Shattered Sanity

(Three Days Before Black Week, Imperial Academy)

The atmosphere inside the Imperial Academy shifted noticeably the closer it got to Black Week, as interactions between students belonging to different Houses gradually decreased despite many of them having known each other for years.

Friends who usually ate together suddenly preferred sitting with their own House, while nobles whose families had maintained relationships for generations became considerably more careful about what they discussed whenever someone wearing different House colors was nearby.

”So, I’ve heard Aureate is planning something around the Northern Courtyard,” an Argent Second Year casually remarked during lunch, as he leaned across the table towards an Aureate student he had apparently known since childhood.

”Really? That’s interesting,” his friend replied, before taking another bite of his meal. ”I’ve heard Argent plans to take the Spell Training Hall.”

Both stared at each other for several seconds.

”Who told you that?”

”Who told you about the Northern Courtyard?”

Neither answered.

Similar conversations had become increasingly common throughout the Academy, while others had abandoned subtlety altogether.

”Enjoy that pretty face while you still have it, Green Boy.” Batista called across the dining hall when he noticed one of the Viridian students his group had fought several weeks earlier.

The Viridian student stopped before slowly turning towards him.

”Three days, Batista. I will have my revenge in Three Days.”

Batista grinned.

”That’s what I’m reminding you.”

”Good. Saves me the trouble of finding you.”

”You couldn’t find your own cock with both hands.”

Several nearby students immediately burst into laughter, while the Viridian student raised his middle finger and continued walking without another word.

Such exchanges were happening everywhere.

Challenges were casually thrown across classrooms, old grudges resurfaced, and students openly discussed who they intended to capture once the restrictions disappeared, although nobody was stupid enough to begin fighting prematurely with professors still enforcing ordinary Academy rules.

Even Riven noticed considerably more attention following him through the corridors.

Some students stared openly, others whispered when he passed, while a few Second Years from opposing Houses appeared far too interested in learning where he usually trained, ate and slept.

Nobody had attacked him yet.

However, three days before Black Week, it already felt as though the fighting had begun.

—-------

Later that evening, Riven sat inside one of the smaller rooms within House Argent alongside Circuit, Batista, Randy, Flair, Jeff and Matt, as the seven of them held their own unofficial strategy meeting away from the rest of the House.

”Fuck the House leadership. I only trust Lord Riven. Whatever you say is the plan of attack for this Black Week, Boss, I’m ready to follow you.”

Jeff declared, as he leaned forward in his chair.

”Though I should warn you, I’ve got a lot of heat on my shoulders right now. Just today, two Sable students were giving me dirty looks because I forcibly collected their gambling debts a few weeks ago, and I’m pretty damn sure they’re planning to collect something from me in return.”

Jeff added, as Randy nodded beside him with his arms folded across his chest.

”I agree. For me, you’re a better leader than Cedric, Lord Riven. But what Jeff said is true. We’re going to be hunted relentlessly. Every one of us has received warnings this past week about people who want to hurt us during Black Week, and considering how many assholes we’ve pissed off already, I’d rather assume every warning is serious until proven otherwise,” Randy said.

”HAHAHA! Then let the fuckers come!” Batista laughed, as he slapped his thigh. ”We’ve already beaten half the idiots threatening us once. What exactly changes because the Academy suddenly gives them permission to fight back? They get to bring their friends? Great. I’ll bring mine. Fuck, if anything, those bastards should be worried about us.”

”Exactly,” Flair agreed, as a grin spread across his face. ”We’ve spent the last month beating people up while professors were trying to stop us. Now they’re giving us an entire week where beating people up is encouraged. I don’t understand why we’re pretending this is bad news.”

”Because both of you are fucking brain-dead,” Circuit interrupted.

Batista slowly turned towards him.

”What did you say?”

”I said you’re brain-dead. Both of you. Complete fucking knuckleheads,” Circuit repeated without hesitation, as he pointed between Batista and Flair. ”And if you two keep thinking Black Week means everybody politely lines up so you can punch them one at a time, you’ll probably be prisoners before breakfast on the first fucking day.”

”Nobody’s taking me prisoner,” Batista scoffed.

”That’s probably what every idiot who gets captured says five minutes before getting captured,” Matt remarked from the side, drawing a snort from Jeff.

”Thank you!” Circuit exclaimed. ”At least one of you has a functioning brain, because my sources inside the other Houses are telling me that some sort of alliance is forming specifically to take you guys down. I don’t know exactly who’s involved yet, and I don’t know how organized it is, but enough people are talking about it that I’m confident something is happening.”

That finally wiped some of the amusement from Batista’s face.

”And that’s why House Argent putting all six of you on assault duty doesn’t sit well with me at all,” Circuit continued. ”You’re probably the six First Years with the most enemies in this entire fucking Academy, so naturally, Cedric and those geniuses upstairs decide the perfect place for you is outside the castle, running around enemy territory where anyone can jump you.”

”Maybe they simply recognize talent,” Flair suggested.

Circuit stared at him.

”Or maybe you’ve finally taken enough punches to the head that the damage is permanent.”

Jeff burst out laughing.

”Fuck you,” Flair replied, although he was grinning as well.

”I’m serious, you idiots,” Circuit continued, as his expression hardened again. ”If anything, you should be kept inside House Argent’s stone castle, as far away from open conflict as possible. Instead, every single one of you has been assigned to the division that’s going to spend the most time outside our defenses, attacking enemy territory and exposing itself.”

”You think Cedric deliberately put us there?” Randy asked.

”I don’t fucking know,” Circuit replied. ”Maybe some deal has been struck to give the other Houses a chance at you. Maybe House leadership simply thinks you’re useful enough offensively to justify the risk. Or maybe Cedric is deliberately using you as bait, because if fifty angry bastards spend their entire afternoon chasing the six of you around instead of capturing territory, that’s fifty people who aren’t earning points for their Houses.”

Batista scratched his chin.

”That’s actually pretty smart.”

”Yeah, until you’re the bait hanging from the fucking hook,” Circuit snapped.

Batista’s hand stopped.

”Regardless of why they’ve done it, stop treating this like some week-long festival where you get to beat the shit out of everyone you dislike. People are organizing specifically to hunt you. They’re going to outnumber you, they’re going to ambush you, and they’re going to know exactly who they want before the opening bell even rings. So for once in your miserable lives, use the things inside your skulls before somebody cracks them open.”

Circuit warned as Riven released a deep sigh before leaning farther back into his chair and looking towards the ceiling.

He did not want to appear weak in front of the people gathered around him, especially when this was perhaps the only group inside the Academy who currently believed in him without reservation.

However, internally, he was every bit as terrified as some of them appeared to be.

His situation was considerably worse than theirs.

Jeff had gambling debtors after him, while Randy, Batista, Flair and Matt had accumulated enemies through the fights and confrontations they had started during their first month inside the Academy.

Most of those enemies were fellow First Years.

Riven had somehow managed to piss off people who were older, stronger and considerably more experienced than him as well.

Several Aureate Second Years had witnessed what he did to Gary, while others had already made it increasingly obvious that they intended to repay that humiliation during Black Week.

Unlike an ordinary duel, there was nothing requiring those people to challenge him individually.

Ten Second Years could jump him while he was eating if they wanted.

And there was absolutely nothing dishonorable about doing so during Black Week.

’Fuck.’

For all the confidence Riven displayed around everyone else, the thought terrified him.

Yet when he finally lowered his gaze from the ceiling, none of that fear appeared on his face.

”Don’t worry, guys. I’ll come up with something. We’ll stay close enough to the center of the conflict to do what Argent expects from us, but we’re not going to blindly walk into situations we can’t handle,” Riven said, as the others turned towards him.

”It’s not going to be easy, but we’re not backing down from these bastards either. If they want to target us, then at least we already know they’re coming, which means we can prepare for them. We’ll draw them towards areas where they least expect us to fight, isolate whoever we can and take them down before the rest can pile onto us.

I don’t know how long we’re going to survive Black Week without one of us getting captured, and I’m not going to bullshit you by pretending I have everything figured out already. But I don’t plan on going down easily. If they want us badly enough to organize an entire fucking alliance, then let them come looking.

We’ll just make sure they regret finding us.”

Riven declared as the tension lingering around the room eased slightly, as Batista grinned once again while Randy gave a slow nod of approval, and even Jeff appeared considerably more comfortable than before.

Circuit, however, remained silent as he stared at Riven for several seconds, appearing to consider something before finally coughing to gather everyone’s attention.

”About that... I might have a plan that can help you.

Something that will make at least a few of your attackers wish they never came after you....” Circuit began, as every pair of eyes inside the room immediately turned towards him.