Lyra continued, her voice even lower. "So... one last chance to do this the easy way. Tell me what you know about the mercenary group."

Owen gritted his teeth in defiance. "I ain't tellin' you freaks anything."

She gave a short sigh of someone who was about to do something they hated. Her eyes flickered to Alex for a brief second, as if asking for his approval.

He nodded lightly but pushing his earplugs further in.

Lyra closed for eyes. Took a deep breath and opened them but they bore an unnatural glow.

She whispered into his ear. Each word echoed and resonated in his head like a memory. "Owen?"

A warm shiver ran up his spine, forcibly calming him, his muscles, nerves and even his eyelids drooped. "Yes?" He answered instinctively.

"I need you to answer a few questions for me." Her words were calmer than a lullaby even Alex felt his body loosen just from reading her lips.

"Yes. Anything." Owen replied. His eyes barely open.

She bent closer, enough for her lips to whisk his ear. "Where's your mercenary group location?"

"They're—" He stopped him. His body vibrating violently. "ARRGH!" A scream tore through his throat. "I can't."

Lyra froze. Very few people could fight off compulsion. She used her hands to hold his head in place. "Why can't you?"

The light flickered above them in response to her question. But Owen hadn't answered yet, just screams and spittle.

But Lyra wasn't stopping, she held him in place once more. "Why can't you tell me?"

"ARRRGH!!" Owen shook free from her grip. "Because she'll kill me."

"Who Owen? Who'll kill you?" She continued as the light blinked haywire. "Who are you so afraid of?"

Owen shook his head furiously. "No! No! No! She'll kill me! She'll kill me! She'll kill me!"

She grabbed his hand as turned him to her, locked eyes with him. "Owen, I will kill you myself if you don't talk but if you tell us then we can protect you."

Blood mixed tears fell from his swollen face as he fought her off. "You can't protect me! She's everywhere! Kill me now!"

He head whipped to the ceiling. In the next second, he began frothing from the mouth. His body shook and his chains rattled.

He shook out his seat and fell to the floor. Still convulsing. And muttering the words. "She'll kill me."

Lyra realized he wouldn't speak so changed the topic. "Then who helped you get into the school?"

"A..." He tried to speak but it seemed as tho his tongue was heavy. "A..." Owen's head bubbled to an unhealthy amount of red. "A student."

"What's their name?!"

~SPLT!~

Owen's head finally popped like a balloon. His brain splattered across the floor, the walls and their faces.

Alex finally removed his earplugs. Took a napkin from his pockets and wiped the tiny piece of brain matter from his face. "Damn."

---

The video finally came to an end. Aegon's eyes were widened to a cartoonish amount. He could practically taste the bike rising through him. "Why the hell did you show me that?"

"Simple." Alex tucked away the tablet. "I wanted to show you what we're up against—"

"Wait one second." He interrupted. "We're? There's no we're anything. That's your job not mine."

"It was. But unfortunately you have a multi billion Royal government asset in your domain. So...

unless you have a way to pay for that, and the school, and then go to prison for trespassing, and I can haul your friends too. And oh, don't forget one of my teachers who assisted you in all of this."

Alex adjusted his tie. "Unless you can hear the consequences of all of that, you and me, we're gonna handle this case together."

'FUUCK.' He shut his eyes and leaned back into the uncomfortable metal chair.

"I'll take that as a yes." Alex continued. "So I checked out the murder board in your bedroom.

It's pretty good but you're missing an important detail. No one knew who'd make it out of the trial, but they knew who was most likely.

Our top list of suspects are the top ten."

He reached his pocket and brought a key out. Leaned to Aegon and undid his shackles. "See you on orientation Aegon."

Air finally met his wrist, he rubbed them. "So I'm free to go?"

"Yeah." Alex held on to the handle longer than necessary. He swung it open revealing to men in suits and tranquilizing guns in hands. "Except you can't ever know about where you are."

"Wait. Wait. Wait. I won't say—"

~Pffft! Pffft! Pffft!~

They aimed and fired multiple rounds into his chest.

"Aegon, I feel like we're gonna have fun together." Alex smiled at him before his body slumped to the ground.

---

"Hhhhhh—AHHhh!"

The now much too familiar gasp of air resonated in his ear. Too tired to stand he remained on the prickly grass.

He tilted his head slightly to find himself on the lawn beside his house. The sun pouring down on him and the world moving around him.

A scream hung in his throat, a scream he could let out just yet. He pulled himself off the ground and made way for his room.

He sat opposite the murder board and stared at the stats that Alex had sent him—how he got his number was unknown.

Time slid before his eyes and soon after it was the day of resumption. Without his stepmom and Dad around he said his farewell to Diane and hit the road.

The sight when he finally stopped his car in the Academy's parking lot was something to behold.

Novuses, confused, giggling, taking pictures without a care in the world and being oblivious to the truth of the world they lived in.

He shot the car door behind him and just watched them for a second. 'How the hell am I gonna find this mole?'

"Aegon." Someone called him from afar, drawing his attention.

Eli proceeded towards Aegon, looking bright and sunny as always. He slumped a hand over his shoulders and they walked together. "We're officially Adept, man. Can you believe it?"

"We were Adepts ever since we completed the last trial, dude." He said playfully.

"Yeah. But it's not the same as being in the academy—"

~PUUU!~

A bus's horn startled them as they moved out of it's way.

It wasn't a school bus. No. Grey body and the words 'Veltharion awakened Juvenile Facility' were displayed on the side as it can to a halt.

The criminals were here.

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