Heirs Of Aurous

PROLOGUE

"The staff room is on fire!"

As the class dragged on, the never-ending monotone of the teacher's voice seemed to blend with the ticking of the clock, creating a sense of time standing still. Each second stretched on like an eternity, the minutes dragging by at an agonizingly slow pace. The students, already struggling to stay awake, felt the weight of exhaustion pressing down on them as they tried to focus on the lesson.

Suddenly, a student flung the classroom's door open with such force that it bounced back on his face. The sudden intrusion startled everyone, causing heads to turn at the comical site. Laughters were heard.

But the real shock came when the student's frantic words cut through their laughter- the staff room was on fire. Not just a small flame or a minor incident, but a raging inferno that consumed everything in its path. The usual peace and quiet of the staff room had been replaced by roaring flames, sending waves of heat and smoke into the air.

The acrid smell of burning plastic and old coffee filled the room, mingling with the panicked shouts and cries of the teachers.

In the midst of the chaos, the teacher, who was always a picture of calm and control, seemed to unravel before their eyes. His usually composed demeanor shattered as he frantically ran for something precious - the money stashed in his drawer. The thought of it going up in flames, reduced to ashes in a matter of moments, was enough to send him into a frenzy.

The students, who had been drifting in and out of focus just moments before, were now fully alert, their minds racing with fear and worry. Students exchanged puzzled glances, thinking, "Who hides cash in the staffroom?" But then again, this was Aureus, where bizarre was the norm.

In the elite Aureus International High School, where students were ranked like chess pieces in a grand strategy game, Rank 10 and Rank 2 exchanged knowing glances. Their eyes held the spark of mischief, a silent agreement.
"The fun begins now."

But unbeknownst to them Logan, a self-proclaimed coding prodigy, had been keenly observing the reactions of the students for a while and their small interaction had sent wheels turning into his head.

Logan was always more comfortable staring at lines of code on his laptop screen than engaging in the mundane small talk that seemed to dominate his high school social scenes. Girls still flocked to him to get a look at his pristine beauty, yet he had a different world to immerse himself in-the digital landscape where he could conjure up programs and algorithms that danced to his command. He was a God in that world.

Coming in at a solid Rank 7, he was amongst the elites. But lately, this 'always bored' lad had been more interested in unmasking the school's notorious troublemaker, W. , who was the school's Robin Hood, minus the tights. Logan had been turning over digital rocks and following the breadcrumbs left behind on the school servers.

All he had to go on was a vague description of W's height, somewhere between 5'7 and 6 feet. But for Logan, that was all he needed to get started. Climbing the school's social ladder by catching W. was Logan's golden ticket. Exposing them would make him the Queen Bee's, Arianna's, newest informant.

Arianna was like a God, Rank 1, and crossing her was like stealing honey from a hive. Logan thought giving W's identity to her could get him in her inner circle, where the power lies.

Rank 7 was far from being the Golden Child. In a school where the top 5 ranks were practically reserved for the kids with diamond spoons in their mouths, competition was cutthroat for Golden spoons. But there was a glimmer of hope in Rank 3 - the Class Rep. He had clawed his way up the ranks despite not having a bronze spoon, let alone a diamond one.

But Logan was about to find out that beneath those shiny surfaces, everyone had secrets, and he'd need to dance his way through this maze of trust, deceit, and self-interest to get what he wanted. Aureus International High School was like a treasure chest of intrigue, and Logan had just picked up the map to its hidden gems. The question was, would he strike diamond or get lost in the labyrinth of deception?