Prince of Gluttony: Born from Betrayal

Paigos didn't share Julia's sentiment and any of her caution. His lips curved into a grin, twisted and hungry. "So," he said, his voice low and vibrating with suppressed violence, "you have come to help me tear that Trash down."

Felix's smile widened, though the warmth in it was entirely false. His eyes flickered briefly to Julia, then back to Paigos. "Indeed. I have seen the Academy chatter. I have witnessed how his name rises when it should be yours echoing in every hall. This is not acceptable. Not for one of your stature. Allow me to lend my… resources, and together we can ensure this problem is swiftly corrected."

Paigos, blinded by the vision of Cain's humiliation and defeat, ignored every thread of danger. His fists clenched, his breathing heavy, and he stepped closer to Felix with a fire blazing in his eyes. "Then tell me what you propose. I do not want him defeated in a duel. I want him destroyed. I want him stripped of everything, left with nothing but the shame of having crossed me."

Felix's eyes gleamed, and for the first time his smile softened into something more natural, though it was no less unsettling. "Of course, Prince Paigos. I would expect nothing less." He leaned slightly forward, lowering his voice as though sharing a secret. "But such things require patience… and precision. I can show you how. All I ask is that you allow me the honor of guiding your hand."

Paigos felt a surge of satisfaction ripple through him. This was it. The power he needed to put Cain beneath his heel had just arrived at his doorstep. He nodded once, sharp and resolute. "Very well. I accept."

Julia, standing silent in the corner, clenched her trembling hands together. She dared not speak, but her eyes lingered on Felix's gentle smile. She had seen many predators in her time, but none so perfectly hidden behind such polished charm. Paigos thought he had gained an ally, but Julia knew better. This was no alliance, it was a deal with the devil.

Felix's smile deepened, the kind of slow, deliberate curl that suggested he was enjoying the moment far more than he should. "Excellent. Then we have much to discuss. But before we proceed, I must ask…" He let the words hang, deliberately vague, forcing Paigos to lean forward, hungry for instruction. "…are you prepared to commit fully? Half-measures will not achieve the results we desire."

Paigos's grin widened, teeth glinting in the dim light. His mind was already spinning with visions of Cain broken, humiliated, stripped of the pride that had dared to eclipse him even for a moment. "I am prepared," he said, voice low and steady. "Do not mistake caution for hesitation. The Trash will fall, and I will see to it personally."

Felix's smile deepened, slow and deliberate, his eyes glimmering with the faint light of the orb. He held it out toward Paigos. "This is something I believe will prove exceptionally useful. An artifact I have reserved for those capable of seizing their destiny. I call it the Orb of Dominion."

Paigos's eyes widened, anticipation igniting further within him. "An Orb?" he said, voice low, hungry. "And what does it do?"

Felix tilted his head slightly, keeping his serene expression. "It grants a Rare skill. Timing, influence, control. When wielded correctly, it allows you to bend circumstance to your favor. You will guide events with precision and turn the outcome of any confrontation to your advantage."

Paigos stepped closer, his fists clenching. "And I will be able to use it against Cain?"

Felix's smile softened, almost gentle, though it carried an underlying sharpness. "By the time the Tournament arrives, you will have mastered it. Even if Cain manages to assemble a team, even if they believe themselves prepared, you will crush them. I will see to it that you are ready. Your strength will be absolute, and your control unquestioned."

Paigos's grip tightened around the orb. A warmth spread through his hand, a subtle vibration that promised power unlike anything he had felt before. He could see Cain broken beneath his hand. Mira would be his. Nothing else mattered.

Julia, standing silent in the corner, felt her chest tighten. She recognized the design and glow of the orb immediately. Abel had received one like it before his transformation. Felix had been supporting Abel from the shadows, guiding him, shaping him. And now the same hands were shaping Paigos.

Her heart sank. She understood the truth of her own fall. Felix had been behind much of her disgrace. He had orchestrated events that had led to her current position, and now he was doing the same to Paigos, using him as a weapon to destroy Cain.

"You were behind it all," she whispered quietly. "Abel, my disgrace, everything."

Felix's gaze flicked toward her, calm and unfaltering. His smile remained. "Perceptive as always, Julia. The patterns are clear to you now, but it is far too late to alter the course. The game is in motion."

Paigos ignored her entirely. His mind was consumed by visions of victory and revenge. He felt the Orb's potential coursing through him and could already imagine the Tournament and Cain's inevitable defeat. Every ounce of caution, every warning, was lost in his hunger for domination.

Julia's eyes narrowed as she watched him. The Vice Principal's influence was a shadow over them both, and Paigos's blind fury made him the perfect instrument of destruction. She knew that once the Orb's power was fully unleashed, no one would stand in his way—not Cain, not anyone else. The danger in the room had grown beyond comprehension, and she was trapped with it, forced to watch as the first moves of a far larger game were set in motion.

The orb pulsed faintly in Paigos's hand, a quiet heartbeat of potential. Felix's calm assurance hovered in the air, promising power and destruction in equal measure. Julia felt the weight of it all settle in her chest. The game had begun, and she knew it would not end well for those unprepared.

Paigos tilted the orb in his hand, feeling the subtle vibration shift as if it were testing his grip. Felix's eyes stayed fixed on him, calm, almost approving. "Do not be concerned with mastering it all at once. Tyrant responds to intent as much as skill. By the time the Tournament begins, you will command it completely. Every move Cain might make, every strategy his allies attempt, will fall under your control."

A spark of excitement flared in Paigos's eyes. He could already envision the scenes, the whispers of awe and fear in the halls as he wielded the skill, bending circumstances to crush Cain's efforts before they even began. "Then there is nothing to hold me back," he said, his voice steady and cold. "The Trash will not survive. Not him, not anyone who dares to stand in his shadow."

Felix inclined his head slightly, letting a hint of his true satisfaction show. "That is the correct mindset. Tyrant is as much a test of your will as it is of your ability. You will be challenged, yes, but only by fully committing can the skill reach its full potential. By then, Cain will already be at your mercy."

Paigos's grin widened, more feral now. He tightened his hold on the orb, feeling the energy shift in response to his growing confidence. The power whispered to him, promising dominance over every action, every outcome. Victory felt inevitable. Nothing else mattered.

Julia's fingers pressed against the fabric of her sleeve, her mind racing. She understood that Tyrant was not just a weapon. It was a trap, a means for Felix to mold Paigos into the perfect instrument for destruction, one that would not question his orders, one that would act without hesitation. Her gaze flicked from Paigos to the Vice Principal, and a shiver ran through her.

Felix's expression remained serene, but the subtle gleam in his eyes betrayed the thrill of seeing his plan unfold. "Now," he said quietly, "we will begin training. Every choice, every action, will be shaped until Tyrant obeys without hesitation. The Tournament will be the proof of your mastery, and the world will see what happens when ambition meets absolute control."

Paigos's laugh was quiet but full of menace. He could feel the Orb's pulse, a heartbeat syncing with his own. The path forward was clear. Cain's downfall was certain. Julia could only watch, her instincts screaming danger, as the first steps of Felix's design took hold.

The room seemed to shrink around the three of them. Power, ambition, and manipulation filled the air, a storm building that none of them could yet fully grasp.

And for the first and potentially last time in her life, Julia had only one person in mind: Cain. She had to tell him what was happening. If he killed her for what she had done, she would have to accept it. But she couldn't accept the current situation. It was far too....evil.