06: DEAL BREAKER

Fathers in the Kingdom seemed to have a societal standard of being brutal and heartless. Any youngster will tell you how his father raised him unless he was never raised in the first place. That was not the case for Ithea's candidates. The most well-known victim of this craze was none other than Luciana, the kingdom's princess. Her father was vicious, despotic in his heart, and only cared about himself. Regardless, it appeared as if he found joy in hurting his victims and his own children.

Norval's father was no different. He was ruthless to the same degree as Luciana's father. He wanted nothing more than to see his ideas succeed, and if they didn't, he'd be on the verge of losing his mind. He was enamored with his accomplishments and wished for his sons to follow in his footsteps. He ran a chemical corporation that mass-produced potions and elixirs for schools, hospitals, and any other institution that needed them. He'd made a name for himself as one of the most reputable sellers of alchemical goods. Norval was his eldest son, and he yearned for him to inherit the family business. He was prepared to lose it when he learned that Norval had applied to be a part of the class that would compete for the champion of Ithea seat. He even went to school to try to get his son to sign off on the lesson, but he refused. He has never recognized him as his son since that day. He would constantly desire for his failure and would never make an effort to help him in any way. Norval had to live with the realization that no matter how successful he was based on his efforts if they never sided with his father's interests, it was not a success in his father's eyes. Norval's father believes that even if he becomes the next champion, he will still be a failure. As a result, he was unconcerned about his father's thoughts. He had established his objective, and no one was going to stop him from becoming who he wanted to be. There was also Jalon's father to consider. It's a complete puzzle. Jalon's pals were unaware of this, although he was never close to his father's family. Even his surname Barr was a creation of his own, an abbreviated form of Barriston, his family's official surname. Jalen was utterly disowned by his family when he was ten years old. Despite this, he was not broken. He never acted abnormally in response to a decision made by his family. He subsequently moved in with his cousin, a well-known photographer who introduced him to social media.

In reality, his genetic prowess was the only thing he could praise his family for. When he first began his modeling career, it offered him an advantage over the other applicants. His cousin introduced him to the world of modeling, and after a few failed attempts, his career took off after he was featured in a lesser-known magazine. His expression, on the other hand, spoke it all. Companies began to approach him with contracts and incentives to feature him in various publications. Jalen quickly rose to the status of Teenage Icon, competing on red carpets against prominent artists, actresses, and social influencers. No one knew how good an alchemist he was back then. When he applied to attend IAA as a student, not just a student, but a candidate for the Champion of Ithea, the entire Kingdom was stunned. When he passed the admission exam and was accepted as a candidate, they were taken aback. From then on, he had a rather easy time. When asked about his origins in interviews, the only person he could mention was his cousin, who accepted him when no one else would. As a result, he could relate to the relationship between Nelanian and Rhaizen Gale. When he had nowhere else to go, he took him in and treated him as if he were his own baby brother. Jalen was a wonderful man, despite his egotistical flaws. He had a stern appearance, yet he was understanding on the inside. Jalen never told any of his pals about this, and they were unaware of his diagnosis. Nelanian had walked into his room when he was in the shower one evening.

/……………………………………………………………….../

Nelanian was hunting for a book he had loaned him during the previous class.

He looked for him and shouted for him to come to get it, but Jalen was busy with his bath, so Nelanian went inside his room to look for the book. He searched for it and eventually discovered it on a table near the balcony. A folder dropped to the floor when he raised it, and various documents were scattered around the floor. He took them one by one till he found one that piqued his interest. Jalen emerged from the tub. Just in time to prevent Nelanian from finishing the document. But it was too late; he had already consumed enough information. With perceptive eyes, he glanced at Jalen. "Is this accurate?” He was questioned by Nelanian. "Jalen yanked the document from Nelanian's grip and asked, "What do you think?" "All this time I suspected there was something wrong with you, and it turns out I was right,” Nelanian remarked, laughing. “Wait, you're unconcerned about this?” He inquired as he placed the document on the table. "What's the point of bothering me? Unless you're going to kill me because you know what I'm talking about?” Nelanian cracked another joke. Jalen gave him a friendly smile. He was relieved that he had not reacted as he had anticipated. "If you tell anyone else, I may consider killing you,” Jalen warned. "Don't worry, I'm too preoccupied with other things right now to be thinking about leaking secrets,” Nelanian stated as he walked out of the room with his book. Jalen returned his gaze to the document, recalling the first time it had been stamped. He examined the headline, which said, "a medical diagnostic of Jalen Barriston." As he read the text beneath the title, he suppressed a smile.

‘Client X presents with symptoms and behaviors that are consistent with

a DSM-5 diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder, Multiple Episodes, Mild

(296.21), with Anxious Distress. He exhibits a personality disorder characterized by deceitfulness, manipulation, grandiosity, lack of empathy or guilt, and often aggressive or violent behavior, considered a subset of antisocial personality disorder. Individuals should exercise caution when around the subject.

/……………………………………………………………../

It was already early in the morning. Luciana considered going for a swim in the rooftop pool, but she remembered her last encounter and quickly pushed the idea out of her mind. She chose to take a leisurely stroll outside the hotel. She'd been there long enough to know that the locals wouldn't disturb her with requests for autographs or photos. She awoke from her slumber and began walking down to the ground floor. A familiar face worked on her before she walked to the elevator. "Hey, Brat!” He was summoned by her. Someone had insulted Todd, so he returned the stare. "Who the heck are you calling your brat?” says the narrator. With his voice on the verge of breaking, he inquired. 'Are you the brat who tried to assassinate me?' Luciana remarked. She approached him, her height aiming to frighten him. "Hey, I was just given a simple order to test your limits. “But altogether, I'd say you really did a terrific job,” he added, “because if my attacks weren't going to be lethal, there was no way that your boundaries could be reached and hopefully surpassed.” “No one has ever been able to take me down that quickly,” Todd admitted, feeling compelled to withdraw his statement. "Well, you better do the job the next time you try to kill me because you've been creating a bad enemy,” she replied.

Todd couldn't help but grin, "I would have won that fight in under a minute if I wanted to." I had a lot of opportunities, and I could have taken advantage of them, but I wanted to make the fight more entertaining. So the next time I see you, the next time I fight you, you're going to be so lucky,” Todd confidently predicted. He did not bother to give Luciana a proper farewell. 

He simply walked away, leaving Luciana to ponder what type of tactics he might have had in his sleeve to help him win the fight.

/………………………………………………………………………./

The back doors were wrenched open as the van came to a standstill. She was dragged by her legs and violently yanked from the van landing and the asphalt. She thanked her lucky stars she was wearing jeans since the landing would have torn the skin off her knees. She was hoisted to her feet and dragged by the man. She was hesitant at first, but the man became frustrated and lifted her onto his shoulders. As they continued walking, she could hear mechanical gates opening. She'd become frail and deafeningly quiet. Her stomach was empty and her mouth was dry. another claimed she was thrown inside the room after two wooden doors were opened. An exotic fragrance encumbered her nose on her way in.

She didn't have the strength to fight back at that time. All she could hope for was that she wouldn't be killed while she was there. The lights came on for a few days, and she saw third eyes through the opening of her neck bag. As the men walked up and down the floor, their forceful footsteps could be heard. "When did he say he was going to be here?” One of the men inquired of the other. It took a while to get an answer, but the other one eventually remarked, "I believe he said he's 15 minutes away." All we have to do now is wait, and then we will receive our payment,” Another automobile revving up its engine could be heard arriving after the 15-minute mark had passed. It took a long for the doors to become hard to open again, but once they did, a tenor voice yelled that the guys were on their way. "What were you people thinking, anyway? I instructed you to bring her to me rather than kidnap her like a dog! “Get her out of those cuffs as soon as possible,” the voice said. “Assist her in sitting in the chair adjacent to the table,” it continued. Judy was taken up and led to a chair with a kind touch. Her shackles were unfastened, and the rope around her waist and legs was eased as well. Her eyes were accustomed to the glaring light of the room as the plastic bag over her head was yanked off. She was expecting another sewer but instead found herself in a beautiful Ballroom with a table the length of a bus in front of her. There were several high-end seats near the table. "You people don't understand the civility that must be exhibited to a visitor,” a voice from behind her stated. I couldn't turn my head to see who was speaking since she was too weak. Her parched lips yearned for a sip of water, or anything cool enough to quench her thirst. The odor of frying meat was hardly discernible. She was surprised to see who the owner of The Voice was as he passed past her. It came as no surprise. He was dressed in a purple suit with Oxford shoes that matched. It was none other than King Vonner who made the announcement. All along, my instincts were correct. "Mrs. Judy, how are you doing? “You don't appear to be in decent physical condition?” The king had inquired of her. The bags beneath her eyes and the wheeze in her breathing could tell you everything. "Could someone kindly get her a cup of water?” the king said softly. A glass of water was rushed into the room by one of the attendants. He set it down next to Judy on the table. Her feeble limbs attempted to lift her arms and sip from the cup, but she couldn't get past the table.

"So then, as you can see, she is unable to reach the glass. “Assist her,” the king urged as if he was very concerned about Judy's safety. The Servant took Judy's class and placed it on her lips. She started sitting in the water aggressively and uncontrollably. "Do you two have any idea how to respect a lady?” With a loud voice, the king said to the two men beside Judy. “When I'm done with this, I'll have to deal with the two of you,” the king added. He crossed the table and sat on a chair on the other side.

“ All right, Mrs. Judy. I'm sorry we have to meet while you're in such a bad mood. I was expecting that the men would be kinder to you and encourage you to meet with me on your own terms. However, it appears that I did not anticipate them acting in this manner, for which I sincerely regret. But, since you're here, we can talk about the topics I wanted to talk to you about. Is that all right with you?” said the King. Judy was too weak to even speak, so he waited for her response.

"The king responded, pointing his fingers at the servants, "Perhaps you need to become comfortable enough so that we can have a conversation." Several servants ran in, carrying trays with lids. They placed them next to Judy at the table and lifted the lids to reveal a multitude of delicacies. On one tray, a beautifully cooked chicken was shown. On the next, there was strongly marinated beef with little sauce dishes. A sauteed fish sat atop fried rice on another platter. She couldn't keep herself in check. She didn't care if the food was hot or if her hands were dirty. She simply reached into one of the trays, specifically the one containing beef, and yanked a piece of flesh. She then proceeded to shove it into her mouth and chew it vigorously before swallowing without even finishing the meal. She went for the glass of water after swallowing and drank it all down. “I'm delighted you're having a good time with your lunch. Please eat to your heart's content, and then we can have a proper discussion between the two of us. Meanwhile, I'll take care of this as I promised,” the king replied as he rose to his feet.

“But, boss,” one of the men protested, “we did exactly what you wanted us to do.” The king was having none of it. He yelled at him to shut his mouth and not say anything else. Judy noticed the revolver protruding from his pants pockets as he passed past her. She realized right then and there that he had to be careful with her words, or else she'd die. The king requested that his staff assist him in escorting the men outside. Judy was certain of what would happen next, and she also knew that if she offended the King, she would face a similar destiny.

Regardless, she kept eating the food in front of her, and she did so, her sanity was slowly being restored. At that point, she couldn't care less about her appeal towards the rest of the servants that surrounded her, all she was thinking about at that moment was how to get her stomach full.

Then, the gunshots fired off, six consecutive rounds. That was when she knew that the danger was real!