After Dark #2: The Academy of Cordella

1. Awake

Levicius Astra Deserei stared out of the grand window of his bedroom, he sat on the window sill in his expensive three piece black suit and he wondered about things. The view out of his third floor bedroom window was grand, it looked out to the massive garden of the Deserei Mansion. Everything was grand. But empty.

There were gardeners and maids rushing around the garden, looking busy, preparing stuff, not that Levi would know what they were doing. Everything passed on by in a blur to him.

It was now the end of winter.

It's been three months.

Three months.

Three months since the end of the 12th survival games.

Three months since THAT happened.

When Levi closed his eyes, he could still see the explosion in his mind. As branches from the tree line flew in all directions, the helicopter flew high over it all with him locked away inside it. He screamed, but he could not hear himself, he had headphones on, the ones that allow communication and block out the loud helicopter noises.

"Young master," Winscendo Ginviereson, Win for short, the aged butler and manager of household affairs knocked quickly on the bedroom door.

Levi turned his gaze away from window, his living quarters were massive with a King sized bed against one wall, a walk-in wardrobe that was just as large as the area that stored his bed, an ensuite with a hot tub and a sauna along with a mini lounge room, dining room and study. That was his bedroom. He was a noblemen's son. His 'bedroom'

"What?" Levi called back with annoyance in his voice. Someone always wanted something from him.

"Master Deserei requests your presence at tonight's dinner celebrations," Win said. "Are you dressed?"

Levi groaned, dinner celebrations for getting into the Imperial Military Academy, not to be confused with the Cordella Military Academy, which was a primary school to high school place that enforced similar military orientated rules and curriculums. The Imperial Military Academy was what one would go into before officially joining the military of the great empire of Meltorine. For those who survived two years of a strange survival games, where teenagers had to survive in the forest with monsters that attack at night, would already have military ranks, and is distinguished from regular recruits.

Levi was one such person. He was noble, and he survived, so now, he is a Lieutenant. In fact, in the 12th survival game, only the nobles survived. The commoners and prisoners were blown up the day they were leaving the Dark Zone, the mysterious place where the games are hosted, the only place where there would be monsters that come out after dark and kill people. Though some of them did come out during the day too, it was a strange and dangerous place.

The memory of the explosion was etched into Levi's mind, Graphique Edwards, thin and pale with sleek long black hair tied in a ponytail smiled up at him from the clearing below. And then BANG. He was gone. Graphique was his boyfriend, he was a prisoner amongst many things. But there he was, smiling one moment, and then shattered into a million pieces the next, gone with the fiery blast.

When Levi did not respond, Win rapped on the door again, "young master?"

"Coming," Levi heaved himself off the window sill and smoothed out the wrinkles in his suit, he threw open the door whilst emitting hatred to anyone who would care to look at him. He was in a bad mood. The young master was always in a bad mood these days.

"Lady Kasahleen Davenport has arrived," Win informed him with a very expressionless wrinkled face. "Master Deserei requests that you keep her company."

"She can go fuck herself," Levi snapped at him, "and so can my father."