Sanctuary Agency-Chapter 16: A New Change

〘Date: 2/10 - Sunday〙

〘Time: 1:30 PM〙

〘Location: Texas, San Antonio - Trinity Valley University〙

It's been 15 minutes since the end of my match with Matt, and I hadn't come out of my dorm since the moment Jaiden acknowledged me. Faint Nu Metal music played in the background as I sat alone on my bed, thinking over my actions against someone I truly saw as a brother.

As I sat alone with my own thoughts swirling in my head, I heard a few knocks breaking throw the immersion of my own mind. I looked up slowly at the door, pushing myself up and made my way to answer it.

Opening the door, my gaze was met with Jade and Allie standing in front of me with concerned expressions on their faces. "What do you two want..?"

"We wanted to check up on you...That match was extremely emotional and it seemed to only hurt you more than help," Allie began, stepping forward and placing her hand gently upon my chest. "Are you okay..?"

I locked eyes with Allie for a moment, her simple question playing over and over mentally. I let out a soft exhale, shrugging lightly with inner conflict. "I don't know. I had hoped to have both of my brothers with me at my side, but... Tony's self proclaimed protection keeps even Matt from breaking free."

"That's the type of guy Tony is...He hangs your misfortune against you and he's holding Matt's career and his sister's safety over his head. Sometimes...you have to do what's safe instead of what's right," Jade spoke up, her eyes gently lighting with a hint of worry for my emotional state.

"Yeah, I get that now..." I sighed, walking over to my bed once again and sat down upon the edge. "I just... misjudged just how strong Tony's influence actually is. I'm coming up from nothing, fighting against someone with an established hand of cards."

Allie and Jade glanced at each other, silently communicating with one another on how they could help me feel better. The two of them decided to enter my room, making their way toward me and sat on either side of me on the bed.

"You should visit Matt while he's still in the infirmary. I'm sure he'd like to still see your face even after everything. You two are brothers after all," Allie suggested softly, gently taking her hand in mine, her thumb rubbing against my skin.

I hummed softly, looking down at our hands and let out a conflicted sigh. "I don't know...after everything I've said to him..."

"It was in the heat of the moment... I'm sure you meant every word from a good place with a good heart. You, Matt, and Jaiden have the strongest bond I've ever seen within this university...don't let Tony take that away from you," Jade countered, placing a supporting hand upon my shoulder.

I glanced over at Jade, watching her lips curl into a reserved yet supporting smile. I smiled back at her, turning my gaze to the floor for a moment. I looked up at Matt's side of the room, faint visages of me and him hanging out together playing in my mind.

"Alright... I'll go visit him and try to mend things out between us. I loved him enough to fight him...and I love him enough to try to work things out," I said, my tone filled with a bit of hope that Matt and I could salvage our bond.

Allie and Jade smiled happily at my response and the three of us agreed to head toward the infirmary together. We all got up from our spots and Allie took the charge, leading us to the medical center of the campus.

After a long walk toward the medical center, the three of us began to hurry toward the room where Matt was staying in. Walking inside, we noticed Jaiden, Wade, Paris, and Hannah all in the room with Matt.

Jaiden looked up from talking with Matt, noticing me and stood up from his seat. "Ry..."

Matt turned his head, noticing me walking inside with Allie and Jade, sitting up slightly on his elbows and gave me a small smile. "You really showed up. I was expecting you to be celebrating such a win... everyone's talking about it."

Paris and Hannah made room for me to approach Matt, the two of them retreating over to Allie and Jade. Jaiden watched me and Matt as well, his gaze shifting between me and him. Wade stayed at the corner, watching as well with a silent gaze.

I looked down at Matt, gently patting his chest and sighed softly. "You're still a fool..."

Matt chuckled softly at me, grunting softly and clutching his side with slight discomfort as he pushed himself up against the headboard. "Yeah...but you already knew that...."

My lips twitched into a soft smile for a moment, shaking my head at his response. I crossed my arms, my gaze returning to his. "Listen, Matt...That match doesn't represent my true colors, my true desire. That side of me you saw was only one half of myself...the side that saw the need for force and dominance."

"I just wanted to save you...to save my brother from someone who's slowly destroying him. But in my own ambition, I ignored your reason for complacency. I completely only saw my side," I continued, lowering my gaze slightly with guilt.

Matt smiled at me, grabbing my hand and locking it with a handshake, causing me to meet his gaze. He gave me his signature grin, nodding his head to me. "Ryder, I acknowledge you. I always have, and it's the reason why I wanted to push you out of the shell you've been in."

"You've shown you have the natural ability to rise beyond the ranks, the change the people's view of you. To finally level up. I acknowledge you as the Rising King of Trinity Valley, but I can not fully follow you until I know my sister's safety can be guaranteed in your hands," Matt finished, his smile never fading from his lips.

I stared at Matt with a mix of gratitude and disappointment, a bittersweet smile playing on my lips as a response. The girls took Matt's acknowledgement exceptionally well, each of them smiling and giggling with each other. Jaiden and Wade also took his acknowledgement well, Jaiden in specific happy to hear Matt acknowledge me.

"That is what I mean when I said that we will still be brothers. My loyalty will forever be with you, man. You're my soul brother for life, it's just that right now...I have to play it smart," Matt said, every word he spoke heavy with honesty and emotion.

I nodded my head, understanding each word he spoke. "I understand, and I promise to find some way to guarantee your sister's safety. And in addition to that, when you finally betray Tony, I will find a ways to also save your career."

Matt laughed softly, patting my shoulder and giving it a brotherly squeeze. "And this is why you're my bro! Listen, I really appreciate this. And I will continue to support your rise, it's time the Dawn Family is elevated beyond Hollywood Acting."

My smile grew brighter at his unwavering support, my eyes shining with a hint of determination. "Yeah...I won't let you or anyone who stands behind me down.."

〔Art of Ambition - Rising King〕

〔New Main Objective Complete: Defeat Matt.〕

〔Task Complete: Make Matt acknowledge you as the King of Trinity Valley.〕

〔Reward Earned: Credi +3000, Ambition EXP +500〕

Matt smiled at me, gently placing his fist upon my chest. "Now get on out of here before Tony and his crew shows up. Don't want you in any extra trouble."

I nodded, stepping back a bit before turning around to exit the room. The girls decided to follow suit while Jaiden and Wade remained at Matt's side. At this moment, I knew Matt was an important piece to the war Tony wanted, and it all came back around to the Art of Love.

Jaiden sat back down in his seat beside the medical bed, letting out a soft sigh as he leaned back in the chair. "So what now? Wait until Ryder somehow woos your sister and be her knight in shining armor?"

Matt smirked at Jaiden's question, letting out an amused chuckle and turned his gaze toward Jaiden. "You both know my sister, how simple she is to please as long as you follow her few rules. I know Ryder can bring her to safety...if anyone can please a woman, it's him."

Wade pushed himself off the wall and walked toward Matt's bed, patting his head playfully. "Sounds like you have unwavering faith in him. For a guy who's been to himself since he got here, you seem to know what he's really capable of."

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Matt chuckled at Wade, pushing his hand off his head then let out a soft exhale, glancing over at Jaiden for a moment. He looked down at his bed again, letting out a reminiscent hum. "Ryder has a lot of doubters, that's for sure. Tony painted his image as a failure, which is the furthest from the truth."

"Jaiden and I know the real Ryder he hides within, someone with true ambition, a real passion and drive for the future. Ryder is someone who was always born a king," Matt finished, glancing up at Wade with a resolute smile.

Wade met his gaze, seeing the trusting smile on Matt's face and shrugged his shoulders with a chuckle. "Interesting. Well, if you believe in Ryder that much I guess he's also that trustworthy in my eyes as well."

"Trust, bro. With Ryder in rule of the university, the next three years here might be better than what it is now," Matt assured, flashing a toothy grin at Wade.

"I hear you, man. Well, text me when you recover. I gotta meet up with some of the guys," Wade said, making his way out of the room.

Matt watched as Wade left, leaving only him and Jaiden in the room. Matt decided to take the time to continue recovering his body, the pain from the earlier match still residing around his body. Jaiden stayed at his side, watching over his recovery with a careful gaze.

At the dormitories, Jade and I split off from the group while Allie, Parie, and Hannah went off to the city to hangout for a girls' outing. Jade and I walked into the building together, making our way toward the elevators.

I pressed the button to go up, the elevator chiming and the silver doors opened for us. I allowed Jade to walk in first, stepping in right after and pressing the button for the third floor. "You aren't going to hang out with the others?"

Jade shook her head lightly, her bashful gaze lingering on the floor. "I don't really hang out like that, especially not in public..."

I rested my back against the elevator wall, slipping my hands into my pockets and exhaled softly. I looked over at Jade, her shy demeanor immediately catching my attention. It was rather strange to me, taken she was more cool and collected when we were with everyone else.

"Hey, I still have about two or three hours left before I need to head out. Maybe...you can take me on my offer and we can hang out?" I suggest, noticing her quick glance at me.

Jade's cheeks began to heat up with a soft blush, her gaze slightly narrowing away from me. "Yeah...that would be nice. Is it okay if we hang in my room though? I've...had my fair share of events today."

I chuckled softly at her, nodding my head in agreement. "Yeah, that's no issue to me at all.."

〔Initiation: Art of Love - Whitespace〕

〔New Main Objective: Hang out with Jade.〕

〔Task: Wing it, see where you go.〕

〔Reward: Credi +5000, Art of Love EXP +500〕

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened, allowing for me and Jade to exit the elevator. The two of us began trailing down the hall toward her dorm, making small talk as we walked together.

Once we reached her door, Jade used her keycard to unlock the door, stepping in and holding the door open for me to walk inside as well. The room was still as I remembered it being, albeit a bit more clean than the last time I was here.

"Sorry about...all the stuff on the floor and...yeah," Jade apologized, picking up a few papers and notebooks off the floor. She tossed all of her belongings on her desk, clearing a way for me to sit down as well. "I hope it isn't a bother..."

"Nah, don't worry about it. You're fine," I smiled, walking over to Jade's side of the dorm, looking around at her belongings.

Jade had a very specific artistic promise, working on multiple projects whether it be her fondness for music or her love for artwork. I picked up one of the loose pages off her bed, admiring the artwork she drew of one of her favorite characters.

Jade climbed onto her bed, moving her sketchbooks and a few of her disposable vapes out of the way. She looked up at me, noticing me looking at a few of her artwork, a reserved blush forming on her face.

I glanced up from the artwork I was holding, noticing Jade looking at me with an expectant expression. I chuckled softly at her, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "These are really good. How long have you been drawing?"

Jade gently brushed her hair behind her ear, her gaze averting away from me as she came up with her answer. "I've been drawing since middle school...but I don't think they are all that good.."

"What? These are amazing, way better than what I can do anyway," I praised, setting the artwork down beside her legs. "You should put yourself out there. There's something out there for someone."

Jade let out a soft groan of protest, looking away from me with a reluctant sigh. "I dunno...Allie says the same thing.."

"Well, you have two people who think you're amazing. I'm sure a girl like you has a media presence, maybe if you post one of your works, you'll get people who likes them," I encouraged gently, leaning back on her bed upon my elbows.

Jade looked at me from the corner of her eye, letting out a thoughtful hum and glanced at her artwork. "You know...I wasn't really sure what to think about you when you first came to me.."

I looked at Jade, tilting my head slightly with curiosity of what she was going to say. "Yeah?"

"All I had was Allie's word... She spoke so highly of you, but when I saw you, you were always the exact opposite of what she said you were. Then the Failure rumors came around, and I began to genuinely believe you were...a failure," Jade continued, looking at me with an expression of subtle shame and guilt.

"But now looking at you, you're exactly everything she described. After what I saw...I have no reason to doubt you or think you're a failure. Your relationship with Matt and Jaiden...your remorse after nearly injuring your best friend, the pride you've shown for your family, your regal presence..."

As I listened to her every word, my lips gradually curled into a soft smile, her own honesty sending warmth around my heart. Jade's tone was filled with emotion, regret, and everything else in between.

"I guess...what I'm getting at is...I want to give you a chance. I rejected you before because of a false pretense I was given. Now, I want to see who you really are..." Jade said, reaching over to place her hand over mine.

I glanced down at our hands, moving my hand to hold hers and gently brushed my thumb along her skin. "Thank you for giving me this chance...this time you'll see more of the real me. The Ryder Allie always described..~"

Jade smiled at my response, her hold on my hand gently tightening. For the first time, I was actually able to see a real smile from Jade, her own gloomy beauty becoming more radiant in my eyes.

〔Charisma/Empathy EXP +120〕

〔Jade's Affection for you has increased to 12%〕

"Since you have about two hours left, kick off your shoes for a bit. I wanna get to know you more," Jade suggested, giving me a soft tug to get me on her bed more.

I smiled at her, taking off my shoes and climbing on her bed more, getting comfortable beside her. I gently wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her closer to me. "Alright, ready to learn some history?"

Jade nodded, leaning her head against my shoulder and grabbed her sketch book to draw while she listened. "Mhm..."

I began to go through my time as a child at my home, Destiny Islands. I explained my expansive bloodline, the history behind each Destiny Woman that was now within the tree. Jade listened with open ears, her eyes lighting with interested from each fact.

As I went down my history, I began to explain my tribal side and the Mojisola side of the family. I wanted to be as honest as possible while going through my life, and that also meant telling her who my father truly is.

"Before I tell you who my father is, I want you to hold your oath that you won't speak of it to another soul outside of those who know," I said with slight caution, glancing down at Jade with a serious gaze.

Jade looked up at me, nodding with the promise of keeping my secret lock and key. "I won't tell anyone else who he is...but now I'm curious. Who is he?"

I took a deep breath and soft exhaled, preparing myself to tell Jade my biggest secret. "Alright. The name of my father is...Shiro Moji."

Jade stared at me for a few moments, my words registering in her ears for a couple of seconds. Once the name registered, she gasped in a surprised manner, covering her mouth in complete awe.

"Yep... That's who my father is, and with him being my dad... that comes with a lot of complications, especially if the wrong people realize who I truly am," I explained, letting out a soft grunt as I stretched.

"Aren't you worried about Tony eventually finding out who he is? If he's willing to find your cousin on the Moji side, who's to say he won't expose who your father is?" Jade questioned, setting her sketchbook down at her side, giving me her full attention.

I averted my gaze for a moment, giving Jade a thoughtful sigh. "Yeah, I am worried about him finding out...but my family hid the secrets away from online presence. However, even if he does find out, I doubt he'd be that stupid to expose that without getting into federal trouble."

"Huh..? Tony in federal trouble? Yeah right, that man is immune to getting arrested. His family has ties within the government itself. Trinity Valley is ruled by the Rich Family," Jade said, raising an eyebrow with a bit of skepticism.

I chuckled softly at her comment, letting out a long sigh, reaching over to playfully pinch her cheek. "If only you knew how powerful my immunities are..~ You think Tony owning a university and some valleys are impressive? Let me tell you a little secret..~"

"Tony has Public Presence right? An alright celebrity and all that, sure. My presence not only reaches the government, but worldwide. The Mojisola Tribe is the most powerful and the wealthiest family in the world at the moment," I revealed, meeting her gaze to see her reaction.

Jade was completely dumbfounded by my reveal, sitting up slightly and turning to face me with her mouth slightly agape. "There's no way... How the fuck are you able to hide this!? You are literally known as a nobody around campus!"

I laughed softly, gently covering her mouth to keep her volume down. I got her to lay back down, my fit of chuckles continuing while I tried to get her to calm down. "Geez, calm down...you make it sound like I dropped a bombshell or something."

Jade sucked her teeth and gently smacked my arm, letting out a soft laugh. "Oh suck my tits, you little smartass..~"

I laughed at her response, shielding myself from her playful attacks and caught her wrists. "Why do you all become aggressive when I'm sassy?"

Jade tried to wrestle me down, attempting to regain control of her wrists but I wasn't allowing her to. With gentle force, I towered over her, pinning her hands above her head and giving her a soft chuckle of triumph.

Jade chuckled back, looking up at me with a soft smile, panting softly to catch her breath. The two of us locked eyes for a brief moment, sitting in a comfortable silence. Jade didn't attempt to pull away from me, allowing me to continue to pin her down.

Jade tilted her head slightly, her beauty butterfly tattoo exposed, inviting me in. She laid beneath me expectantly, her gaze becoming half-lidded as she was waited for me to make my move. She didn't speak, only letting this moment speak for itself.

I stared down at her, accepting her silent invitation and leaned down, pressing my lips against her skin gently. Her breath hitched as my lips touched her neck, her breath becoming shaky with delight. I continued kissing along her neck, each kiss causing her body to tremble.

"Ahh... Right there..." Jade whispered, her nails gently digging into my skin as my lips began hitting the sensitive areas of her neck.

I continued planting tactile kisses along her soft skin, my hands letting go of hers and trailing down her body. Jade let out a soft shaky moan as I began to add more pleasure along her body, my touch sending shivers throughout each of her nerve endings.

"Ugh... you're too...good," Jade moaned softly, letting out a soft whimper from the hypnotizing please I continued to give her.

I chuckled softly at her, slowly pulling away from her neck and sat up slowly, pressing my forehead against hers. "Mmm...I haven't heard that one yet...~"

Jade's body was a shivering mess, her mind becoming foggy with bliss and lust. She wrapped her arms around my neck, biting her lip with gratification as she felt me press my knee between her legs. "M-Mmph..! You even...know the knee trick.."

"I am the son of the greatest Lover of all time..~ There's a reason every guy wants to be like him," I whispered softly in her ear, rubbing my knee along the crotch of her pants.

Jade panted heavily, gripping the collar of my shirt tightly and leaned her head back against her pillow. Her grip began to weaken, her hand finding its place upon my arm as the pleasure began to consume her. "Ry..!"

I bit my lip gently, continuing to use my knee to bring her into a state of total bliss. During my lustful concentration, my phone began to ring, but I quickly declined the call to continue to pushing Jade over the edge.

As Jade neared her peak, my phone began to ring again, but we were already too deep into our moment. The phone continued to ring in the background, Jade's soft moans and gasps intertwining with my melodic ringtone.

With one final cry, Jade finally reached her peak, grunting heavily through her teeth and whimpered loudly, writhing beneath me. I hummed softly as I watched Jade's pleasure take over her, enjoying her tight grip on me as she fought to ground herself back to reality.

〔Lust/Love EXP +150〕

〔Jade's Affection for you has increased to 30%〕

My phone began to ring for a third time and I grabbed it off the bed, looking at the screen and rose an eyebrow. 'What the..? How did Juliet get my number?'

I decided to answer the call to see what Juliet wanted at this time, holding my phone to my ear. "Hello..?"

"Don't just hello me, commoner! Three times? You have me, Queen Juliet, have to ring your phone three times? Who do you think you are—" Juliet began with a regal fury, yapping on the other line about how she's royalty and whatnot.

I held the phone away from my ear, her fussing making her sound incoherent and that of a barking Chihuahua. I groaned softly, side eyeing my phone as Juliet continued fussing.

Jade heard the voice from my phone, gathering herself once again and clearing her throat softly. "Who is that..? She sounds pissed..."

"Oh her? Just some brat annoying me," I said, glancing at Jade with a knowing smirk.

"BRAT?! I will have you know that I am NOTHING like the lowly feminine creatures you are referring to!" Juliet exploded, her tone the clearest its been on the speaker.

I chuckled softly at Juliet, shaking my head and looking down at Jade. "I have to go take this call...I'll see you tomorrow."

Jade nodded, chuckling softly as she heard Juliet continuing to go off in the background. "Okay...oh and take my number down, so I can text you sometime."

I nodded, getting off Jade's bed and watching her write down her number on a piece of paper. Once she finished writing down her number, she handed it to me with a smile on her face. I happily took her number, adding it to my phone and letting Phora register her.

〔Jade's Analysis〕

Name: Jade Bell

Age: 19

Birthday: October 3rd

Status: Friends

Occupation: T.V. University Student, A-List Musician

Preferred Gift(s): Jewelry, Plushies, Art Supplies

Preferred Trait: Empathy

Hobby: Drawing, Singing Karaoke

Favorite Hangout: La Vernia Park

Once I had her locked into my phone, I gave her a nod and gently poked her forehead, turning on my heels to leave her dorm. Jade watched me leave the room with a bittersweet smile, her heart slightly dropping at the sight of me leaving her at the moment.

〔Initiation: Art of Love - Whitespace〕

〔New Main Objective Complete: Hang out with Jade.〕

〔Task Complete: Winged it, got the good ending.〕

〔Reward Earned: Credi +5000, Art of Love EXP +500〕