Advent of the Three Calamities

There was no word I could use to describe my current mood.

The studio was wrapping up with the staff moving the chairs and equipment around the set. They'd glance my way giving the occasional nod whenever they passed me.

Letting out a breath, I could see my own soul slipping out of my breath.

Putting on the friendliest expression I could muster, I walked up to the writer.

"About the last clip..."

"Do you want me to delete it?"

The writer asked with a faint smile on his face. I raised my brow. Could I really get it deleted?

"If possible... That'd be pretty helpful."

"Sadly, I'm a mere writer. I'm not very helpful."

I clicked my tongue. At least don't get my hopes up. Although I already knew it wasn't possible, a small part of me held on to the slight hope that it might just happen. But yeah, who was I to hope?

"Don't worry."

The writer patted me on the shoulder.

"The clip was funny. You don't have to worry about the audience turning on you. As embarrassing as it was for you, it made for great entertainment. Even the other teams couldn't help but laugh at it."

With another pat on my shoulder and a few more words of encouragement, he left directly, leaving me standing all alone on the set.

It wasn't until a few seconds after that Leon and the others approached me.

11 11

There was a strange silence between us.

A strange silence that I broke.

"I thought I wasn't going to be involved in all of this."

|| ||

The silence continued.

Looking down at my hands, I clenched them tightly. For some reason, Theresa hid behind Evelyn who stepped behind Aoife who hid behind Kiera who flinched while mumbling, 'The fuck? Are you using me as a meatshield?' while also hiding behind Leon.

I nodded silently.

Yeah, this is how it should be.

I turned to look at them, Leon specifically.

Immediately, they all flinched.

"Stay back."

Leon extended one hand forward while the other was raised defensively as if shielding his family from harm.

It was a funny sight, but...

"Didn't you call me a tyrant? A dictator?"

Shake. Shake.

They all shook their heads, but all it did was make me laugh.

"You did."

"Let's talk about this."

Leon tried his best to mediate between us, but it was useless. I wasn't in the mood to listen. At least, at first. But soon enough, I stopped.

That was because I noticed the girls look at one another before eventually settling their gazes on Leon who had his back turned against him.

Although I couldn't quite tell what they were whispering to one another, I could tell what they were thinking.

"They're planning on sacrificing Leon?'

My expression turned odd.

I would've done the same had I been in their position.

How ruthless.

"Julien, I know you're angry about the clip, but if you think about it, it's not too bad."

Shifting my attention towards Leon who was still trying his best to mediate between us, I shifted my attention towards the girls.

"Haa."

With a sigh, I waved my hand.

"Go."

Their eyes lit up immediately and without saying anything else they all dashed away from Leon who was still oblivious to the situation.

"If anything, the clip only improved your reputation. Now nobody thinks that you-Uh?"

Of course, he did eventually realize.

But by then, it was already too late.

They were all far gone.

"That..."

Leon's face paled, and I shook my head, placing my hand over his shoulder.

"At this point, even I feel bad for you."

At the same time, I quietly mumbled; 'Sadness.'

***

"Did you get that?"

Dyrk spoke while glancing toward the backstage area. He had caught a glimpse of another amusing scene, causing his eyes to glimmer with delight. The more he looked at them, the more they felt like a treasure trove to him.

They were brilliant!

He could already imagine the audience's reaction upon the episode's airing.

His entire body trembled with excitement.

'Yes, this is what I was looking for.'

He originally didn't have much hope for the program, but this...? This was beyond anything he

Had expected.

"Make sure to send the clip to the editors later. Try to edit as fast as possible and make no

Mistake. I want this program to episode in two day's time."

Yes, two days.

This was how long it would take for the program to be aired.

While he didn't know how well it would do, with everything he had witnessed, he was

Confident he'd at least get more than two percent.

Yes, two percent.

'All I ask for is two percent.'

Anything more than that and he'd be over the moon.

But that was unlikely.

Anything above two percent was only something big-budget plays, tournaments, or

Interviews would receive. But interviews?

Unlikely.

"Two percent..."

***

Linus walked out of the audience with a dazed look on his face. He was so out of it that he looked like a walking corpse. However, in spite of his current state, nobody really said a

Thing.

His current demeanor wasn't a scene the cadets weren't used to.

After all, this was usually how most people looked like when finishing an exam.

The only problem was that they hadn't finished an exam. In fact, most of the cadets were

Talking with one another with a certain excitement in their eyes.

Linus's behavior naturally attracted the attention of the few cadets near him.

"Linus? Are you okay?"

||||

But in spite of their best attempts at talking to him, all he managed were half grunts and

Nods. Seeing this, the cadets around him eventually left him alone.

He was clearly out of it for some reason.

And that was true. His brain was far from functional.

"That...'

All he could think of was the interview.

He could hardly make out what he had seen.

'.... Is that really my brother?'

Linus couldn't believe it. Especially the last clip that they showed. It made everyone roar with laughter. From the

Production staff to the audience.

Nobody could stop laughing.

Even Linus almost felt the urge to laugh. The clip was that funny.

It was just that... his disbelief managed to suppress the laughter that was about to come out.

The man on the screen seemed so different than the Julien that he knew. So much so that it

Almost felt like they were two completely different people.

But he had seen Julien first hand.

He knew that he was the same.

And yet...

"The brother that I know would've never behaved like that even if it's fake.'

His pride and ego wouldn't allow him to do that.

Linus knew all too well.

But could it be possible that he managed to pull away from his ego? That was the only

Explanation Linus could think of.

Still...

"Ukh!"

Lost in thought, Linus wasn't paying attention to where he was walking and accidentally

Bumped into something hard.

"Ah, so-"

He was just about to apologize when he lost his words.

Raising his head, his gaze landed on a man with long silver hair neatly combed to the side.

The man stood slightly taller than him, exuding a calm demeanor. As their eyes met, the first-

Year Black Star-Jacob R. Stein-narrowed his own in response.

Linus swallowed whatever words he had to say and simply lowered his head.

"...Tsk."

What he heard after was a clear tongue click.

"Watch where you're going."

Jacob's voice was soft, yet Linus felt an invisible pressure emanating from him. The sensation

Was vaguely reminiscent of his brother's presence, prompting Linus to click his tongue in

Irritation.

"Do you have a problem?"

Overhearing Jacob's words, Linus raised his head and shook his head.

"No."

He wanted to end things there and was just about to walk away when a hand pressed against

His shoulder.

"No, you certainly have a problem with me."

Linus licked his lips and took a deep breath to calm himself down. He was quite good at this.

With a softening of his features, he lowered his head and tried to apologize.

But...

"I'm sorr-"|

Slap!

Linus's eyes widened as his head flicked to the right.

Did he just...?

Feeling the sting on his face, Linus didn't know how to react. The slap had been so fast that he

Hardly had any time to react.

But he was also in shock.

What suddenly brought the slap?

"

As Linus prepared to react, he suddenly noticed something.

'He isn't looking at me.'

Jacob... He was looking elsewhere. Where? Where exactly was he...?

"Ah."

Turning his head, Linus saw him-Julien stood not far away, watching them with a blank,

Unreadable expression.

Him just standing there attracted a lot of stares, and it was also then that Linus understood

The reason for Jacob's actions.

'So he wants Julien...'

Linus found himself clenching his fists tightly.

In the end, he was being used as a punching bag in order to get Julien's attention. While Linus

Wasn't exactly strong, he wasn't dumb.

He could see through everything that was happening.

...He also understood Jacob's nature all too well. He was arrogant, and naturally so. His talent

Was amongst the top within the first years.

There was no one within the year that could properly challenge him.

He always looked to challenge the strong in order to prove his strength. And seeing how

Talented Julien was, it was obvious that his target was Julien.

Jacob wanted to challenge Julien.

But that was...

'Stupid.'

While Jacob was strong, Julien was older. As a result, his tier was higher. If the two were to

Fight, Julien would wipe the floor with him.

That was unless...

"Are you just going to watch?"

Jacob's voice snapped Linus out of it. When he raised his head, he saw Jacob directly address

The calm and collected Julien.

Standing where he was, he didn't show much of a reaction to Jacob's words.

This prompted Jacob to frown.

"Are you fine with what I did to your brother?"

Yet again, Julien remained quiet.

He seemed to be totally ignoring Jacob. Eventually, however, he turned his head and looked

Directly at Linus.

The two made eye contact, and Julien's lips parted open.

"Are you fine with what he did to you?"