Chapter 69
Rise of the Crusader
69 Session
Meanwhile, in the academy, two students sat opposite to a well-muscled man. The three of them had been inside the office for a few minutes, and after greeting one another, they were no further discussion between any of them.
Edgar placed his leg on the other, with a smile then on his face as he stared at Raphael and Aliyah.
âHmmâ About every forty seconds, Edgar would write a few words on the book he was holding on to, before gluing his eyes back at the duo in front of him.
âAliyah McAllister, Raphael Queen,â Edgar muttered. âDesire becomes surrender, surrender becomes power.â Edgar blurted.
Raphael raised an eyebrow when he heard Edgar, âWhat do you mean?â Raphael asked.
âGood question. The both of you have been observing each other ever since you got in here. You might as well go get a room.â Edgar said, âMy words hold the meaning that, if you two decide to pursue whatever this is, one of you will have to surrender to desire, and that desire becomes your power.â
This time around, Raphael and Aliyah glanced at one another, their gaze only lasted for a second before they turned back to Edgar.
âJust saying, I donât see the two of you together anyway. Iâm going to start this session with Aliyah.â
âThe McAllister family was a family with high prestige, and about fifteen years ago, they welcomed a girl into the household. The girl was born on the day of the full moon, and that very night, either intentionally or not, she enslaved her mother, aunty, and even the nurses who handed her birth.â
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Aliyahâs eyes bulged, and she clenched her hand into a tight fist.
âLetâs skip to five years later, and she had the whole household under her command.â
Edgarâs eyes were fixed on Aliyah, the entire time. âAliyah, I want you to tell me how you felt when you ordered your mother, father, sisters, and relatives to kill themselves.â
There was, however, no response from Aliyah, and instead, she was glaring at Edgar. If looks could kill, then there was certainly no doubt that Edgar would have been shredded into pieces.
âI can boldly tell the both of you that we have all day, and if we donât get this session over with, none of us will be stepping out of this room,â Edgar exclaimed.
âI might as well call it weeks or months if you donât get an answer. The academy has given me full permission over this session.â
Aliyah dug her nails into her hand so hard that she began to bleed. The glaring continued on, and a few seconds after, there was a tinge of killing intent in Aliyahâs eyes as she stared at Edgar.
âWhen you watched how life slowly slipped away from your parents, how did that make you feel?â Edgar was unbothered by any of the changes that occurred in Aliyah, and he asked his question.
The atmosphere became cold, and It seemed to be as though Aliyah was going to make a move on Edgar when she suddenly heaved a deep breath.
âIt felt good.â Aliyahâs voice rang out.
âI donât regret any of my actions. My father was a cruel, sadistic, lecherous man, and so were my sisters and relatives.â Aliyah stated.
âThe McAllister is no saint like you consider them to be, it was a family whereby father sired dozens of illegitimate, incestuous children with his own daughters. The male born in the household were killed while the females were wedded to my father at the age of five.â
âMy sisters were sadists who also wanted me to experience the trauma they once faced, and so when I enslaved them and killed them, I took great satisfaction in it.â Aliyahâs eyes glowed.
Edgar flashed a smile when he heard Aliyah, he wrote a few words into the paper he was holding on to, and then stared back at Aliyah. âAre you certain that you donât have any regret for what you did to your family? After all, you single-handedly erased every member of your household.â
âI...â Aliyah paused, âIt was either me or them, and I chose myself. The only regret I perhaps have is the fact I didnât properly kill them.â
âI should have ripped out every piece of bones and fleshes in their bodies, blistered their lungs before deciding to end their lives,â Aliyah said in a rather regretful tone.
Raphael glanced at Aliyah when he heard her and as both of their eyes came in contact with one another, Raphaelâs lips curved into a smile.
âAh-Ahem!â Edgarâs voice rang out, and he pulled the both of them out of their state. As Raphael and Aliyah returned their gaze back to him, Edgar shook his head.
âAliyah, what do you...â Before Edgar could finish his words, Aliyah interrupted. âEnough with me, what about him,â Aliyah said.
Edgarâs cheeks raised, as he stared at Raphael. âRaphael, what do you have to say? Iâm also very curious about the skeletons you have in your closet, you know.â
âI have told you so many times Edgar, there are no skeletons, no abusive childhood or suffering that explains my personality. I am simply who I am.
Edgar snorted, âThen how did you explain why your eyes are purely and simply full of evil?â Edgar asked.
âDonât you think that it takes one to know one, Edgar?â Raphael said with a sneer on his face.
âOh really,â Edgar shook his head, âOkay fine, Iâm going to listen to you and assume you really donât have any history that explains your personality. Therefore, I have a question for you.â
âWhatâs your take on good versus evil, and why do you think evil exists?â Edgar inquired.
Raphael tilted his head slightly when he heard Edgar before then saying, âI have no take on either of them as I find them bothersome. But for the other question, I think I do.â
The truth is the bitterness of an evil person is like an epidemic, the extent of its influence could do far worse than hurting and killing a lot of people.â
âBy destroying the innocence of a person, a monster can be birthed. It could be by tormenting or breaking them too far that it simply drove them to madness. And sometimes the victim can turn into a far more horrifying monster than its progenitor.â
âSo, to you, humans are the causes of the majority of their problems?â Edgar asked, and receiving a slight nod from Raphael, Edgar placed his hand on his chin.
âAlright. But that was rather intense, Raphael, it makes me even more curious about your childhood.â Edgar muttered.
âAnyway, letâs move to my next question.â
âDo either of you gain satisfaction in killing others? Does it perhaps make you feel better about yourself? And if you had the choice not to ever kill anyone, would you take it?â Edgar asked.
âRaphael, you go first.â
Raphael thought deeply before saying, âI wonât take it. Lifeâs greatest lesson is learned through pain, it could as well be death. Anyone Iâd kill, Iâd kill for peace, no one has ever died for no reason.â Raphael said.
âInteresting. What about you Aliyah, what do you think?â
âI...â Aliyah abruptly paused as her wristwatch and Raphaelâs wristwatch suddenly received a message. Aliyah clicked on the message and, reading the content, her eyebrows furrowed.
Edgar was still pondering about what the both of them saw when suddenly Raphael stood from his seat. âI will be leaving now. I have some urgent matters to attend to,â Raphael said, and without wasting any more time, he left the room.
Aliyah also did the same, giving Edgar a slight bow before dashing out of the room also.
A few seconds after Raphael and Aliyah left the room, a voice rang out.
âHeâs like the devil, isnât he?â
âNo, heâs worse,â Edgar responded.
The message that Raphael and Aliyah had received was a mission notification. And unlike any other one in which they would get the chance to prepare themselves, this one they didnât as this was of urgency.
Raphael went to their dormitories, he and Gus changed into their costumes and headed straight to the alley.
âLetâs go!â Dwayne was already there waiting for the both of them, and quickly the three of them left the academy.
....
On top of a rooftop, Gianna sat on a bench, and in front of her was all sorts of delicacy. Gianna ate from different plates, seeping juices every now and then, and after about five minutes, she rested her back on the bench.
âIâm so full!â Gianna exclaimed, rubbing her hand on her stomach, and an expression full of joy could be seen on her face.
Suddenly, a portal appeared on the rooftop and three figures stepped out of it. Seeing, Raphael, Aliyah, and Dwayne that just appeared, Giannaâs eyes squinted.
âThe academy must be joking, right? Why would they send year-1 students for this sort of mission? They might as well just dig my grave.â Gianna blurted.
A light frown appeared on Raphael, Aliyah, and Dwayneâs faces when they heard Gianna. Raphael was already considering going back to the academy when Giannaâs voice rang out.
âAnyway, letâs get this over with. Iâm going to inform you three about the plans, but before then you need to meet someone.â Gianna said.
âYou can come out now.â
Giannaâs voice appeared to be directed to someone on the rooftop, but apart from Raphael, Dwayne and Aliyah, there was no one else on the rooftop.
It was about a minute after Gianna spoke, and a man appeared on the rooftop. The man was putting on a blue shirt and black pants, and as he laid eyes on Raphael, Dwayne, and Aliyah, he nodded his head.
âThe three of you, I will like you to meet one of our informants in Guardian Academy, Dante Kingston.â Gianna said, âDante will enlighten you on the details about the mission at hand, and once that is understood, the plan will be made.â
Gianna waved her hand at Dante, âHurry up, I have other things to do, you know.â Gianna ate one of the fruits on the table as she spoke.