Mania

The tension in the surroundings was getting higher. The winner had already reached 345, most of them were food stall owners. With more and more people coming in, they might not be able to win and add to the fact that the college course students had joined in, even with the restrictions they were sure to win.

Minutes had passed, and another round of winners was declared. Those names were from the college course.

Someone cursed saying how fast it was for them to win when it has only been a minute since they entered, while it took them so many hours just to take a glance at Seven, even then they couldn't get a picture of him no matter how fast they were

The people were getting anxious as they glance at the four men walking down the hallway like a supermodel. Not to mention that the four 'top students' were here.

The four men they were talking about were all tall, had lean and tone muscles, gorgeous faces, mesmerizing eyes and more importantly they were from the military department.

They were non-other than Magus that had his usual blank face, Cairus and his furrowed brows, Page together with his sweet smile, and Maverick's lazy demeanor.

They had just stepped into the central lobby of the campus where most of the stores were set up, and so far they have yet to see a shadow of Seven. Cairus was starting to get annoyed, if it weren't for Maddox he would not have considered this game. They weren't something kind of freak show for them to ogle with.

"I'm so tired" Maverick complained, he was contemplating whether he should continue or not, but the ticket would be invalid if he did.

"come on Maverick! We barely spend 5 minutes walking. Think of the prize" he answered, his voice filled with encouragement and happiness, it was clear that he is excited. They have been training for so many days and barely had any time to relax and have fun.

Magus looked at his terminal, he was waiting for Seven's reply. He had sent a message asking where he was.

On the other side, just a few meters away from the four, a man sitting on a bench was clutching his head and pulling his hair hard. The clothes his wearing showed he was a student. His brown eyes were misty from exhaustion and pain, clear small sweat dripped on his forehead and nose, and his lips were pale. He hadn't been feeling well ever since he went inside and he didn't know why. As far as he could remember, he didn't eat anything aside from nutritional drinks.

He decided to go to the medical building and have his condition checked but before he could stand up, he felt his consciousness thinning and his mental energy going out of control.

A heavy wave of energy broke out of the man and scattered all around, those closest to him were swept away like dust. They hit the nearby stall and wall, they couldn't help but collapse from the impact.

They cough up blood as they felt the uncomfortable mental power attacking their own. The energy bursting inside made their mental energy go berserk. One by one, they held out their heads trying to suppress the mania from breaking out. Their actions weren't effective, they couldn't suppress the sudden exposure to this danger.

The once joyous cheers and the happy celebration became screams of terror. Students run around panicking. Store and decorations were turned upside down. The colorful fireworks stop scattering the bright sky and were replaced with the schools' red tower light indicating that an accident happened in the vicinity.

Others collapse on the cold pavement and were immediately carried by their friends to avoid getting hurt from the stampede.

"someone's suffering a mania" these words echoed the whole place as the sound of the emergency alarm rang. It has been a long since they heard this and they were scared of what was happening.

Magus and the other three heard the loud screams. He immediately ordered people to evacuate the area. He used his position in the military to call for backup and have the school on lockdown. His cold voice runs down chills in their spine. He looked for someone suspicious, he felt that something was wrong with this sudden mania outbreak.

Magus held his chest and felt something odd about it. It didn't affect him much but the energy made him uncomfortable, he suppress it and thankfully it didn't happen again. This energy was something he had felt first when he awakened another ability.

People in the empire only knew about his triple system ability, but when he was 7, he got sick and no matter how long he stayed in the medical cabin, the heat in his chest never subside. They had no choice but to use more medicine and put him to sleep.

It took months for it to stop and when he woke up from his deep sleep, he heard his oldest brother, Eros, who choose to ride a public shuttle was highjacked by some pirates, thankfully he was saved. However, his brother was a bit different from his usual self, when he returned. The air around him was a bit dangerous.

As for the new ability that he had awakened, it was something he kept from everyone, he didn't dare use it. He felt that it was dangerous and would affect him if he were to let his guard down.

Cairus on the side used his barrier ability and created an elevation of stairs to make it easier for them to climb up the building. He no longer look like a grade-schooler looking for a fight, rather, he was dashing and strong.

Page and Maverick helped the injured students and visitors. Their faces had a huge reversal, the usual attitude had a complete change, with no soft smile nor laid-back posture. They now have the demeanor of a soldier on duty, both look serious and handsome.

The school was in a state of emergency so the president immediately set the emergency alarm and called the board of directors which was currently having a meeting.

"This is an emergency, someone is having a manic attack, students must follow military orders and evacuate the premises. Soldiers near the area are permitted to act as they fit. I repeat..."

The announcement from the board directors somehow calm them down and they were able to gather their thoughts and did as the soldiers ask.

...

Seven was just standing in the middle of the chaos. It's not like he didn't care about the people but he smelled something familiar and dangerous.

People wouldn't be able to detect this smell but he was raised by Cerbrus and has been injected with these drugs. He could never forget this thing since it was the very same hallucinogens that they would inject the kids.

The drug was called C-13 HT, a type of medicine that has a high dose of poison extracted from the Prein plant that can cause hallucinations and numbing effects on the body. It also contains toxins that can easily kill someone just by accidentally touching it with your bare hands. This plant was personally cultivated by Cerbrus since the plant itself was considered to be dangerous and the government had to ban this from the market. Prein plant was diluted, and most of the toxins were removed and then injected into children to make their bodies unaffected by drugs and poison.

As they grow older, the injected formula became more lethal until they would be made to consume the whole plant. It was their last part of training, if they survive then they can pass the initiation and become part of the Cerbrus. Meanwhile, those who had survived but couldn't stop the toxins from attacking their bodies were killed immediately.

"Why are these drugs here?" he was in deep thought and was only awakened when soldiers were asked to supervise the whole area. This is no longer just a school problem, this was a direct attack on the empire.

Seven had no choice but to remove his disguised, people were shocked to see the great immortal turn out to be Seven. He didn't mind the stare and turn his mask on full cover. In order to show his identity as a soldier he needs to look like one, his mask was all the people knew about him and he needed it to confirm who he was.

He run towards the center and couldn't help but contemplate what was happening. This plant shouldn't have existed in this place, even in his old world, the plant was rare, but why did it show up all of a sudden.

Seven felt a chill on his back and a familiar sensation creep his heart. This feeling was something he had felt back when he was in Cerbrus. The aura was faint and could barely scratch him, but the familiarity shocked him. It was only for a bit but he knew he owned that aura.

'is he here' he thought, the man he is thinking of was no other than Calyx.