Draco walked down a long hallway, flanked on both sides by four Masters. Masters were far stronger than Awakened, capable of killing dozens within minutes, yet four of these powerhouses guarded Draco with caution. The reason? Draco was that strong. Hector, one of the top mages among the Awakened, had nearly been killed by Draco with ease. The idea that Masters were always stronger than Awakened was only true on paper; in reality, not all Masters would survive in a fair fight against Draco. He moved in silence with his guards, their footsteps echoing as they proceeded. Draco couldn't clearly remember what happened after his fight with Hector. All he remembered was a Master saving Hector, shooting something powerful into his neck, and then everything went black. Even his fight with Hector was fuzzy, but according to what he had heard, he attacked Hector furiously in a frenzied state, holding nothing back as he pushed the proud elf to the brink of death. Zoe couldn't stop him, exhausted from the effort of saving the dying scientist with healing magic. Luckily, a Master arrived just in time, taking Draco down with a powerful toxin-coated arrow. Now he was on trial.
The DHA was a vast organization, yet its true location remained unknown—even to the Alphas. The DHA dispatched hunters on missions through a network of portals, each linked to the demon detector held by the leader of each cohort and synchronized with their life force to prevent the discovery of its true location. Meanwhile, hunters traveled within the DHA through a network of tunnels, branching into four main divisions: the communication room, the living quarters, the training rooms, and the Assembling Hall—the largest part of the DHA, used for briefing all hunters. It also served another purpose: as a trial ground for many cases - this time - his.
The end of the tunnel slowly came into view, and Draco's breath trembled slightly. This was it— the moment that would determine his life as a hunter.
Light flooded Draco's eyes. He squinted, his eyes struggling to adapt to the blinding light. The entire room was circular, shaped like an arena, with seats lining the walls, rising in tiers above the ground. Hunters - mostly Awakened - slowly filed in, whispering in hushed tones as they stared at Draco; their looks ranging from pity to disdain. Suddenly, Draco spotted Zoe in the crowd, and their eyes met, but instead of seeing compassion, or even anger, Zoe looked at him for a brief moment... and turned her head away. Before Draco could process what was going on, all the rose in unison as five Elites casually strolled in, power oozing from their steps. "This is insane," Draco muttered in dibelief, staring at the five calamities, their power only rivalled by the Alphas, who would be judging his case. He was expecting a few Masters, maybe one Elite if the situation was truly dire. But to see five of them, gathered for his trial? Just how bad was his case for beating Hector to a pulp?
Draco forced himself to calm down as he stared at the five juggernauts . Given their positions as Elites, it was easy to identify them; Sedex , the gorgon Elite symbolised by his cold presence; Felise, the elf Elite whose mastery of the fire affinity left many speechless; Lyken, an Elite werewolf whose howl through the night would make most demons cower in fear; Sevra, the lightning dragon rumoured to have tortured demons for the fun of it; and Jacob, the giant who had become a living legend of strength for all hunters. These were the Elites who would judge his case and seal his future in the DHA.
Five seats were summoned as the Elites strolled in, their eyes on Draco with a hint of interest. As soon as they settled down, the chairs rose in the air by a platform, their gazes fixed on Draco from above, before they sat down. His trial had begun.
"Awakened Draco," Sedex began, his voice icy as he glared at Draco. "We are your judges for this trial. We do not want your angle on this story, we do not care. A report by one of the scientist clearly states that you attacked Hector without reason and would have killed him if a Master hadn't intervened. We will work with this and this alone. Draco, did you attack Hector during your mission?" " I did."
" Your reason?" " He insulted my mother." "So, he called your mother and you attacked him?" " It wasn't that simple," Draco growled, his fist clenching. This guy could be an elite or a bus cleanerfor all he cared;even demons knew better than to insult his mother. Felise stared at Sedex dissaprovingly, before turning her gaze forward; it wasn't his fault. The five elites had been ordered to deal with Draco by the leaders of the DHA, to make his purging as humiliating as possible, and that his name and identity as a hunter be forgotten from the organisation for attacking Hector, the son of one of the most influential sponsors of the DHA. If Hector's father decided to withdraw...
Even though she undestood all this, she couldn't bring herself to accept it - this entire farce was filthy, based on nothing but lies and abuse of power. But in the end, they were only Eites; even their power had limits in the greater scheme of things.
Even still, Sedex was being a bit too much. Insulting the boy's dead mother? That was going too far.
Felise stared at Jacob, waiting for his reaction, but the giant remained passive, his eyes focused as he watched the trial unfold. SOmething had changed
Draco growled, his voice as cold as ice." Really? This is all I get? Months of service devoted to you, countless demons slain by my hand, and all you do is look me in the eye and tell me I'm expelled for beating up a fool drunk on power after several warnings? Just how much did they bribe you for your dignity?!" Draco spat out, his voice ringing through the hall, everyone silent as they stared at him in shock.
The other Elites sat up instantly, their eyes locked on the Draco in fury. Even fellow Elites hadn't spoken to Sedex the way this... boy had. Lyken went as far as standing up, but Sedex excused Draco's impudence, a smile flashing across his face. Draco had fallen into his trap; now it was time to break him completely.