His crackly voice echoed throughout the cafeteria.
"Who started this?"
Everyone's breath hitched in unison— just stares at Mirage from awakened who were dumbfounded.
"..."
Mirage removed his hands from Micheal's temple, letting him fall to the side like a puppet cut from its strings.
With a happy, gazed look of someone who'd just been sedated.
Mirage straightened his posture, eyes drifting across the room.
"I said, who started this?!"
The scattered awakened shuddered slightly before frantically pointing at their figure—
First— Micheal, slumped to the side, chest heaving, body glistening with sweat and drooling like a baby.
Then— Quinn, who still remained on the floor, staring up at Mirage's looming figure.
Finally— unexpectedly, Aegon, still on the top of the doe-eyed girl, and confused why they pointed at him.
"What the hell did I do?"
Aegon said confused.
"You three, follow me now!"
Mirage said as marched out of the room.
He stopped at the door frame, glanced back to see Aegon was slowly standing, Quinn— already on her feet behind him, but Micheal?
Micheal was fast asleep on the floor, no one had any idea what mirage did to him, to them they just blinked and he was done.
Mirage rubbed his eyes. "You," he pointed at one of the awakened who looked strong enough, "carry him."
The awakened blinked twice— but seeing that Mirage was serious, put Micheal on his shoulders and moved behind him.
---
They waited in the lobby of the principal's office for hours.
It was Sunday, the principal's only free day. So, they had to wait hours before the principal arrived at the school.
Quinn, Aegon and Micheal sat down next to each other on the plush waiting chairs.
Micheal had finally woken up, Mirage brought him a sweat shirt before leaving.
Micheal hadn't uttered a word since he woke up— none of them had— but his seemed different. Almost like his perfect demeanor had been fractured.
A figure walked past them.
Platinum blond hair tied in a lazy hurried bun, a simple brown vest over a white shirt.
She moved quickly— like she was already tired of being there.
She didn't spare them a glance— only saying a sentence to her receptionist before entering her office.
"Mr Anderson first, then Mr Dhalar before Miss Orvin."
~BAM.~
The door slammed behind her.
"Mr Anderson?"
The receptionist called for him before gesturing towards the office.
Micheal pushed off his seat and headed straight for the office.
The door shut behind them.
---
About an hour later— an hour of screaming, yelling and palm slamming against the table, Micheal finally left the office.
Face downcasted as he avoided them and proceeded out of the principal's office.
"Kheum... Mr Dhalar."
The receptionist called for Aegon.
'Alright, let's get this over with.'
He stood and proceeded to her office.
~Knock. Knock.~
He lightly tapped the door— more of a courtesy— before pushing the door open.
A simple minimalistic styled office. Fake potted plants stood in the corner, a shelf of books behind her and a ceiling to floor window on the side.
She sat finger intertwined on the table, blue eyes locked onto his— she stretched out her hand— gesturing for him to sit.
He did.
Glancing to the side of her table to see her triangular nameplate, which read, 'Miss Morwen.'
He nodded lightly as he noted it internally.
"Alright, Mr Dhalar... You start a fight on the first few days in school with your roommate and your best friend—"
"Wait. Wait. That's not what happened—"
Her eyes somehow shut him up instantly.
"Look what's going to happen, I can't expel you because it's your first incident and it's this close to the next trial... But if this repeats itself there'll be repercussions, serious ones."
'Damn. That's ominous.'
He nodded lightly in faux-understanding.
"Sarah!"
Miss Morwen called out for her receptionist.
The door tilted open as she popped her head in.
"Miss, you called?"
"Send Miss Orvin in."
The receptionist nodded before closing the door.
Aegon pushed off his seat, about to leave until—
"Sit down."
The principal ordered.
"What?"
He thought aloud.
"You've heard my official statement... But I think you should hear the unofficial statement too."
Miss Morwen said while tucking a loose strands of hair behind her ear.
Quinn walked in, without needing approval— sat down— arms folded.
Miss Morwen sighed. Stood from her seat and walked to the window.
"What do you know about Nightwalker and Mr Anderson, Mr Dhalar?"
She asked as she folded her hands behind her back.
'what's going on here?'
Aegon said as his eyes darted from Quinn— who didn't even turn to him— to the principal.
"I know what everyone else does, I guess."
He said skeptically.
"I won't make too much of an emphasis on this because although the walls have ears, awakened have super hearing...
The farther away you are from them the better, it doesn't matter what you have to do to make that possible, but you absolutely do not want to get on the other side of Nightwalker."
Aegon felt a shiver run up his spine, turning to Quinn again who seemed already vast in this knowledge.
Miss Morwen stepped away from the window and settled back down to her seat, eyes on Quinn.
"I've warned you not to do anything until you were sure you could handle yourself but since you choose to be stubborn, I only have one thing to say...
You're on your own."
"..."
She said nothing more, neither did Quinn.
Aegon just sat there, feeling like the tension had dried all moisture from his mouth.
And with that she dismissed them.
---
They headed back for their dorm.
Quinn said nothing— seemed like she even despised walking with Aegon, whose thoughts were running wild.
To his credit he was right— the MC and Nightwalker were sociopaths but it seemed only a few set of people were aware.
For now, he only knew of two— Quinn and now the principal.
And now with Micheal's fractured calm— one thing was clear, he had changed the main plot of the novel.
Quinn slid the door open.
No sooner had they both entered than Eli jumped off the bed, phone in hand and stretched out to Aegon's face.
"What's this?"
Aegon said as he waved the phone away.
Eli, excited, brought the phone back to his face.
"This— this is you on top of the third most powerful awakened in this academy."
Aegon squinted his eyes to make out the picture clearly— it was him, sprawled onto the doe-eyed girl with what seemed like a thousand comments.
"Wait, she's number three?!"