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THE MAZE STOPPED MOVING, and the smoke dispersed, causing everyone to see each others' location since the maze is made of see-through glass.

     "Viktor is fucking crazy," Krist says as he looks around the grounds. Viktor is guarding their base while four of his men approached Krist's members. Krist has to think of something before they get to them, and he has to think of something fast.

     "How do I cross this now?" Krist asks himself while looking around the area. The spray paint markings are still visible. And as Krist was staring at them, he realizes something. One of the markings still leads to a path, which means those walls didn't move. 

     "Gotcha."

     Krist takes out two smoke bombs and throws them in the air, causing everyone to have a hard time navigating through the maze again. Krist looks around and runs toward the wall that didn't move. He follows through with the spray paint and makes a run for it. The crowd goes wild as they watch Krist get closer to Busters's base. But there was one problem...

     "Where the fuck is he?!" Krist shouts when he arrived at the empty enemy base. As he takes a step inside their base, the ring turns orange, and Viktor is still nowhere to be found. But when Krist turns back around, Viktor welcomes him with a smile and a gun pointing in his direction.

     "Why don't you put your flag baron?" Viktor mocks with a grin.

     Krist curses under his breath. It was in their initial plan that their first runner will hold their flag and Krist will take down Viktor. But it seems Viktor already predicted that strategy.

     "You went right into my trap! Just like a rat in a maze." Viktor says while laughing, pissing Krist off even more.

     "You're seriously out of your mind," Krist says as he points his gun at Viktor too. Now it's all about the fastest shooter.

     "Is that a compliment?"

     "Fuck you," Krist answers instead, and Viktor laughs even harder.

     "Oh don't be such a killjoy master joker," Viktor tells him after wiping the tears in his eyes.

     "How difficult of an opponent are we that you have to do something like this?" Krist asks.

     Viktor smirks and puts his gun down, "Don't get too full of yourself baron. We don't know what the pattern of this maze is either! It's basically random!" He reveals before continuously laughing like a madman.

     Krist couldn't believe what he heard. Viktor could lie about that fact, but knowing him, that's most likely true. At that point, Krist realizes that they truly cannot defeat Busters. They might be called the Jokers, but Viktor himself is the epitome of craziness. No one can ever predict what's going on in his head, and that same unpredictability is what makes them almost impossible to defeat.

     "Jokes on you joker," Viktor says, and Krist pulls his trigger because of complete irritation.

     Everyone stops cheering when they saw Viktor unscratched. Viktor grins and moves closer. He then exhales, and the space in front of him fogs up, making Krist realize that there was actually a glass wall in front of him.

     Krist touches his surrounding area and realizes that he's now trapped inside this glass box.

     "This was fun, master joker. Let us play again some other time." Viktor tells him with a graceful yet mocking bow.

     Krist looks around and sees his members already on the floor. Even Brave who was supposed to guard their base was unconscious. Krist wanted to make a run for it, but he couldn't escape. All he could do was watch as the ring around their base turns orange. He sighs and falls on his knees when siren sounds were heard throughout the stadium, and the ring around their base turns red.

     "And the winner is...Busters!" The commentator, Alisa Armstrong, announced right after, leaving the audience to cheer even louder as Jokers' banner falls to the ground. Busters cheered for their victory and went to Jokers' banner so they could kick it.

     The rest of the members of Busters - who weren't able to participate - joined them on the grounds, followed by the members of PHD. While they were congratulating each other, Kim Hee-joon walks to Viktor and hugs him. When Viktor hugs him back, Hee-joon leans close to his ear and whispers something to him, instantly causing Viktor's smile to fade as he clenches his fist in anger.

     The maze's walls sink underneath the floor, giving way for medics to enter the grounds to check if anyone was badly injured. Brave's eyes shot open after sniffing a small amount of smelling salt from one of the medics. Van and Toni approach him to help him stand. When they got a hold of Brave, the three of them went to the other two members who ran inside the maze first.

     "One of them kicked me on the side. I think I sprained an ankle." A Jokers' member explained to the medic who's assisting him on the wheelchair.

     "Did it hurt baby Rome?" Van asks using a baby voice, making the others laugh.

     "Why not ask Dhan?" Rome answers instead as he points at another member who's being assisted by other medics. When he sees his members standing together, he thanks the medics and heads to them while covering his nose with an ice pack.

     "What the fuck happened to you?" Brave asks.

     "One of Busters chased after me with a gun, so I panicked and my face slammed on a glass wall," Dhan explains, making the members laugh even more.

     "Those kings only brought guns with them, and none of them even got the chance to fire it. Were we too easy?" Rome suddenly asks with a sad expression, making Brave look at his brothers apologetically.

     In Jokers, Brave and Krist are the only senior students, and the rest are third years, so Brave and Krist have this mindset that they have to do well and take care of their juniors since they'll be graduating soon, and they don't know what would happen once they leave them. Discouraging them now is the last thing that they want.

     "You all did well. And come on, when will we ever have the chance to battle the kings again, right?" Brave asks, and the rest of them smiles and nod their head in agreement. "Come on, let's join our master joker." Brave then adds as he points at Krist who was kneeling at their fallen banner that Busters were stepping on a few moments ago.

     Van pushed Rome's wheelchair, and the five of them went to Krist's side. Brave touches their leader's shoulder, and all six of them grab hold of their banner and kiss it.

     "Good job jesters. Good job." Krist says as he looks at his brotherhood like a proud father.

     As everyone cheered for the winning team, Max, Ari, and Felix were also on their feet, clapping for Busters. They couldn't help but be impressed by their strategy. In the middle of the battle, the three realized that the grounds weren't designed so Busters could easily win the battle. The maze was designed to make the opponent's strategy predictable. That's how they were able to win.

     "Looks like I betted on the right brotherhood after all," Max says.

     "Newsflash Max, you betted on Jokers and they lost, which means you also lost 50 merit points." Ari reminds him, but Max didn't try to explain himself anymore. Instead, he continues to stare at Jokers who were holding their flag with pride, while their underlings left them like they were embarrassed by their brotherhood's loss.

     "Congratulations to our king, and of course, to Jokers for keeping us entertained." Mr. Coleman says as he went to the stage again. As everyone settles down, the Elites joined Mr. Coleman on stage and stood behind him.

     "To end our assembly, may I once again call on the Elites' president, president Ian Rothman."

     Mr. Coleman hands the microphone to Ian. When the crowd finished clapping for him, Ian started his speech. "Thank you everyone for this successful assembly. As the president of the student body, I would also like to thank the leaders of all the brotherhoods who are present here today. Please give them a round of applause."

     The leaders stood on their feet and waved to the crowd who were clapping for them.

     "All the brotherhood leaders are invited to head to the pavilion. A feast is waiting for you all there. We also hope you enjoyed the battle that the kings and barons presented to you today," Ian tells them, and the leaders give him a thumbs up, a sign that says that they did.

     "Well, this is where we officially start our school year 2023-2024. And as the Elites always say, what happens in the castle..."

     "Stays in the castle!" Everyone shouts back.

     "Thank you everyone and let's have a great year ahead." Ian finishes, and without any further instructions, the students head out of the stadium to head back to their rooms.

     The Brotherhood leaders who were there shook hands with each other as a sign of formality. Because at the end of the day, regardless of their ranks, they're brotherhoods through and through.

     Busters and PHD approached the leaders, and everyone bowed to them again before Viktor started giving them some words of advice. While the royals chatted with them, some went to the other brotherhoods in the House of Kings to at least get a chance to chat with them. This is only one of the few chances that they get to meet them like this.

     "You guys did amazing!" The leader of rank 18 brotherhood, Jack of All Trades, complemented as he approached Jokers who he considers as his brotherhood's role models.

     "You know if we anticipated the maze moving, we could have won it," Brave tells him, and Krist just sighs and watches in silence as his right-hand man talked to one of the leaders of the House of Rook.

     While they were talking, Krist couldn't help but look back at the crowd of students who were leaving their seats.

     "Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire," Krist whispers under his breath before clenching his fist in complete irritation. The brotherhood battle might be over for the Jokers, but Max was about to face a battle on his own; a battle that he did not expect to unfold.

...

Max, Ari, and Felix were walking back to their room in silence. A lot of things happened, and Max still has unanswered questions that he knew could only be answered by the same man who started all this.

    "I'm heading to the president's office." Max decides right then and there, making the two boys walking beside him stop walking with him.

     "Go ahead, it's already our lunch break anyway. Let's just meet back in our room. We still have class elections so don't be late." Ari explains, and Max nods his head and walks towards the opposite direction that leads to the Keep where his uncle's office can be found.

     When Max was out of sight, the atmosphere between Ari and Felix instantly becomes awkward. Felix looks back at the gaffer with an anxious expression. He wanted to say something but he doesn't have the guts to do so, especially when he's just a serf himself.

     Ari doesn't wait for him and starts walking away before the little one could say anything. Felix runs to his side and gathered all of his courage to say, "Do you want to eat lunch with me?"

     The gaffer glances at Felix, but he doesn't stop walking as he answers him, "We're not friends. The only reason we even crossed paths with each other is because of Max, so don't act like we're buddies now just because of that. I'm not making friends with a serf like you." Ari explains.

     Ari expected that Felix would be offended or hurt by such words and would just walk away to save face, but what Ari doesn't know is that Felix...

     "How annoying."

     ...is a powerful heir too.

     "I'm trying to be nice here and you're making my job so fucking difficult," Felix says while scratching the back of his head, surprising Ari with the sudden attitude change.

     Felix Campbell, the heir to the Campbell Beverage Inc., is known to be the two-headed snake of their family. His physique makes people look down on him, so his family is extremely protective of him. But underneath his innocent and fragile image, Felix's true nature is this ill-tempered boy with a sharp tongue.

     "So, what were you saying again gaffer?" Felix asks while glaring at Ari.

     Ari steps back and looks at Felix with a shocked expression. He never felt so insulted being called a gaffer before, and that's thanks to Felix who made it seem like being a gaffer is the lowest thing in the world.

...

Max arrives in front of the principal's office. Before knocking, he fixes himself so he could look presentable. After tilting his cap a little, Max finally knocks on the door. It doesn't even take a second for Janus to answer, "Come in."

     Max takes a deep breath and enters the room.

     Janus's eyes widen when he saw that his visitor was actually his nephew. He stands from his seat to greet him, but he immediately spots the tire marks on Max's white peak cap. Janus was about to ask about it, but he decides to just keep his mouth shut, probably to save Max from explaining it again.

     "What brings you here?" Janus asks instead. He walks closer to his nephew to hug him, but Max dodges him and shows him his hand instead, "President Sinclaire. Hugging your students won't seem appropriate, don't you think?" He asks him.

     Janus looks down at Max's hand and stares at it. A few seconds later, he laughs and pats Max's head before sitting back down in his seat. "I see. So you don't want anything to do with our family name. I understand that. But I don't shake hands with my students either, so I'll pass." He explains, and Max puts his hand down and walks closer to his desk.

     Janus aligned the pens that were placed on his table and fixed his nameplate. "I presume that the reason why you're here is because of the brotherhood system. But you're surprisingly calmer about it than I expected," he says as he gestures at the wingback chair in front of his desk so Max can take a seat.

    Max thanks his uncle and sits down. While doing so, he tells him, "There's no point if I act frantic about it. Of course, I was surprised, and until now, I don't know the reason why you enrolled me here, but I will not let this challenge pass. I plan to climb to the top, and I will make that happen on my own."

     Janus stares at his nephews and smiles. He had a hunch that Max would have such a mindset, especially since he's someone who's been on top before he was even born. A place where he could prove his worth is an opportunity he will definitely not ignore.

     "As expected from a Sinclaire. Or should I say...a Lemieux? The Lemieux Family was always obsessed with being the best. Am I correct? " Janus then asks, making Max clench his fist in anger.

     People always used his Sinclaire name to insult him, but it was another thing if they mention his mother's maiden name.

     "Are you trying to offend me, uncle?" Max asks while clenching his jaw in anger.

     Janus chuckles as a response. "Why? Were you offended nephew? I simply mentioned your mother's family name. Why are you getting fired up about it?"

     Max locks his eyes with Janus, but he doesn't dare to answer back. He's afraid that the wrong words would come out of his mouth, and he doesn't want to show any sign of disrespect that could be used against him in the near future.

     Janus commends Max's self-control and changes the topic for his sake. "I heard from Sir Barron that you got into your first fight today."

     "The reason why I got into a fight is the same reason why I'm trying not to walk away from you right now," Max answers, making Janus chuckle.

     "You were always a mommy's boy Max. Everyone thinks you're more attached to your father, but you're not. You're a spitting image of her too, so I'm not surprised she favored you. Of course, as I have already decided, we won't discuss that." He says, and Max continues to try his best not to glare at him because of how lightly he treats such a sensitive topic.

     "What I'm concerned about is that you threatened your classmate with outside matters. To inform you mister Sinclaire, whatever happens in the castle..."

     "Stays in the castle. So I've heard." Max finishes for him.

     "Of course I can't control everyone. Students can take revenge outside their houses, and that can be problematic for me. That's why I added the oath of secrecy. If the oath is broken, they will be expelled. Heirs are afraid of their families, which is why they're afraid of failure." Janus explains, then he touches Newton's cradle on his desk and continues, "The families know about the rules of the houses. If they find out that their son took revenge outside, it can be a big scandal for them. They'll shame their child as if they made an unforgivable sin. That is why families are our huge stakeholders."

     "You're saying the system works because of fear?" Max concludes.

     Janus takes the last ball on the cradle and pulls it to the side before letting go of it, causing a chain reaction. Max stares at it as Janus answers his question. "Partly enough. But the main reason is that it keeps the school's fantasy more realistic."

     The sound that the balls were creating caused Max to lose his focus. He couldn't even think of a follow-up question. So while he was occupied, Janus stands from his seat and walks towards the window behind him. The window showed a beautiful view of the campus. Anyone who would see it will no doubt be impressed by it.

     "I created this empire, this new world for students like you who are enclosed in a world of elites. The rush excites them, the new experiences that they'll never experience anywhere else drive them crazy. The pleasure of being no one in a world where you were praised and respected. Going on top without any assistance. I know that's what you're feeling, and let me assure you, the rest of my students feel the same." Janus explains, and Max finally removed his eyes on the cradle and looks back at Janus.

    "Then why the brotherhood system?" He asks, and it seems like it was a question that Janus has been expecting from the start.

     Janus doesn't look back at Max. He crosses his arms together and answers him, "The brotherhood system kept elite criminals organized. I knew that creating a normal school for heirs will turn into chaos, so what's the perfect way to tame them? By that organized system. The only difference is that it's more regulated than the system in prison."

     "And the reason is because you made rules." Max says back, and Janus grins and finally turns around to face him, "No, I made an association."

- END -