small smile on my lips. I need to get used to this.
My feet brought me to the Eurus building, a hundred-floor giant of brown mossy bricks. The whole building screamed of calmness and vintage elegance. My contact lenses immediately notified me of the working devices inside and outside the building, highlighting them in red and yellow based on how high their chances of getting in the way of my mission. There are quite a lot of cameras in here.
Fret not, dear self. Such low quality camera models are definitely hackable. I've been hacking the same day I leaned how to wield a pen. These old devices are nothing to me.
I passed through an arc at the entrance that scans my face and my small gold nameplate, pinned above my Arcadian stars. The red laser visibly passed through me, buffered for a bit, before finally verifying my presence. I almost rolled my eyes. In Griffini, this process only takes a fourth of a second to finish.
Another set of information flashed on my contact lenses as soon I passed the entrance.
Engineering Department [Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering] found. FN17//R173
I sighed at the thought of using their cheap elevator for long to reach my floor. I got no other choice however. I didn't bring my GMF cyborg suit so there's no other way for me to fly. It would also bring unwanted attention if I decided to take flight (literally) instead of their "fancy and modern" elevator.
I pressed on the elevator button but as soon as its metal doors slid open, I wasn't the only one who got in. There's this group of dudes much taller than me who entered with me— allow me to rephrase, squeezed themselves before me. I almost let out a tongue click, good thing I stopped myself. I entered the enclosed small space with me being in the middle of five giants.
My back felt like toast as soon as the door closed, their stares piercing through my being. It was all silent until their whispered laughs started to become audible.
"Several big dudes surrounding a small white bitch," the dude with permed hair tried his best to whisper while chuckling. "Isn't this like from that site?"
Oh. Now they're making a pornography reference. I hid my hands inside the pockets of my long trench coat.
The dude with the man bun laughed rather audibly. "I think I know what happens next." I immediately felt footsteps inching near me, so before he could place his hand on my shoulder, I spun around and faced them.
They all stopped on their tracks after seeing my smile at them. Looking at them, they look like a bunch of dorks. Expensive ones. The type of men that are actually boys who preferred looking cool and have their rich families clean up their mess.
I carefully examined the direction of where they started to look. Their gaze stopped at my chest after scrutinizing my face for a while, noticing the glinting various pins of different field of studies attached to my uniform.
I slowly smiled as I noticed how uneasy they suddenly started to become.
"Holy shit." The one with the buzz cut cursed as he started back and forth my scar and my pins. "13? That's a fucking lot."
"Really?" I smiled innocently. "I thought this is normal. How about you, where are your pins?"
All five of them looked at each other. The dude on the far left corner looked away. My neck hurts either the amount of necklaces and chains he wears. "Unlike you, we prefer to be low-key about our pins."
Lies. I know all five Arcadian Scholars and these assholes are obviously not from the list. I eyed their accessories that gleam obnoxiously against the light reflecting within the elevator. "Low-key, huh? You look like you're about to stick to a magnet or something."
The other four have him a teasing "ooohh", which he replied with a baked expression before shaking his head. I gave him a smile even if I don't like the thought of engaging in human interaction. As much as possible, I don't want to pick a fight.
If possible, these jocks can be assets that could help me in my mission, considering how influencial their families probably are. "Which department do you belong to, pals?"
Socializing is difficult, but I must practice extroversion in this new persona. I need to form connections.
The one with the bun smiled as he stepped forward, his left hand offering a hand shake. "Engineering. Jonathan, by the way. Sorry about earlier."
I accepted his handshake with my left hand as well, it would be to awkward if I used my right. "Glad to meet someone from the same department, Jonathan. I'm No—"
Ding!
"Oh, shit," Jonathan muttered as the elevator door opened. We didn't notice were already at the 15th floor. "We have to go, babe. Nice meeting you."
With a wink, he walked out of the metallic contraption followed by his friends who either ignored me and flashed me lopsided smiles. I smiled back against my will.
The door slowly closed on me as I watch them slowly disappear among the crowd of the hallway. Based on the information from my lenses, the Engineering Department is comprised of floors from 15th to 18th. Makes sense why we didn't stop on the same floor.
However, one thing's for sure: I don't feel good with those jocks.
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AS AN ACCOUNTANT, investor, and an inventor, it was never practical to merely depend of your instincts to judge a person or a situation. You need basis. You need facts. You need proof as to why something is good or not for you.
But who the heck ignores the chill they feel crawling on their spine? Me. Rather, my younger self.
I was wrong multiple times in not trusting my instincts. The first one was when I was twelve years old, still in grade twelve. Being the youngest among my class for being accelerated multiple times, I've been treated both with care and underestimation. This includes my seatmate back then who was also the captain ball of our university's basketball team back then. He was extremely popular for his looks and outgoing personality, as well as his incredible athleticism. I didn't get the concept of popularity back then as I was so young, unable to caught up with how my schoolmates think. I only see that seatmate of mine as a dear friend that loves to squeeze my cheeks before giving them a peck.
He was so nice at first, treating me like a younger brother, always looking out for me. Yet, there are times when I would feel chills running down my spine everytime he would stare at me, to which I ignored.
Little did I know it was my danger radar screaming at me the whole time.
A few months after we first met, I notice some of my stuff going missing. My pens, water flasks, and notebooks. For me, those are merely trivial stuff that anyone can lose and replace, despite the chills it gives me everytime I would lose something. Sooner, it went for worse. From basic school supplies, my used towels, socks, PE shirts, and even my boxers would go missing as well. That's where I started to notice something was wrong.
I was only twelve back then so it never crossed my mind that someone could be stealing my stuff and use them to arouse themselves. However, there's this one time that I caught him opening my locker, grabbing my used boxer that I had to replace with fresh ones because we just finished our fitness classes, planted his face on the part where my groins rest when I wear them, and sniffed them like an addict.
It was my seatmate that I mentioned earlier.
I just finished taking a bath that time and nobody was around except him and me. Everyone had already made it back to our room to pack their stuff up, preparing for dismissal. Despite my initial shock when I caught him inhaling my underwear, I hid behind the farthest locker and observed. I could never forget how he, with his free hand, reached for beneath his shorts, and started moving in a motion that from what I could infer is to pleasure himself.
Imagine my horror when he started groaning my name with dirty sex lines as he jerked himself off while sniffing my underwear.
"Oh baby Hex, let me cum inside you... I bet that tight little pussy is as pink as your fingers and ears, huh? Nngh, let me pound that skimpy playpen with this hardness, I swear you won't regret... I wonder how that hidden kitty of yours taste like... I bet they taste as sweet and juicy as I imagine? God, I've been wanting to fuck you since I first saw you, you look so breedable... I wonder if you're submissive, too? Would your usually quiet pink lips be screaming as I pound all three of your holes? Baby... Hex... Nnghh..."
I was so traumatized that day. Never in my dreams did I expect a good friend of mine who I almost looked up to as an older brother is actually lusting for me.
There's no way I would let him stay near me. Being the devil spawn that I have always been (though nobody has ever noticed), I hacked through his cloud storage and exposed whatever I could find. I did it in a coffee shop with free internet as I used a spare laptop that I quickly disposed afterwards.
The things I found in his cloud are far more disturbing than what I have witnessed earlier. There are pictures of his room, showing his walls full of my pictures. A lot of them are candid shots, specifically when I'm wearing my sweaty gym clothes that almost clung to my body in every fitness class we have.
Pictures of a shrine-like corner in his room area also exposed, where all my lost stuff had been displayed, but preserved in either jars or ziplocks. Photos from our sleepover one time we have to stay the night for our thesis are also pinned, except all of them are me. They're extreme close-ups of my face, neck, ears, hands, thighs, ass, and toes.
However, that's not it. He has multiple shots of a jar with my picture inside of it, as well as streaks of white viscous liquid in it, dripping down on my picture. For some reason, he has a photo of me where my eyes are closed and my lips are slightly parted. I was probably asleep when he took this.
At first, I thought the liquid is condensed milk. But when I played the video that came next, I swear I almost crushed my cup of coffee in my hand.
The video was shaky, but I could clearly see the jar with my picture in it, as well as a reddish tip of something that gets occasionally stroked by what it seems like his hand. He was again groaning my name in the video, until the tip started shooting the liquid inside the jar, specifically aiming at my photo.
Extremely disturbed and furious, I quickly exposed everything I've discovered online through his own account. I hacked all his social media and exposed him everywhere. I made sure I change the way I type and made the expose post public, so that everyone could see.
My exposé spread like wildfire. In a few hours, it reached past a thousand views, and people, though it's obvious for them that his account is hacked, are still disgusted by what they have found out about him. It eventually reached the dean of our university and even my parents, since the post included pictures of his room full of my photos. My dad looked like he's about to shoot the dude dead, while my mom almost drew out her dagger that she always keep with her.
The guy was dying of shame while people comforted me, urging me to see a councilor to make sure I'm okay. All according to my plan. He was expelled because of his scandal.
Of course, nobody knew it was me except for my dad. Nobody knows I could hack really well in school, while my dad thought I only know the basics. He thought me the fundamentals once before but he didn't see me taking the primary knowledge to a whole another level coming. When he found out, he also thought the same as me— he had raised a menace.
Thankfully, this menace that he raised had grew up fearless, determined, and untouchable. However, I still have the tendency to ignore my instincts. I believe I must assess unbiasedly first before making my next move, as impressions influence intuition, thus can cloud the judgement.
But in this unfamiliar country, I have no choice but to throw my usual belief away and choose to combine both logic and intuition. Earlier, those guys in the elevator may not be considered as threats in my mission (actually, everyone is a threat but they're even smaller threats than the minor ones) since they seem like normal dudes at first glance.
My instincts tell otherwise. They give my the same feeling I had when I was still befriending that creep on grade 12. I might regret it if I ignored this feeling, but I cannot jump to conclusions.
I caressed the side of my left index finger with my thumb, triggering the search engine connected to my contact lenses. Since it's connected to my brain's signals, I immediately gave a mental command to the engine to search for those five people I met minutes ago. The loading sign appeared but before the results could show, I turned the engine off. I'm near my room and I'm sure the data will save itself.
Well, it looks like I have to start acting now. It seems like I'm classmates with the crown prince's younger sister based on the Intel I've received: Princess Lucy Thalia Eveland. Aside from her benevolence and grace, she is also a very smart lady. From what I have inferred from the descriptions I collected beforehand, she is definitely a warm woman, as well as a good judge of character.
Will she recognize me as a spy who came to dig information from them? A clown who plans to fool their future king? A villain who, if hunches are proven right, plans to sabotage their kingdom?
Good luck.
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"HE'S HERE, BROTHER."
Livius halted from typing on his laptop upon hearing what his sister said at the other end of the line. "What?"
"The Griffinian. He took ME, too." Lucy whispered over the phone, trying her best to hush down her voice. "And brother, he's so small. I think I'm seven inches taller than him."
He chuckled, which he didn't expect. He wasn't supposed to laugh at that Griffinian's height, especially when he had skimmed over that new guy's biodata for multiple times.
Yup, multiple times. "What do you think he's up to now?"
Silence. The crown prince could hear a faint buzzing of Lucy's blockages in the background. "He's trying to talk to others. Of course, we know he's from Griffini since he admitted it earlier, so we couldn't help but to be on our guard. Some are still wary of him, while others are already comfortable with him. Noeh seems really outgoing and sweet, I wouldn't wonder if the rest of the class will be used to his presence in no time."
That made him now to himself. So he's really honest about his origins, huh? This is the first time he encountered someone from an enemy kingdom, take more that he's fully aware of the situations of both countries, that is completely honest about where he came from. Like he wasn't scared of being considered as an enemy.
It could be a tactic to make them believe he's harmless, however. But what could he gain from it? If anything happens, people will instantly suspect him without a second thought.
Is he an enemy, our just a victim of his own kingdom? Livius couldn't help but wonder. "How about we invite him over to the lounge?" He's referring to their meeting area inside the Royal Scholars' Private Den, which also serves as their lounging spot.
"I don't know, brother." Lucy let out a shaky sigh. "I don't feel good approaching him."
"What do you mean?"
He heard something like a screech of a metal chair against the floor. Lucy probably did up and walked out of their room. After a few moments, a door seemed to open and closed. "I catch him throwing glances at me from time to time, and then he would flash me a wide smile. I get chills on my spine when he does that."
That made the crown prince think. Lucy have always been sharp towards new people, especially when they carry danger, but they could be wrong if she had biased feelings. "How many times did that happen?"
"Twice." She gritted. "Within one period. After the first period, he stopped giving me glances."
This time, Livius sighed. "That's probably just a coincidence. The dude's been through a lot, and we're all being paranoid about the danger he could bring. Didn't you tell me he's seven inches smaller than you? If he dates make a move, we can easily snap him in half."
A soft laugh echoed through the line. His sister probably hid in a bathroom. "Yeah, I guess we're being too racist on him. Let's invite him at the lounge."
After a short goodbye, they hang up. Putting back his phone on the table, Livius couldn't help but smile.
He feels stupid for being excited to meet the new guy, to the point that chills are crawling all over his spine to his sides.
But what he thought was excitement was actually a warning. A warning from his subconscious about the transferee that of course, the oblivious crown prince ignored.