Their eyes turned toward the man in uniform, who stepped into the cell where the three boys sat. From behind, sothing about his stance and his movents felt familiar.
"He..," Hex muttered, narrowing his eyes.
One of the boys pointed at Hex with trembling hands. "He was fighting too. Why don’t you hit him? Why is it only us?"
The boy tried to say more. "Also, he uses power—"
BANG!
The man’s boot slamd into the boy’s chest, sending him flying into the wall with a sickening crash. The boy scread as he slid down, clutching his ribs.
"You little bastard, daring to talk back to your superior," the man snarled. "Do you think I am blind?"
He turned his head toward Hex. For a brief mont, his sharp eyes softened. He gave Hex the smallest of nods before turning back again.
Hex’s eyes widened. Recognition struck him like lightning.
’Sir Aon...’
Aon’s voice thundered again. "I saw the footage. That boy was sitting quietly when you three idiots walked in and started abusing him. And worse than that, you were beaten by him before you even used your powers!"
Dein and Lia turned their eyes toward Hex, their expressions sharp with surprise. Their looks almost asked a question without words.
You didn’t use your power?
Hex avoided their gazes, his eyes dropping to the ground.
BANG!
"ARGHHH!"
Another boy scread as Aon’s stick ca down on his shoulder, making him jump in pain.
"Pathetic. You’re all pathetic. The only thing you know is bullying." Aon’s voice filled the hall like a storm. "Now tell . Why were you looking for trouble with him?"
The boy whimpered. "We weren’t... we weren’t looking for trouble with him..."
BANG!
"ARGHHHH!" The stick struck again.
Aon’s eyes burned. "I am warning you. Speak clearly. If you don’t answer , I’ll beat the shit out of you and pee the skin off your backs."
The harshness of his words sent a shiver through Hex, Dein, and Lia. For a second, all three of them shifted uncomfortably, almost instinctively covering themselves. The instructor was terrifying.
Finally, one of the boys broke down. His voice cracked as he cried out. "It was a guy from the First City!"
Aon’s eyes narrowed. "Which boy? Who was it?"
"We don’t know his full na," the boy stamred.
"Then who does?" Aon pressed.
"Baltic... It was arranged by Baltic..."
At that na, Aon’s lips curved into a sharp, dangerous smile. His expression looked almost demonic. He gave the boy one last kick, sending him sprawling before turning on his heel.
As he stepped out of the cell, his eyes landed back on Hex. "Hey kid. We will et again."
Hex pushed himself upright and gave a proper salute, even though his body ached. Beside him, Lia and Dein hesitated, frozen in shock. But seeing Hex, they too raised their hands in salute.
"Thank you for the help, sir," Hex said with sincerity.
Aon shook his head. "It’s nothing. Every year, we get idiots like them. If we don’t crush their arrogance early, they start thinking they can do anything inside this camp." His tone hardened. "They think family nas an special treatnt here. Not on my watch."
He turned back to Hex. "Baltic... Do you know him?"
Hex shook his head slowly. "No, sir. I really haven’t offended anyone here. The only trouble I had was back in college. I had a small fight with so people from the elite class when I was still a sidekick."
For a mont, Hex hesitated to ntion John.
If John Bairstrow was not truly behind this, dropping his na could bring him more problems.
"I see," Aon replied after a pause. "All right."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small container. "Here. An ointnt. Use it and most of your injuries will ease. And that girl is a healer, isn’t she?" He looked at Lia. "You can ask for her help too. Your wounds aren’t serious enough for the dical ward."
Hex took the ointnt with both hands, bowing his head slightly. "Thank you, sir."
"Good. Rest up." With that, Aon turned and walked away, his steps echoing through the corridor until his figure disappeared into the distance.
For a mont, silence returned to the prison block.
Hex let out a quiet breath, still holding the ointnt in his hands. Lia and Dein stood beside him, still processing what they had seen.
......
"Damn... how did you know him?" Dein asked in shock.
Hex sat on the ground while Lia carefully rubbed ointnt over his bruises. Most of his wounds were already closing, and the sting was fading when he finally spoke.
"I t him after the exam. He wanted to check if I was ntally stable or not."
"Uh..." Lia’s eyes widened in surprise, though Dein only nodded as if it made sense.
"Hiss... you narrowly dodged the bullet," Dein muttered.
"Why do you know him?" Hex asked.
"Most people know," Lia replied softly. "After all, he is one of the heroes of Earth."
"Yes, heroes," Dein added with excitent.
"Those who reached 5-Star and gained a significant reputation were awarded the Galactic Hero badges. Sir Aon and Argent, the two of them, beca a legendary duo." His eyes glowed with admiration.
"What did they do?" Hex asked, frowning slightly.
"Fifty years ago," Dein began, "the Federation took Planet Dystro and set up a garrison there. The natives had made a discovery about rare ore and at first they cooperated with the Federation. But once the natives got what they wanted, they turned on them."
"Then..." Hex leaned in.
"Then an entire battalion was wiped out," Lia answered quietly. "Aon and Argent were there. When they lost everything, they went mad and slaughtered everyone involved. By the ti Federation reinforcents arrived, all they found were corpses and rivers of blood. In the middle of it all, those two sat drinking beer as if nothing had happened."
"That’s why they are called as Madman Of Federation."
Hex blinked, unsure whether to admire or fear them. At last, he forced out a dry response.
"That’s quite a way to farm aura."
Reviews
All reviews (0)