♰

MAX ENTERS AN EMPTY cathedral that has been locked by the staff so the Brotherhoods wouldn't be able to enter and vandalize it like what they did to the dorms. The students don't usually enter the cathedral on a regular basis, but the emptiness still feels unsettling.

     Justice leads Max further inside and brings him to a private room where the nuns would usually have their lunch. "Wait here," he says.

     "Am I going to be ambushed here?" Max then asks him, making the president laugh.

     "If that's what you thought then you shouldn't have followed me here," Justice answers, and Max just shrugs his shoulder before taking a seat. "Anyway, just wait there. I'll call Levi."

     Max nods his head in understanding, and Justice finally walks out of the room, leaving Max alone inside. The room was quiet, and there was something about the atmosphere that felt eerie. Max wasn't the religious type, but he couldn't deny the fact that churches always scared him. There's something about it that makes him feel restless.

    "Archbishop..." Max whispers under his breath when he sees a picture of him on the wall. Max stared at the photo for a while, but then he remembered what Justice told him earlier. The Archbishop isn't the person J.S High has been looking for. He's not related to Payton Wolfe, but he could be connected to someone else. The person related to what happened to PHD during the Reranking is a totally different person, and Justice believes that it might be one of the brotherhoods. But who could it be? Who from the Brotherhood is connected to Payton Wolfe and Paradox?

     Could it be Elijah Memphis Valor? Uchdryd Rease? Or someone unexpected like Ruby Rose? Has Max been focusing on the wrong person all this time? Or has someone purposely led him to concentrate on the wrong person?

     "Sinclaire," a voice suddenly calls out, making Max snap back to his senses. He looks up and finds a tall pale man approaching him. Without any second thought, he quickly stands and bows his head to the Saints' Vice President. Levi is surprised, but he smiles and bows his head back to him.

     Max has never gotten a good look at Levi, but he couldn't deny his resemblance with his sister. The two looked almost identical.

     "It's nice to finally speak to you like this, Sinclaire."

     "Likewise."

     "Uchdryd is usually the type to drive away the people who want to speak with me. That's why I was surprised when he told me to personally meet with you. What kind of information did you give him to make him bend like that?" Levi then tells him, making Max chuckle this time.

     "Rest assured, I didn't give him any information. Neither white nor black," Max confidently says, excluding the part where he blackmailed Uchdryd after figuring out that he asked Vesper to get a DNA sample from him.

     "Shall we take a seat?" Levi then asks, but Max waits for him to take a seat first before grabbing a chair for himself.

    When the two of them were now comfortable, Max cleared his throat and bowed to him again. "Thank you for going out of your way to speak to me like this despite everything that's been happening for the past week. I know the council has been busy, but this really means so much to me," Max genuinely tells him.

     "You're very polite."

     "To the right people," Max responds, making Levi laugh.

     "I bet it's because you have so many questions. Probably about Grey, or about Joon, or maybe a little bit of both," Levi assumes, which was exactly what Max was hoping for.

     "If it's alright with you, I do want to know about them," Max replies, and Levi takes a deep breath and adjusts himself in his seat.

     "Where do I even begin?" Levi asks, looking down at his hands. "I can tell you everything I know about Grey, but with Joon...to give respect to him, I'll only disclose what you need to know. Is that alright?"

    "Of course," Max answers, glad that Levi even wants to talk about him in the first place.

     Levi adjusts himself in his seat again and looks out the window, almost like he is trying to remember everything that has happened in the past. "Let's begin with Joon," he says. "Joon and I weren't close to each other at first. We were from different classes, and he was very different from me. Believe it or not, Joon had a terrible temper. He had a sharp tongue, and he always spoke his mind. A lot of the students were scared of him, and that included me."

     "Are you serious?" Max asks in disbelief. He can't believe the cold and expressionless Joon was once like that.

     "I am. Even before anything went down, Class I-A was already making names for themselves in J.S High. A lot feared them, which could be the reason why the brotherhoods hated them even more. I was one of the students who tried avoiding them at all costs. They were just too much trouble for me," Levi explains further.

     "But like I said, the brotherhoods started taking notice of them, and eventually, they took action. One in particular was acquiring Joon. I can't explain in full detail, but Joon got acquainted with Paradox during the middle of the second term. But before they even got him...I was acquainted with them first," Levi then revealed, surprising Max this time. He couldn't quite comprehend what acquiring meant, but he could already sense that it was something bad.

     "You were part of Paradox?" Max asks, trying to make sense of what that means.

     "Not really part of them. It's more like...an underling. Well, underlings weren't a thing back then, but usually, brotherhoods would mark you and make you their property. The previous leader of Checkmate, Dai Tengfei, took an interest in me. Without any means of fighting back, he took me and offered me to the members of Paradox like some kind of item. I was scared but..." Levi paused, and when Max saw the change in his expression, he reached out for his hand from the table. 

    "It's okay. You don't have to continue."

     Levi nods his head and appreciates the comfort, so he takes a deep breath and skips the details of his past.

     "I was marked by Paradox, and this was also when I met Uchdryd, who was marked by Checkmate during that time. Joon had a similar experience, but he had it worse. Paradox got him tied on a leash like I was, but his leash was tighter. That's how we ended up getting acquainted. Paradox was an evil group. I can't even explain how twisted they all were. They were involved with dangerous people who provided them drugs, prostitutes, and weapons. For them, J.S High was their literal castle. They ruled it as tyrants," Levi shares, trying his best to explain everything he remembered while still being cautious with his words.

     "During our days with them, they assigned us tasks, and Joon and I were assigned with the drugs. We helped sell them, and when they asked us to do things we didn't want to do, they'd force us to take the medicine," Levi revealed soon after, leaving Max completely speechless. He knew about the terrible things Paradox had done, but he never expected it would go this far. All Max could do was feel sick. How could he be related to one member of that group?

    "I took drugs almost every week to the point where I was sent to the hospital because I overdosed. I can't even remember how many times I would pass out or how long I was drugged out. To be honest with you, I don't even remember most of the things that happened in J.S High because of this," Levi honestly tells him.

     Max watched over Levi's demeanor, checking if he was starting to get uncomfortable so he could ask him to stop. But Levi pushed through. He was determined to tell Max everything he could so Max could at least have a glimpse of how terrible Paradox was.

     "We took drugs, and they forced a lot of things on us, especially to Joon. Joon had so much fire in him. Paradox was determined to put it out. I couldn't do anything, and I pitied him so much. During the first few weeks, Joon would shout and fight back, but the longer he was with them, the colder he became. He was almost dead. It broke my heart so much, and the best thing I could do was take the drugs they were forcing on me. I took them all so he wouldn't—"

    "Is that the reason why you're sick now?" Max cuts off, and Levi stops and looks away. He chuckles to himself, and then he takes another deep breath. 

     "You could tell?" He asks.

     "I'm not trying to offend you."

     "Don't worry. I'm not."

      Levi looks back at Max again and gives him a reassuring smile.

     "To be honest, even when I left Paradox I got addicted to drugs despite feeling sick of it. It might come as a surprise, but I went to rehab for years, and am still getting medications, aside from the medicine I'm taking from the aftermath."

     "Does Joon know?"

     "Joon doesn't exactly know the full details, but he's aware of my condition. We're not really on good terms now because of what happened."

     "What happened exactly?"

     "During our times with Paradox...I took the drugs meant for Joon for his sake," Levi revealed before giving out a forced smile. "I know what they do to him so I tried lessening his burden. But Joon got mad, and then he became distant. I know full well that the reason why he distanced himself from me is because he believes it's for my sake, but I can't help but still feel sad." Levi paused, and then the strained smile on his face eventually became genuine.

     "He was my best friend. We did everything together so we could survive. I know that inside that cold shell, there's still the Joon that I know and love. Joon has always been selfless. Even now," Levi says, and Max couldn't help but agree. He doesn't really know Joon that well, but he could tell that the prince is a kind man.

     "A lot of things happened in J.S High that sounds like it came from a nightmare. To be honest, the chaos happening here now doesn't even compare to the horrors we experienced back then. We had so much to endure. Paradox had so much power over us. We were all hopeless. In fact, all the brotherhoods were ruthless. Vesper Cinna was the only leader who actually cared about what's been happening," Levi says next, and the mere mention of Vesper puts a soft smile on Max's face.

    At least he knows that he wasn't wrong about him.

    "Now this might be a bit random, but can I ask how Viktor and Joon became close?" Max then asks next.

     Levi hesitated. He opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again. When he finally decided to push through with it, he looked back at Max and explained, "All I can say is that Viktor and Joon's relationship is like an elephant walking on thin ice. One wrong step and everything will crack and shatter. Are they in love? Maybe. But what you do have to know is that their relationship is more of a need than a want. They need each other despite knowing how painful it is to be together. It's like a curse. They can't break free from it even if they tried."

     "I see," Max says with an almost sad expression. He never really thought of their relationship like that. He doesn't really know how deep their feelings go, but knowing Viktor, he's certain that relationship must have been greatly affected by his past trauma.

     "But other than those two, Grey also had the hardest time," Levi opens up next. "Like Joon, we weren't originally close to each other. It was only until the brotherhood association declared the effectiveness of the student council. The brotherhoods were heavily against it, so we were targeted a lot.

     Grey and I were one of the students chosen to be part of it, but Paradox had a hold on me so I gave in most of the time. But Grey...he wasn't afraid. I respected him so much because of how different his mindset was. He was like a hero to me."

    "He did have the power to attract people," Max says even though he doesn't remember much about his childhood friend. His memories of him were hazy, but he definitely remembers how Grey can just command a crowd by himself. He has an impact on people, and that's something Max always admired.

     "Grey constantly challenged the brotherhoods. He showed everyone what a President is. He wasn't afraid of anyone, and I think that's the reason why Class I-A wanted to protect him so much. If I remember correctly, Class I-A made a brotherhood in order to protect Grey and make his dreams come true," Levi explains, surprising Max this time.

     "They created C1A for Grey?"

     "That's right."

     "They loved him that much?"

     "Well, it was mostly Viktor and Gavriil, but you get the idea," Levi answers with a cheeky smile, and for some reason, Max's chest tightened when he heard about it. Max wasn't with them for all of those years, but he couldn't help but be overwhelmed after knowing that they were still stuck by each other despite what happened.

    "I'm glad he was surrounded by good people," Max honestly says, trying his best not to shed a tear.

     "He was. I also learned everything from him. You know, Grey spent around an entire month writing the protection codes. He worked on it day and night and would even stay in the office just to get it done. I helped from time to time, but he was the one who wrote everything. You should have seen him. He was like Hamilton. He was writing those codes like he was running out of time. No one could keep up," Levi says with a proud smile, making Max smile with him.

    "Can you tell me more about him?" Max then asks, and for a second, Levi sees a kid in him. He couldn't help but nod his head to the request.

     "Grey was kind, but he was confident. He sacrificed a lot of things for the sake of everyone, and he had a vision. He was everything I could never be, but I was never jealous. He also talked about you a lot," Levi then revealed, embarrassing Max a little.

     "He did?"

     "He talked about you like a father talking about his son. He boasted about you so much I sometimes got tired of it," Levi says with a chuckle, embarrassing Max even more. "You were like his little brother, which I think came from the fact that his brother neglected him so much, so he wants to be a big brother to you."

    "W-Wait...what?"

    "Grey's brother. He was a member of Paradox. Did you not know that?" Levi tells him, and Max's eyes instantly widen in complete shock.

     Max was confused for a second, but then a memory flashed in front of him. It was the scene where he and his childhood friends were having a picnic at the King's Horizon. While they were talking, Max remembered that Grey mentioned about his brother. This was the reason why Grey wanted to enroll in J.S High in the first place.

     "Grey's older brother..." Max says, realizing it now too. "You're right. He had a brother. The two of them were close. They were close, right? That's what I remember."

     "Well, they were, until the Cullens declared that Grey was going to be the heir to their family's riches. Grey told me that that's when his brother started acting differently towards him. And then the members of Paradox started feeding him these corruptive thoughts, eventually making his brother despise Grey even though he did nothing wrong," Levi explains further.

     "Is he still alive?" Max then asks. The question came so fast that Levi paused for a second to stare at him.

     "Why are you asking if he's still alive?"

     "Is he still alive? Please." Max asks back, insisting to get an answer.

     "I'm not sure. After Grey's death his family never really showed themselves in public again. I haven't heard of anything about his brother either," Levi honestly answers, and Max closes his eyes and massages his forehead.

     What was he even hoping for when he asked that question? Was he going to meet up with him if he found out he was still alive? Is that it?

     "I think this is all I can ask. I don't want to tire you any further," Max politely says soon after, and Levi smiles and nods his head, thankful for Max's consideration.

     "Thank you for your time, Vice President Leviathan. I learned a lot today. I hope we can meet again in a much...appropriate...setting," Max says, and Levi finally stands from his seat so he can take his leave.

     "If there is something else you want to know, don't be afraid to ask. It would be an honor to assist the boy whom Grey spoke highly of," Levi says as Max stands from his seat as well.

     Max bows his head to him as Levi walks towards the exit. But before he could take his leave, he turned back to Max to give him his final words of advice. "I know there will be a time when you'll start comparing yourself to the other council presidents, especially when you become a president yourself. But remember, you're not Grey. Grey became the president that J.S High needed during those times. Ian also shaped himself from what J.S High became after that. So you should be the president of the present, not the past. I hope in the future you will think about these words well."

    "Thank you," Max says, bowing to Levi again. But this time, it was a proper bow. The one students of the House of Kings usually did.

    Levi couldn't help but feel nostalgic. But he doesn't say anything about it as he finally walks out of the room, leaving Max alone.

     Max sat back down again as soon as Levi left. He closed his eyes and massaged his temple, frustrated with everything he learned from the vice president. He found out about how evil Paradox was. He already knew that they were sick people with what they did to River and Sky's sister, but now they're forcing drugs on others too? Max honestly wanted to hug Levi when he heard what had happened to him but he didn't want to make him look so pitiful.

     And then there's Kim Hee-Joon who also went through the same fate, but it was even worse than what the vice experienced. Levi refused to say any details about what happened to him in the past, but Max could already tell. He wasn't going to be optimistic. He knew what happened to Joon and why he became the ice prince that everyone knew.

     Finally, there's Grey, who enrolled in J.S High with so much hope but ended up getting punched by reality.

     "The more I learn about the past, the more I start getting sick in the stomach. How did Paradox get away with all this?" Max asks before finally standing from his seat so he can return to their dorm and cool his head. He brushes his hair back and walks out of the room. With his hands in his pocket, he reaches the exit of the cathedral, preparing for the chaos that would welcome him outside. But as soon as Max opened the door, someone suddenly sneaked behind him.

     Max tried to dodge him, but the unknown attacker was faster. He went behind Max, grabbed both of his arms so he wouldn't be able to fight back, and then covered his mouth with a white cloth. Max struggled and tried his best to break free, but his eyes started to become heavy. Soon enough, his body betrays him, and Max finally loses consciousness.

...

Max slowly opened his eyes, instantly squinting when he saw a bright light flashing in front of him. He tries to adjust for a little while, but when everything becomes clear, he realizes that he is actually in a dark room, sitting on a chair that's under the spotlight. He wasn't even tied or anything. He was just sitting there.

     "Where the hell am I?" Max whispered under his breath. He looked around the room again to check. For a moment he thought he was alone, but his eyes instantly widened in shock when he realized that he was actually being surrounded by familiar black uniforms.

    "The Clan," Max says in shock.

    "You're finally awake," a deep voice then says.

    Max turns his head and finds a white silhouette approaching him. When it got closer, the hair on Max's skin instantly stood up. Because standing before him was none other than the king, Hedeon Stallion.

     "You kidnapped me," Max says in disbelief.

     "And our Clan has been very good with that recently," Hedeon proudly answers, confirming to Max that the missing students were because of them.

     Hedeon walked closer to Max until he was only inches away from him. Max never really got a clear look at the king, but when he got closer, Max realized that Hedeon actually had a scar on the side of his lip. Max couldn't help but gulp when he saw it.

     "What do you want from me?" Max finally asks him.

     "What's your plan?" Hedeon asks back instead, making Max furrow his brows confusingly.

     "What plan?"

     "For this house. What is your plan?"

     Max was surprised to hear the straightforward question, and this made Max realize how different Hedeon is from the other kings. Tanis is usually quiet and cold, while Viktor tends to use flowery words that just annoy you most of the time. Hedeon, on the other hand, is more forward.

     "My plan?" Max asks again. "I know that our duty is to find evidence that would help PHD return to J.S High, but I want to finish something first. I want to help St. George Academy with their system."

     Hedeon and the other members of the Clan fall silent. Max thought he'd get scolded for prioritizing a different house than helping their princes, but to their surprise, Hedeon had an unexpected response.

     "Then concentrate on that. The Archbishop might have answers as to why St. George Academy became like this so work on getting an audience with him. I'll handle the suspect connected to Payton Wolfe for the time being," Hedeon explains, almost making Max drop his jaw in shock.

     "W-Why? Why are you helping me? There's no reason for you to help me. You're a king," Max asks, and Hedeon looks down at him, his expression still serious.

    "You are a student of J.S High, yes?"

    "Y-Yes?"

    "Then as a king, that gives me more reasons to help you," Hedeon answers, surprising Max because that wasn't what he expected at all.

     "We will both return to J.S High with victory in our hands or with nothing at all. One cannot drive a vehicle intended for two drivers. We're not here to play house or act as if we have all the time in the world, so you either make yourself useful or pack your bags and return. That is what it means to conquer all, Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire. If you think you can conquer it alone, then I have disappointingly wasted my time."

- END -