"Was it a good idea to show that to him?" Frank asked his brother as he glanced at the door to Damien's room worriedly.
Damien had arrived very cheerful but now his mood had soured.
It was obvious that Damien was blaming himself for the death of the five seniors.
"There's no hiding this Frank. He would have heard about it sooner or later. The sooner he knows and gets over it, the better," Hank replied.
Damien may have been talented, a genius even and also smart but he lacked experience when it came to certain things.
Certain things like death and killing and blood.
The world of the awakened was a gory one.
Those who didn't have the stomach for killing would never go far.
For someone like Damien, such a flaw would be fatal to him.
He had to be exposed to it so he could get over it easily the next time he was confronted by something similar.
"It's a wonder how Lyon got his hands on the video though. That guy knows more than he lets on," Frank sighed.
Frank was worried that Damien wouldn't be able to cope with this setback that easily.
After all, self-guilt was a powerful and complex emotion, capable of making even the strongest men shed tears.
He knew that Damien was now invariably blaming himself for being the cause of the death of those bullies when it was their stupidity and weakness which led them to end up in such a state.
Frank sighed heavily. "Bro, showing him that video was a very bad idea. What were you thinking? He's probably blaming himself now.
You should have broke it to him slowly."
Hank nodded subconsciously.
He was beginning to realize that showing the video to Damien in such an impromptu manner would mess up Damien's mental state.
He could only push the blame on Lyon who had convinced him to show this to Damien.
Only god knew what Lyon was thinking, wanting him to show Damien such gore right after he beat those five up.
And what even came over him to accept such an absurd request?
"Fine, fine… my bad. I shouldn't have done that. Should we check on him now or something?" Hank sighed.
"Let's give him time. Who knows? He might even get over it by nightfall," Frank replied.
**
Back in his room, Damien was sprawled on his bed.
What if the Vice Chancellor wouldn't have dismissed the five of them if they were able to beat Damien and the other faction leaders?
What if he had stayed in his room and not gone out to seek trouble?
Would they still be after him?
After all, before he showed up with the faction leaders, they had made quite a fortune.
If they had lost to them, there was no doubt that they would be the ones robbed.
As much as Damien tried to convince himself that it wasn't his fault they had decided to commit suicide, he couldn't shake of the tinge of guilt he felt which was crushing him down under an intense emotional weight.
"It's not my fault," Damien muttered.
He didn't ask or force anyone to commit suicide.
Hell, those five were the cause of their own woes.
Not only were they blatantly robbing their juniors in public, they were also ready to use force to obtain what they wanted.
There was no doubt that if Damien hadn't stood up to them, most of those who were around that day would have empty CP accounts.
While Damien admitted that he had been part of the cause of their humiliation, being the main cause for their beating, his mind argued that he was also an indirect cause of their expulsion.
If he was indirectly responsible for their expulsion, then it meant that he was also indirectly responsible for their act of suicide.
"No! They chose to kill themselves. I had nothing to do with it!" Damien yelled inwardly.
His mind kept using his conscience against him
Because of you they died.
It's just CP. Couldn't you have made more of it on the way?
You could even transfer half the CP and everyone would walk away freely but nooo you chose to fight.
You did it.
They got expelled because of you.
Five people killed themselves because of you.
You're a murderer.
You're guilty.
"Aaargh!" Damien roared, clutching his head in frustration.
Why was it so hard to forget this?
Why was his mind hellbent on portraying him as the villain?
It hadn't been his intention to be the reason for someone's suicide!
If anyone was to blame it would be those five seniors!
Damien felt very helpless.
He needed someone to talk to, someone to alleviate his guilt.
He had to make a call to someone who would understand him and help him cope with this.
With shaky fingers and red eyes, he called one of the contacts on his comm.
It was a call which was long overdue.
A holographic image formed as almost immediately the person picked up his call.
Damien forced a smile on his face. "Hey mom," he said in a subdued manner.
"Damien! Why are your eyes red? What happened to you?" the frantic voice of his mother was heard as her face on the holographic image showed extreme worry.
**
It didn't take long for news to spread round the school that the five robbers had been dismissed and had committed suicide in wilderness!
It came as a total shock to the students.
Most didn't believe it until some students came out, telling how they saw the five boys leaving the school silently through the gate which led into the wilderness.
It was obvious that out of shame, the five didn't leave through the city but rather sneaked out, hoping to evade scrutiny through the wilderness path.
As for the suicide part, it immediately became a hot debate.
Some argued that they were only mauled by an awakened beast but didn't commit suicide. Others too were of the opinion that they committed suicide but got mauled after their death.
After all, underlying evidence proved that before their dead bodies got torn into pieces, they were dead.
Whether they committed suicide or they were killed by an awakened beast, the fact still stood that they were dead.
"How unfortunate!"
"Serves them right!"
"I didn't know someone as fierce as Berg lacked a backbone. We really shouldn't judge a book by its cover."
"They could have even majored in their new occupation! After all, robbery is profitable!"
"Look at how they were beaten here and you want them to go and attempt robbery again?! After this trauma? Bro you're heartless!"
"Sucks to be them."
Many of the first years, especially those who were robbed felt no pity upon hearing their death. The second year seniors who knew them on the other hand shook their heads in pity.
It was such a shame!
Five talented people had been lost just like that!
The third years barely showed any reaction. They were far too busy preparing to go to the moon base or elevate their ranking on the ranking list.
They had no time to worry their heads over five fools who couldn't face a minor setback.
"The faking was a success, young master. Everyone believes they are dead. Very soon they will be forgotten and become true ghosts," Smith reported.
"Excellent! Have they signed the soul contracts?" Ronnie grinned.
"They didn't hesitate at all. They know this is the only chance they have. Even if they weren't loyal before, the soul contract will ensure that they remain loyal to you," Smith replied.
Ronnie's smile became wider.
He had spent a substantial sum on DAUN to order soul contracts from alien merchants.
Just because he had helped someone out when no one would didn't mean they would be loyal to him for life.
Even if they were, it was best to be safe than sorry.
By signing these soul contracts, if they breached any of the terms, not only would they suffer agonizing pain in their souls, they would even die!
It was the surefire way of ensuring that once they joined him, they couldn't go back on their words.
"Then I'll leave them in your care, uncle Smith. Please make sure they become well-trained experts," Ronnie said.
"I will do my best, young master. By the time their training ends, they'll be more than capable of being at the level of a good, solid mercenary group," replied Smith.
Ronnie smiled and ended the call.
For the first time in quite a while, things were going smoothly.
He hoped it would continue like this.