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EVERYONE WAS DEAD SILENT as they waited for the royals to arrive. Max doesn't know yet, but the royals consist of the top two brotherhoods among all the houses. These are the princes, and the kings themselves. These two brotherhoods make this house the strongest of them all.

      A banner falls beside the Royals banner. It's a golden shield with a crown. That alone separated them from the other brotherhoods.

     "Let us welcome and give our respect to the princes, DANGEROUS FIVE." Mr. Coleman now announces, and five men steps inside the stadium, their presence already making some of the students feel terrified.

     Max thought it was time to bow like what Ari instructed him to, but no one bowed yet, confusing Max even more.

     The five students who are named Dangerous Five are best known outside as the Wang Family. All came from the same bloodline, which makes their bond stronger than any of the other brotherhoods. The five of them wore the same uniform as Crazy 8 and BND, while their brooches were their brotherhood logo and a gun.

     Max was trying to distinguish who the leader was, but when he was about to ask Ari, Mr. Coleman announces next, "The princes, PRETTY DUO."

     Max cocks his head to the side as two new students make their entrance. This time, they came through the right door. 

     "There's more of them?" Max asks himself as he watches the two men approach the five other students who are waiting at the end of the red carpet. They haven't approached the other brotherhoods yet, which only means that they're waiting for more to arrive.

     "How many are—" Max pauses for a second when he recognizes the other student who's part of the Pretty Duo. "Oh." He says with a frown as he watches Adachi Ren wave to the students with a charming yet seductive smile.

     Ren was the senior who Max encountered earlier at the keep. During that time, the students looked afraid of him, and they even called him prince. Now Max understands why the situation went down like that.

     Pretty Duo is the opposite of Dangerous Five. Dangerous Five looked serious and quiet. They wouldn't do anything but babies would still cry if they see them. Pretty Duo on the other hand looked friendly but in a seductive kind of way. It's like they'd charm you a little, then they'd ask for your number so they could screw you and dump you right after. The two were polar opposites, but there was something about them that felt similar. Maybe that's the reason why their gun and rose brooches fit together well.

     "When I met Ren Adachi earlier, he mentioned he was part of PHD. So that means there's another one, right? A group that starts with the letter H." Max concludes, and both Felix and Ari look at him with shock because Max just casually mentions his encounter with Ren, the prince himself, like it was nothing.

     "PHD consists of three subunits, which are Dangerous Five, Pretty Duo, and..."

      Just when Felix was about to say the third subunit, Mr. Coleman announces it for him, "The princes, HOT WINGMEN."

      Another duo enters the stadium, but this time they enter using the middle door. They're a duo like Pretty Duo but their presence is way different that you wouldn't have a hard time distinguishing them. If Dangerous Five is serious, and Pretty Duo is charming, then Hot Wingmen would be the spine-chilling kind. Their gaze is different, and the way they present themselves already separated them from the rest of them.

      The wingmen join the others.

      The three subunits have a brooch of their logo on the left collar, while the other collar represented their subunit: rose, flame, and gun. This is the brotherhood Pretty, Hot, and Dangerous, also known as the fearsome princes of the House of Kings.

     "You see those two wingmen? The guy on the left, that's Killshot. The guy putting his arm around his shoulder is Blade. They're the leader's most trusted members." Ari explains.

     "And the leader must be?" Max then asks, and Ari points at the middle door. The lights turn off, and a spotlight was directed towards the middle entrance of the stadium. The three subunits of PHD form two horizontal lines to welcome whoever's about to enter.

     "Let us bow down and give our respect to the leader of rank two brotherhood, PRETTY HOT AND DANGEROUS, prince Kim Hee-joon." Mr. Coleman announces.

     The rest of the members of PHD bowed first, then the white uniforms followed right before the other brotherhoods did. The only ones who didn't bow were the brotherhoods inside the House of Kings, but the leaders of the lower Houses did bow to greet him.

     Leader Kim Hee-joon enters with a blank and bored expression. He doesn't acknowledge anyone who's bowing to him. His brotherhood steps aside to make way for him, and when he starts walking in the middle of the red carpet, the rest of the members of PHD follows behind him.

     Max stares at the leader with squinted eyes. Ari and Felix notice his expression, so Felix laughs and jokes, "What? You met with him too?"

     Max doesn't look at Felix or Ari as he points at his tire-stained peak cap. "He almost hit me with his car."

     Ari and Felix's eyes widened from shock. Not because Max was almost got hit by a car, but because he met another member of PHD, and not just any member, but the leader himself.

     Kim Hee-joon is the expressionless leader of the 2nd highest ranked brotherhood called Pretty, Hot, and Dangerous. He has an expression that makes it look like he's always bored to death. He's also a leader who students think wouldn't feel guilty if he accidentally killed someone.

     His ranking isn't just visible in his aura and presence too because his brooch was different as well. He had their logo on the left collar and the logo of the royals on the right. To add it all up, the other leaders had a silver chain that connects their two brooches, but his chain was gold. His entire physical appearance already separated him from the rest.

     When the rest of the members of PHD took their seats amongst the other brotherhoods, Hee-joon went straight to the stage where two thrones could already be found.

     "S-Sinclaire...why aren't you bowing?" Felix asks in a soft voice so no one else can hear him.

     Max doesn't even notice that he's the only white uniform who isn't bowing if Felix didn't point it out. He's too intrigued with all this that he didn't realize it.

     At this point, Max understood the system of this school. It would be foolish of him not to bow now, but at the same time, it would be such a big blow on him if he did since he knows who this Kim Hee-joon person is. Hearing his name made him realize that he's one of the sons of the CEO of SK Holdings, and he wasn't about to bow to someone like that. So instead of doing a 45-degree bow, Max slightly bows his head instead, hoping that it would be enough to show the prince his so-called respect.

     "All rise and give respect to the kings, BUSTERS."

     It doesn't take long for the last brotherhood to be announced. As soon as Kim Hee-joon sat on his throne, the main entrance of the stadium opened again. Everyone was holding their breaths; in what Max presumed was caused by the fear of making a sound.

     "Here we go. Here are the kings of this fucked up school my uncle built." Max thought as the last banner falls beside the Royals' banner.

     Eight boys enter the stadium. The moment they appeared, the atmosphere instantly becomes different. The tension was already high, but when they arrived, it got even higher. They don't have anything fancy with them. They don't have capes, and they aren't wearing masks either. They're only wearing their black uniform that has two brooches on their collar: their brotherhood logo on the left, and a king's crown on the right. But even with their simplicity, the boys look flashy.

     "They're the only brotherhood whose members are all senior students," Ari explains.

     Max knew that the leader isn't amongst them because Joon entered after his brotherhood, so Max can only assume that the same thing would happen to the leader of this brotherhood called Busters. But not like PHD, the rest of the members already went to their seats before their leader could arrive.

     "Now, let us bow down and give our respect to the leader of rank one brotherhood, the King, Viktor Alekovich Stepanov."

     Max's eyes widen from shock, and his heart almost stops beating upon hearing the name.

     Viktor Alekovich Stepanov.

     Viktor Alekovich Stepanov.

     Max had to repeat the name over and over again just so he could make sure he wasn't getting the wrong guy. But when the boy named Viktor Stepanov enters the stadium, Max's doubts were immediately erased. His eyes are the exact same color as his siblings and father. It's a light grey color, almost white. For a second, Max thought that he was looking at a ghost. Because this Viktor is the Viktor that Max thought he'd never be able to meet again. This boy...

     Was supposed to be dead like the rest of his family.

     "T-This can't be..."

     The Stepanov's practically ruled the upper class. They were one of the richest families in the country, and even in the whole world. The Stepanov's were higher than the Sinclaire family in terms of power, but not until someone killed their entire clan seven years ago. No one knows what exactly happened, but they say that bombs were planted all over their household while they celebrated their family's anniversary. No one suspected a thing.

     People never heard of his family and their corporation ever since that incident, so Max never expected to see him again, especially here. How could no one have mentioned this? Why has his identity been hidden up until now?

     "Surprised?" Ari softly asks Max while his eyes follow Viktor as he walked towards the stage where Kim Hee-joon is seated.

     "H-He's supposed to be—"

     "Dead," Felix finishes for him.

     Felix and Ari were still bowing like the rest of the students, but Ari still managed to explain the situation to Max. "Viktor Stepanov is the remaining survivor of his clan. His identity is kept a secret until they find the culprit who killed his family. J.S High swore that no information would leak for his own protection."

     Max couldn't believe it. The media would lose their minds if they find out about him. But the fact that they haven't, and the students haven't said a word either is unbelievable. Janus Sinclaire must have done something to keep everyone's mouth shut. Or rather, their mouths weren't shut at all, and people who tried to disclose it had to disappear.

     Everyone—including the brotherhoods in the House of Kings—bows at Viktor as he joins Hee-joon on stage. Not like his prince, Viktor was smiling, but his smile looked more sadistic than friendly. If Kim Hee-joon looks like a person who wouldn't feel guilty if he accidentally kills someone, then Viktor looks like a man who would purposely kill one and then laugh hysterically. That's how wicked he looks.

     Viktor's intimidation is on a whole other level, and it may be because of the long cape that he's wearing, or because of everything that he went through with his family.

     For a while, the king just looked back at the students with a relaxed expression, but then he grins when he sees something. He snaps his fingers, and just like that, a student rushes to his side and hands him a microphone. Viktor puts the microphone close to his mouth. For a second he doesn't say anything. He just stares at the crowd, almost like he's taunting someone.

     "Welcome to the House of Kings." He finally starts, his voice echoing throughout the quiet stadium. "I, the king of the brotherhoods, am honored to personally greet you." He says to no one in particular, confusing the students.

     "I am truly hoping you enjoy your stay here in my castle." He finishes before handing the microphone back to the student who gave it to him. Once he sat down on his throne, everyone stands from their bowing position, and the stadium became noisy in an instant. Everyone wanted to know who the king was referring to.

     "Max," Ari calls out as he and Felix look back at him with their eyes wide from shock.

      Max looked pale. He couldn't even say anything.

     The students didn't know who Viktor was talking to earlier, but Ari and Felix knew. Viktor's gaze was definitely towards their direction. You could almost feel the intensity of it while he was talking earlier. But Viktor wasn't looking at the two of them. It was obvious that the boy who he was looking at was none other than Maximilian Sinclaire himself.

     "Let us call on the Glee club, headed by Mr. Ryan Frost, to sing J.S High's school anthem." Mr. Coleman says as fifteen students went out on stage with their advisor, Mr. Frost. When everyone was settled, music starts playing, and all the students sang the school's anthem along with the Glee club.

J.S High Anthem

Together we rise

Together we fall

Together we climb the ladder

to cross the kingdom's wall

The home of the kings

The rulers of the houses

We are the great J.S High

who will break what was once divided

     "Let us all give a round of applause to our white uniforms, and of course, these outstanding brotherhoods!" Mr. Coleman shouts, putting the mood back to normal.

     The white uniforms cheer as the brotherhoods standing in the middle wave their hands to the crowd. Max just watches in awe. He couldn't believe that such a system existed in a school as prestigious as J.S High, or even in any of the other schools' slash houses. He has a lot of questions that are in need of immediate answers, and one of those questions is how. How did his uncle - president Janus Sinclaire - think of such a dangerous yet complex system without the world knowing a single thing about it?

     "To continue with the oath-taking, let us give a warm welcome to the president of the Brotherhood's Association, and the president of J.S High, sir Janus Sinclaire." Mr. Coleman announces, and instead of shouting, the students clapped their hands as Janus enters the stadium wearing a purple checkered suit.

     Max couldn't help but watch as his uncle jogged towards the stage with a bright smile. The bubbly personality he presents to his family is the same personality he's showing now, which surprised Max because he thought that Janus would have this serious president vibe with him.

     Janus greets the brotherhoods that bowed to him, and when he reached the stage, Joon and Viktor stood up from their seats to bow to him too. The gesture once again surprised Max because he thought the two would act cool throughout the program. At this point, the young heir should be able to realize that every person in this school will surprise him no matter how much he studies them.

     "Good morning my dear students," Janus says when Mr. Coleman handed him the microphone. "I don't want to bore anyone so shall we begin with the oaths?" Janus asks, and Ian Rothman jogs to the stage and hands Janus a folder before taking the microphone from Janus's hand.

     Janus thanks the Elite's president and opens the folder. Ian then positions the microphone close to Janus's mouth as he begins, "Everyone, please raise your right hand and repeat after me."

     All the students did what they were told. That includes the white uniform and all the brotherhoods present in the stadium.

     Max does the same and raises his right hand with no complaint. While watching the event unfold, he notices the cameras that are all over the stadium. It's obvious that these cameras aren't broadcasting live for the public to see, so it only means that this is being broadcast in the other Houses.

     "The Oath of Secrecy. I, state your name, do solemnly swear, that I will keep all the activities, events, and affairs that occur inside my house, an untold story for the ears of those who do not share the same oath. My mouth is sealed for the security of my fellow brothers, our beloved faculty, and our noble house." Janus says, and everyone repeated each word with their right hand raised.

     Max thought that it was over, but president Ian flips the paper, showing yet another oath.

     "Now for the Oath of Renewal. I, state your name, will gain the respect and power from my fellow schoolmates through my skills and hard work. My outside identity will be stripped away from me, and my success will be based on my achievements inside my house. I also swear to abide by the rules and regulations of our great house; following the ways of those who succeeded before us." Janus finishes, and everyone finally puts their hands down. Janus claps his hands first, the students following after him.

     Ian gives the microphone to Janus and leaves the stage so Janus could start with his welcoming speech.

     Janus has a relaxed personality. He puts one of his hands inside his pocket and looks at the students in front of him with a smile on his face. He was doing it not because he's nervous, but because he wants to look laid-back. He wants the students to see him as a cool president that they can rely on. But the respect these students have for him shows that his laid-back personality isn't a weakness that the students can use to take advantage of him. Their respect definitely comes from something underneath all that relaxed attitude.

     "As the president of the Brotherhood Association, I welcome every one of you in our House. I'm not a chatty person, and I don't like making long speeches so let me end this extremely short speech by reciting the mission of our Association. We rebuild the boys of this generation into men of great honor and pride..." Janus pauses and points the microphone towards the students so they could answer for him, "through the brotherhood that they are in!"

     Janus smiles and nods his head in approval. "Thank you everyone and enjoy the rest of the day."

     Janus bows and walks his way backstage to make his exit.

     Mr. Coleman jogs back to the stage to excite the crowd once again. But as soon as he steps on the stage, a banner that's hanging from the ceiling suddenly falls, and loud siren sounds were immediately heard throughout the campus. Max doesn't know what's going on, but the students erupted from what happened since a falling banner only means one thing...

     "The kings have declared war!"

- END -

Credits to the owners of the three pictures I used for this edit.