The Shadowgrave Clan was already a place of dim light and darkness, but when the night arrived, the torches becomes the main source of light all around the clan.
The academy was done for the day, classes were over, and only the Initiates who had private classes with instructors, Initiates who wanted to use the academy facilities to improve their skills or gain more knowledge, or Initiates who just preferred to remain in the academy till they were forced out of the academy by the guards for not doing anything... would still be in the academy by this time.
Aside from these Initiates who remained in the academy even after the day was over, some Initiates would go to their rooms to rest or cultivate, while some would go out and have fun.
Three male Initiates were on their way to a bar to get drunk and laugh their lungs while hoping to catch one or two beauties.
They were all discussing about irrelevant topics like sex, women, alcohol, and battle.
It was the usual conversation many male demons and humans alike had.
However, if one could listen to their conversation, he or she would realize that the words- Iron Fangs - slipped into their conversation.
They were mocking the Iron Fangs, and they spoke of how they would get revenge on the Iron Fangs for the humiliation they faced on the main causeway of the academy.
These three were members of the Stone Crushers, and they were Prime Archfiends.
They could clearly recall how they suffered at the hands of the Iron Fangs on the main causeway of the academy.
They spoke of how nice it felt to have three members of the Iron Fangs killed, and how more was still going to come.
They laughed and joked about the incoming eradication of the Iron Fangs, of the death of Akaza, and the torture and humiliation of the slave- Broken Halo.
As they joked about this, they took a turn to the right.
It was the last turn they had to take before getting to the bar.
However, it was also the last turn they took before losing consciousness.
The moment they turned, a figure bumped into them, and they cursed.
One even wanted to slap the figure because he had been holding a bottle of his favorite drink and it spilled because of the bump.
When he saw that the figure was a mere Fiend, he didn’t care, and he attempted to slap the figure.
However, it was one of the worst mistakes he’d ever make in his life.
Before he knew it, his arm was held, then it snapped before he could even react.
His companions could also not react before their heads were smashed into the wall and one of their legs were broken by this unknown figure.
Eventually, they lost consciousness without being able to attack back.
The unknown figure tied them together, then he began to drag them on the floor like they were bags of garbage.
He took them to an unknown place.
This was not the only place where such a scene occurred. Similar scenes occured in two different places, but what was different were the gangs the victims were affiliated to.
And their genders too.
Without anybody knowing, nine Initiates were knocked unconscious, had a part of their bodies broken, and taken to an unknown location.
And all of these occurred in the middle of the night.
As usual, time waited for no man or demon and moved on.
The night passed, and the first years were woken up by the usual explosive sounds that occurred right in front of their door.
It was their morning drill, and they were used to it already.
Simon was sound asleep when he heard the explosive sounds, and he could not help but grunt in annoyance.
He had only slept for one hour and he still wanted more sleep.
This was the first time he wanted more sleep, but he knew that he had to get up.
Sigh
He got up and released a frustrated sigh, and after circulating his demonic energy three times around his body, he felt fully awake.
’Maybe I shouldn’t have cultivated and trained after everything I did.’
He wore his mask, walked out of his room, then he ran to the entrance of the academy like his classmates.
As he ran, he encountered some of his classmates, but none of them stopped him or interfered with him.
Some even stepped out of his way, all because of what they saw him do in the Tactical Pattern Recognition class.
The journey to the entrance of the academy was smooth and easy for him, and it was a little bit strange, but he didn’t mind.
He reached the academy before the deadline, and after the deadline passed, only three members of their class failed to get to the entrance on time.
Instructor Valdin took them into the academy as usual.
He told them about the classes they had for the day.
Today was all about the world pillar.
The world pillar had five courses- Politics, Economy, Environmental Warfare, Social Infiltration, and Herbs, Poison, and Medicine.
Their first class was on Politics, and it was a compulsory course which they must pass.
Instructor Valdin also briefly explained to them how important it was to understand the politics of the demon realm.
He told them all of these as they entered the academy, and he was about to tell them what time they’d have their other classes for the day.
However, they suddenly heard and saw a commotion in the distance.
Many were confused, and even Instructor Valdin was confused.
With his presence alone, he made sure that everybody that was in his way subconsciously or consciously moved away.
The first years followed like little ducklings following their mother.
Eventually, they got to the source of the commotion and the expressions of everybody changed.
They were close to the central pillar of the academy, and in front of the central pillar were nine wooden crosses.
These crosses were upside down, and tied on these crosses were nine completely naked Initiates.