Fifth Hunt – The Demon MustTranslator: SoulDead, WrynProofreader: Wolfjackle, Wryn, Noobzilla, DoomsdayvicFriend of a demonIs no friendDemon for a friendAbandon notDaren Solaris anxiously hurried along the path, afraid that Ezart would get to school before him. When he reached the road that Ezart took to go to school, he glanced at his watch. It was only seven. Normally, Ezart didn’t get to this point until it was nearly eight; he certainly hadn’t come by yet.Daren had plenty of patience so he settled down to wait and diligently watch the road.When the clock neared eight, Daren began to get nervous. Is Ezart not coming to cla.s.s today? Come to think of it, yesterday he did mention that he might skip school today. But the fight last night in the underground arena didn’t end so late, also during the barbecue he told me he’d come to cla.s.s today…What if he’s so mad he doesn’t want to come to school? Daren felt his heart sinking, unsure whether he should keep waiting or go on to school.Cla.s.ses began at eight twenty, so if he left now he would have time to walk. However, if he were to wait ten minutes, he would have to fly if he wished to make it in time. Daren hesitated, uncertain of what to do.Would it be okay to apologize after Ezart turned up to cla.s.s?Lost in his thoughts, Daren didn’t notice the unfriendly students that had gathered around him until they began closing in.“Do you need something?”He had already recognized all of them as cla.s.smates, so he wasn’t on the alert.To be precise, they were the cla.s.smates who had been making fun of him the day before. Of course, Daren hadn’t caught on to most of the mockery; he didn’t even fully understand what “mockery” meant.“You had b.a.l.l.s yesterday, huh, lookin’ down on us like that,” said a boy; his face contorted in anger.Daren didn’t understand; he’d never looked down on them. He always greeted his cla.s.smates earnestly every time they met, but they usually ignored him.“What? Ya wonderin’ how we’d dare screw with ya?” snorted a girl with multicolored hair. “Didn’ realize we were at the barbecue joint las’ night, didja?”“Oh, really?” Realisation dawned upon him; no wonder they thought he was looking down on them—he hadn’t even recognized them, let alone said h.e.l.lo.Daren sincerely apologized, thinking it was all his fault, “I am really sorry that I didn’t notice you; next time I’ll be sure to say ‘hi.’”His apology made everyone freeze in shock, until a girl shouted, “Who’d wanna say ‘hi’ to trash like you? Get this, we ain’t afraid of ya. Ye’ve violated the Plague G.o.d’s taboo, an’ we heard ‘im say that he ain’t gotch’er back any more, an’ he never says nothin’ he don’ mean. So he won’ care even if we beatcha up in front of ‘im.”Even though Daren had never learned about Ezart’s nickname as the “Plague G.o.d” he knew who they were referring to, since he had only been with Ezart last night.He immediately asked, “Which taboo?”He very much wanted to know what he had done to make Ezart angry.“Hmph!” The girl glared at him suspiciously, not sure whether this nerd really was being serious or just pretending. Not that it mattered; they weren’t about to answer him either way.A few of them exchanged glances. Although they had heard Ezart say he wasn’t going to stick up for him anymore, they still did not dare to beat up Daren in front him and risk having Ezart go back on his decision. That’s why they were here, waylaying Daren outside the school.After glancing at each other, they slowly closed in on Daren…“What are you guys doing?”With his back was against the wall, Daren by nature did not like being cornered without an escape route. He felt uneasy, despite knowing that these people were no threat at all.“Nothing. We just want you to come play in the alley with us.” One of them laughed sinisterly.Daren was a little confused, but also a little happy; his cla.s.smates are acknowledging him now, and even asking him to play with them. But he needed to wait for Ezart.“I’m sorry, but can we play another day? I have to wait for Ezart today, and it’s almost time for cla.s.s anyway. We’ll be late.”“f.u.c.k, didja think ya had a choice?” shouted one impatiently.Stop wasting time y’all. Punch ‘im and drag ‘im there.”“Let’s do it!” One of them raised his fist.“Ezart!” Daren shouted, his sharp eyes catching a glimpse of orange-red spiky hair.Everyone turned to look and, seeing that it really was the Plague G.o.d, froze in fear.“Ezart!” Daren skipped forward happily.Ezart coldly looked around at the situation. His cla.s.smates were already ganging up on Daren. He had thought the kid might last a day at the very least. No wonder the brat was so desperate for a bodyguard.“Ezart, I’m sorry,” Daren apologised wholeheartedly. “I must have offended you somehow. I’m sorry. I don’t know what your taboo is, but I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m really sorry. We can still be friends, right?”Ezart remained silent. He walked past Daren without as much as a glance, as if no one had spoken to him.Ezart… Daren faltered, his mind in confusion. He had apologised! Why was Ezart still ignoring him?Witnessing Ezart’s reaction, the students around Daren were completely convinced that Ezart did not care about the brat anymore. Their confidence buoyed immediately. Grabbing Daren’s arms, they proceeded to drag him into the alley for a beating.Daren absolutely hated people touching him, but right now, his gaze was fix on Ezart’s back. He thought that if Ezart heard the sound of him being beaten and turned around, it would mean they were still friends. Maybe even closer friends than before. But, if he didn’t turn…A fist swung towards Daren’s stomach. He didn’t hide, dodge, nor suppress his voice. Under normal circ.u.mstances, a cyborg like himself wouldn’t make a sound even if he was being beaten to death.His eyes were fixed upon Ezart, still shining with hope through the depths of his dark pupils. Would that brutish silhouette of Ezart stop for him, turn around and save a friend?The fearless and invincible Dark Sun was praying for someone to rescue Daren. Not just to save him physically, but more so to save Daren’s mentality.Daren needed a friend, someone other than his brother and Theodore Avery, who would smile at him. Otherwise he would never be able to step out into the world beyond those two people...“Ezart…” Daren pleaded, hoping the other would not abandon him and give him a helping hand.Hearing this cry, Ezart paused.But, he did not turn around.The footsteps did not stop.No hand reached out to Daren, and the dark pupils that shone with hope was soon extinguished.Daren was pushed into the alley and pummeled by the people around him. But how could it be more painful than his father’s hatred?How could it be more painful than having his bones replaced with metal, his muscles artificially strengthened, surviving countless surgeries, and his excruciating rehabilitation?What does it matter compared to being unable to see his brother, the only person who had ever loved him, for seven years?How could it be more painful than being abandoned by his friend…No! Had they ever been friends?They never were.Ezart’s reply from the night before flashed through his head.So that’s how it was.He never had any friends, and now…he never will.Daren lay flat on the ground, using his arms to shield his face. He looked completely defenseless. His attackers were continuously punching him as if they wanted to kill. But beneath the arms, Daren’s eyes was void of all human emotion.I can’t let them go on; master would be upset if my injuries are too obvious.But I must never reveal Dark Sun’s abilities…those were Master’s orders.Then…Kill! Kill them all; then no one would know about Dark Sun!Kill them all!“Stop! Are you trying to kill him?”Ezart? A crack suddenly appeared in his expressionless mask, revealing extreme antic.i.p.ation. Daren searched for the source of the voice. It was…Elian?Even though Elian had no idea why Ezart and Daren had suddenly gotten into an argument, and a very serious one at that, Daren’s face showed as if he had been abandoned by the world… Could such a person really be Dark Sun?Elian pushed aside his irrelevant thoughts and took a deep breath. It was none of his business; he was only here to discover whether or not Daren was actually Dark Sun. Nothing else mattered.With that thought, he looked on as the boy who called him “Elian-gege” was dragged into the alley, where countless fists landed cruelly on his thin frame. The gang pummeled him as if he was a sworn enemy, while the youth could only curl up on the ground like a shrimp, while attempting to shield his face with his arms.Go on! If you are Dark Sun then these people are nothing; you have more than enough power to retaliate.With only an eye peeking out from his hiding spot, Elian watched the situation unfold within the alley. How much more can such a weakling endure? Was he really going to stand here and watch the boy who called him “Elian-gege” get beaten to death before his eyes, just to prove he wasn’t Dark Sun?!If so, could he still be considered human?Although “inhumanity” wasn’t that rare of an occurrence: do these people even deserve to be called human?Elian scoffed at those giving the beating, until he suddenly realised that his own indifference wasn’t all that different.He charged into the alley.“Stop! Do you want to kill him?”A few people stopped and turned, furious, to see what kind of suicidal idiot dared interrupt their beating!“None of your f.u.c.king business! Now scram if you don’t wanna end up the same!” yelled one of them maliciously.“Whatever! Just drag him in and we’ll beat ‘em both. Then we won’t have to take turns. .h.i.tting that scrawny brat,” snickered another person while kicking Daren in the side.Seeing Daren take another hit, Elian’s face darkened. “You’ll all pay for this!”“You hear that? He said we’ll pay! Hahaha! I’m dying here.”They laughed in unison, practically rolling on the ground in their mirth.Elian pulled out two knives… More specifically, they were two hilts, but these hilts weren’t made of wood. Rather, they were made of a metal that had a beautifully delicate, pale-blue sheen. Holding these exceptional hilts in both hands, Elian fell into a simple, yet effective, fighting stance.He didn’t move a muscle as two blades of condensed light energy extended from the hilts. The flawless silhouette and pale blue glow demanded speechless awe.“Those twin light sabers…he-he was the student from the ECS that defeated Ezart and Shain Baylian in the fight simulator!” some of them shouted as they finally recognised him.Elian smiled, “Bingo! You guessed it!”Thus, a battle, too terrible to behold, of unimaginable disparity between forces, unfolded. Or, in other words, the thrashing began. Within just a few moments, Elian turned all of their weapons to sc.r.a.p metal, and gave them a taste of their own medicine.Cries of “Aaah! No more!” and “I was wrong! Let me go!” emanated incessantly from the alley.Having hit the last man standing with the hilt of his light saber, Elian surveyed the howling ma.s.s with injuries on par with Daren’s, and finally stopped. He coldly declared, “I’m warning you guys. If Eloise, a woman with strength that rivals Ezart and loves Daren even more than I do, got wind of how you dared to hit Dar… heh heh!”Upon hearing this, all of them tearfully begged “Please spare us!”Elian snorted coldly: “Scram! I’ll give you ten seconds and if you’re all still within my sight, I will call Eloise and get her to continue the beating!”The threat was enough to get the gang, who had looked to be on the brink of death just a moment ago, to jump up and scramble out of the alley in terror.Elian dropped his menacing glare and glanced worriedly at Daren. “Are you okay, Dar?”Daren was still sitting in the same place, his expression sluggish. Realising that he was staring intently at the twin light sabers, Elian figured that Daren was probably scared witless by them. He quickly retracted the blades and put away the hilts within the folds of his shirt.“Dar, are you alright?” Elian crouched down, intending to examine Daren’s condition.Daren cringed, refusing to be inspected.“I’ll take you to the infirmary, okay?” Elian’s hand halted, extremely concerned. Looks like Daren’s in shock.“Or do you want to go home?”“No! Not home!” Daren shouted. He didn’t want brother to see him hurt; brother would be very worried.“Alright, alright! Not home,” Elian rea.s.sured him. “Then let’s go to the infirmary.”Daren nodded at first, but then immediately remembered that he couldn’t let any doctor examine him, or else his condition would be revealed.“No! I want to go to cla.s.s.”“But you’re hurt.” Elian frowned.“It’s alright.” Daren stood up, brushed the dirt off his clothes, then straightened his uniform into some semblance of neatness.Elian kept frowning as he looked at him. From the tears in his clothes, it was easy to see the many bruises and cuts, but Dar did not want to go to the infirmary. What to do?Why not let Eloise take care of Daren? He did not know anything about caring for someone who had been hurt physically and mentally…Daren picked up his bag that had been thrown to the side, and dusted it off without saying anything. Elian felt this was a little strange coming from Daren.Was the shock too much? He began to regret not coming out earlier to stop those guys.“Dar, Are you alright...?” despite what he said, Elian had already decided that things were definitely not right.“I’m fine. I’m going off to school now. Thanks for helping me, Elian-gege.” Daren bowed in thanks to Elian, then turned and headed towards the road.Not only was something wrong, it was very serious. Elian frowned as he dialed Eloise on his mobile phone, following Daren closely for fear that another such incident might occur again.Daren walked slowly to school and into his cla.s.sroom. He was late and he knew it.But in the midst of such a ruckus that could overwhelm three bustling fish markets, one late student didn’t attract any attention, neither from the teacher on his podium nor the students fooling around.Forget tardiness, even those students beaten into absenteeism by Elian went unnoticed.That’s because this was cla.s.s D, the legendary cla.s.s where cows are put to pasture. As long as the tuition was paid, your certificate would come in the express mail even if you didn’t go to the graduation ceremony. Although a diploma with a big “D” emblazoned across it wasn’t of much use.Daren hung his bag neatly beside his desk before sitting down. He looked at that mop of orange hair sprawled across the next desk. Ezart was attending school to sleep in the cla.s.sroom as per usual, only waking up for combat cla.s.ses.Daren fished out his notebook and began concentrating on the lesson. He knew Elian followed him the whole way and was now gazing at him through the window, a picture of concern.But he ignored Elian completely. He just wanted to cla.s.s to end quickly, then go home to brother and Papa Avery.Only they would never turn their backs on him. Only they will never leave him behind.Daren’s hand speedily jotted down everything the teacher said, but his gaze was dull. The notes were naturally of no interest. Normally, he could talk to Ezart even though the latter was always in a state of murderous rage after being woken up.Boring, boring…Oh yeah, I still have one toy I can play with.“Xiao Ai!”Daren dug around in his bag and found the pink heart shaped console at the very bottom. Impatiently, he pressed the “on” b.u.t.ton.A girl with pink hair and gla.s.ses was projected, she pouted, “Dar is so mean. You ignored me for so long!”“Sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose. Have you been waiting for me all this time?” Dar continued writing with his right hand while playing with Little Ai with his left.I still have Little Ai, she’s always been waiting for me.“Of course!” Little Ai pouted adorably.“You won’t... betray me?”“Of course not. Dar, what shall we do now?” Little Ai giggled and the options “Chat”, “Eat” and “Study” appeared on the screen.Daren quirked his head and decided to start from the first option. He will go through all of them once.Elian stood outside the window observing Dar with furrowed brows. He seemed to be fine, playing on his dating game console after taking some notes.The only change was that Dar and Ezart were behaving like complete strangers.“What happened with Dar? Which b.a.s.t.a.r.d dared to hurt my adorable Dar?!”Eloise started shouting at the distant end of the corridor, her voice preceding her arrival.Elian rolled his eyes at her. Lucky for them Cla.s.s D was so raucous that n.o.body took any notice. What an unfathomable cla.s.s!“He seems fine playing with his game...” Elian was b.u.mped to the side mid sentence.Eloise craned her neck peering through the window till she caught sight of Dar looking perfectly fine sitting on his chair. She heaved a sigh of relief.“Dar looks like he’s ok...”“He’s despondent.” Eloise was interrupted mid sentence by Eli, who was slowly sashaying down the corridor.Elian and Eloise snapped their heads towards Eli, glaring at him.Eli ignored their glares, listening in for a second before saying, “He’s continuously repeating the phrases ‘Don’t abandon me. Ezart. Never was.’ He’s not paying attention to the game at all”Elian was dumbfounded, “But he is actually playing the game.”Eli threw him a glance and asked, “He’s playing while writing notes with a stony dull expression. Are you blind?”Elian speechlessly observed again. It was indeed true.“Oh my poor Dar! He’s not smiling anymore! That Ezart must be bullying him!” Eloise exploded in rage and bellowed, “This won’t do! I will get justice for Dar!”With that, she jumped onto the windowsill before Elian or Eli could stop her. She pompously pointed at the sleeping Ezart and yelled, “Ezart! Come out! I will punish you in Dar’s place!”The moment the word “Ezart” left her mouth, the whole cla.s.s became deadly silent, shocked that someone even dared to challenge the G.o.d of Plague. But, weren’t those the three ECS students who were stealing the show in the battle simulator?Ezart languidly raised his head, the displeasure of being woken up coupled with the dragon tattoo made him look extremely imposing. The crowd unanimously thought that a ma.s.sive battle was imminently unavoidable.Unexpectedly, Ezart spouted, “Practical combat cla.s.s tomorrow. Battle Simulator. Bring it.” He flopped onto his desk and continued sleeping.Eloise was incensed. She was just short of incinerating the whole cla.s.s with the flames of fury erupting from her mouth.Elian simply shook his head and strenuously withheld the imploding Eloise.Eli, on the other hand, was giving Ezart an appreciative glance. He had a very straightforward mentality with no extraneous thoughts other than those that emerge from his lips.“Dar~ Jiejie will avenge you!” Eloise yelled as she was dragged away by Elian, with Eli strolling behind.Avenge what? Daren vacantly watched the trio depart. After staring blankly for a second, he decided to continue playing with Little Ai.Theodore Avery was squirming uneasily at home. Although he had entered the laboratory several times, but after several near mishaps, he decided not to risk destroying his experiments. He sat in the living room watching the seconds tick by as he waited for Daren’s return.“Sigh. How am I different from a worried father?” Theodore adjusted the spectacles perched on his nose as he lamented, “I have obviously never been married, so why am I a father? And I’m even worried about my son’s difficulty in making friends. I really wonder if I’ll have to give my son advice on how to woo a girl in the future...”“I’m home.”“Oh. You’re back... Dar!”Theodore sprang up immediately and rushed to Daren’s side to a.s.sess him.Very good. It looks as if it’s nothing serious. Only a little listless, but at least he didn’t come back with a river of tears.Daren smiled in reply, “Yes. I’m back. Papa Avery, I’m hurt. Can you treat me?”“Oh ok. I’ll treat you... Wait a second! You’re hurt?” Theodore finally realised what Daren was saying. Did he just say he was injured? The cyborg Dark Sun was injured?Theodore was dumbstruck momentarily before screeching hysterically, “Who hurt you? Don’t tell me it was those people who kidnapped Devon last time? They actually injured you. Are they really that strong?”But the most important point was...He gulped in antic.i.p.ation, “Did they leave behind any corpses? Can you give me a few to experiment on?”It was not like he did not care about Dar! He was already standing before him in one piece which meant he was fine! In that case, he had to quickly ascertain the location of the modified humans for some body s.n.a.t.c.hing before Devon showed up to destroy all traces.Ah... it so happens that the few corpses below have already been experimented on to the brink of disintegration.Daren shook his head in explanation, “No. I was beaten up by my cla.s.smates.”Theodore’s jaw hit the ground with a thud. After a long pause he uttered, “You... your cla.s.smates are also modified humans?”“Normal humans.”“With supernatural abilities?” Theodore was in disbelief.Dark Sun! It was his greatest achievement which he spent seven years modifying into the strongest cyborg. Even if provided with the same laboratory, identical materials and a similar time frame, he had no guarantee that he could fashion another equally powerful robot.Daren reiterated honestly, “Not at all.”“...They possessed the most advanced modified artillery?”“They hit me with their fists and legs.”How is that possible... Theodore froze, on the brink of collapse.“Is my brother back yet?” Daren nervously shook Theodore saying, “Papa Avery, treat me quickly. If he sees this when he gets back...”...it would be Armageddon! Theodore regained his senses and dragged Daren down to the bas.e.m.e.nt.The sub-bas.e.m.e.nt was Theodore’s private sanctuary - his laboratory.The bas.e.m.e.nt was Daren’s s.p.a.ce. Although the distance between these two levels were equivalent to five storeys of a normal building, because the interval s.p.a.ce was filled with cement and metal, it was still named bas.e.m.e.nt 1 and 2.For safety precautions, Devon had insisted that the distance should be far enough that “a nuclear explosion in bas.e.m.e.nt 2 would not affect bas.e.m.e.nt 1”.A s.p.a.cious training arena, a shooting range and a personal battle simulator lay beyond the doors to bas.e.m.e.nt 1. Transparent bullet proof cabinets housed guns and swords of all kinds. A weapons exhibition would paled in comparison.In this s.p.a.ce permeating with violence, there was a white room part.i.tioned with clear gla.s.s filled with high tech instruments surrounding a pink operating table.Devon: A white operating table will remind Dar of unpleasant memories. Make it pink!Theodore’s internal dialogue: Why pink? Can’t it be blue?Daren removed his long sleeve uniform upon entering the room, revealing numerous bruises on his body. He automatically lay on the operating table.“Why is it so serious?”Theodore was stunned speechless. Dar did not have this many injuries even after battling with the modified humans.“Gege will see my arms, start there.”Because he used his arms to shield his head, his porcelain skin was dotted with injuries more serious than the rest. Daren raised his arms. There was virtually no area left unscathed.“Alright.”Theodore frowned as he expertly pierced Daren with a needle-like suction device, which diligently expressed all the haemorrhage from the capillaries. It was followed by a healing serum.Gradually, the bruises the size of a bowl shrank to the size of a finger nail.Daren frowned, “Gege will see this...”“We’ve got no choice. An injury can’t heal in an instant.” Theodore replied as he worked efficiently.He shrugged, “Let’s find an excuse. We’ll say that there was a technical problem with your hand and I helped you fix it, hence the injuries...”“I see. Not a bad excuse.”“Sigh. No matter how good the excuse is, the moment your incestuous brother sees that you’re covered in bruises, there’s no stopping him from going berserk.”Theodore sighed haplessly. He was always the first in the line of fire. His head had almost gotten used to having the BHP09 pressed against it.Strange, that did not sound like something Dar would say...Daren sat up from the operating table with wide eyes staring past Theodore Avery.A chill crawled up Theodore’s spine, he’s done for…”Who was it?”Devon Solaris uttered in a voice as chilling as a freezer. The people who understand him knew that behind this freezer were flames of fury straight out of h.e.l.l.”Gege…” Daren called out hesitantly.Devon whipped out his BHP09 and fired an unerringly accurate shot that grazed Theodore’s cheek, leaving a trail of blood.This action alone was terrifying. But, the latter’s reaction amplified that. Theodore adjusted the spectacles perched on his nose, his face the serenity of one surrendered to his fate, as he continued his treatment of Daren’s bruises with the suction device.“Who was it?” Devon raged.”It was just a fight between cla.s.smates.” Theodore revealed the truth under duress, although he himself was suspicious of this truth.“A fight between cla.s.smates?”Devon looked at all the bruises on his younger brother, his ruby red eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g with heartache, “You call this a fight between cla.s.smates? Who dared to beat you Dar? Was it that porcupine head!?””No! It’s not Ezart! Really! He won’t hurt me…” Daren suddenly stopped speaking.”Then who was it? If you don’t tell gege, I’ll behead that porcupine head!”Daren became fl.u.s.tered. He knew that if his brother found out who did it, those people would not need to attend school ever again. He waved his hands about in panic, “Gege, Dar is fine. It’s just a scratch. I’ll be fine after Papa Avery fixes it.”Devon walked over, caressing each of didi’s injury as if the bashing had been inflicted on himself.He really should not have caused his brother such sadness… Daren lowered his head in remorse, “ Gege… please don’t be upset. Dar won’t obediently let himself be beaten up next time.”Hearing that, Theodore revealed a perturbed expression.Devon twitched as he asked with difficulty, “Obediently let yourself be beaten up?”Daren started nodding before he realised that he said something that would make his brother angrier. Afraid of nodding and unable to lie, he hung his head in guilt, not meeting his brother’s eyes.”Dar, you really won’t tell me?” Devon was incredibly exasperated, but being the Solaris Emperor, he managed to calm down instantly and declared with carefree ease, “No matter! I’ll just kill all your cla.s.smates and transfer you to a different cla.s.s tomorrow.””No!” Daren yelled, “Gege don’t kill Ezart!”Devon quirked his head to the side elegantly in consideration and smiled, ”Alright then, I’ll kill everyone other than Ezart and transfer you both to another cla.s.s tomorrow.””Ah…”Daren thought that this was wrong, even though he never spoke to the rest, but, but… he couldn’t just let innocent people be slaughtered.Gege’s in such a good mood that he’s actually smiling… Looks like he really wants to kill my whole cla.s.s. What to do? Don’t tell me I really have to tell him who beat me up so he can only kill those few instead of the whole cla.s.s?That’s not right! Those few cla.s.smates were already taught a lesson by Elian, if they were killed by by brother, then… then it would be a pity. Even though they had beaten him up, he still did not want to see them get killed…Devon seemed calm and collected but on the inside, he was itching to get his hands on the perpetrators. Of course he would not kill the whole cla.s.s, doing so would cause a great furore and draw unwanted attention on the only surviving… no the only two survivors. G.o.d knows why Dar likes that porcupine head so much! That would make it extremely difficult for Dar to conceal his ident.i.ty.The killing will have to wait till didi leaves that cla.s.s!Theodore watched the pair of brothers as he treated Dar’s wounds. One of them was anxiety personified, the other was wearing a gentle smile while his eyes flashed with maliciousness, hatching plots of unimaginable gruesomeness in his mind.He discreetly shook his head. Sigh! The naïve Daren pitted against the devious, scheming Devon was like an infant versus a conspirator.What to do? There’s no way to stop my brother from killing my cla.s.smates? He was so anxious that his eyes were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with tears, and still he could not think of a solution. Why am I so stupid?Not only did he anger Ezart by violating his taboo, he did not even know what his taboo was. Then he was beaten up by his cla.s.smates, yet he did not know why they wanted to bash him. Now his brother wanted to kill his cla.s.smates, and once again he could not think of a solution… uwaaa!I’m a big idiot! A big idiot who doesn’t know anything… His self pity broke the dam of tears.”Dar, you better tell your big brother who beat you up… Dar?”Dar hung his head, tears trickling down his face.The always poised Solaris Emperor lost his composure, mouth agape, a fl.u.s.ter of hands and legs, unsure of whether he should wipe away Dar’s tears or pat him on the shoulder.Devon was furious at himself. d.a.m.n it! Was he crazy? He used his scheming ways on Dar and forced him to burst into tears. Did he not swear to make him happy?Why was he causing Dar grief instead? Devon trembled as he plead, “Please don’t cry… don’t cry Dar. Gege was wrong. Don’t cry, don’t be sad and depressed.”Despite his brother’s words, Dar continued to cry as he shook his head. He just could not stop the flood of tears. Plus, the tears of his long acc.u.mulated grievances gushed more rapidly after he heard his brother’s apology, racking his body with sobs.”Alright, alright! Gege won’t kill your cla.s.smates. Not a single one. They will all live long and prosper ... Even if they were minced into a puddle of mulch by oncoming cars, I will get someone to drag them back from the depths of h.e.l.l!”Devon suppressed his harsh words, as long as Dar stopped being despondent, he would march to h.e.l.l himself to drag those people up.”Re… Really?” Daren sniffled while looking at Devon.Seeing the tears swirling around Dar’s black orbs, could Devon really say no? There was no room for struggle. He could only nod in acquiescence, “Really.””Mnm. That’s great…”Daren wiped his tears and belatedly felt embarra.s.sed for crying in front of his brother even though he was already sixteen years old.”Bu… But Dar… You have to at least let me send someone to bash those people who hurt you, right?”Devon requested with insatiable desire… Just the thought of the existence of people, who hurt Dar without suffering any retribution, ignited a burning rage that consumed any semblance of a human heart!But Daren shook his head, “There’s no need gege. Elian-ge has already beaten them up.”Elian-ge...Who? He dares to fight me for the t.i.tle of gege! Devon’s face twitched.No! I cannot be so uncultured… He smiled, “Elian-ge… so this person called Elian (he grounded out between his teeth), he must treat you very well for you to call him that.”Pffft! What a strong stench of jealousy. Hahahaha... Theodore who had his back to Devon quivered with suppressed laughter, his face contorting with the effort as his abdomen spasmed with pain.”Yeah. Elian-ge is a nice person. He saved me today.”Daren’s face fell abruptly, “I shouldn’t have ignored him. Elian-ge cares for me so much, he wanted to send me to the sick bay, and he followed me back to cla.s.s, but I was so sad because Ezart was ignoring me that I didn’t feel like talking.””What?” Devon raged, “That Ezart porcupine did what to make you sad?”Daren blinked in confusion before realising he said something he should not have, “Ah!”Dar! I will never dare tell you any of my secrets again. You always let the cat out of the bag without realising it… Theodore sighed internally.”It was he who hit you right? I knew it was him! I knew it!” Devon stomped angrily around the laboratory, his mind filled with 88 forbidden ways of exacting gruesome, blood-splattering, gory vengeance.”Eh?” Daren rushed to clarify, “No! Gege. Ezart did not hit me. It was the other cla.s.smates who hated me who did it.”Oh. So that’s how it was. The other cla.s.smates who hated Dar? Devon narrowed his eyes sinisterly.Dar, you just spilled more intel for your brother to exact his plot for revenge… Theodore haplessly pushed the spectacles perched on his nose.”It’s true. Ezart he… he said that we were not friends…” Daren lowered his head, hurt showing in his eyes.What! It is an honour to be friends with Dar, you actually dared to say that you’re not friends! Devon was going stark crazy. He wanted to harpoon the porcupine head that very instant and execute every single torture method he concocted in his mind on him.”Gege! You’re absolutely forbidden from bullying Ezart!” Daren stared at his brother, eyes filled with the determination to cry if he touched Ezart.d.a.m.n it! Devon cursed silently while he smiled in seeming pacification, “Okay, okay! Gege won’t hurt him. Don’t cry alright.”To each his own object of demise. The wielder of the greatest power in the world was defeated by a few tears. Not only that, he was reduced to placating his younger brother like a procuress plying the oldest trade. Theodore was once again quivering with barely contained mirth.Hearing his brother’s confirmation, Daren’s heart was set at ease. After some thought he asked, “Gege, can I ask you a question?””Of course you can.” Devon replied warmly, “I’ll answer any question you have.””How do you become good friends with someone?” Daren asked expectantly.Devon, the investment maniac who only had collaborators with mutual benefits but no friends for the past 10 years, revealed a pathetic expression because his didi had asked him how to befriend someone.Hahaha… By now Theodore’s stomach had started cramping on the side from all the suppressed laughter.Devon glared menacingly at the convulsing Theodore, “Oh, why don’t you ask Papa Avery instead!”His silent laughter ceased abruptedly.Theodore, the research maniac who only came into intimate contact with another person (usually in the post mortem context, occasionally in vivo experiments) during experiments for the past 15 years, revealed a frigid expression because his child born “out of wedlock” asked him how to make friends, while his child’s brother was polishing his shiny BHP09.”Making friends involves… having meals together, going shopping together.” Theodore answered with difficulty.”Ezart and I have had meals together, and had supper once and shopped together (when he bought Little Ai), played together (Little Ai’s name and appearance were decided by Ezart, so that counted). But he still said that we’re not friends…” Daren was both saddened and perplexed, as he looked towards his brother and “father” expectantly.Wait a minute! Had supper together? Devon’s face twitched, Isn’t supper eaten close to midnight?”Is that so? Hahaha… Then I’ll go search the encyclopaedia for you for the meaning of ‘friend’.” Theodore slipped upstairs immediately.Therefore, Daren’s eyes focused on his brother, the latter cursing Theodore silently while proposing a solution, “Well, I will make my subordinates investigate how to befriend someone.”With that, the almighty Solaris Emperor followed Theodore’s example as he rushed upstairs to make phone calls, leaving this impossibly difficult question, which had stymied two masters of different fields, to be dealt with by minions.Friend refers to a person with whom the interpersonal relationship has progressed to a certain stage, usually not related by blood, but of extremely genial interactions. Friends are usually honest with each other, loyal and thoughtful. They have similar personalities, tastes and interests, possibly engaging in activities together frequently. They can help each other mutually, for example, listening to each other’s concerns and giving advice. For the majority, friends are trusted companions. (Theodore explained after he checked the encyclopaedia and was reminded by Daren that the microchip in his brain already had this explanation. Daren once again prevented patricide from occurring in the nick of time.)A friend is someone who you play drinking games and pick up girls with. (Devon fired one of his innocent minions.)So… what is a friend?Daren still did not understand. He only wanted to go to school with Ezart, have lunch together, have supper together. Although at the beginning Ezart did not smile at him and kept asking him to go away, but in the end they got along pretty well, right?Daren pondered about the taboo those cla.s.smates had mentioned as he walked to school. What in the world was it?”Dar!”Daren halted mid step, turned and blurted, “Elian-ge?”Hearing that, the girl beside Elian revealed a pitiful expression. Daren hurriedly added, “Eloise, how are you?”Eloise broke out into a wide smile and jumped before Daren. She caressed his face like a lecher, moving her hands back and forth. “Dar you’re so cute today!”Daren haplessly smiled. The reason for the cuteness is because you utterly destroyed my gla.s.ses…”You’re smiling Dar.” Elian heaved a sigh of relief, “That’s good. I was really worried that you received too much of a shock and couldn’t recover from it.”To think that Elian-ge was actually worried about him. Daren apologised, “Elian-ge, I’m really sorry for ignoring you yesterday.”Elian gave a carefree smile, “No worries. I knew you were in a bad mood.””Dar don’t be upset. Eloise jiejie1 will definitely bash that Ezart for you!” Eloise thumped her chest in promise.Daren jerked his head up, he remembered the challenge between Eloise and Ezart yesterday and panicked a little, “Eloise, Ezart didn’t bully me. It’s just… just that he doesn’t want to be friends with me that’s all…” The more he talked the more devastated he became.Elian and Eloise exchanged glances and saw that their hands were tied. If Dar was bullied, it was easily taken care of. All they had to do was to beat those people up.But they could not possibly force someone to become friends with Dar.That’s right! Elian-ge, Eloise and Eli looked like they were good friends. So he could ask Elian-ge what a friend is! Daren looked at the two of them in antic.i.p.ation, “Elian-ge, how can one be considered a friend?”Elian furrowed his brows. This question has no model answer.But Eloise replied effortlessly, “Needless to say, it’s the person who you tell everything to, do everything with, go drinking with when unhappy (Elian gave her a sharp look: Don’t lead him astray)… eat with! Of course if he’s not in the mood, you can look for me too.””Must you tell him everything?” Daren hesitated. But he could not talk about Dark Sun…Elian frowned, in essence, Eloise was right but he still felt that there was something missing…Daren dazedly thought about Eloise’s definition of a friend, someone who he could tell everything to, do everything with, eat supper with when unhappy. This kind of friend was something to look forward to!”Dar? Dar? Elian, is Dar s.p.a.cing out?” Eloise fluttered her lashes and squealed, “But this dreamy look is even more adorable!”Just then, Daren raised his head, his dark eyes glistening with resolve!Seeing that, Elian began praying that Eloise’s words would not cause a major disaster…

***************** Eclipse Hunter cv2c5 END *****************

-