Today was Saturday. A day off.
Technically.
Most students used it to catch up on sleep, slack off, or pretend to study. Axel usually trained or at least did something productive with a blade. But today was different. Today was the first official Ravenveil Circle meeting.
Unfortunately, that meant early morning nonsense.
At 7:30 AM sharp, Axel had already brushed his teeth, taken a short shower, and thrown on a sleeveless tee and sweatpants.
He made his way to the south wing, where a guard stood blocking the club room entrance. Axel stopped in front of him.
"Axel Lycan," he said plainly.
The guard checked the list, nodded once. "You're clear."
The door opened with a dull hiss and Axel stepped inside. He made his way to the center. A few students were already there. Yanin was one of them, slumped over the table like a corpse. Surprise surprise, the person who orchestrated this whole meeting wasn't even here yet. GREAT
Axel took a seat next to Yanin.
"Sup." He turned to her.
Yanin didn't even lift her head. "I woke up at seven on a weekend. Don't talk to me."
Fair.
Axel just took out his phone and started playing Flappy Bird.
A tap on his shoulder broke his focus, causing him to misclick and jam right into a pillar. Sigh.
He turned, unimpressed.
In front of him was a blue haired guy with brown eyes. Axel didn't recognize him. Nothing in his appearance really stood out to him.
"Hi. My name is Rodrick. We're actually in the same class." The man introduced.
Axel stared at him. "Which class?"
"Instructor Vale." The man answered.
"Cool." Then, Axel returned to his phone. He really didn't plan on talking to anyone more than necessary.
Rodrick didn't take the hint.
"Psst. Got a scoop from the upperclassmen. Want to hear it?"
Axel didn't answer, but he didn't say no either.
Rodrick took that as a yes. He leaned in like a spy in a cheap movie. "Apparently, next week we're doing a virtual group battle in Vale's class. Bottom team gets kicked out of the course. Top three teams get extra credit."
Axel who already knew this because of book knowledge, still played along
"Woah, that's messed up."
"I know right! Groups are random by the way but if we get placed in the same team, lets make sure to stick together. I was told by the upperclassmen that it's really easy to get lost." The man explains.
Ah, so this is his purpose.
"Sure." With that, Axel buried his head in his arms, mimicking Yanin.
After a few more minutes, the leader finally arrives. Mico claps her hand, getting everyone's attention.
"I don't have a lot of time people. Introductions quick from left to right." She points at the first person.
"Celestia Erwick." A pretty girl with violet eyes started.
"Logan Tailer" A tall guy with brown hair and teal eyes was next.
…
Axel zoned out after that. Most of the names blurred together until the silence snapped back into focus.
"Axel Lycan," he said when it was his turn, barely lifting his head.
Yanin, still asleep, got an unceremonious nudge in the ribs.
She groaned. "What now?"
"Your turn, Sleeping Beauty," Axel said dryly.
"Yanin Roven." She sat up.
"Great," Mico said, already moving on. "Now listen closely."
She stepped in front of a holographic screen, arms crossed.
"The Longhorn Insurance Company" she began, "is one of the biggest medical insurance companies in the nation. All thanks to legacy power. But in the last few years, it's been spiraling. Complaints. Corruption. Deaths. But that all doesn't seem to matter as stock prices are still increasing."
She paused, letting that settle.
"This is all because the former president, Yuron Travich, resigned and handed things over to his son, Rolan Travich. Totally public knowledge."
Silence.
"But here's what's not public," she said, eyes narrowing.
"Both of them, father and son, have the same hereditary illness and it's quickly weakening them, but not enough for permanent hospitalization." She let that hang in the air, then continued.
"Now here's where it gets interesting. Rolan's son, Joshua, doesn't have the disease. So he's being groomed to take over. Clean face. Clean health. Poster boy for corporate rebirth."
Her voice lowered.
"But imagine... something awful happens to Joshua. Something that causes public panic. Emotional distress. Maybe enough to put both Yuron and Rolan in the hospital."
Axel blinked.
He didn't like where this was going.
"If they crack under pressure, the company wobbles. Investors panic and stocks plummet. And if, say, someone happened to short that stock beforehand... they'd make millions."
"And... why are we doing this?" A club member pipes up.
"Because," Mico said, hands on her hips, "school doesn't give us enough funding. And my dad refused to sponsor me. So. We make our own money. Ravenveil need more than just crumbs to function." She answered.
"He's assaulted multiple women, covered it up with money, and never faced a single consequence. Every coin in his pocket reeks of corruption. So if you're worried about guilt…" Her voice dipped. "Don't be. We're not ruining an innocent life, we're dealing justice."
Yanin's head finally lifted. Her eyes were sharper than before. Alert and awake.
"He did what?" Her voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the air.
Mico met her gaze. "Multiple cases. All buried. Every single one."
Yanin exhaled slowly. Her fist clenched.
Axel noticed but averted his gaze.
"How will we pull this off in the first place?" Yanin asks, clearly skeptical.
"Well, I'll let Celestia explain"
Axel turned his head slightly, mildly curious now
On cue, the violet-eyed girl stood from her seat. Her movement was graceful, practiced. Like she was used to being watched. She tapped her phone and linked it to the holographic screen on the wall. A series of text messages appeared; sickeningly flirtatious, from someone labeled "J. Travich."
"I met Joshua at a banquet with my father," she said smoothly. "I caught his attention. It wasn't hard. He's predictable. Arrogant. Thinks the world owes him affection."
She scrolled through more screenshots. Joshua begging to meet, pushing for somewhere private.
"I've been messaging him ever since. Leading him on. We've set a date. A 'romantic getaway,' I told him. At a garage I've rented outside city bounds. Remote. No guards."
Celestia's voice was as calm as ever, disturbingly so.
"He agreed, of course. Thought it'd be his idea to 'sneak away' from his family's eye." She let that hang in the air before continuing. "When he arrives, I'll be there with a few of you guys and we'll restrain him. No fuss. He's only E - rank."
Axel's gaze narrowed slightly. There was more. There always was.
Celestia tapped again.
"And here's where it gets interesting. On the same day, Mico and her father will be at Longhorn HQ for a scheduled meeting. All the top shareholders will be there. Executives. Board members. The whole tower of power, under one roof."
Mico picked up the explanation from there, casually brushing her bangs aside. "I'll plant a small communication device in the conference room and connect it to the big screen. That box will link directly to another one placed in the garage."
Celestia smiled faintly. "Once we've got Joshua… we send a message."
The screen flickered, mock-ups of messages filled with bloodstains, severed fingers, or entire hands.
"Something that'll guarantee a panic," Celestia said. "We'll time it just as the meeting hits its peak. One moment, they're discussing stock trends. The next… well, they're watching their heir bleed on the cold ground."
Axel didn't flinch. But the tension in the room had shifted.
Celestia disconnected the screen and took her seat again.
"The deadline is 12 days. All details will be in the group chat, and I already invited all of you to join" Mico added.
And with that, the meeting came to an end.