WMMAP - [S1] Shelter You - (愛)してる

[Revelation]: Cull The Weak

They all stared at the gun in silence. One of Leonidas' gang even took several steps back until he bumped into the side of the rail. The other stood frozen with his mouth hung open.

"Why would you even bring that!?" One of his friends cried, loud, but within outer space and with these raging winds, it would be impossible for the voice to reach the inside.

Leonidas shrugged. "For protection." That was greeted with more silence. "This is a desert eagle, well known for its melody for every shot it fires. It would be a shame to hide shush it with a silencer." He said, seemingly drunk with both ego and alcohol.

"How did you even get past the security check with... that thing..."

"Why on earth would those useless scums search me? They don't want to mess with me. They know who I am and they know who my dad is."

"Where did you... even get that?"

"My dad's."

"H—He gave it to you?" His friend stammered.

Leonidas shook his head. "No way. On the bright side, my dad doesn't know that I know where he keeps his gun collections."

"I can't believe you, Leo... I can't believe you brought it here..." His friend peeked over to see the gun. "Is it... loaded?" He asked.

A thin smile crossed Leonidas' face. His eyes flashed. "Maybe."

"Pu—Put it away, Leo... Let's go back inside..."

"Hmm... No." He switched his gaze back to someone who decided to play the hero. "We have to... keep our guests here entertained first... Right?"

"Leo — Do—don't mess around with that thing, man... "

"Shut up, will ya!" He snapped, and no one moved. "Not much of a tough guy now, are you?" Leonidas asked. The curve of his lips showed satisfaction and Lucas could only stand stiffly, both arms tensed at his sides.

As Leonidas started to raise the firearm up, slowly pointed at Lucas' chest, his finger over the trigger. Even the wind appeared to stop blowing, and the whisper of the rain hushed.

"...Then know your place, Trash!!"

"LEO—"

The gun exploded, and the sound of the shot echoed at the same time as the lightning struck somewhere close, bringing the electricity to an unstable state. The rumbling of the gunshot mixed with the sharp burst of thunder tore through the ground and the air as it quaked and no one was able to tell which was which.

A shrill scream of horror made its way through the raging rain and the flickering chandelier. It was Leonidas' friend who screamed as he watched Lucas drop to the floor.

-

The petrichor was strong, thus, a faint smell of gunpowder could still be visible in the air. The steam came through the gun that was in Leonidas' hand and was secured tightly by another man who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. They both exchanged a look. The eyes, one was filled with resentment, the other was cold as ice.

Although, Leonidas failed to notice there were many more adults standing behind the man. The bodyguard with the blazing scarlet hair tapped his right ear and mumbled something about calming the guests down and telling everyone that it was just some electrical issue.

"Let go of my hand," Leonidas ordered. "Right this instance."

"Let go of the gun."

Leonidas who was never used to being told what to do snorted and ready to fire another bullet. Upon a fractured movement of the child's hand, the older guy twisted his wrist and the boy cried in pain, cursing relentlessly.

"You BASTARD!! Wait until I tell my father—"

"That you are carrying a firearm, My Gun, to a dinner reception?" Nikolaos emerged from the dark, his face filled with disappointment. Leonidas dodged the eye contact and looked behind his father. He caught a glimpse of glowing azure crystals, shining ever so brightly under the skysplitter's rage. He watched the humanoid figure make his way through the distracted crowd, toward the unconscious body of his rival.

"Pathetic..." He muttered under his breath.

His father's voice snapped him back to focus. "Humiliation after humiliation. I've had enough of you. I'm sending you back home, Leo. And Don't you even think about getting out of this. You and your boys too." He turned to Leonidas' gang. "I will make sure that every detail is delivered to your parents. I am sure they are as Proud as I am right now."

Nikolaos motioned his hand and their guards went to Leonidas' side, hauling him by the arms, but Leonidas spat on them. "LEONIDAS ACRISIUS!" His father snapped. "STOP RESISTING!"

Leonidas aggressively shrugged off his guards' hands and walked so slow past the boy with black hair who was still in a state of shock. He saw the burning bullet pierced through the wall instead of his target.

Shouldn't have missed it if it wasn't for interference... He thought, knowing his aim was true.

"Please keep walking, Young Master." His guard reminded him.

"Tell me what to do again and I will cut your tongue and feed it to our dogs." Then he walked inside, followed by his two guards, but he was stopped mid-way.

"What do you want?" He almost snarled at the person in front of him.

"Are you in trouble again?" The man laughed, and Leonidas pushed past him. "I will take it from here. Tell his father that I am walking to the parking lots." The man told the two guards.

"But Sir... Young Master needs to be escorted home."

"Just tell his father 'Sir Carak is with Leonidas.' Could you gentlemen do that for me?"

"Yes Sir..."

"Very well." Said Carak, walking away from the guard, fastening his speed to match Leonidas' pace. "Slow down, boy. The night is still young as you are." He added with a small chuckle. "And I have to say, I love that stunt you pulled earlier."

"You were watching me?"

"I know there was something exciting going to happen tonight and what you did earlier was another excitement added to this boring dinner reception. But have I misjudged the distance?"

"...I hate my father. He keeps me under a leash as if I am some sort of a dog."

"No leash can chain a lion."

"Your path's closer to mine. Your father's ideals were a weakness. Sparta, the company ruled by the Acrisius, is falling to ashes and soon you two can no longer afford them. That is the consequence of ending the contract with Obelia."

"You mean we are going to go broke?"

"Bankrupt. Soon, all your property will be taken away."

"Curse that old man and his stupid decision..."

"He prefers to stay 'On the Right Track'."

"And look where we are. About to be homeless."

"I know that's not something I can make you understand. But I will offer you a chance for the throne ascension."

"Is this one of your riddles again, old man?"

"A lesson perhaps."

"Then?"

"There is an alternative solution, a shortcut that comes with a price. Your father's greatest prosperity. And now, again, his foolish mercy has tarnished his legacy." Carak shook his head. "You know what that... family is capable of. They are our only competition. And you know that we are the only two people who can get close enough to stop them."

"We?"

"Yes, Leonidas. We. We will show them who is the strongest... But do you know how to stay strong?"

"How?"

"We cull the weak."