Chapter 7 — Keys

Damian freshened up and dressed in his suit.

He went straight to the garage where his sister was already waiting for him in her school uniform, holding both their helmets.

"Catch the keys!" Luna threw the keys of the bikes to Damian, who caught it and took his helmet from her.

He was too exhausted from last night’s training, so without wasting any words, he wore the helmet and started the bike.

Luna also sat behind him and wore her own helmet.

As they were on route to Luna’s school, She hugged him tightly from behind.

"Brother, you can stop your acting when you are with me. I promise to not judge you and will treat you the same."

"...Is it that obvious?" Damian replied in a low voice.

"I don’t know if it is obvious to Mom and Dad, but I can see through you easily."

Luna hugged him even more closely as she continued speaking unlike her usual shy self,

"I know my brother better than himself, or the brother from yesterday... Your behaviour has changed a lot since this morning. Mom and Dad told me everything about your memories.

But I can see more from your eyes, they reflect coldness from time to time.

The way you carry yourself now, radiating that innate confidence, it is unlike your usual self where it was a bit forceful... It is even more attractive."

Her voice became as soft as a mosquito’s voice by the time she finished.

Damian didn’t hear her last words, but he was a bit surprised by her sudden closeness. She was behaving just like when she was younger.

He smiled a little inside his helmet.

"Yeah, I was trying to make it easier for all of us and for myself too. By acting like how I used to be, I find it easier to adjust."

"Be careful brother... At this rate, you might develop an acting skill."

Damian and Luna laughed among themselves as they reached their destination.

****

"You go to your class, I want to see my teachers."

Damian parted ways with Luna and went to meet his former teachers, to inform them about his results and express his gratitude for their help.

As he was walking through the quiet hall, his mind was still on his training when suddenly panic voices started coming from a distance.

What followed was a loud explosion near him.

"BOOM!!!"

Damian was thrown back against the wall by the blast.

His head hit the wall harder and his ears started ringing.

All he could see was whiteness.

"Argh... "

When he regained his vision, he saw numerous armed low rankers dressed in black clothes pointing their weapons at the crowd.

The blast earlier had made a large hole through the side wall.

Now feeling a little better, he quickly stood up and saw there were many terrorists spread around the school.

Without wasting much time, he moved along the running crowd and took his bike’s keys in his hands.

His mind was only preoccupied with the thoughts of Luna being in danger.

As he was moving along the Hall, he went inside an empty classroom and hid for a while.

He waited for the crowd to become a little thin and in the meantime unbuckled his gun holster.

Ready to use his gun when necessary.

’I can’t use my gun without alerting them. Should have asked Dad for a silencer as well... ’

’No time to think about this. Firstly I need to find Luna as soon as possible.’

Damian looked outside the door sneakily.

Seeing a masked man about to pass by the classroom he was in, he waited for the right opportunity.

Just as the man reached near the door, Damian moved quickly and silently.

In a practiced way, he grabbed the man’s mouth from his left hand and started stabbing the keys in his neck repeatedly using his right hand.

"!!!"

"Gurgle! Gurgle! "

The terrorist’s eyes went wide as he struggled for the chance to live.

He tried screaming but only the sound of the blood gushing out from his throat was heard.

As the man went limp, Damian dragged him back inside the classroom.

With cold eyes, he took the knives from his body.

He didn’t take the gun since he had one of his own.

As he moved along the hallways of the school, he repeatedly took the lives of the enemies without showing any mercy.

His actions were smooth and graceful, like an artist who put years into his art.

He also saw some bodies of teachers while moving towards the classroom where his sister went.

His eyes became more and more cold and his actions became more and more ruthless.

He stabbed their eyes, cut off their hands, carved their bodies in more and more painful ways.

He wanted to give them the taste of death in the most painful way possible.

Even though he didn’t personally study from the teachers he saw lying dead on the ground, he knew each and everyone of them.

And knowing they died protecting students, students just like his own sister.

It filled him with intense anger!

And fear!

Fear of losing his sister!

’I need to be faster!’

Soon after silently killing 3 more enemies, he reached his destination.

But no students were now present in the classroom.

Just some dead bodies.

With a steel heart, he went through each body and was relieved to see his sister was not one of them.

As he was checking the bodies, he lost his focus for a few seconds.

He failed to notice a masked man slowly moving behind him.

Just when he regained his focus and looked behind him. The man had already moved his knife towards his back.

"Argh... "

Damian moved reflexively to the side but was still stabbed on the side.

Both the men started fighting, holding their knives.

No words were exchanged.

Only pure raw killing intent was exchanged through their gazes.

As wounds were exchanged, Damain managed to incapacitate his enemy in the end.

Holding the man by his hairs, Damian removed his mask.

"Tell me where the students are."

"Hehe... they are gathered in the most spacious area we could find. In the Seminar hall on this floor."

The man smiled as looked defiantly at Damian before continuing,

"But that’s not for you to worry about, kid. Unlike me, those taking hostages are all atleast E Rank awakened.

You wouldn’t be able to handle them."

He chuckled, laughing at the kid playing hero in front of him.

Damian didn’t say anything, he took his knife and started to carve the right eye of that man while holding his mouth shut.

"Mmph!!!"

The man tried to scream but no voice left his mouth.

He realised soon enough.

The kid standing in front of him... was no hero.

He was more of a criminal than he was.

He tortured in a practiced way and didn’t ask anything.

He just kept torturing more and more.

His only remaining eye was filled with pleading sentiments.

When Damian moved his hand away from the terrorist’s mouth, the man tried screaming but before he could do so.

His tongue was caught by a hand.

’No... ’

Looking up, his eyes met those cold eyes.

Staring into his own.

Almost as if daring him to scream.

Without waiting for the terrorist to react, Damian cut his tongue out.

Watching him control his voice and rolling on the ground.

Pain filled his mind but he could not scream.

He feared if he screamed, the devil in front of him would carve him out before any of his comrades could rescue him.

He saw the devil reach out his hands towards a notebook and pen lying on the ground and throwing them at him.

He flinched reflexively but still caught them.

"Write the total number of your allies present in the seminar Hall and their ranks."

Nodding hurriedly, he wrote down the details faster. He even wrote the total number of enemies present in the whole school.

As soon as he finished, he looked up, only to see his own back.

’I hope he won’t kil-’

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt as his head hit the ground.