"That was pretty ballsy, bro. Gotta admit." Henry said as they walked out of class for their short break before Economics. Mark was the only student lugging his backpack around like he was carrying state secrets.
"Time to shake things up at Conbert," Mark replied, but his voice carried something Henry had never heard before.
"I'm telling you, something's different about you today." Henry stopped walking and really studied his friend. The way Mark carried himself, the confidence in his voice, even the way he'd stood up to Daniel. "And why are you carrying that bag everywhere? What are you, Spider-Man or something?"
They both laughed, but Mark's mind was spinning in directions Henry couldn't begin to imagine. Alex Sentara. The name alone should have sent warning signals through every fiber of his being. The Sentara family didn't just have money or influence. They had been the invisible hand guiding world events for generations, pulling strings that made presidents dance and economies crumble. Hugo had been friends with Ben for years before discovering their true power. Only after climbing so high that he could finally see above the clouds did he realize who really controlled the weather.
And now their crown prince was sitting in his high school history class. This wasn't coincidence.
"Been thinking about the new kid," Mark said as they stepped outside into the crisp morning air. His breath formed small clouds as he spoke.
"Yeah, me too. We never get transfer students from outside the city. Especially not in senior year." Henry kicked at a loose stone.
Mark's eyes swept the courtyard until he found his target. Alex stood alone near the flagpole, phone pressed to his ear, gesturing with his free hand like he was conducting an orchestra of power brokers.
"Hey, I'm gonna go talk to the new guy," Mark told Henry, who was already getting that glazed look that meant his attention span was hitting its limit.
"Cool, don't get yourself beat up before your actual fight," Henry called back as he headed toward the building.
Mark's footsteps crunched on the frosty grass as he approached. As the distance closed, he could make out more details. Alex's confident posture. The way he held himself like someone who'd never been told no in his entire life.
And then Mark's blood turned to ice water.
The phone. That wasn't just any phone. It was a piece of technology so exclusive that owning one was basically declaring yourself royalty among billionaires. Hugo had commissioned it personally from a Finnish company that no longer existed. He'd spent more on its development than most people would see in ten lifetimes. Every curve, every security feature, every line of code had been crafted to his exact specifications. There was literally only one in existence because Hugo had destroyed the prototypes, bought the company, and then dissolved it just to ensure his privacy.
And somehow, this eighteen-year-old kid was holding it like it was a toy. Like it hadn't cost more than a small country's GDP.
Alex noticed him approaching and smoothly ended his call. "Okay, Grandpa, I'll call you back."
The words were casual, but Mark caught the subtle shift in Alex's voice. Respectful. Careful. The way someone talks to real power.
Grandpa. Ben Sentara. The man who had probably murdered Hugo and stolen his empire was on the other end of that phone. Hugo's phone.
"Hey, I'm Alex," the boy said, sliding the device into his pocket with practiced ease. His smile was warm and genuine. "You need something?"
Mark forced his voice to stay steady, even as his mind raced through possibilities and betrayals. "Nah, just wanted to welcome you to our little school. Curious about where you came from."
"Thanks, but I'm really nobody special." The lie rolled off Alex's tongue so smoothly that Mark almost believed it himself. This kid had been trained well. Probably had private tutors teaching him how to blend in with normal people. "Just another transfer student. What's your name?"
The question hit Mark like a physical blow. This was Alex Sentara. The boy Hugo had watched grow up at family dinners and holiday parties.
The one child in that entire twisted family who'd seemed genuinely innocent, who'd worked for his achievements instead of expecting them handed over on silver platters.
Hugo had loved this boy more than his own adopted son. Had seen in Alex everything that Jimmy Pabebuncano could never be.
And now that same boy was standing in front of him, carrying Hugo's most prized possession like it was nothing.
"Mark. Mark Lidorf." The name felt strange in his mouth. Like wearing someone else's skin.
"Cool to meet you, Mark. Hope we can be friends." Alex's eyes were bright, interested, completely without guile. Or maybe he was just that good at hiding it.
Henry was already disappearing back into the building, probably heading to his locker or the bathroom or anywhere that didn't involve social interaction with strangers. Mark needed more time, needed to understand what Alex was doing here, why he had the phone, whether he knew what it meant.
"Actually, I saw what happened back there," Alex continued, glancing back toward the building where Daniel Sterling was probably still fuming. "Pretty impressive how you stood up to him."
"Really?" Mark kept his voice neutral, but inside his mind was cataloging everything. Alex's stance, his micro-expressions, the way his eyes moved constantly, assessing threats and opportunities. Hugo had taught him those habits during their summers together.
"Yeah. You want some backup? I could help you handle Sterling if you want."
The offer sent alarm bells screaming through Mark's head. The Sentara family stayed above such petty concerns. They didn't offer to fight school bullies unless there was an angle.
Mark's backpack chose that moment to vibrate against his spine. At the exact same instant, Alex's phone buzzed in his pocket. The timing was too perfect, too synchronized to be coincidence.
Hugo's heart stopped beating for a full second. He remembered exactly why he'd spent a fortune on that custom phone. The synchronization technology. The seamless integration with his game device. He'd programmed them to work as one system so he wouldn't look like an idiot pulling out what looked like a child's toy during board meetings with heads of state.
The phone was receiving the same notifications as the game. Which meant Alex was seeing the same quests. The same rewards.
Oh God. He's playing too.
"Excuse me," Alex said, already reaching for his pocket. His eyes had gone distant, focused on something only he could see. "We should definitely catch up at lunch though. I'd like to know more about this place."
As Alex headed toward the building, Mark yanked out his game device with hands that shook so badly he nearly dropped it. The screen glowed with a message that made his blood run cold.
[TASK ONE: MODIFIED]
[NEW OBJECTIVE: Fight Daniel Sterling within 3 hours]
[COUNTDOWN: 02:58:47]
[REWARD: Reality Sync Upgrade + System Card]
Three hours. The game had never given him countdown timers before. This was a completely different system, operating under new rules, new parameters. But that wasn't what terrified him.
The real terror was sitting in his stomach like a lead weight, growing heavier with each passing second. Someone had taken his phone. His custom, one of a kind, impossible to replicate phone. And they'd given it to Alex Sentara. Which meant Alex was receiving every notification, every quest, every reward that the game offered.
But did Alex know what the game actually was? Did he understand that it wasn't just some sophisticated app or augmented reality experience, but a genuine pathway to unlimited power?
Mark stared at the countdown timer, watching the numbers tick away. Then he looked up at Alex disappearing through the school's front entrance.
He doesn't know. The realization hit Mark with sudden clarity. He's just following the notifications on his role model's phone. Just playing along
But that didn't make Alex less dangerous. In some ways, it made him more dangerous. A player who didn't understand the stakes was unpredictable. Reckless. They could stumble into victories or disasters without ever knowing which was which.
Mark looked down at his device again. The countdown had dropped below two hours and fifty-eight minutes.
And he'd need to get that phone back. Soon.