Slap.

“Do you realise what you’ve done?”

The sound of slap rang out in the room, followed by Meera’s voice. Her heart was racing at this moment while she grabbed Marcus’ throat. Marcus was looking at Meera with a threatening gaze, struggling to get free from her grasp.

Meera Gauras and Marcus Gauras were cousins from the same family. Meera was from the main family while Marcus was from the branch family. What Marcus had done today was sure to send ripples that would affect their family, and Meera was livid due to this.

“Let me go!” Marcus screamed as he flicked his hand to hit Meera’s hand away unsuccessfully.

“Let you go? LET YOU GO?!” Meera clenched her teeth as she slapped Marcus again. The rage kept welling inside her, accompanied by fear for her family’s safety. She slapped Marcus’ face again and again, and only stopped when her hand started to feel heavy.

“Do you have any idea who he is?! He is a Frye, you imbecile!” Meera’s expression was furious as she spewed out her words laced with fury and fear. “And you tarnished the image of His Majesty and Lady Maria. We would be extremely fortunate if our family could keep our lives after this.”

Meera let go of Marcus’ throat and he huffed due to breathlessness. Her mind was in chaos thinking of the terrible consequences her family would have to face due to Marcus' actions.

"Stay in your room and don't attend the class tomorrow. I will go ask for forgiveness."

Meera shut the door behind her tightly as she left Marcus' room and made her way towards Sirius'. She was terrified of even facing him at this moment but she had to do it. Her legs felt incrementally heavier with every step she took and her heart beat even faster.

Sirius and Mehr's room was in the other wing of the dormitory. At this time, there were five people in the room including Mehr and Siris who were sitting on the bed. Fynn, Hope and Nora were all looking at Sirius who looked angry even now. They had never seen an expression of such kind on his face and it was unbelievable to them how a person as kind as Sirius had almost killed someone today. They wanted to say something but words didn't come to them easily. In the silence that roared louder than thunder, it was Mehr's words that came as a soothing touch.

"You all should go to your rooms as well. That matter has already ended and there is no point in hanging on it anymore."

Everyone looked at Sirius after listening to Mehr, but Sirius' eyes remained the same. They wanted to do something for Sirius but ideas eluded them. So, they just stood there without speaking anything.

"I said, get out." Mehr's voice was low to the point of a growl. His brows were furrowed and his eyes looked extremely annoyed at the three people. As per him, they were being a burden at this point.

The three were startled at Mehr's words but didn't say anything. They knew that Mehr and Sirius cared for each other, so Mehr would also be quite angry right now. Fynn nodded and gestured to Hope and Nora to leave.

As soon as Fynn opened the door, he saw Meera standing there with her eyes closed. She seemed to be struggling to make a decision. She opened her eyes abruptly as soon as she heard the door open and immediately went down on her knees. She bowed her head low enough to touch the floor when she started pleading.

"My Lords and Ladies, I am Meera from the minor House Gauras. The one who said vile things today… is my second cousin. I know that the crime he committed cannot be forgiven but I hope that Lord Sirius can show mercy to our family."

Fynn, Nora and Hope stood aside so that Sirius could see her directly.

Sirius looked at her for a while before replying to her plea.

"You and your family are not at fault. You can go back."

"And my bro-"

"Leave." Mehr cut off her words with his chillingly cold tone. "Close the door behind you."

It was a command. Not only to the girl from the House Gauras but to the three High Nobles as well. For him, everyone other than Sirius was as insignificant as a fly, be it a commoner or Royalty. He remembered how he had hated Sirius when they first met. Sirius was everything Mehr wasn't and Mehr hated that fact. As time flowed, that insecurity lessened and Mehr learned to appreciate the kindness Sirius showed. Gradually, he started thinking of Sirius as a son he never had. He would indulge in every fantasy that Sirius introduced.

Sometimes, Mehr was a soldier to general Sirius as they went to war and sometimes he was a little child picked up by the great saint.

He started enjoying spending time with Sirius. They would train and play together every single day. Mehr's mornings started with Sirius pestering him to wake up and his days ended with Sirius pestering him to sleep.

Gradually, even that sentiment changed. Whenever Mehr found himself as a wreck due to circumstances, Sirius was always there for him. And the child he once thought of as a son was a friend now. Sirius was an emotional support to Mehr at times and he knew that he could rely on Sirius. Sirius' smile gave him happiness and he wished to protect the innocence in his eyes.

But now…..

Someone had threatened that wish. Mehr abhorred the fact that Sirius had almost killed someone today. And this abhorrence could only be quelled by the agony of the perpetrator.

Mehr had been looking at the moon through his window for a while now. He looked at its position and determined that midnight had passed. He turned back to look at the sleeping Sirius and sighed.

He opened the cupboard where his normal clothes were kept and took out one of his half capes. He also took out his uniform from the other cupboard, removed the badge that he had received during the result and proceeded to wear it.

He took the folded half cape and rolled it around his head to cover his face completely. He had created a small hole where his nose would be so that he could breathe without any restriction. He was unable to see anything but it was just a minor inconvenience to him. His mana perception was strong to a point that he didn't need his eyes or ears at all. It didn't travel as far as Sirius' did but in terms of quality, it was far better. Also, hiding his eyes was quite important due to their oddness.

For the first time in his life, he removed the blue pendant that Sir Ghost had given him. The result of his actions would be investigated extensively and he didn't want to leave the modified mana signature there. He would be using his real mana signature today, the signature of the Star. He wasn't going to take anything that would lead back to him as the culprit. His spear, his badge and his pendant were things that could be associated with him and so he left them all behind.

Mehr opened the door slowly so as not to wake Sirius up and closed it behind him. So now, a tall boy in the uniform of the Academy with his entire face covered with black cloth was walking through the corridor.

Mehr was going to the other wing of the first-year dormitory, in the room he had seen Marcus go in. Well, not exactly seen but sensed with the help of mana he had under his control. Every single breath that students took and every movement they made was perceived by his senses due to the mana he had spread. The entire dormitory had been under his control since the event with Daniel and Marcus happened.

He made his way to Marcus’ room and soon he was standing right outside it. He knocked on the door twice, softly. When no one responded from the other side, he knocked on the door loud enough that the noise was heard in the nearby rooms as well.

“Who is it?!” An annoyed and enraged voice was heard from the other side.

Not long after, three doors opened. One in front of Mehr and two on either side. Marcus had opened the door of his room and his neighbours had opened theirs due to the noise. Marcus looked at the strange person who had his face covered completely. He was going to ask ‘who the fuck are you?’ but before he could even think of asking that, a powerful kick greeted his ribcage. Marcus flew back and collided with the wall of his room and the wall crumbled due to the force.

Mehr tilted his head towards the two other doors that were opened. Two students on either side were looking at him with wide eyes and inability to think what to do.

“Go to sleep,” Mehr growled in a voice far lower than his original.

The other two doors shut immediately and the students ran up to the wall dividing their and Marcus’ room. They put their ears to the wall and amplified their hearing with the aid of mana.

Marcus couldn’t think straight for a couple of moments. His head became usable with the attack of pain that coursed through his ribs. He tried to stand up but buckled forward while clenching his chest. His eyes had gone red due to pain, threatening to pop out of his sockets.

“Who-”

Marcus’ words were cut off due to the mana clad kick that landed on his jaw. Mehr had closed the distance in a moment. The kick that landed cleanly on his jaw was so sharp that it had crushed his lower jaw and taken it apart. The lower half of Marcus’ face was missing at this point, blood flowing like a river. His tongue was hanging from the crushed mouth as he struggled to comprehend what had happened. Marcus kneeled in pain and tears started flowing from his eyes. It was the first time in his entire life that he had been hurt to this degree.

The other student in Marcus’ room ran straight outside. He had wanted to scream but seeing the masked man looking straight at him made him choke on his words.

The students in the next room were also hearing what was happening with their hands on their mouths. They didn’t want to make noises even with their breathing in fear of getting the same treatment as Marcus. All of them had an idea as to who the masked person was but none had the heart to say it out loud. Perhaps, they were terrified to such a degree because they knew who the person was.

In the eventful room, Mehr clutched Marcus’ ripped open jaw and applied healing arts to it. He wasn’t proficient in the healing arts to the degree that he could regrow flesh, but it was enough to stop such severe bleeding. If he could regrow flesh, the torment would have been much more enjoyable.

“Me?” Mehr replied to the incomplete question that Marcus had tried to ask, “I am the son of Heavens; greatest beneath the sky.”