Morning at Hillcrest began with unexpected chaos.
It was barely 8 AM when news reporters started gathering outside the academy gate. Cameras, microphones, and hurried voices disturbed the usual silence of the campus.
Lucas stepped forward, blocking the entrance.
"You can't enter like this," he said firmly.
"We want answers," one reporter replied. "In what kind of academy are students punished like criminals?"
"Please wait. I'll inform the principal."
Lucas shut the academy gate and walked quickly toward the principal's quarters.
Inside, Adrian was changing the dressing on his injured shoulder when Lucas knocked.
"Sir, reporters are outside."
Adrian didn't look surprised. "Handle them for twenty minutes."
"Okay, sir."
Meanwhile, news of the reporters spread across Hillcrest faster than usual gossip. Students gathered near the ground, whispering among themselves. Professors and staff followed, curious and anxious.
Raymond and Samuel offered water to the reporters, trying to keep the situation calm.
The news soon reached the Devil Trio.
"You two sent them?" Marcus asked.
Leon nodded. "Let's see how the principal answers the media."
Ethan smirked. "This will be interesting."
"You didn't tell me," Marcus said quietly.
"You've been thinking too much about Adrian lately," Leon replied.
They walked toward the ground where everyone had gathered. Adrian was the only one missing.
"Is he scared?" Leon said loudly.
"Maybe preparing answers," Ethan added.
Marcus quietly asked Raymond, "Where is he?"
"Lucas informed him. He'll come in twenty minutes," Raymond replied. "He was changing his shoulder dressing."
Marcus gave a small nod.
After some time, Adrian finally walked toward the ground from his quarters, calm and composed. He gestured to Lucas to open the gate.
The reporters entered immediately.
"We have video evidence of you forcing students to kneel outside the gate," one reporter said. "This is humiliation. A violation of human rights."
Adrian looked at them steadily.
"Are you new to media," he asked, "or very old?"
The reporters frowned.
"Why change the topic?" one asked.
"I didn't," Adrian replied calmly. "I'm asking why you remembered human rights today."
He paused.
"Six months ago, a professor was forced to kneel outside this same gate for six hours. Videos were recorded. None of you came."
Professors standing nearby exchanged silent glances.
"You cannot justify your actions by mentioning the past," the reporter said.
"I'm not justifying anything," Adrian said. "I'm asking why you didn't remember human rights then. Or did someone pay you to remember them today?"
"That's an insult to media."
"It's a fact," Adrian replied evenly. "Two weeks ago, professionals were sent here to 'teach me a lesson.' No coverage then either. Isn't that also a violation?"
The reporters fell silent.
"If you want to report Hillcrest," Adrian continued, "report the full story. Not half of it."
He gestured toward the students.
"My students have lectures now. I'm not answerable to you. Please leave."
With no response to give, the reporters slowly left the academy.
Leon and Ethan exchanged satisfied glances.
"Time for Plan Two," Leon whispered.
Marcus looked at them. "What plan?"
"You'll know in the evening," Ethan replied casually.
Marcus clenched his fist, an unfamiliar thought crossing his mind.
Am I no longer part of the Devil Trio?
Adrian simply said, "Everyone, go to your classes."
---
Inside the classrooms, students noticed something unusual.
A small digital screen had been installed temporarily. On it was a tree-like graphic and a small animated creature watching silently.
"What's this?" Leon asked.
The professor pointed at the screen.
"It observes classroom behavior and creates a ranking ladder. The top student gets a king crown symbol. Their entire seat becomes the leader seat. Others receive different symbols. The lowest gets a rat sticker."
Marcus looked interested. "What does it observe?"
"Focus during lectures," the professor replied. "And weekly toppers get a prize."
Ethan grinned. "The crown already suits me."
"It's AI," Leon said.
"It also marks disturbance," the professor added. "If you disrupt class, your seat gets a snake sticker."
Students visibly relaxed.
Keris sat beside Luther and Eden.
"You two are the studious type," Keris said. "Focus properly. Our seat should get something powerful — not a rat."
Luther felt something unfamiliar — safety.
No silent bullying today.
Eden stared at the board.
Maybe I'm not invisible.
Lectures began.
Many students pretended to focus — including the Devil Trio. Keris watched the board with unusual seriousness.
During the third lecture, one student nudged another out of boredom.
Immediately, a snake sticker appeared on their seat display.
The class burst into laughter — real laughter.
Even the embarrassed student laughed.
Raymond, entering to serve water, paused.
"For the first time," he murmured, "they're laughing without hurting someone."
Professors felt the tension in classrooms ease slightly.
---
By evening, classes ended.
"Why didn't it show results?" Leon asked.
"The leaderboard is near the canteen," the professor replied.
Students gathered there.
Marcus had the king crown.
The Devil Trio's seat had the leader sticker.
Leon hugged Marcus. "Our king."
"Next time it's mine," Ethan said.
Students checked their own rankings.
Keris found a power-symbol sticker on their seat — Luther had the highest focus time.
"You're really studious," Keris said.
"Thanks," Luther replied.
"And you too, Eden," Keris added.
Eden nodded quietly.
Both Luther and Eden felt something small but meaningful change inside them.
Professor Finch watched the scene.
"I want this principal to stay," he said.
"But the Devil Trio won't forget their humiliation," another professor replied.
They all knew that was true.
---
At exactly 8 PM, Hillcrest Academy changed again.
One by one, phones across the campus began to vibrate.
First in the staff quarters.
Then in the hostel rooms.
Then in classrooms where a few students still sat studying.
A notification.
A video.
A moment that silently spread across the academy.
---
In the staff residence, Raymond opened the message casually.
The moment the video started playing, his expression froze.
The screen showed Adrian.
Kneeling.
In front of a group of men whose faces were blurred.
Adrian's head was bowed slightly, his injured shoulder visible through his shirt.
"I… apologize," Adrian's recorded voice said.
The video ended.
Raymond's hand slowly lowered.
Lucas was standing nearby, watching from over his shoulder.
Neither of them spoke for a few seconds.
Finally, Lucas said quietly,
"This is the Devil Trio's work."
Raymond swallowed.
"They didn't just want revenge… they wanted humiliation."
---
Inside the principal's quarters, Adrian watched the same video alone.
The light from the phone screen reflected in his eyes.
No anger.
No shock.
Just silence.
After the clip ended, he switched off the phone and placed it on the table.
The room became completely still.
"I am sorry…" Adrian whispered to no one.
---
In the hostel, the atmosphere felt unusually heavy.
Tonight, corridors were quieter.
Almost every student had seen the video.
---
Inside Luther's room, the phone screen still glowed in his hand.
His breathing had become shallow.
His mind replayed the image again and again.
Principal… kneeling…
The same position he himself had been forced into many times.
But this felt different.
Worse.
Luther slowly placed the phone on the bed and stared at the floor.
For the first time, the humiliation he had endured felt… understood by someone else.
---
Across the corridor, Eden sat on his bed, hands trembling slightly.
He wasn't shocked by the video.
He was disturbed by Adrian's expression.
There was no resistance in Adrian's eyes.
No anger.
Just acceptance.
Eden whispered to himself,
"Why didn't he fight back…?"
---
In another room, Keris lay back on his bed, watching the clip repeatedly.
Each time, his smile faded a little more.
Why do I feel uncomfortable?
He locked his phone.
Then unlocked it again.
Watching once more.
I've made Luther kneel like this before.
That thought refused to leave his mind.
Keris sat up.
"Why does this feel… wrong?"
For the first time, bullying someone didn't feel powerful in his memory.
It felt ugly.
---
Inside the Devil Trio's shared room, the reaction was completely different.
Leon was laughing openly.
"Now Adrian must be wondering why he even became principal."
Ethan leaned back in his chair.
"He'll apologize to us tomorrow. I'm waiting to see that face."
Marcus wasn't laughing.
He was staring at the paused frame of the video.
Adrian kneeling.
Marcus spoke slowly.
"Why didn't you tell me about this plan?"
Ethan shrugged.
"You wanted him humiliated too."
Leon added casually,
"We just made it happen."
Marcus didn't respond.
Something inside him felt unsettled.
Not guilt.
Not yet.
But discomfort.
A quiet crack forming in certainty.
Leon nudged him.
"Stop thinking so much. Enjoy the victory."
Marcus forced a small smile.
But his eyes remained on the screen.
And the video kept replaying in his mind.
---
Late at night, far from Hillcrest Academy, Avein sat alone in front of his laptop.
The same video of Adrian kneeling played on his screen.
Unlike the students at Hillcrest, Avein did not look shocked.
He looked focused.
Lines of code moved across the monitor beside the video window. Multiple tabs were open — academy records, student backgrounds, financial logs, and social media feeds.
The clip continued spreading online.
Comments were increasing every second.
Avein leaned back in his chair.
"So… the Devil Trio made the first public move," he murmured.
One of the IT professionals sitting beside him spoke carefully.
"Sir, the upload source is masked. But we can still trace distribution patterns."
Avein nodded slowly.
"Don't trace the uploader," he said. "Trace the reactions."
The professional looked confused but continued working.
Avein watched the paused frame of Adrian kneeling.
"For someone called the ruler of Hillcrest…" Avein whispered, "…this humiliation spreads faster than I expected."
He closed the video.
"But this is still small."
His fingers tapped lightly on the table.
"The real fall begins soon."
The laptop screen reflected in his eyes as he opened another file labeled:
Hillcrest_Internal_Archive
And the night grew quieter.
---