Timeline - October 7th| (4 Days Later)

Matthew hit the ground hard for the third time that morning. The monsters Xero was rounding up seemed to have no other purpose than to spill blood and break bones.

Matthew spat out the blood that had gathered in his mouth and forced himself back onto his feet, steeling himself for another encounter with the merciless, Goliath-winged beast that had just smashed him into the earth. It was becoming a familiar pattern—another set of bruises and yet another day of taking a beating.

Matthew despised the current situation with every ounce of his being. With a sharp snap and a whoosh of air, he managed to stand up again. He paused for a moment to observe Richie and Vause trying to decapitate the creature before it vanished into the sky.

With renewed determination, Matthew launched himself into the onslaught of monsters charging towards them. He was resolved to uncover any clues that might lead them to their enemies, and he was unwavering in his commitment to eliminate any danger to their way of life.

Teshia skillfully took down a creature stealthily advancing toward Jasmine and turned to her friend with a concerned expression. "Has he said anything?" Her voice tinged with worry. Jasmine shook her head, her eyes reflecting the gravity of the situation as they both took in the grim scene of blood and carnage surrounding them.

"He's been completely silent just him and Eko had it out with each other," Jasmine replied, her tone somber. She then added, with a hint of frustration, "i think the press release this morning really rocked him. Like it was way too harsh! Seriously? What the hell are they playing at!" As she spoke, she deftly swung her sword at a monster that had launched an attack, her movements precise and deadly.

Teshia nodded in agreement, her breath coming in short gasps as she fought off the relentless assault of creatures. "Harsh is an understatement," she panted, driving her javelin spear with all her might into the eye of a scaly monster. The creature let out a final screech before collapsing lifelessly to the ground, its threat neutralized. Teshia's eyes flashed with determination as she prepared for the next wave of attackers, her resolve unshaken despite the overwhelming odds.

"Enough chit-chatting, please," Vause interjected, appearing beside the two women who had momentarily paused in the lull of the battle. "This isn't the time for this, you two."

"I haven't seen Jaz since she got back," Teshia remarked, a grin spreading across her face as she glanced at the mage.

"Yea, we've missed each other!" Jasmine chimed in, playfully raising her sword in Vause's direction.

"Chit-chat after the battle," Vause reprimanded them with a stern look before swiftly taking off to rejoin the fight.

Jasmine rolled her eyes and commented, "Your boyfriend is being a grumpy ass today."

"He's not the only one. Have you seen the others?" Teshia replied, nodding towards Richie, Toni, and Matthew, who were engaged in fierce combat in the distance.

"Good point," Jasmine conceded with a deep breath, shaking her head in agreement. Without another word, she charged back into the fray, her sword raised and ready to strike. The warriors continued their relentless assault, taking down the monstrous beasts one by one with a combination of skill, weapons, and powers, determined to emerge victorious from the chaotic battlefield.

As the final monster fell, Matthew felt a wave of relief wash over him. The creatures they had encountered today were not the most formidable foes they had faced, but they had served as a welcome distraction from the relentless challenges of his current life.

"Area cleared," Richie's voice crackled through the comms, signaling the end of the skirmish from his vantage point.

"Confirmed," Jasmine's voice followed, indicating her area was secure.

"Clear here," Jesse chimed in, adding to the chorus of safety confirmations.

"We can head back now," Toni suggested, turning to Matthew who stood beside him, his gaze lingering on the aftermath of their battle. "The students will be waking up in an hour, and we have that meeting with Damian at eight to handover the plans for Belle and Ace that we were working on."

Matthew nodded, feeling the weight of his responsibilities as the adrenaline from the battle began to wane. He had a lot of work ahead as he stepped down from his role, and with the board insisting he back off immediately, his schedule was packed with meetings. The day ahead seemed just as demanding as the fight they had endured.

He returned to Allegiant first, his sword clattering onto the table as he slumped into his chair, his training gear soaked with blood and clinging to his body. He tried to straighten up as he resumed typing furiously, picking up from where he had left off twenty minutes earlier. Toni, Richie, and Jesse arrived soon after, each returning to their tablets and the tasks they had been working on in the office before the unexpected interruption.

Jesse stood across from Matthew, watching him with concern. Her gaze shifted to Richie and Toni, who were staring at her, as they listened to the sound of Matthew's relentless typing that had become a distraction.

Her gaze returned to Matthew, aware that his frustration stemmed from the latest press release from the publishing houses. The media outlets were growing increasingly aggressive, demanding a response, and it was evident that the pressure was taking its toll on him.

What Jesse hadn't expected was the shocking news article that confronted her that morning like it had of all of them, it was written clearly to antagonize. To gain some form of a response from either Mathew or Eko.

It was difficult for all of them to come to terms with what was written. Matthew's reaction to the article was one of indifference. He made it clear that as long as Seraphina was free from any obligations to him, nothing else mattered. His main concern in dealing with the publishing houses was to ensure that she was not tied to him in any way.

The article had provided that context and it's why he would not fight it.

Jesse couldn't muster the same indifference as Matthew. The rage simmering within her found a temporary outlet in the battle against the youmas, but her anger was far from over. She wanted nothing more to confront the editor-in-chief of Atlas Publishing House, the one responsible for the damaging statement piece.

It had been incredulous to read and the actual audacity of the Atlas Publishing House for spreading such baseless allegations had meant she would turn up at their headquarters just to prove a point. Toni had calmed her down before she spiralled and it's how they found Matthew that morning typing away before they took off to deal with the youams.

There had been a very large claim with misconstrued information that the marriage had been coerced by the Headmaster of Allegiant.

Yet, her shock was mitigated by the prompt counter from Adelaide, the Editor in Chief of the Royal Column. Adelaide's firm defense of Matthew and Eko provided a ray of hope, indicating that not everyone was swayed by the sensationalist story of the Atlas. This counter-argument reassured Jesse that the Atlas's perspective was not universally accepted, but rather a minority view.

The bold decision by Adelaide to release months of private photos, including those from the wedding and specifically from their ceremony, marked a crucial turning point. Her statement not only vindicated Matthew's reputation but also advocated for his rightful place beside Eko as the undisputed King. It was a strong show of support, one that Matthew did not want nor did he take it lightly.

Jesse watched Matthew's fingers fly across the keyboard, his posture rigid with tension. She tried to inject some calm into the situation. "Hey, take a deep breath. I get that you're furious. The nonsense from Atlas this morning was out of line."

Matthew's response was immediate, his typing pace unrelenting as he ground out his words. "It wasn't. I've asked Adelaide to retract her statement." he said through gritted teeth. "This email is the lawyers threatening to sue her for the photos she published. I've warned her not to get involved."

Jesse's temper flared in response. "Don't you dare do that!" Why can't you see that there's a lot of backing for you in this situation. Why would you—"

Matthew cut her off, his voice seething with anger. "I don't want any fucking backing!" he snapped, his eyes never leaving the screen. "There is no 'her and I' in this. Whatever the fuck we were, it wasn't fucking real!"

Jesse folded her arms across her chest, and that's when she heard a soft hissing. She glanced over her shoulder to see Richie and Toni waving at her to stop pressing the issue. With a scrunch of her eyebrows and an eye roll, she turned her head back to Matthew.

"They're fascinated by the fact that you're a warrior and she's a Princess. Everyone in this room knows you both loved each other and were together!" Jesse pressed, her arms still folded.

Matthew's pause was brief, and when he spoke, his voice was firm. "She fucking lied to our faces," and the distain in his voice heightened as the room went silent. "She put us all in this shit fucking position. We are where we are today with our lives being torn apart, our identities fucking exposed and she's sitting up there comfy in her fucking palace, untainted and untouched! So everyone in this fucking room knows that I fucking hate her for this, and the sooner this circus show is over with, the sooner we can all move on with whatever the fuck life looks like."

Jesse's patience was wearing thin. "Well, you spend an awful lot of time trying to erase yourself, Matthew. It antagonizes the publishing houses when you do that," she retorted, ignoring the warning gestures from Toni and Richie once again. "They see the through the bullshit! You loved each other, that wasn't a lie! You loved Eko so much."

Matthew rolled his eyes and kept typing, brushing off her comment. "Let's be clear, she was forced into this," he said bitterly, the words heavy with implications. "Coerced."

"Matthew, that is bullshit and you know it!" Jesse screamed at him, watching as Matthew's fingers flew over the keyboard, his hands tense with anger as he stared her down. Their eyes remained locked in a heated stare, and when he spoke again, his words reverberated through the room, leaving all three of them stunned into silence.

"Our fucking relationship is what was bullshit!" he roared. "Besides none of this fucking matters, the annulment will be finalized today, and Allegiant will have a new Headmaster soon, and I can move on from this fucking chapter of my life. I'm sick and tired of having this same fucking conversation for the past seven weeks."

The fallout from the incident on the moon fell squarely on the warriors, leading the council and the royal elite board to conclude that it was inappropriate for them to continue in their roles. In recent weeks, steps were taken to appoint a new headmaster. Amidst this turmoil, Matthew had somehow managed to achieve what seemed impossible.

"Wait a second!" Toni suddenly interrupted the silence. "You mentioned she's been refusing to sign the papers. How did you manage to get her to sign the annulment documents?" The question lingered, waiting for a response that would reveal the secret behind the sudden progress of the annulment. "Is that what you guys were speaking out when you saw her?"

Matthew swiveled his screen to face his friends as Jesse, Toni, and Richie leaned in to read the email. The official document from his lawyers outlined the legal loophole discovered by the Hildegard legal team. It confirmed that, under the duress act, the high council had annulled the marriage contract that bound them as husband and wife, all thanks to the statement issued by Atlas Publishing House and the coercion claim.

With this legal breakthrough, Matthew had instructed his lawyers to pursue the annulment on these grounds. He was prepared to sign the documents, confirming the narrative that he had coerced her into the arrangement for specific gains and control.

It was then accepted by the royal board and directors of the board for Allegiant and the academies that he had acted outside their direction and not revealed vital information, they would give over any story that removed him from such power at that moment. Fueled by fear of how powerful he actually was.

Matthew had accepted this outcome, though it hollowed him out completely. Deep down, he believed their marriage had always been doomed. In truth, they should never have been married at all. He never should have met her, and the wedding ring he once wore—a ring engraved with her initials, a symbol of a love that was never truly his—felt like a cruel joke. Their entire life together had been an act of forced commitment on her part, a sense of duty, not love. That realization had struck him weeks ago, a truth so devastating it nearly destroyed him.

In a fit of drunken fury, Matthew had hurled his wedding band into the ocean. He remembered the way it had glinted in the moonlight for a split second before it disappeared beneath the waves, gone forever. But the despair that followed hadn't stopped there. No, it had driven him to something darker, something that changed the course of everything.

Blinded by the weight of his failure, he had tracked down the Mecotec Advisory Board in his drunken rage, demanding the unthinkable. He needed a solution—something to anchor him to this broken world, to crush the fragile dream of a future he knew he could never deserve. He didn't want children. He couldn't. That dream had gone up in flames long ago, reduced to ash in the fire of his trauma and self-loathing. So, he had done the only logical thing in his mind: he made sure it would never happen.

Matthew begged for something definitive, something that would ensure he stayed committed to the war, to this life, and to the only purpose he thought he was good for—fighting. It wasn't hard to convince them. It wasn't hard to convince himself. He wasn't fit to be a father. He wasn't fit to bring life into this world. His past, his history—who he was—was enough of a reason. The board barely hesitated, and neither did he when they said it was a good idea.

When the Mecotec Board consulted Allegiant, the approval came swiftly. They had agreed it was for the best, for him to remain "focused." Sterilizing him, neutering him like a fucking dog, was sold as a practical decision, but he didn't argue. How could he? He already believed it about himself. He believed he wasn't worthy, wasn't capable, wasn't enough.

And now, every time he thought of it, every time the reality of what he'd done crept into his mind, it brought a strange solace, soft and unyielding, that wrapped itself around him like a bittersweet comfort. He had taken that step willingly, made that choice deliberately, because he believed it would quiet the chaos inside him—and in some ways, it had. It was final, absolute, leaving no room for doubt, no room for dreams he could never afford to have. It forced his focus, stripped away the distractions of hope, and anchored him to the only thing he was good at: war.

Toni stepped forward from the lounge, his expression one of utter confusion. "Matthew! What the fuck have you done?" He stared at his best friend, his eyes wide with astonishment and deep concern.

"I agreed to it. To all of it," Matthew replied, maintaining his composure despite the visible shock on his friends' faces. "Under the family act, that's sufficient grounds for the annulment to be granted immediately. The high courts were more than willing to accept the story, as was the council board, which allowed them to release me from Allegiant effective immediately."

Jesse exploded in disbelief, her voice reverberating through the room. "You what?" she shouted, her incredulity evident. "You actually did it!" She was aware that Matthew had been grappling with the fallout of his marriage, but this revelation was staggering. She, along with Toni and Richie, watched in stunned silence as Matthew casually tapped on his screen, rotating it to present his three closest friends with the proof of his drastic actions.

Toni's disbelief intensified as Matthew remained composed, reciting the email from his lawyers to the high council. "The final basis for annulment concerns consent. If consent was secured through deceit or coercion, if one party's true identity was concealed from the other, or if one party was mentally incapable of giving informed consent, the court may annul the marriage. Therefore, effective immediately, the marriage of Matthew Dead Skarsgard and Eko Isobelle Skarsgard is hereby annulled."

"What the fuck?" Toni muttered under his breath, as he stepped closer,  struggling to comprehend the gravity of what he was reading.

With a sense of triumph, Matthew leaned back in his chair, a smug grin spreading across his face as if he had outwitted the entire world. "Which means the courts had the authority to override her signatures," he explained, the satisfaction evident in his tone. "Her highness will receive her paperwork in the next hour, I assume. There's no further pushback when it comes to the coronation for her."

"Matthew," Richie interjected in disbelief, "she's going to murder you."

Matthew merely scoffed, unfazed by Richie's warning. He glanced at his three best friends, rolling his eyes at their shocked expressions. They watched him in disbelief as he finished typing on the computer and then hit send on a confrontational and aggressive email to the publishing house.

"Now," Matthew announced as he stood up from his chair, "I need to shower before meeting with Damian." With that, he walked out of the office and headed toward his room, leaving Jesse turning to the boys, her face a mixture of shock and sorrow at the turn of events.

"Eko told me it was impossible, no matter what," Jesse said, trying to make sense of the situation. "How did those fucking lawyers find a loophole?"

Toni shook his head, his gaze fixed on the holograms in front of him. "The boards and high courts must have had a field day with this," he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "I can't believe he admitted to forcing her into this. Do you realize what that does to his reputation?"

"I don't think he gives a fuck about his name, reputation, or anything he's built," Richie scoffed. "He just torched it all with this move." His hands linked together as they rested against the back of his head, trying to understand how this would unfold.

Toni exhaled deeply and turned to Jesse. "You should head to the palace. Eko will need you once she reads that email."

"He's right," Richie agreed, nodding. "We'll handle things here with Allegiant and this fucking weasel Damian guy taking over. We need to figure out where we're going to live; we haven't even discussed that yet."

"Are you both sure?" Jesse asked, seeking confirmation. Both men nodded in agreement. With a sigh, she placed the tablet down on the chair and then vanished almost instantly.

Now alone, Richie turned to Toni. "What's our next move?"

Toni's frustration was palpable as he paced the room, trying to piece together their next steps. "We need to let him have his shower and his meeting with Damian. Meanwhile, we can pack our things. Maybe we can find a hotel to crash in for now... then... I don't know." He paused, running a hand through his hair. "We should inform Teddy and get him to talk to Matthew. I know he's not going to want to discuss this, but—"

Richie, however, had a grim outlook. "You know this isn't the worst of it. It's just going from bad to worse, especially now that you and Eko aren't able to control him."

Toni shot Richie a glare, his patience wearing thin. "You're just a ray of fucking sunshine, aren't you?"

Richie shrugged, unfazed by Toni's irritation. "Personal experience," he replied. "I'm just saying, I have a bad feeling—"

"-oooh shut the fuck uppppp," Toni groaned, not wanting to admit that he knew Richie was probably right.

>>>> does Toni then walk to the bedroom and Mathew is undressing and Matthew stares at him.

"Don't," he breathes in.

Toni steps to him, "lock that shit done," he nodded. "I'm losing you to this. Lock it down and turn it off."

Matthew breathed in, glassy eyes and nodded, "you know that I'm here if you wana. Talk but you doing this. Doesn't help, you self annihilating, doesn't help, so lock that shit down."

Matthew nodded and took a deep breath, "I willl," his brows furrowed and he nodded again and stepped towards the shower, leaving Toni worried about his best friend more then ever