Breaking News [Closed]

Though it was a week day, it was as if by the day's afternoon Endymion had called a sudden holiday; people stopped working, teachers pulled up their in-class TVs for their students so that the whole city could watch in its entirety as Prince Julius called an impromptu press conference. Many didn't dare to say it, but their worries flew high. This was unheard of before, but it was a display of His Highness' authority over Endymion, such that for these few hours, most of the citizens prepared to watch whatever he deemed important enough to tell them about with no prior warning.


Reporters and news stations flocked to the entrance of Seven Stars Academy, where an impromptu podium had been set up just in front of the school gates. Many, of course, were here because they were legitimately interested in what the Prince had to say, and many others as well only rushed here in search of what could honestly be a major scoop, the likes of which no-one had ever witnessed in the city's history... if they happened to be the first ones to actually detail the story in its entirety and made the key questions to His Highness, maybe even secure a private interview, their ratings would skyrocket!

But, the whispers and movements of the crowd slowed and died down as the large double doors of the Academy slowly opened up. From inside, first there were two officers dressed in the recognizable heavy gear of Outer Rim Cadets, they flanked the podium and called for the crowd to be silent as the next person made their way outside. Prince Julius' steps were calm, but brief, as he didn't intend on keeping the people of Endymion waiting too long.


There were many whispers following this statement, though everyone was mostly confused at what Julius meant by "the truth". He seemed to imply it was unrelated to Class Zero, but did he intend that? Regardless, after just a minute or so, he gestured for the Outer Rim Cadets at his side, who quickly shouted to get the crowd back to their properly silent and listening behavior.

"Thank you. The first piece of information I'd like to address are the rumors surrounding the forest at Sunlake Palms. Plainly put, the forest was the domain of a Terrorist who had managed to capture one hundred people; due to our Cadets' failure at apprehending said Terrorist, those people regrettably lost their lives. It is, no doubt about it, our single greatest blunder, and there are no excuses I can offer that could possibly outweigh the suffering caused during that night several months ago." He expected an outcry, but what he received instead were the mortified gasps of several reporters, some of which seemed to lower their cameras in utter shock as they simply stared at Julius in disbelief. "I am, of course, aware that such an event being kept away from the public eye for so long is a major breach of your trust, but nonetheless I hope you'll still place your faith in the Cadets. Our objective has never changed from protecting all of you, and those involved in the failure of said mission have been given extensive additional training in order to ensure that the same never happens again. Our highest priority is to find the Terrorists responsible for those deaths, as well as the ones involved in the suicides at the Forest of the Lost." He paused, and the crowd started their hooting and hollering at the revelation, but soon enough his words brought some semblance of order. "You may now ask any questions about this topic, one at a time if you would."

A young blonde Reporter raised her hand, and Julius nodded towards her. She got up, notebook and pen in hand, and began.

"Yes! Your Highness, I'm a reporter for SMILE Magazine; the only question I have to ask is: why wait until now to tell us about this when the original deaths occurred months ago? Wouldn't the families of the victims have gotten better closure at the time compared to now?" The Reporter's words stung, but Julius' calm facade wasn't broken as he simply adjusted his glasses.

"A very good question. I will allow for full disclosure; we intended on keeping this event a secret for the sake of maintaining public peace. If people knew that such a dangerous Terrorist was let loose... well, I dread to think of what would have happened. However, I'd also like to add my personal reasons for doing so; despite our perception in the city's eyes, the Cadets are just as human as any of you are. I chose to keep this event hidden for the sake of those who were traumatized by their failure, so that they wouldn't be publicly shunned for it. In addition, that is also why the identities of the Cadets involved in this mission, as well as any other, are to remain secret." Julius removed his glasses for a moment, wiping them on his coat before looking back upon the Reporter with a cool smile.

"I see... so then, that begs the question: why are you telling this at all? Surely you still feel the same way about the public outcry as you would have back then, no?" An agreeable question, as demonstrated by the other reporters around her nodding and exchanging inquisitive words.

"Not quite; back then I used to think that revealing these kinds of truths would shake the trust that Endymion has placed on Class Zero; now, however, I'm of a different opinion. I'm hopeful that by revealing the truth, the whole truth to you all, is what will keep that trust intact, and keep us more united as citizens than ever before." Julius' head drooped ever so slightly, but the sharp eyes of the audience caught his smile fading after he finished speaking.

But the Reporter was not finished as she pressed forward. "On that line of reasoning, could you tell us of the prior events in regards to the Sunlake Palm's Church Massacre and of the reported shootout during that time? Are they by chance related?"

"We are currently in the process of investigating these incidents. Despite the fact the massacre appear to match a particular modus operandi of a certain Psyche-Terrorist group, we do not have anything completely conclusive at this time. We ask for your patience as we tirelessly work to protect the Palms and the city at large. Any cooperation the residents in the Sunlake Palms could give is always appreciated." The Prince coolly replied. While his lips lost their earlier shine of a smile, it didn't take long to return into an even and composed curl to assure the antsy attendees. Knitting her brows together, the Reporter gave him a slow nod before finally returning to her seat.