Chapter 68 : The Heart That Refused to Break

A long, tense silence followed the splat.

The entire cafeteria froze.

Forks hovered mid-air. Conversations died mid-sentence. A hush as profound as a vacuum settled over the room as everyone turned to witness the aftermath.

Pink, gooey sauce and semi-melted cheese slid from Alex’s silver hair like a war crime in progress.

Ava stood trembling, wide-eyed, her brown hair equally dripping with the evidence of culinary violence. Her lower lip quivered.

Alex didn’t move.

His hands hung at his sides, fingers slightly curled. The air around him trembled faintly—as if space itself was too nervous to breathe. His expression was unreadable, but the faint pressure that leaked from him was unmistakable.

Ava flinched. She had spent the entire day with Alex—laughing, joking, and witnessing his carefree, happy-go-lucky self. The person before her now? This wasn’t the Alex she had come to know.

They both turned toward the origin of the flying food.

And what they saw wasn’t a haughty noble or an arrogant upperclassman trying to provoke them.

What they saw was a scrawny first-year kid—so thin he looked like the cafeteria breeze might knock him over. But in his eyes… was fear. Raw, bone-deep fear.

The moment the boy locked eyes with Alex, his breath hitched. As if he’d just glimpsed death in casual clothing.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t have a choice! Please forgive me!” he babbled, shaking like a leaf in a thunderstorm.

Ava gasped, recognizing him. “Henry? What are you doing?! Why—why would you do that?”

Her voice was filled with concern as she rushed toward him. She knelt beside him, checking him over even as he kept mumbling the same apology, his hands and feet trembling.

Alex didn’t say a word.

But his mind was already racing.

It didn’t take a genius to figure it out.

Henry had been put up to this.

Bullied.

Coerced.

But It didn’t matter.

In the slums, Alex had faced far worse. He’d been beaten. Starved. Mocked. Sometimes he’d come home with more wounds than food, and his sister would stitch him up with trembling hands while trying not to cry.

He had been beaten, mocked, starved—sometimes passed out in alleyways with broken bones. But he had never surrendered. He had stood his ground, fought back, and when he grew strong enough even if it was only a little—he repaid the torment, one by one.

He never gave in.

He fought back. Slowly. Painfully. One tormentor at a time.

That was how he survived. And now?

He could see it in Henry’s eyes. This wasn’t the first time. The boy had already accepted his fate. Someone powerful had made him do this. Someone probably wanted Alex to snap and retaliate—to paint himself as the villain.

‘How did this guy even survive the entrance exam?’ Alex wondered.

And judging by Ava’s concern, she knew Henry. That made things more delicate.

Any misstep here, and he’d be the bad guy.

Across the cafeteria, Ethan, Alden, Charlotte, Seraphina, and Draven were already on their feet, approaching.

Alden’s lips were pressed into a thin line. “This isn’t good. If Alex reacts wrong here—”

“He’ll be the one in trouble,” Ethan finished grimly.

Draven cracked his knuckles. “So what’s the play? We intervene?”

Charlotte smirked. “No need. Alex isn’t stupid. He’ll figure it out.”

“I hope so,” Seraphina muttered, quickening her steps as she noticed Ava drenched and Henry still on the ground.

As they reached them, Seraphina knelt beside Ava, casting a swift cleaning spell. In seconds, the goo and sauce vanished from Ava and Alex alike.

Ava looked up, startled. “T-Thank you.”

Seraphina smiled gently. “Of course. Are you okay?”

Ava nodded, but her eyes remained fixed on Henry.

Henry, meanwhile, was still trembling.

Ethan narrowed his eyes. “Someone put you up to this, didn’t they?”

Henry didn’t reply.

Charlotte knelt beside him, her voice soft. “We just want to help. Who was it?”

Still, nothing.

Only shaking.

Only fear.

Then Alex stepped forward.

His voice was quiet.

“Everyone, please. Let me talk to him. Alone.”

Ava immediately interposed herself between Alex and Henry. “Please, don’t hurt him. He didn’t mean it!”

Alex blinked.

Then, slowly, he softened.

“Ava, I promise. I won’t hurt him. I just want to talk.”

Seraphina put a comforting hand on Ava’s shoulder. “Remember what I said. He’s not a bad guy.”

Ava hesitated… then stepped aside, nodding.

The group moved back to their table, casting frequent glances over their shoulders.

And the crowd’s attention quickly dispersed, disappointed that the situation hadn’t escalated.

—

Alex helped Henry to his feet and led him to an empty table in the corner of the cafeteria. Silence hung like a sword between them.

Alex sat across from him.

And said just one word:

“Name.”

Henry flinched. He knew what Alex meant. Not his own name—the name of the one who ordered this.

But his mouth stayed shut.

He couldn’t. He wouldn’t.

Henry knew if he said the name, his miserable life would become more miserable. And he couldn’t bear any more bullying.

Alex, understanding his thoughts, said only this. He looked in Henry’s eyes and said,

“Look, I understand your thoughts.

You know that I’m a commoner, right? Just like you. And look around you—we’re in a world that thrives on connection, power, and money.

Within this very world, shadows exist everywhere. Darkness that seeks to diminish, to hurt, to isolate.

You’ve succumbed to that darkness. I know because I was in the exact same position once.

But you know what? I didn’t give up. I kept fighting back for my survival and my family’s survival. And looking back, it wasn’t a waste. You can see it for yourself.”

That made Henry flinch. But he said, “What do you know about what I’m going through? They have all the powerful things you talked about—connections, money, and power. How can I fight back against someone like that?” He paused, realizing what he’d just said.

Alex took a breath and replied, “Well, your situation seems very complicated.” But then his voice became calm, yet firm.

“I know they’re powerful, Henry. I know they have connections, money, and everything that seems impossible for us to reach.”

He looked Henry straight in the eyes.

“But you know what they don’t have?”

He pointed to Henry’s chest.

“This. The heart to keep going, even when everything is against you. You’re still standing, aren’t you? That means you haven’t given up—not completely.”

Alex’s tone deepened, filled with quiet strength.

“They want you to feel small. Powerless. Alone. That’s how people like them win. But real strength?

Real strength is refusing to break, even when the world is pushing you down.”

He clenched his fist and smiled slightly.

“You don’t need to fight like they do. You fight your way—with grit, with courage, and with people who’ve got your back.

You don’t fight hard, you fight smart. Wait for the perfect opportunity. No one’s perfect. Everyone has a weakness. You just have to pay attention.”

Alex leaned in slightly.

“If you can’t do it for yourself yet… do it for your family. Do it for the version of you who’ll one day look back and say, ‘I survived. I didn’t let them break me.’ Because that version of you? He’s worth fighting for.”

Henry swallowed. His throat felt like sandpaper.

Alex’s eyes glittered. “You survived the first trial. One out of a million, Henry. Do you really think that’s just luck? That’s talent. That’s will. That means you are special—not like the ones who sit around hoping tomorrow will magically get better while doing nothing. You endured. You earned your place.”

Henry blinked. For a moment, he almost looked like he believed it.

Alex straightened and grinned. Not his usual fake grin. Something sharper. Something more alive.

“And you know what? You’re in luck today.” He gestured at himself with dramatic flair. “Because you just got the most terrifying guy you’ll ever meet in your entire lifetime as your backing. Congratulations. Terrifying, charming, extremely fashionable… I’m the whole package.”

Henry stared. His eyes darted around, half expecting someone to jump out and yell “pranked.”

Alex leaned in again, voice turning quiet. “This is the Devil’s Bargain, Henry. You have two choices.”

He raised one finger.

“Option one: shut up, endure it like you always do, let people walk all over you until one day—not even your family will be safe from them.”

Henry flinched.

“Or…”

Alex raised a second finger. “Option two: take my hand. Let me help you stand. Learn to fight back. Learn to be terrifying in your own right.

And you can also witness the might of your apex as a bonus.”

Henry was quiet for a long time.

Then he whispered, “Can I… really trust you?”

Alex gave the biggest salesman smile Henry had ever seen—like he was selling a product even he wouldn’t use. “Absolutely. I’m like a wish-granting genie. Just… maybe the kind that throws you off a cliff and yells, ‘Fly!'”

Henry’s lips twitched. Was that a smile? Even he didn’t know.

Then, after weighing his options, he said it.

“Lorenzo D’Vaire. Son of Count Magna D’Vaire.”

As soon as the name left his mouth, a chill swept through the air.

Henry could swear on every cell in his body—he saw it.

That smile.

That masterfully evil, utterly delighted, devilish smile on Alex Dragonheart’s face. Like a lion hearing the gate to the prey pen opening.

Henry swallowed hard.

In that moment, he knew. Deep in his bones, in his soul, in the very molecules that made up his DNA—

‘He had just made a deal with the devil.’

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