The Broken Halo

The air in Brama’s room became tense and cold as Brama held his dagger with a cold expression.

He looked like a serpent that was ready to strike and kill, and his green serpentine pupils were extremely focused on Simon, watching even the slightest of movement from Simon.

Simon tilted his head slightly and his lips could not help but curl into a smile beneath his mask.

“Calm down, Brama. I’m not here to fight you or kill you.”

Simon leaned back and unfolded his legs.

“I’m here to talk.”

Brama narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“Talk? What is there to talk about?”

Simon chuckled softly, then he placed his feet on the floor.

“We have one thing in common, we’re both slaves.”

Brama’s expression changed the moment he heard Simon’s words.

“I don’t know your story, but I was not born a slave and I am not going to accept being a slave as my destiny.”

“Escaping my slave status is one of the reasons why I’ve done everything I did.”

Brama gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in anger.

“Are you trying to mock me?”

Simon tilted his head with a slightly baffled expression.

“How? In what way did I mock you?”

Brama’s clenched fists tightened.

“Everybody has heard of you. Everybody knows you. Everybody knows what you’ve done.”

“The slave who became the king of his class. The slave who defeated three gangs. The slave who defeated and killed a faction member.”

“Every slave knows you, and you might not know it, but there are mixed feelings between us slaves.”

Simon’s eyes flickered.

“What sort of mixed feelings?”

Brama looked to his right with a complicated expression, and after a few seconds, he spoke.

“Because of you, there are some slaves who have come together to form an alliance. They foolishly want to fight against the clan members and their bad treatment.”

“They have been setting up meetings, and they were inspired by you. To many of them, they believe that if a first year like you who is also a Fiend can do it, then they can also do it.”

Brama looked down, his expression changing to one of frustration and anger.

“Those ignorant fools have no idea, but they’re too weak to accomplish anything.”

“I’ve been a slave for the Obsidian Thorns for over two years, and I know just how terrifying the factions are. I know that those fools would not be able to accomplish anything at all.”

Simon’s eyes glinted with a calculating glint, then he asked.

“So, are the slaves planning on causing riot in the academy and the clan?”

Brama shook his head.

“I don’t know. Many of them don’t trust me because I’m a slave of the Obsidian Thorns. They’re wary of me.”

“I tried warning them but they are heavily inspired by you, so they don’t listen to me.”

Simon nodded slightly, then he stood.

The moment he stood, Brama became tense and gripped his dagger tightly.

Simon chuckled softly.

“Calm down, Brama. How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not here to fight you?”

He tried taking a step forward, but Brama pointed the dagger at him.

“Don’t come any closer.”

Simon rolled his eyes, then he raised his hands in peace.

The black ring around his eyes rotated and flashed with a dark glow.

“See. I come in peace.” He said with a tinge of amusement in his voice.

Brama frowned, but he didn’t lower his dagger.

“I want you to do two things for me.” Simon said.

Brama frowned. “What?”

“I want you to take me to one of these slave gatherings and I want you to betray the Obsidian Thorns for me.”

Brama’s eyes instantly widened in disbelief and shock.

“Are you mad? You want me to do what? You want me to betray the Obsidian Thorns for you?”

“Why don’t you just fucking ask me to die you bastard?!”

Simon shook his head slightly.

“I’m not asking you to die. What I want you to do is to be feeding me information about the Obsidian Thorns, the Sanguine Fangs, and the Iron Ledgers.”

“I’ll give you the details later.”

Brama’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief.

He could not believe the audacity of Simon, and he could not help but wonder if Simon was mentally okay.

“It seems our conversation is over. There’s no way I’m doing that for you.”

“What made you to believe that I’ll agree to betray the factions and risk my life for you? Yes, you’re powerful, talented, and you’re gaining momentum in the academy, but at the end of the day, you’re a nobody to the three factions.”

“You’re a fucking bug.”

“The Obsidian Thorns, Iron Ledgers, and Sanguine Fangs have Demon Lords backing them. Who do you have?”

“The backing of just one Supreme Greater Demon?”

Simon nonchalantly shrugged.

“I was thinking that you would be more open in joining my fight against the three factions since we’re both slaves. As a fellow slave, should you not want the downfall of your masters.”

Brama scoffed immediately.

“That bullshit talk won’t work on me. I’m not foolish. I know the demons you’re up against. I will not sacrifice myself for something so foolish.”

Simon lowered his arms and scratched the back of his head while releasing a soft sigh.

“Really? But I want to liberate every slave from the clan. I don’t mind being the leader of this revolution.”

He paused, then he lowered his hand.

“Well, it’s a shame actually. I didn’t want to do this to you.”

Brama narrowed his eyes, and he began to have a bad feeling.

Before he could react to this feeling, a hand suddenly held his wrist and snapped it, and at the same time, another hand covered his mouth, preventing him from screaming.

Clang

Clang

Clang

The dagger fell to the ground, and to Brama’s confusion, Simon’s voice whispered into his ears from behind him.

“It’s a shame, all you had to do was agree to help me.”

Brama’s pupils trembled violently, and he looked at the Simon he had been talking, not being able to grasp what was going on.

Who was holding him?

Why was he hearing Simon’s voice so close to him?

Who had he been talking to?

All of his answers were answered in the next three seconds as the veil covering his eyes was removed.

The Simon in front of him dissipated into black smoke, and Brama suddenly understood.

’An illusion! I’ve been talking to an illusion all along!’

What happened next made Brama to wonder if he would ever be free of his slave status, or of his destiny as a slave.