twenty-five

                                    

                                          
[The beast inside him, Episode 7]
                          


                          
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You were in a foul mood.
                          
You had left the others to do their chasing and problems while you went back to your class. 
                          
Apparently, your scowl was so deep that all students had to part away in front of you once they had felt the drastic change of temperature.
                          
Finishing your class was a bother, especially when you had found out that one of your classmates, and close friend, had been the one that ambushed all of your other...f̷̥̟̠̹̠͖̜͈͖̀̈́̈́̂̾̏̕͘͠ͅr̶̞̣̗̙͔̘̲̦͋̈́̈́̊̓̕͝i̸̢̹̳̭̘̬̰̠͔̦͂̌̂̂̓̂̓̓̿̋è̴̺͕͎̹̗̫̌̂̒n̷̢̲͇̲̏̎̕͝d̵̜̘͎̍͂͊̅̿̆͌́s̵̩̆̈̋͌̚.
                          
There it was again, that odd thing inside of you that filtered out what you wanted to think. Friends? Why friends?
                          
...Were you really doubting if you ever had a friend?
                          
"Hehe..." releasing a small chuckle, that was your sign of denial. Deep inside? denial.
                          
Denial denial denial denial. Every time it's always denial. When will you ever get used to the reality that's been around you?
                          
You weren't blind...
                          
Their affections, their silly little promises, their gazes?
                          
Was it affection? or merely distraction?
                          
Either way, If it's a distraction they want...Your eyes grew dim and your fist clenched tight.
                          
Then let's give them a big one.
                          


                          
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Ar Savanaclaw's dorm, precisely in the lounge. 
                          
Leona was in the waterfall-like mini-pool. His eyes trained somewhere far away but he was conversing with the mischievous culprit.
                          
"Ruggie, I heard that those Heartslabyul guys chased you this morning. Didn't I tell you not to leave evidence around? You're such an idiot!" he scolded.
                          
A fellow Savanaclaw informed him of the said incident and when he heard you were there too, he feared for something.
                          
Yes, he was a cheat, but for reasons he wants to prove himself, and if going low is the only way... then maybe he'll crawl as low as he can.
                          
Ruggie had panicked, not liking Leona's expression. It was bad enough he managed to tick you off, now with Leona ticked off too...
                          
"Y-you've got it wrong! There's a proper story to that...I wasn't chased because they had proof, don't worry about it." he made an excuse.
                          
Leona 'tch'ed. "I paid a lot of money for Octavinelle's creepy octopus bastard to cooperate with us." he snarled. "I'll fry and eat you all if you fail. Got that?"
                          
"We'll definitely make those Diasomnia bastards pay!"
                          
"And Deighfrysa too!"
                          
"Who said that?"
                          
While they were arguing and/or celebrating. A certain snow owl was perched, hidden behind where no one could see them.
                          
Once it had all the details it's master needed. They flew back onto the dorm it belonged to, but unaware how Leona's sharp eyes caught one of its feathers that had left while flapping away.
                          
Leona hummed and gripped the feather tight.
                          
To choose between people and honorable pride...
                          
"My pride...is what makes me... a king."
                          


                          
---
                          


                          
"I see, good. Thank you so much," you hummed and gave the owl a treat.
                          
"Just how dirty can they get! Ohhh- if Mal hears this-"
                          
"They will not be hearing anything." you cut off Bliz.
                          
Bliz blinked, the owl resting on his shoulder. "I'm sorry- why will they not be hearing about this?"
                          
You shrugged. You had sent a small glance towards the phone on your nightstand and hummed. "It's better to work alone so I can move freely than working with people who...won't even believe anything."
                          
"But [m/n]! This is foul we're trying to scavenge. We're trying to prove to everyone that Savanaclaw students are nothing but foul-playing, cheating little animals-"
                          
"Bliz."
                          
"..."
                          
Bliz nodded solemnly. All he wanted was for you to actually do what was right, but deep down, something in him always remembered that you had reasons as to why you were doing such things.
                          
"This is a big feat, yes. But Bliz, remember who I am," you gave him a small sad smile. "I'm [m/n] Frostbite, to you and Firn, I'm your friend and you guys are mine, but to others, I'm seen as cold, mean, evil, hateful..."
                          
You weren't oblivious, that's something to be so obvious of when students and some staff would always gossip about your royal position or just your attitude in general.
                          
No shame.
                          
Thinking back now, like Malleus who was sort of a royal being and treated with respect, and Leona who's a second prince, even when he isn't the King, both of them knew how to use power.
                          
If...If you could become King, would people finally respect you? If it was you that was the Crown Prince, would people believe you and follow you?
                          
You shook your head off of those thoughts. You love your brother, and you knew he was happy to do what he's doing now. You didn't want to ruin the one thing your brother enjoyed.
                          
"I'm about to do something big tomorrow," you told Bliz. "I don't know how my father would react about it, but if I could do something that could save more people from trouble...then maybe it's okay,"
                          
Bliz tilted his head, 'Is this something that concerns the Magift?"
                          
You looked outside the snowy valley and hummed. "Perhaps,"
                          
You hoped tomorrow was going to go okay,"
                          


                          
---
                          


                          
"Ruggi, I want you to injure me in front of many people."
                          
Ruggie, eating a few foods from stalls, blinked rapidly at your sudden approach. 
                          
He swallowed his food down and coughed slightly, "Have you took something that made you this crazy? [m/n], I only target who I want to target."
                          
"Then target me." You insisted. "If you really want to win, there are two powerful dorms with powerful prefects," you bargained, "If you took one down, then you'll have lesser things to tidy up."
                          
Ruggie thought it was weird how you'd wanted this. But when he heard your explanation, he was swayed in.
                          
"Okay, deal."
                          
You inwardly smiled in confirmation and nodded in content. "Alright, shall we do it when the parade would happen?"
                          
"Cool. I'll do something that will make people reallyyy notice you," Ruggie grinned in mischief.
                          
Both of you shook hands. The deal was set.
                          
You really hoped you had made the right choice. Gambling with someone like Ruggie could cost you a lot but if you wanted to reduce casualties, then it's better to do this.
                          
You wanted to be a real leader for once.
                          


                          
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[hi :)         ]