REVENGE

The university campus sprawled before Alex as he stepped off the bus, its wrought-iron gates glinting in the morning sun, the clock tower striking 7:30 AM with a deep, resonant chime that echoed across the quad. The air buzzed with the energy of students—backpacks slung over shoulders, coffee cups clutched in hands, voices chattering about classes and weekend plans—but Alex's sharpened senses picked up more: the rustle of leaves in the breeze, the faint squeak of sneakers on pavement, the distant hum of a lawnmower trimming the edges of the sprawling lawns. He adjusted his backpack, the weight of his books a familiar anchor, and scanned the entrance, his green eyes narrowing as he spotted Anurag and Krarth lounging near a stone bench, their wide grins visible even from a distance.

The two bounded over the moment they saw him, their footsteps quick and purposeful, and before he could brace himself, they were on him—Anurag slapping his back with a loud smack, Krarth ruffling his hair like he was some kid brother. "We've been waiting for Selene!" Anurag declared, his voice brimming with glee as he nudged Alex's ribs with an elbow, his dark eyes sparkling with mischief. "Today's the day, man—she's gonna lose it when she sees that video!"

Alex widened his eyes in mock horror, clutching his chest as if the mere mention of Selene's name might summon a monster from the shadows, his lips trembling in an exaggerated quiver. "Oh no, not Selene! Save me!" he wailed, throwing his hands up in a dramatic plea for mercy. If an Oscar were up for grabs, he'd have the statuette in his pocket by now—his performance was flawless, a masterclass in over-the-top terror that had him biting back a laugh. But Anurag and Krarth, oblivious to his internal amusement, barreled on, their voices overlapping in a chaotic symphony of speculation.

"She's gonna flip!" Krarth said, his lanky frame bouncing with excitement, his curly hair flopping into his eyes as he mimed Selene's potential outrage—hands on hips, a scowl twisting his face. "You recording her dance? Priceless!"

"Yeah, she'll either die laughing or chase you with a textbook," Anurag added, grinning so wide his cheeks dimpled, his phone already twitching in his hand like a loaded weapon. They were relentless, a pair of overgrown kids drunk on their own cleverness, and Alex let them ramble, his smirk hidden behind his feigned panic as he pictured the real surprise waiting in the wings.

Their teasing trailed off abruptly as they stepped back, squinting at him like he was a puzzle they couldn't solve. Krarth tilted his head, his brow furrowing as he studied Alex's face. "Wait a second… Why do you look different today?" he asked, his voice dropping with suspicion, his hazel eyes narrowing as they darted over Alex's features. "Did you do something to your face? Botox? A haircut? What's up?"

Anurag leaned in closer, peering like a detective inspecting evidence, his nose practically brushing Alex's cheek. "Yeah, dude, you're… sharper or something. Did you hit the gym overnight?"

Alex scoffed, a sharp exhale that cut through their scrutiny, and shrugged with deliberate nonchalance, rolling his shoulders as if their questions were flies to swat away. "What are you talking about? Same old me," he said, his tone dry, refusing to give them an inch of satisfaction. The Sovereign System's changes were subtle but real—his jawline tighter, his frame more defined beneath his jacket—but he wasn't about to spill that secret, not to these two clowns. Before they could press further, a flash of movement caught his eye—Selene, her blonde hair catching the sunlight as she emerged from the crowd near the library, her steps quick and purposeful.

Anurag spotted her at the same instant, and his grin widened to manic proportions. "There she is!" he crowed, bolting toward her like a sprinter off the blocks, phone clutched in his hand, fingers already swiping to the video. Krarth doubled over with laughter, clutching his stomach as he watched Anurag weave through the throng of students, his voice ringing out over the quad. "Selene! Wait up! You gotta see this!"

Alex crossed his arms, leaning against the bench as a smirk curled his lips, his amusement bubbling beneath a neutral mask. He knew exactly what was coming—he'd orchestrated it, after all, a little gift from Ironhart's cyber team at his request. Anurag skidded to a stop in front of Selene, breathless and triumphant, thrusting his phone under her nose as he hit play with a flourish. "Check this out—Alex at his finest!"

The moment the video rolled, Alex's smirk deepened, his eyes glinting with silent glee. Instead of the recording Anurag had captured weeks ago the screen flared with a completely different scene: Anurag, shirtless and grinning like an idiot, prancing around in a bright pink bikini, the straps slipping off his shoulders as he struck ridiculous poses in what looked like a dorm bathroom mirror. A muffled voice—Krarth's, no doubt—cackled in the background, egging him on: "Work it, runway star!"

Selene's reaction was instantaneous, a volcanic eruption of embarrassment and fury. Her face flushed a deep crimson, her blue eyes widening in horror as steam might as well have poured from her ears. She let out a strangled yelp, spun on her heel, and bolted, her sneakers pounding the pavement as she fled toward the humanities building, her blonde ponytail whipping behind her like a flag of retreat.

Anurag froze, his triumph evaporating as he stared at the screen, his jaw dropping in slow motion. "What the hell?!" he choked, yanking the phone back to rewind the clip, his fingers fumbling in panic. "I never recorded this! Where did this even come from?!" His voice cracked, a mix of disbelief and dread, as he replayed it, the bikini footage looping in all its humiliating glory—his awkward twirl, the way the bikini bottom rode up too high, the snort of laughter from off-screen.

Alex bit the inside of his cheek to keep his laughter in check, his face a study in indifference as he watched Anurag unravel. Krarth, still beside him, blinked in utter confusion, his laughter dying into a puzzled grunt. "Uh… What just happened?" he asked, scratching his head, his curls bouncing as he glanced between Anurag's meltdown and Selene's vanishing figure. "Wasn't that supposed to be Alex's video?"

Anurag didn't answer, his face a mask of despair as he shook his head, clutching his phone like it had betrayed him. His dark eyes darted wildly, searching for an explanation that wouldn't come, his shoulders slumping as the reality sank in. Krarth, realizing no answers were forthcoming, shrugged with a bemused chuckle—"Whatever, man, let's roll"—and they trudged toward the lecture hall, Anurag trailing behind like a kicked puppy, muttering curses under his breath.

Alex followed at a leisurely pace, his smirk lingering as he replayed the scene in his mind—Selene's mortified sprint, Anurag's shock, the bikini swaying on his scrawny frame. He'd asked Noah to have the cyber team swap the video the moment he showed it to her in such a way that when anurag looked at the video first it was his own video but when he showed It to her, HEHEHEHE, a petty but satisfying twist of the knife, and they'd delivered with flair. His friends had no idea who they were dealing with now—not just Alex, their goofy buddy, but Alexander Ironhart, heir to an empire with tricks up its sleeve. The thought warmed him as they slipped into the lecture hall, the morning's classes unfolding in a blur of notes and droning professors, his mind half on the equations scrawled across the board, half on the power humming in his pocket.

The day rolled on, a steady rhythm of lectures and breaks, until they emerged from their last class at 2:45 PM, the hall buzzing with students spilling out into the corridor. A commotion erupted ahead—shouts, gasps, the dull thud of fists meeting flesh—and Alex's senses sharpened, drawing him toward the noise like a magnet. A crowd had gathered in a loose circle near the stairwell, their phones out, filming as a heavily built man—six-foot-something, shoulders like a linebacker—towered over a smaller student, pummeling him with brutal precision. The victim, a wiry kid with glasses, crumpled under the blows, his backpack spilling books across the floor as blood trickled from his nose, staining the tiles red. The sound of knuckles cracking against bone echoed, a sickening rhythm that turned Alex's stomach, though his face remained impassive.

University guards pushed through the throng, their radios crackling as they hauled the aggressor off, his meaty fists still swinging until they pinned him against the wall. The beaten student groaned, clutching his face as a pair of classmates helped him up, his legs wobbling as they dragged him toward the infirmary, a trail of blood marking their path. Alex watched, his jaw tightening, as the crowd murmured—shock, outrage, a few nervous laughs—but what struck him harder was the aftermath. The brute, his shirt splattered with the other kid's blood, brushed off the guards with a sneer, no cuffs, no consequences, and within moments, he turned on a new target—a skinny freshman hovering nearby, shoving him against a locker with a casual cruelty that made Alex's fists clench.

Krarth sidled up, his voice a low whisper in Alex's ear. "That guy's father is a powerful businessman—owns half the real estate downtown. No one dares mess with him, not even the dean." His tone was bitter, resigned, his hazel eyes tracking the bully as he swaggered away, the guards trailing behind like reluctant shadows.

Alex's gaze lingered on the scene, his mind filing it away—a name he didn't know yet, a face he wouldn't forget, a power dynamic that grated against the strength he felt growing inside him. He could've stepped in, could've stopped it with a flick of the Mythril Knife or a call to Noah, but he held back, choosing observation over action for now. The Sovereign System thrummed in his veins, urging him to test his limits, but this wasn't the time—not here, not yet. He nodded to Krarth, a silent acknowledgment, and they moved on, the day winding down as the clock ticked toward 3:00 PM, the campus emptying out in a slow exodus of tired students.

They reached the quad, ready to split—Krarth to his dorm, Anurag to the hospital, Alex to whatever came next—when Selene emerged from the crowd, her steps hesitant, her face still tinged pink from the morning's fiasco. "Hey," she said, her voice softer than usual, avoiding Anurag's eyes as she addressed them all. "My birthday's coming up soon—next weekend. I'd like you all to come to the party." Before anyone could respond, she turned and hurried off, her blonde hair disappearing into the sea of students, leaving a stunned silence in her wake.

Anurag and Krarth wheeled on Alex, their mischievous grins returning like a plague, their eyes glinting with fresh ammo. "Ooh, Selene's party!" Anurag singsonged, elbowing him again. "Gonna confess again, lover boy?"

"Yeah, better practice your lines sober this time," Krarth chimed in, snickering as he mimed a sloppy salute. Their glee was insufferable, a tag-team assault that made Alex's fingers twitch with the urge to grind their faces into the dirt—or at least wipe those smirks off with a well-placed jab. Instead, he rolled his eyes, a slow, deliberate gesture of disdain, and turned away without a word, leaving them cackling behind him. Krarth veered off toward the dorms, still laughing, while Anurag headed for the bus stop, his shoulders slumped as he muttered about visiting his mom, the bikini debacle still haunting him.

Alex stood alone for a moment, the quad quieting around him, when his phone buzzed in his pocket—a sharp vibration that snapped him back. It was Noah: "Car's ready. West lot, discreet." He glanced around, ensuring no familiar faces lingered, then slipped through the campus's western edge, weaving past lecture halls and a cluster of oak trees until he reached the lot. A sleek black sedan idled in the shade, its tinted windows reflecting the afternoon light, the faint Ironhart crest etched into the grille a subtle nod to its origins. Alex opened the door and slid into the back seat, the leather cool against his skin as Noah glanced at him from the driver's seat, a smirk tugging at the corner of his scarred mouth.

"So? The plan worked," Noah said, his British lilt dry with amusement as he started the engine, the car purring to life. "Changed Anurag's video as you requested—cyber team had a field day with that bikini clip. Emma couldn't stop laughing when she heard about it; said it's the best thing she's seen all week."

Alex let out a chuckle, the sound low and genuine, a release of the tension he'd carried all day. He hadn't interacted much with Noah and Emma since their meeting at Crimson Brew, but he'd already set the tone—formality was for public eyes; alone, they could cut the crap. "Good work," he said, leaning back as the car glided out of the lot, the campus shrinking in the rearview mirror. "Anurag's face was worth every second."

Noah snorted, his eyes flicking to the road. "Mate, you've got a wicked streak. Remind me not to get on your bad side." The city rolled by—streets lined with cherry blossoms, traffic thickening as the afternoon wore on—and Alex felt the day settle into his bones, a mix of triumph and anticipation. A few minutes before reaching his neighborhood, he tapped Noah's shoulder. "Drop me here," he said, pointing to a quiet corner a block from home. Noah nodded, pulling over without a word, and Alex stepped out, the car vanishing into traffic as he walked the rest of the way, the cool evening breeze brushing his skin, a smirk still lingering on his lips as he replayed the day—Selene's blush, Anurag's panic, the brute's arrogance, and the quiet power he wielded behind it all.