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ARC: Back Attack Land
The heavy door of Class 5 creaked open, and a sudden, sharp silence spread across the room. Akos walked in first, his dark sunglasses masking his gaze, followed closely by Jin and Riko. Every student stopped what they were doing. All eyes were pinned on them.
The silence lasted only a few seconds before a voice broke the tension.
"Boss! Where have you been hiding?" Naoto shouted from the back, breaking the ice with a wide grin.
Akos didn't even slow down as he headed toward his desk. "I'm not a boss," he muttered coldly.
Riko leaned over with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Really? Then why did you choose the two of us to be your official lieutenants, huh?"
"Exactly!" Jin added, laughing and nudging Akos with his elbow. "It seems to me you're just embarrassed to admit you made us your subordinates. Look at him—he's definitely blushing behind those glasses! Hahaha!"
"Shut up, both of you," Akos snapped, though the teasing was clearly starting to irritate him.
The playful mood was interrupted when Cairo stood up, his expression far more serious than the others. He walked toward Akos and crossed his arms.
"Where were you, man?" Cairo asked. "After the fight with Bravo, you vanished for two days. The whole class was talking about it."
Akos stopped and adjusted his sunglasses. The pain in his head was still there—a dull, rhythmic throb that wouldn't leave him in peace.
"I had a headache," Akos replied simply, his voice low. "A very intense pain. That's all."
Cairo looked him in the eyes, clearly unconvinced, but he said nothing more.
Bliss, who was sitting a bit further away, stood up and approached Akos with sincere gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you, Boss. For saving me in the fight... If it wasn't for you, I would have been killed by that other guy," he said softly.
Naoto jumped up from his seat, shocked. "For real? He saved you?"
Solon took the floor, looking at the rest of the class. "Jin told us what you did in the battle, Akos. That you stepped in front of a guy holding a sword. He wanted to kill you, but you took him down like it was nothing."
"I'm so excited to see what else you'll do, Boss!" Oz added with enthusiasm, practically jumping with joy.
Akos remained still for a moment. Their voices and excitement echoed through the classroom, but he felt a strange distance. He readjusted his dark glasses and looked at them with absolute composure.
"I just did what I saw was right," Akos answered, his voice so steady it cut off any further discussion. "Nothing more."
Further back, Ronika and Sora were watching the scene with a different perspective. Ronika had her arms crossed, visibly annoyed by the adoration Akos was receiving.
"I don't understand why everyone wants him for a leader so badly," Ronika whispered bitterly.
Sora looked at her calmly. "You're always like this... you're afraid of strangers, Ronika."
"I'm not afraid!" Ronika shot back. "But we don't know what this guy is hiding. He appeared out of nowhere and became the center of the world."
Ronika couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and approached Akos's desk, staring at him intensely. "Akos! Stop being so cold with us. Stop what you're doing—you're not impressing anyone!"
Akos slowly raised his head. His face remained expressionless behind the black lenses. "I'm not doing anything wrong," he replied with icy calm. "I'm not bothering anyone. If you want the Commander position that badly, you can have it. I don't care."
Ronika felt the blood rush to her head. "You've taken the position of Commander and you treat it like it's nothing? Do you know how many others have bled for this gang?"
"To me, it truly is nothing," Akos repeated in the same steady voice. "To you, it might be everything. If you want it, take it. I'm giving it to you."
Ronika was trembling with rage. Akos's absolute apathy insulted her more than any curse word could. Without saying another word, she turned her back and stormed out of the classroom, slamming the door behind her.
Sora ran out into the hallway, catching up to Ronika just as she was about to turn the corner.
"Ronika! Stop!" Sora called out, grabbing her by the shoulder.
Ronika spun around, her eyes still blazing with rage. "Why are you stopping me? Did you hear him? 'I'll give the position to you,' he says! Like we're just trash!"
"Just calm down for a second," Sora said softly, trying to settle her friend. "I understand that it bothers you because he's new to the family, but you're wrong about him. Yes, Akos is hiding a lot—that's obvious. But he is a man who knows how to respect. He's strong, Ronika, and you know it. He might have just joined ALPHA, but I believe he has a white heart."
Ronika let out a bitter laugh, glancing out the hallway window. "A white heart? Sora, wake up. People like him, who hide so much, are always the ones who bring destruction. Didn't you see his gaze? That composure of his isn't normal."
She paused, her voice growing darker.
"He's the kind of guy whose calmness kills even the oxygen around him. Everywhere he walks, I feel like evil is following. He's not a leader, Sora... he's a time bomb."
Sora looked at her sadly. "Maybe the oxygen 'dies' because he's carrying burdens that we can't even begin to imagine."
Back in the classroom, Akos was staring blankly out the window. Jin approached him, leaning on the desk. "Hey, don't let Ronika's words get to you, man. She's always like that."
"I'm not sad. I don't care," Akos replied, his eyes fixed on the trees outside. "Those trees... they remind me of something."
"The Sakura trees? The pink ones?" Jin smiled. "Yeah, they're beautiful."
"They were all over my mountain," Akos said, his voice drifting. "Back before my grandfather died of cancer."
Jin's smile faded. "I'm sorry to hear that, bro. I feel for you. All that happened just three days ago... it's harsh."
Akos turned his head slowly, looking directly into Jin's eyes. "Jin."
"Yeah?"
"You are a lie."
Jin froze, his expression flickering between confusion and hurt. "Wait... what? What do you mean I'm a lie?"
"Never mind. Forget it," Akos sighed, standing up. "I'm going to the restroom. Watch your back."
As Akos walked down the hallway, he glanced out a window facing the street. A black car was parked right outside the school gates, idling silently.
Inside the car, a driver looked nervously at the rearview mirror. "Miss... are you sure you want to check on him? The others failed to stop him."
In the back seat, a young woman with crimson red eyes rested her cheek on her hand, looking bored. "I have the power to control whomever I want, whenever I want," she whispered.
The driver shivered. "But... nobody has been able to control or kill him. The only way was to trap him in this Fake World."
The woman's gaze turned cold, her red eyes glowing faintly. "Whoever carries my scent belongs to me."
Akos entered the restroom and went straight to the sink. He splashed cold water on his face, trying to wash away the confusion. He looked up into the mirror, staring at his own reflection.
"If I was in a lie... then everything is a lie," he whispered to himself. "My God..."
Suddenly, the voice of Sakoura hissed in his ear, echoing off the tiled walls: "The more it falls, the more you curse... hahahaha!"
Akos gasped, his heart hammering against his ribs. He blinked rapidly, his vision blurring with anxiety. He spun around to the right and paralyzed.
Standing there was a creature. Its mouth was so unnaturally large that it touched the floor, dripping with a foul substance. It let out a wild, guttural roar and lunged at him.
"No!" Akos recoiled in terror, falling back onto the floor and squeezing his eyes shut.
He waited for the impact, but there was only silence. He opened his eyes slowly. The creature was gone. It was just another glitch—another lie.
He looked up and saw Luno standing by the door, staring at him with a bizarre, judgmental expression. Akos scrambled to his feet, glancing back at his terrified reflection in the mirror one last time.
Luno watched him, thinking to himself: What the hell is wrong with this guy?
Akos burst out of the restroom, running blindly. His mind was a chaotic mess. In his haste, he slammed hard into Vane. Vane looked at him with confusion, but Akos only muttered a quick "sorry" and rushed past him.
As he moved forward, Taro and Zen stopped him, while Jax stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
"What do you want?" Akos asked, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps.
"Tell us now..." Zen said, sounding irritated. "Why did you punch Reino?"
Akos froze. "Huh? What do you mean? I didn't hit anyone!"
Taro shouted at him, his voice booming: "Cut the crap! It's our fault for making you a leader in the first place!"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Akos yelled and started sprinting again. He flew down the stairs like a madman and crashed into Keal.
"Whoa, take it easy," Keal said with a smile, but to Akos's eyes, the smile looked distorted and terrifying. "Why are you like this? Come with me, Riko cooked your favorite—steak—to celebrate."
Akos ripped his hand away and burst into the courtyard. It was completely empty. Suddenly, Jin appeared on the rooftop, shouting down at him: "Get up here! We're having a party for the victory! The steak is going to run out, hurry up!"
Akos couldn't take it anymore. He ran out of the school gates, screaming: "Where am I? Get me out of here!"
"Hahaha! Time for some fun!" the voice of DEVILS END echoed inside his skull.
On the street, he collided with an old man. The man looked at him with pure horror. "You... aren't you the kid who killed the President of Japan?"
"What are you talking about?" Akos was lost, his world spinning.
"He's here! This is the one who killed the President!" the old man screamed. Police sirens began wailing from every direction. Akos ran until he reached a traffic light. A woman holding a baby stood in the middle of the road. A massive truck was barreling toward them.
"What are you doing? Get out of the way!" Akos screamed, lunging forward to save them. But the truck plowed right through them and continued down the road as if they never existed.
Akos fell to his knees. "Leave me alone! I can't take this anymore!" he shrieked. Suddenly, the street emptied. No cars, no people. Only an eerie, otherworldly sound remained.
"Get out of my head!" He began coughing violently. He gripped his head and started hitting himself with his fists. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"
He snapped his eyes open. He was on the actual street. Jin and Luno were standing over him, looking absolutely terrified. A car driver was honking and screaming: "Get this psycho out of the road!"
Jin grabed Akos by the shoulders and dragged him onto the sidewalk,
Akos sat on the sidewalk, unable to control himself. His hand trembled at first, but soon his entire body was vibrating with absolute terror.
"Are you okay? What happened to you?" Jin asked, sounding deeply worried. "You burst out of the school and suddenly started screaming in the middle of the street."
Akos raised his head slowly, his eyes clouded. "Are you... are you a lie?"
Jin looked at him, confused. "What are you talking about?"
"The old man... the police... the woman with the baby... that I hit Reino... the party... all of it..." Akos whispered.
"What old man? When did you ever hit Reino?" Jin wondered if his friend had completely lost his mind.
Luno intervened coldly. "I saw him in the restroom. I just asked him if there was any toilet paper, and he fell to the floor. Then he ran out like a madman."
"I... I didn't kill the President of Japan!" Akos shouted.
"What President? Are you okay?" Jin tried to pull him up. "It seems you're just a tired Sorcerer."
Luno froze and stared at Jin. "What are you saying? What 'Sorcerer'?"
Jin blinked rapidly. "Sorcerer? When did I say that?"
"Just now!" Luno replied, sounding annoyed.
Akos looked at Jin and thought to himself: I am not alone...
"It seems you're both crazy!" Luno snapped. "I'm going back to school; we have plenty of work to do." He walked away, visibly frustrated.
Jin turned back to Akos. "Get up, let's go inside."
"Are you a Sorcerer?" Akos asked him, staring directly into his eyes.
"Sorcerer? What do you mean? What kind of things are you saying, man?" Jin seemed genuinely bewildered.
"You... you just said the word 'Sorcerer' a moment ago!"
"When did I say that?" Jin sighed, now certain that Akos was having a psychological breakdown. "Get up, come to the school to eat. It looks like you haven't eaten in a long time and your mind is playing tricks on you."
Akos stood up with difficulty. His gaze fell upon the street. There it was—the same black car from before. He stared at it intensely, as if trying to see through the tinted windows, until Jin pulled him away. "Come on, let's go. They'll think you're some kind of creep."
As they walked away, inside the car, the woman with the crimson eyes smiled icily.
"The bastard is destroying him psychologically..." she whispered.