The cold water trickled down Damian's body as he washed away the dried blood from the survival training. His fingers trembled slightly as they traced the bruises on his bare knuckles and the cuts that littered his torso. Staring at his reflection in the murky water, he could see the toll the past few days had taken. His eyes were hollow, dark circles underlining his exhaustion. He smirked bitterly to himself as he touched a particularly deep cut on his cheek. "That's gonna leave a mark," he muttered.
After patching himself up in the infirmary, Damian wandered through the academy grounds toward his dorm. The stillness of the night was eerie, but somehow, it brought a small sense of peace. He paused for a moment under the pale glow of the moon, appreciating the quiet before everything became chaotic again.
That peace was shattered when a voice called out from the shadows. "Cade. Follow me."
Damian turned to see one of Nathaniel Valencrown's lackeys stepping out from the darkness. The boy had a smug grin plastered on his face, one that made Damian's blood boil, but he kept his composure. Without a word, Damian followed him, his hands instinctively clenching into fists as they walked.
They reached Nathaniel's dorm, a spacious room in one of the more opulent parts of the academy. Nathaniel stood by the window, bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight, casually closing a book as Damian entered. Beside him, three of his dormmates stood in a row, their eyes lowered in submission.
"Can you believe it?" Nathaniel began, not looking up at Damian. "They lump me in a room with these commoners. Funny, isn't it?" His voice was laced with sarcasm. "What's more annoying is how weak they are… but wait, that's not the point." He finally turned to Damian, a crooked smile playing on his lips. "I'm sure you're wondering why I called you here."
Damian remained silent, his gaze fixed on Nathaniel.
"It's your first mission as my loyal hound," Nathaniel said, his tone shifting to something more menacing. "You didn't think I'd accept you into my circle without making sure of your loyalty, did you?"
Damian's jaw tightened, but he said nothing. He wasn't a fool—he knew this was a test.
Nathaniel's grin widened. "Don't worry. There's a generous reward in store for you. One I think you'll appreciate." He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper. "The nobles who beat up your brother—did you know they're second years here at the academy?"
Damian's heart skipped a beat. The memory of his brother, bruised and broken at the hands of those nobles, flashed in his mind.
"You can have your revenge," Nathaniel continued, his eyes gleaming with malicious intent. "I'll give you free rein to do whatever you want with them. But first, there's something I need you to do."
Damian's voice was low, laced with barely contained anger. "What is it?"
Nathaniel pointed to the three students standing at attention, his expression cold. "Be the boss in your dorm. You want power? Then show me you can control those around you."
Damian narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Without warning, Nathaniel stepped forward and ruthlessly beat one of his dormmates, his fists pummeling the boy's face and body until blood spilled onto the floor. The others trembled, but they remained in line, too scared to react. Nathaniel stepped back, wiping the blood from his knuckles, and looked at Damian with a sinister grin.
"Like this. Make it so they won't complain to the instructors. Make them fear you. You can do that, can't you?" Nathaniel asked, his tone calm, as if he hadn't just brutalized his own dormmate.
Damian's mind raced, but outwardly, he remained stone-faced. After a brief pause, he nodded.
Nathaniel's smile widened. "Good. You may leave."
As Damian turned to walk away, he couldn't help but glance at the moon again, the pale light reflecting off the blood that still stained his hands. He let out a bitter chuckle. "What a pity," he muttered under his breath before heading back to his dorm.
Damian entered the dorm, the cool air from outside still clinging to him, though the warmth of blood and sweat simmered just beneath his skin. Jory looked up from his bed, his eyes lighting up with concern as soon as he saw Damian's bruised face.
"Hey, bro, you alright?" Rory asked, standing up and walking over. "You looked like hell out there."
Damian didn't respond, his mind replaying Nathaniel's command over and over. Be the boss in your own dorm. He could feel his chest tightening, the memory of his brother's broken body feeding his resolve.
Jory's concern shifted to confusion when Damian's eyes, once filled with camaraderie, now seemed cold and distant. Before Jory could ask anything more, Damian struck. A swift, powerful punch drove deep into Jory's gut, causing him to double over in pain, gasping for air.
The room froze. The other dormmates stared in stunned silence. "What the hell, Damian?!" one of them shouted, leaping from his bunk.
But Damian wasn't done. Jory's coughing, gasping for breath, only spurred him on. He grabbed Jory by the collar, slamming his knee into Jory's chest. A sickening crack echoed in the room as his knee collided with bone.
Jory, stunned by the sudden attack, tried to fight back, throwing a wild punch at Damian's face. It glanced off Damian's jaw, barely making him flinch. Damian's eyes flared with anger as he grabbed Jory's arm and twisted it, forcing him to the floor with a heavy thud. Jory groaned in pain, but Damian's assault didn't stop.
"You'll do what I say," Damian hissed, his voice low and venomous. "Or I'll make you regret it."
One of the other dormmates named Terrin, finally found the courage to act. "Get off him, Damian!" he shouted, charging forward. He swung at Damian, landing a solid punch on Damian's shoulder, the impact sending a shock of pain through Damian's arm.
But Damian barely reacted. Without hesitation, he turned and elbowed Terrin in the face, the force knocking him back, blood spurting from his nose. Terrin staggered, his hands flying up to cover his now-bleeding nose, but Damian wasn't done. He grabbed Terrin by the shirt and slammed him against the wall, the sound of the impact reverberating through the room.
"You want to fight back?" Damian snarled. "Fine."
Terrin, blood pouring down his face, tried to struggle free. He swung his arms wildly, one of his fists connecting with Damian's side. Damian grunted, but his grip didn't loosen. He drove his knee into Terrin's stomach repeatedly, each strike harder than the last. Terrin gasped and wheezed, the fight quickly draining out of him.
The John was paralyzed with fear, his eyes wide as they watched Damian, their friend, brutalize Rory and Terrin. But he didn't dare intervene. Damian's presence had changed, the aura around him oppressive and suffocating.
Jory, still crumpled on the floor, groaned as he tried to crawl away, but Damian grabbed him by the ankle and dragged him back across the room, tossing him like a ragdoll. Jory coughed up blood, but Damian wasn't finished. He lifted Jory by the collar again, his fists slamming into Jory's ribs with bone-cracking force. Jory let out a strangled cry, his body going limp under Damian's relentless assault.
Terrin, despite the pain, tried to pull Damian away from Jory again, but Damian turned on him with the fury of a cornered animal. He grabbed Terrin by the throat, slamming him back into the wall. Terrin clawed at Damian's hand, but his grip was like iron. With his free hand, Damian punched Terrin in the gut, once, twice, three times in rapid succession. The blows left Terrin gasping for air, his body sagging as Damian's grip tightened around his throat.
"Anyone else?" Damian growled, his bloodied knuckles still clenched as he looked around the room.
Damian's eyes flickered to John, the question hanging in the air. His breath was ragged, his knuckles dripping with blood—both his own and theirs. He took a step toward John, the tension in the room palpable.
John backed up instinctively, his heart pounding. "From now on, you'll listen to me. You'll all do what I say, or this"—Damian gestured to Rory and Marcus, both groaning on the floor—"will happen to you."
John swallowed hard, his eyes flicking between Damian and his beaten dormmates. "We're your friends, Damian. We've got each other's backs. This isn't… this isn't who you are."
"Friends?" Damian echoed, his voice dripping with contempt. "You think friendship matters here? This academy will eat you alive. You think Nathaniel Valencrown gives a damn about friends? This is survival. You either control, or you get controlled."
With that, Damian grabbed John by the collar and shoved him against the wall. "I'll say it once," Damian hissed. "If any of you tell the instructors about this, I will hunt you down understand."
Eddard nodded shakily, too scared to even speak. Damian let him go, and Eddard slumped to the floor, his heart racing.
Damian turned and surveyed the room. Rory lay on the floor, blood dripping from his mouth, his body convulsing in pain. Terrin was barely conscious, slumped against the wall, his breath coming in shallow gasps. John sat on the floor, fear etched into his features. The dorm was silent except for the occasional groan of pain.
Satisfied, Damian wiped the blood from his knuckles and turned to leave. As he reached the door, he paused, glancing over his shoulder at the broken forms of his dormmates.
"This is the new order," Damian said quietly, his voice eerily calm. "You'll do as I say from now on. If you don't, I'll remind you what happens when you cross me."
Without another word, Damian walked out into the night, his chest heaving from the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. He stopped for a moment to glance up at the moon, its pale glow reflecting in his bloodshot eyes.
"What a pity," he muttered, before walking off into the darkness, leaving behind the shattered remains of what was once camaraderie.