Chapter 50: The Aftershock

SLAP!

A crisp morning newspaper was slammed onto the center of the metal cafeteria table.

Aegon Logcheville sat down with a heavy thud. He crossed his arms and stared at the ceiling.

He was trying his absolute best to look annoyed, but the massive grin fighting its way onto his face completely ruined the act.

Draven picked up the paper.

The front page featured a massive photograph of Aegon standing over the dead mutated Berserker with his flaming spear.

The bold headline took up half the page: Aegon Logcheville: The New Hero of Bastion Seven?!

Right beneath it was a smaller secondary headline: Patriarch Hennesy Launches Reckless Assault on Outer Slums! Citizens Endangerment Questioned!

Draven took a slow sip of his black coffee. His mind processed the political spin instantly.

’The Vanguard Knights failed to protect the city,’ Draven thought.

’The media is desperately trying to hide the true noise about the Cult of the Eternal Eclipse. They need to maintain public order. So, they created a distraction. They turned Aegon into a shiny new variable to make the citizens feel safe.’

"Oh my goodness," Estella gasped. She leaned over Draven’s shoulder to look at the paper.

"Look at his face! They caught your good side, Aegon!"

"I look ridiculous," Aegon lied smoothly.

Reina snorted. She reached across the table and flicked Aegon right on the forehead.

"You literally cut out this exact article and put it in your pocket before coming down here," Reina teased him mercilessly.

"I saw you do it. Stop acting like you hate the attention."

Aegon’s face flushed a bright crimson red. "I did not! I just wanted a copy for my mother!"

Estella giggled. The tension that had plagued the squad for the past forty-eight hours finally vanished.

The atmosphere in the cafeteria was entirely different today. The students were no longer panicking.

They were looking at Aegon’s table with absolute reverence.

They did not just admire Aegon. They admired the entire squad.

They remembered that Draven, Estella, and Reina were the first ones to follow Aegon out the doors when the Vanguard Knights refused to act.

Draven noticed several senior students giving him subtle nods of respect as they walked past.

’This is incredibly useful,’ Draven realized.

’A little bit of respect makes a perfect camouflage for an Extra. I need to hold out till the first Arc. I cannot be in the limelight due those beings. If they catch me, then I will be done for.’

Footsteps approached their table. Natalie Tokks stopped right next to Reina.

The Gale-Bow Sniper usually kept a very wary distance from Draven. Today, her emerald eyes held genuine respect.

"Congratulations on the headline, Aegon," Natalie said sincerely. She looked around the table.

"And thank you. All of you. You saved a lot of people yesterday."

She gave a small bow and walked away to join her own classmates.

Before Aegon could even respond, the heavy cafeteria doors swung wide open. The entire dining hall went completely silent.

Guildmaster Seraphina walked in. Right beside her was an elegantly dressed woman with fiery crimson eyes. Lady Logcheville had arrived.

Aegon instantly went pale. He stood up from his chair.

"Mother, I can explain," Aegon started.

Lady Logcheville did not wait for an explanation. She marched right up to the new Hero of Bastion Seven and grabbed him firmly by the ear.

"Ow! Ow! Mother, people are watching!" Aegon whined loudly.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?!" Lady Logcheville scolded him. Her voice echoed off the glass dome.

"You broke a direct Academy lockdown! You charged into a burning street filled with monsters!"

She pulled him down by his ear, but then her strict demeanor completely shattered. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a desperate hug.

"Do not ever be that reckless again," she whispered softly. "You are my only son."

Aegon awkwardly patted his mother’s back.

Seraphina stood a few feet away. The powerful S-Rank Guildmaster looked at the four teenagers sitting at the table.

She did not offer any official badges. She did not give a grand speech.

She simply gave them a slow nod of profound gratitude before turning around to manage the remaining crisis outside.

---

Late that night, Draven sat alone in his dark dorm room.

The celebrations were over. It was time to get back to work.

He pushed his mana into the black geometric tattoo on his right hand.

VWOOM!

The walls of his room dissolved into the endless dark void. Draven stood in the center of the Astral Server. He willed the massive obsidian table into existence and took his seat at the head.

He tapped the glowing interface. He summoned his pawn.

Sirius Statanham materialized in the void. The Underworld Don immediately dropped to one knee. He bowed his head low.

"My Lord," Sirius greeted him with deep reverence.

"Stand up, Sirius," Draven commanded. "How is the boy?"

Sirius stood up slowly. His eyes were shining with genuine relief.

"He is recovering incredibly fast. The rotting curse in his blood is completely stalling. The potion you provided worked a miracle. I cannot thank you enough."

Draven leaned forward. His pitch-black eyes locked onto the criminal boss.

"I do not want your thanks," Draven stated coldly.

"I gave your son his life back. In exchange, your life belongs to me. I require your eternal loyalty."

Sirius did not hesitate. He placed his right fist over his heart.

"My life is yours," Sirius swore.

"The Statanham syndicate belongs to the Embracing Hands. Give me your orders."

Draven rested his elbows on the obsidian table. The war above ground was going perfectly, but he needed to control the flow of information.

"You are going to become the absolute information broker of Bastion Seven," Draven ordered.

"I want you to crush your rivals in the slums. You will monopolize every single whisper in the underworld."

Sirius nodded quickly.

"Once you secure this city, you will expand your network," Draven continued.

"I want eyes in Bastion Six and Bastion Eight before the end of the year. The Church of the Eternal Eclipse is going to get desperate soon. When they move, I want to know about it before they even take their first step."

"It shall be done, My Lord," Sirius promised.

Draven waved his hand. The Underworld Don vanished from the Server.

Draven sat alone in the quiet void. The Hennessey Clan was bleeding the Cult dry.

Aegon was acting as the perfect public shield. The underworld was completely under his thumb.

The Extra was finally in total control of the narrative.