After the bell rang, Leox was released from his shackles by the Biomancer. He hadn't managed to ease out any information about Doctor Frost, but he was certain that with time, the man would be more open to revealing whatever secrets he hid.

  ---

  Their next lesson of the day was geography, where Professor Breaker once again went over the basics.

  The Fourth World was split into five giant countries, all of which were part of the Forever Empire.

  Varadna, to the south.

  Anaris, to the West.

  Ghal, to the North.

  Haide, to the East.

  Pentagon, in the centre.

  These five countries were all a part of one giant island, which was surrounded by four endless stretches of water.

  The Black Sea, by Varadna.

  The White Sea, by Anaris.

  The Living Sea, by Ghal.

  The Dying Sea, by Haide.

  There were also many bodies of water within the world that were connected to these seas if you swam deep enough. This was why, during his travels with Collector Meruvio, a Sea Demon was able to swim out of what seemed to be a lake.

  The 200th Emperor Alom lived in Pentagon City at the centre of their world.

  ...

  After this lesson, Leox had dinner. This time he was alone, as Laughter spent that time with other friends.

  Then came the final class of the day. Another training session. Luckily, this didn't involve any sparring; only strength and conditioning work was done in the field. He wouldn't have to end up skewered on another sword that night. Unlike the classroom lessons, Leox didn't fall behind here. His stamina and physical strength were equal to, or if not better than those of his fellow classmates. The session was enjoyable, and he seemed to have impressed Professor Breaker.

  ...

  Finally, the end of the first day arrived, and the students were now given freedom. They could go out into the city, or stay on the school grounds if they wished.

  Leox was tired from having to heal his heart earlier that day, so he headed straight to his room to sleep. There was nowhere else for him to go after all, being new to the city. After taking off his clothes, he washed himself and went to sleep. That night, he expected everything to be normal. Why wouldn't it be?

  He was wrong. That night would be a pivotal moment when everything would change, but his twelve-year-old self had no clue.

  If he had, then maybe he could have prepared.

  ---

  Leox woke up abruptly in what seemed to be the middle of the night. When he tried to move, he found that it didn't work. Something was preventing him from controlling his body.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  What was even more strange, was that he couldn't see anything. Had his eyes not adjusted to the darkness yet?

  "Donn, the boy is awake." A feminine voice suddenly spoke.

  Leox cursed to himself. Something had been done to him, and it seemed Donn was the culprit.

  Eventually, what seemed to be a cloth cover was yanked from his face. He could finally see.

  He guessed that he was underground somewhere, like a tunnel. The smell of waste stung his nose, which must have been coming from the murky water that was running down the length of the tunnel. His back was up against the wall, and his entire body was bound by rope.

  He looked up and saw a tall boy staring at him through the darkness. Next to him was a woman who clearly didn't come from the school. She was dressed in a black hooded robe that hid her face, so all he was able to work out was that she was short and female.

  "You can leave now, Morigann. Thank you again." Donn said to the woman.

  She nodded her head, and her figure suddenly started to fade into the darkness, as if disappearing.

  "Do not mess this up, Donn. Or this will be the last time we allow you to take on personal projects. We know what happened to your last."

  And with that, the woman left. It was now only Leox and Donn in the tunnel. Leox glared up at the man, anger brewing inside of him.

  He knew that this boy was someone that he had to look out for. From the moment he had first met him, he knew to be cautious around him. He had already started to think of plans to deal with the situation between them as soon as possible. But what he didn't expect was for Donn to make his move on his first day of school, going so far as to call on the help of outsiders. Leox was too late.

  "What are you planning?" He growled, whilst struggling to move. There was no hope, his entire body was bound tight with the rope.

  Donn didn't answer for a moment. Instead, he drew his sword.

  "I'll keep this short and simple, Leox. You're never going to see the light of day again."

  His voice was cold. So cold that Leox immediately believed the words that he said.

  Never see the light of day again? Has he gone crazy?

  "You won't get away with this, you know that. The professor will wonder where I've gone, and Collector Meruvio. They'll search for me, and investigate."

  For the first time, Leox heard Donn laugh.

  "No, they won't. Not when the Hawkings family are behind the scenes, pulling strings. Even if they did, they wouldn't find you anyway. No one knows this place better than I do."

  As Donn spoke, Leox tried to think of anything he could do to get out of this situation. His eyes landed on the dirty water running through the tunnel. He could controls it's currents to fight... but his arms weren't free. He needed his hands to be free in order to use his water mage skills at his current class rank.

  "What do you want with me?"

  "You haven't guessed already?" Donn responded with a raised brow. "You can't die, Leox. I know this, but I don't know why, and it doesn't matter either. I can still use you anyway."

  Leox started to panic.

  Ever since he had learned of his immortality, there had been a fear that lingered in the back of his mind. A fear that he knew was possible, and always hoped that he would never have to face it. It was an outcome worse than death. Far worse.

  He struggled harder, trying his best to come free of the ropes. His attempts were useless.

  "I am going to torture you, Leox. I'm going to use my sword, my death magic, and my earth magic to destroy you. Then, I will wait for you to come back to life, so that I can do it again, and again, and again. The cycle will continue until I'm satisfied, whenever that may be."

  Torture.

  Leox's greatest fear was torture.

  At this point, he was stunned silent.

  "It's an idea I came up with the moment I realised what you were. Hide you someplace where only the Hawkings family could find, and use you to increase the strength of my awakening. I might even allow my brothers and sisters to have a turn with you, too. Maybe our family will rise so powerful, that even the theocracy will bend the knee to us. Or perhaps I will keep you to myself out of jealousy. Yes, that's more fitting. Death Sense is a skill that has turned out to be much more useful than i initially thought it would be."

  Donn was the most twisted twelve-year-old Leox had ever met.

  Through all of this, the tall boy was still able to smile a sick smile. He truly looked forward to what he was about to do.

  "Donn... You don't have to do—"

  Before Leox could finish his sentence, Donn thrust his sword forward. The steel slid into his chest with ease, puncturing his heart immediately.

  The boy let out a sigh, as if he had just drank a glass of water and refreshed himself after a walk through the desert. Then he looked down at Leox's dying form through the gaps in his black hair.

  "That's one death down, Leox Lether. Let's see how many we can get out of you before you break."