CHAPTER 8
The Meeting of the 12
---
The room smelled of cigarette smoke, cheap perfume, and spoiled arrogance.
Dark velvet curtains blocked the sun, turning the abandoned faculty room into something else entirely.
It wasn't a place for students.
It was a throne room.
And around the long, cracked table sat monsters wearing uniforms.
They called themselves The 12 Rulers.
A name passed down, feared across all grades, untouchable by teachers, worshipped by the weak.
Twelve chairs.
One empty.
Angelyn's.
The others were already lounging, laughing, or slouched with careless dominance.
Each of them ruled a corner of cruelty.
—Kane: tall, broad, a natural-born brawler with bloodied knuckles and a permanent sneer.
—Yue: silent, short-haired, with razor blades in her words and pockets.
—Renzo: camera freak, always filming the "fun" with a twisted sense of humor.
—Mira: fashionable, sadistic, with smiles that promised ruin.
—Jin: charming on the surface, a manipulator beneath.
—Rei: a quiet tech geek who weaponized humiliation.
—Sora: drama club president, expert in lies and emotional torment.
—Takao: rich, spoiled, untouchable by the law, lover of power games.
—Naomi: cold, beautiful, dead-eyed—she rarely spoke, but her presence alone suffocated.
—Leo: always laughing, always drunk on chaos.
—Minato: the strategist, never dirtying his hands, but orchestrating pain from shadows.
At the foot of the table, on all fours, trembling with a bruised cheek and tear-streaked face…
Was Naoki's mother.
A tray balanced on her back.
Cups of soda, chips, half a bottle of liquor.
Her hands shook, nails scraped the floor as she held position.
They ignored her.
No—they used her.
Rested feet on her back.
Dropped ash into the tray.
Laughed as she whimpered.
"Can't believe she's still crawling," Kane muttered. "Thought she'd break by now."
"She's loyal," Mira grinned. "A dog trained well."
Yue flicked her lighter. "She barks if you say the name."
Minato raised a brow. "What name?"
Yue whispered it.
Naoki's.
Laughter exploded.
---
Just then, the old door creaked open.
In came Angelyn—face masked as always, long black coat fluttering behind her like royalty.
Everyone hushed.
She didn't sit. She didn't need to.
She walked straight to the head of the table, placed her phone down, and pressed a button.
A voice played.
Faint. Cracked. Crying.
"…please, I'm sorry… I did what you said… please don't show him…"
It was unmistakable.
Naoki's mother.
They had recorded her.
More than that—they were using her. Again.
---
Meanwhile…
Naoki sat in the library, flipping through a worn book on anatomy.
His phone buzzed.
No name.
Unknown number.
He answered, and instantly—
Her voice.
His mother.
"…don't… hurt… please…"
Then Angelyn's distorted giggle.
"Hi, puppy."
Naoki froze.
His breathing caught.
The call ended.
His hands trembled as he dropped the phone.
His mind raced.
She was supposed to be safe.
He thought—he thought they'd stopped.
But no.
It never ended.
The monsters were still playing.
Still feasting.
Still using her.
---
Naoki stood.
The library blurred around him.
Noise vanished.
One thought remained:
I have to go.
---
He ran.
Through the school hall.
Out the gates.
Faster than ever before.
But no matter how
fast he moved…
Their laughter still echoed in his ears.
And her voice…
Her begging…
Burned in his soul like gasoline on fire.
---
End of Chapter 8