CHAPTER 28: ALL YOU KNOW

Khal stood over Merek, taking in a deep breath, before looking down onto his hands.

The power of adapting truly is incredible. Simply by constant exposure to a technique i can copy it.

That includes and not limited to the memory.

As of now i seem to only be able to copy physical techniques but maybe in the near future..."

Khal shook his head, gathering his thoughts. No, it’s pointless to think that far ahead; right now i need to focus on my current goal...

Khal began hearing footsteps coming up towards him from behind. Slowly he turned around to see what it was.

It was Merlin, slowly walking towards him, curiosity in her gaze.

"So what are you going to do with him?" She asks.

Khal turned back around, shifting his gaze to Merek. "I was just going to eliminate him for his points but that would be a waste... I’m going to ask him a few questions first."

Besides, from what i just saw, I don’t think there is just a ’one hit’ loop anymore.

Khal pulled the eyepatch from Merek’s face before grabbing him by his shirt, his head leaning back to the ground.

"Time to wake up."

SMACK!

Khal slapped Merek across his face, his hand leaving a bright red bruise from his left cheek to ear.

Khal waited a few seconds, but Merek was still unconscious.

SMACK!

Khal slapped him across the face once more, this time across his right cheek, leaving both sides of his face red. Still, after both attempts, Merek stayed unconscious.

"Seems I’ll have to hit him a few more times." Khal pulled his hand, preparing to strike.

Gasp! Merek jumped up awake, gripping Khal by his wrist and breathing heavily. "Huff—Where am i?"

Khal released him, pulling his wrist free from his hold. Not yet fully conscious, Merek couldn’t hold his balance, falling back and hitting his head on the ground.

Khal stood up on his feet, looking down on Merek, with Merlin standing beside him.

"I have a few questions i need answered." Khal, his tone serious, "Do your due diligence and answer them to the best of your ability."

Merek looked up at both of them, confused. Panicked, he began searching his pockets, his eyes narrowing with dread. Merek turned his gaze over to Khal’s hand, which held Merek’s eyepatch.

’Wha—What are you doing with that?" He asked, his voice trembling.

"I’m the one asking the questions here, and if you don’t want to get eliminated, you better answer my questions." Khal, his tone cold and dismissive.

Merek’s eyes narrowed with fear, his fingers gripping the grass.

"Wait, please, I don’t want to die; I’ll tell you what you wanna know!"

Merlin raised an eyebrow in confusion. "He just said he would eliminate you, who said anything about killing?"

Merek looked around, confused as well. "Don’t you know?"

"Know what?" Merlin replied.

Feeling at ease, Merek cleared his throat and sat up from the ground. "Since the moment the exam started, the students from Crescent Moon Academy have been murdering students from other schools."

"Have they been using the one-hit flaw?" Khal asked

"... They were, at first; back then we could actually leave the secret realm without dying... but everything changed on the third day."

Merek took a deep breath.

"The safety escape was completely gone."

Both Khal and Merlin’s eyes widened in surprise, Khal especially, his thoughts running rampant.

It’s all coming together now. That explains the low number of students, but this is way worse than i thought.

Thousands of the eliminated students were most likely killed; who knows just how many great houses have lost heirs and noble children. Khal began pacing back and forth, still lost in his thoughts.

Why would charles do something like this? Khal questioned.

Maybe he was hired by the leywin family to cause a distraction while Merlin went for the genesis shard, but there is too much of a risk for him to do that for another family.

And out of every school why was Crescent Moon the one to know this would happen... Wait.

Khal stopped in his tracks. Clenching his fists. I need to stop thinking just from the information i know and more out of the box.

"Merlin." Khal called out, out loud. "Yes," She replied.

"In your opinion, who do you think would benefit the most if a large number of people from multiple great households and schools were to suddenly disappear?"

Merlin tilted her head to the ground, rubbing her chin. "Honestly, I’d say the great houses and schools that didn’t or lost fewer people compared to the others."

Khal nodded his head in agre, and in this situation Crescent Moon Academy would be benefiting. What are great houses with strong ties to Crescent Moon Academy?"

"That would be your family, of course, The Draguls, The Hellstiens, The Azouls, The Lannisters... and my family The Leywins."

Merlin replied, her expression bleak.

"Wait, are you suggesting that Crescent Moon Academy and the Great Houses with ties to the school plotted all this to take out the children from the other houses and schools?"

"That’s madness, why would they do something like this, all of them working together sounds even crazier."

Khal shook his head.

"You’re not wrong but that’s just a small part of it." Khal continued.

"What I think is:

The Hellsteins and Lannisters are the ones that want to weaken the other houses, since they both there houses started to decline after the death of their patriarchs three years ago.

The Leywins saw all this as an opportunity to send you and Renold for the genesis shard, knowing the chaos that was going to occur would make the examiners not pay attention to a few students that suddenly disappeared.

The Azouls also benefit from the fall of other the houses but they are already one of the strongest houses in Raven city so that doesn’t really matter to them, but they must have received quite the large amount of money from all the other houses involved since Charles was the one that caused the malfunction in the first place.

Then there is The Draguls. Ever since my father was exiled to Raven City by my grandfather, he’s been trying to use one of his children to rise out of this small safe zone. Araon and Rose are more than strong enough to take first and second place, but by finishing the exam with an obscure amount of points from eliminating a large amount of students, top universities from all over the eastern continent would be interested in having them.

"Of course, Crescent Moon benefits largely from the other schools gaining a bad reputation and them being the school that had two students that were accepted to top universities."

Merlin lifted both her hands, looking down at them with sadness in her eyes. " I really am just a puppet to my family... Using me with all this bloodshed, and for what?"

Khal looked over at her. He lifted his hand, ready to place it on her shoulder but stopped himself, shaking his head before dropping his hand to his waist.

That’s not my place... I shouldn’t get involved with things of this nature.

Merek slowly began to stand up from the ground, brushing off the dirt from the back of his pants.

"Move another inch and I’ll fry your brain." Merlin, standing behind him with her hand only a few inches away from his head, purple lighting sparking from her fingertips.

"I’m not trying to fight, ok? I’m not really sure what you both were talking about just now but what i do understand is that i should focus my rage towards Crescent Moon and the houses behind it."

Merek turned his head to Khal, his expression filled with rage. "I know you don’t know me but let me join you. i might not look it but im really strong when i have my eye patch... let me help you both."

Khal looked at him up and down before shaking his head. "If you want to help, the best thing you you could do is keep everything that we talk about right here.

He continued. "But before that, I still have a few more questions i need answered."

Merek looked at him frustrated, grinding his teeth together.

"Ju—Just listen ok, I lost a really good friend because of all this, someone that would never hurt anyone over something like a test, I need to make who caused this pay... I need you to help me make who caused this pay."

Khal stared into Merek’s eyes for a while without saying a word.

He is a stormvale, they are a pretty strong house but there only strong enough to be of much help regarding this but with what im about to do it would be great if i canmake nice with them.

Khal chuckled. "Alright, I know exactly what you can do, but before that, tell me... Where can i find Araon Dragul.