CHAPTER 30: EX 30. WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR DRIVE?

The bell above the entrance jingled as the door swung open and a figure stepped inside, scanning the room.

Leon’s eyes lit up as he raised his hand and waved. "Over here!"

The newcomer paused. His gaze met Leon’s for a moment before he walked over.

Adrian Peer.

Tall, sharp-eyed and always looking like he was five seconds away from punching something. He didn’t hesitate as he pulled out the chair opposite Leon and sat down, arms folded.

Leon grinned.

"You took your time."

Adrian said nothing as he continued to stare at Leon.

Undeterred, Leon glanced at the counter, half-raising a hand to call over one of the workers. "What flavor do you like? My treat."

Adrian didn’t blink. "Why did you call me, Leon?"

The words were flat. No curiosity. Just demand.

Leon paused mid-motion, dropping his hand slowly and turning back. His brows rose slightly, and he gave Adrian a look that screamed isn’t it obvious?

But Adrian’s stare didn’t waver. He was serious. Dead serious.

Leon sighed, letting the tension roll off his shoulders as he leaned back, spooning another bit of chocolate ice cream into his mouth.

"I called you out here so we could have some fun."

Adrian blinked.

For a second, it looked like his brain short-circuited.

"...Fun?" he echoed, almost like the word was foreign to him.

Then his eyes narrowed as he gave Leon a glare sharp enough to cut steel.

Leon stared back, still chewing on his Ice cream.

"What?" he asked, mouth half-full of ice cream, as he totally disregarded the glare Adrian was giving him.

Which infuriated Adrian the more as he looked like he was about to flip the table.

****

Adrian walked briskly through the mall, the buzz of voices, soft music, and flickering posters barely registering in his mind. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, his brows drawn in tight frustration.

’This is the time we should be training more than anything,’ he thought, jaw clenched. ’But he wanted to ’have fun’? What kind of logic is that?’

His boots echoed on the polished floor as he passed by clothing boutiques, potion outlets and a weapon display kiosks.

’Was I wrong about him?’ he wondered. ’Is that why his ranking dropped so low? Because he’s too lax?’

"Hey! Wait up!"

Adrian didn’t turn.

Leon’s voice rang behind him, cheerful and completely out of place.

"Why would you leave like that?"

Adrian kept walking. Eyes forward. Muscles taut.

"Come on, Adrian! At least say something!"

The footsteps behind him grew louder, until finally they stopped.

Leon gave a hopeful grin. "So, you’ve changed your—"

"What happened to your drive?"

Leon froze. The smile slipped off his face like a mask.

He didn’t respond. Not immediately.

Adrian turned slightly, looking at him not with anger—but disappointment.

"You used to be relentless," Adrian said, voice quiet but sharp. "Always training harder than the rest of us. Always breaking the records we thought were unbreakable. And now... one minor setback after your first trial, and you throw all that away?"

Leon stayed silent, stunned. He hadn’t expected this.

"Is that all it takes to break the so-called Golden Child, Leon Kael?"

The words hit harder than Adrian probably intended—but he didn’t stop.

"To be honest..." he continued, eyes narrowing slightly, "when I first met you, I hated you. You and every other noble. You had everything. Resources. Tutors. Early training. While I was just a commoner—born to two grounders."

He spat the word like poison.

"But I didn’t let that stop me. I trained harder. Ten times harder than anyone else. I fought to break the mold, to stand shoulder to shoulder with people like you, even though you had years of a head start."

Leon opened his mouth to speak but chose to say nothing.

He saw something in Adrian’s eyes now. Not just anger but resolve and acceptance.

Adrian looked away for a moment, as though remembering.

"Then I was put into the elite class," he said, voice softer. "A class filled with nobles. I thought I’d finally made it. But that’s when I saw it... the real difference."

Leon frowned.

"It wasn’t just the early training or money. It was something deeper. Something you all had without realizing. A drive. That need to prove yourself. To stand out. To dominate among peers who were just as privileged as you."

He looked Leon straight in the eyes now.

"You nobles... you were raised with it. Fed it. It was in your blood. And because of that, I came to respect you. All of you."

His next words were quieter. He didn’t blink.

"But the one I respected the most... was the one with the most drive."

A heavy silence settled between them.

Adrian’s eyes darkened, gaze tightening like a judge delivering a verdict.

"And now, that person is just a shell of who they used to be."

Leon didn’t speak. He couldn’t because he didn’t know what to say.

****

Leon said nothing. Not a word.

He stood still, face unreadable, eyes lost in thought as Adrian’s final words hung in the air like a sentence passed down by a judge.

Inside, however, his mind churned.

’How do I tell him... that he shouldn’t be worrying about me losing my drive?’

’After all... I’m already stronger. Far stronger than him and all of our classmates put together.’

His fists clenched slowly at his sides.

’But just because I’m ahead... doesn’t mean I should hinder someone else’s growth. After all not everyone can add points to their stats.’

A perplexed look settled across his face, the kind that blurred the line between guilt and understanding.

And then—

"If you don’t have anything to say, I’ll be going now."

Adrian’s voice cut cleanly through the air.

He turned, footsteps beginning to move away.

"And don’t stop me again." His eyes narrowed, sharp and cold. "Because you won’t like what I’ll do to you if you do."

Leon stayed rooted to the spot.

But then—

BOOOOOM!!!

A thunderous explosion rocked the mall.

The lights flickered, and debris rained down from the floors above as the sound of shattered glass and screaming civilians filled the air.

Both Leon and Adrian snapped into motion, moving toward the source.

From the second floor, just behind the railing, they saw it—the center fountain of the mall, once decorative and serene, now a pile of smoking rubble.

Around it stood fourteen masked figures in black coats and hoods, faces hidden behind bone-like masks. Blood splattered the tile around them. A few civilians lay injured, crying out for help.

Leon’s eyes narrowed. Adrian’s jaw tensed.

"Demon worshippers," they both muttered at the same time.

But Leon didn’t move right away.

A sudden chill pricked the back of his neck.

’Wait...’

His eyes sharpened, as the air shifted and he sensed a presence that wasn’t human.

’There’s a demon here.’

His demeanor changed instantly. Gone was the lazy, cheerful boy who teased his rival over ice cream.

In his place stood something colder. Sharper. Efficient.

Adrian noticed the shift immediately. The temperature around them seemed to drop a few degrees.

Leon’s aura no longer radiated warmth. It had become still—like a blade unsheathed under moonlight.

Chaos broke out below.

Shoppers screamed and scattered, many sprinting toward the glass doors—only to slam against an invisible barrier making the Panic to increase tenfold.

One of the masked men stepped forward, raising a bloodstained hand as he addressed the terrified crowd:

"All of you have been blinded by the lies of the heretics of the Federation."

His voice echoed unnaturally, like a chorus of whispers speaking as one.

"But today... we have come to show you the light."

Some of the civilians stopped moving. Stopped screaming. They listened—hoping. Praying. Pleading for a miracle.

"Submit," the man said, his voice rising like a prophet from the depths. "Submit to the true God... or die."

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A/N: Please send power stones and leave reviews.

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