"Stalemate again?" sighs the raven counting the equal number of black and white stones on the board. The angel stares at him boredly and he panics. "You wont play to win, you won't let me win either. We'll be stuck with this game forever"

"A win means you lose. You disappear. A lose means you win, I suffer" counters the angel as he clears the board of the stones yet again. He blinked his tired cerulean eyes in boredom. 

"Don't you think its getting tiresome? You can do everything you want too yet you wont" replies the raven as he scan his head of techniques to throw the angel off guard. He eyed the white stone in the middle of the board. That same position as how they first played. 

"Wont, cant, and mustn't are very different. It is tiresome but that's the meaning you are here." states the angel as he place another white stone to counter the newly placed black. The raven frowned at the sentence and decided he have gotten sick of the dull boardgame thus he flipped it over. 

"Let's play another game!" suggested the raven. The angel stared at him in mere confusion. "A game that you should, you would, you could, and you must play at all cost. Besides taking away your boredom is my raison d'etre, right? So I will do just that"

Seoul National Academy

Seoul, South Korea

Jongdae stared at the stage frowning at the five white seats that were placed in the middle, just beside the brown oak podium, as if thrones for kings. He didn't like that. And the fact that every student of the damned school is tight lipped. It's hard planting just one information seed. Each and everyone of the heralds seems to be in perfect harmony. 

"You look ready to kill, Chen-chen" teased Baekhyun poking the informants cheeks. Its been exactly five minutes since they arrived and the auditorium is almost filled. Its a sight to behold, if one must say, the right half of the gym is filled with students in their bested white uniform and comprising of almost the majority while the left side is comprised of their kind, the bad bloods, painting the hall in black with their uniform. In quick and rough estimation the proportion of the student body should be 70:30, of course, with the original student's in majority. Still it is a wonder for both Baekhyun and Jongdae to analyze when, where and how the school managed to invite, enrol, and even cater the additional more or less one thousand five hundred bad bloods. From Jongdae's perspective and information, the school has announced their Black Seedlings Project almost a year ago and yet they managed to do things in grand scale. He really is itching for that inside intel. He could use it, he could without a doubt. And it'll be for greater uses, he ponders. 

"Where are the gang anyways?" came Jongdae's frustrated grumble. His lack of knowledge to the member's where and when is killing him even more. Can't he even managed something that trivial? He blames all this to the kings of this school, Absolutes. It seems like the herald were ordered to keep their mouth shut and refrain from leaking information to the transfers. 

"If you don't know, how can we?" answered an irritated Sehun. The game developer have been since yesterday trying his best to break the security of the school system to the best of his capabilities. And the best of his capabilities is not a joke. He can hack anything he wants too. But, his attempts were always futile. It looks as if the guy running the security program knows the exact time he'll stike. "Jibril" he muttered in a low murderous tone. 

"We're here~" announced a flippant voice as the owner merged into the group taking the seat next to Chen and Sehun. Luhan was busy yesterday because of his appointments as a model for his mother's fashion line and thus was unable to witness the events that unfolded. Though, he was detailedly informed about it. On his back is a grouchy and dangerous looking Jongin along with a dazed Lay. "Why do everybody looks ready to kill?"

"Aren't you going to do something about those chairs?" asked Lay as he pointed at the white chairs in the stage knowing exactly well to whom those throne-like seats are meant for. It's odd of him to take notice of things like that but somehow it does get on his nerve. He hates being look down. 

"Dun worry~ I prepared exactly what we need for" answers the grinning Baekhyun. At times like these where the informant is at edge and the leader is ready to explode, it was always Baekhyun who plans everything in great details. Making sure that whatever they are going to do, they do it well. A minute later, a man on his black sleek suit appeared on the stage taking the podium and the interest of the students. If it was any other man, he won't have gained attention from the 'black' seeds. Unfortunately, it was not any other man, in front of the whole student population of the most prestigious academy in asia stood the man who made the impossible possible, the father of the heralds, Kim Jaeryun. 

"I see that everyone has gathered" starts the man in his mid forties. He scans the student filled auditorium before a smile appeared on his face. "The distinction between the heralds and the new students seems to have been drawn too well." Groans and mumbles from the left side of the auditorium. "Well, first of all, I am here to simply explain the simple rules that comprise the former Seoul National Academy. First, the academy at all times promotes healthy competition and rivalry among students with many events and tournaments the academy held for students to break their limits. Second, the academy helds a yearly academic ranking exam that spans for two weeks that test the students' abilities in every field and factor the overall resulting to the overall rankings where treatments are then based. Third, the academy at all times implements the strict discipline that the students must always at all cost respect and obey those of higher ranking. Fourth, any herald caught harming another be it in direct or indirect means shall be subjected to the punishment as agreed by the Absolutes. And Lastly, those who have vendetta against anything shall challenge the proper and respected parties involved. These laws, as announced, hereby applies to the new students as well. All questions and curiousity that is to be raised shall be answered by the current ruling body of the heralds, the Absolutes". On cue, the large doors of the auditorium opened revealing four figures draped with an extraordinaire aura of holiness as they passed through the center clearing as if on red carpet with their neat white uniform and saintly figures. As they reached the stage they took their respected seats. The seat at the center is empty. Suho at the right hand of the empty seat stood up and with a smile greeted his father and took the podium. 

"I am Kim Joonmyeon, the student president of the heralds, and shall now accept legal questions and thus begin the open discussion. The doors are closed until discussions are over." declares the smiling president before the loud sound of the doors closing alerted the students mainly the new ones. Protest started to arise but at the motion of the chinese first year standing behind the empty seat and its left hand where the owl-eyed first year Jongin immediately recognizes was seated, the sturdy  and strong looking students standing guard on the sides of the large hall starts to tense. Immediately recognizing their disadvantage, Jongin stood up kicking the empty seat in front of him silencing the whole auditorium. "Please assure well that we mean no harm but these actions are a must to reach an equilibrium between both factions"

"And who says we need equilibrium?" questioned the dark-skinned freshmen. His eyes darting dangerously towards the calm and smiling president. "Did you think we enrol here for an equilibrium with a bunch of nerds?". His statement earned some grunts from the stiff white seeds. 

"We prefer that you call us heralds, black seed!" shouts a student from the right side of the auditorium and the  left side starts to go aggresive again. 

"Silence!" discplines the owl-eyed freshmen and immediately all noise stops. "We are not to progress the discussion if we remain uncalm. Please carry on, Suho-nim"

"Very well. Allow me to answer the previous question. The heralds are quite aware about the new factions goal and disposition. And we, in return, have thus received your announcement from yesterday and responded very clearly. To play a game we need rules. And it is exactly what we mean by equilibrium. It is hard to call the new factions as it is and it seems that you have taken the term black seeds as a degredation. Shall we first settle with the name of your faction, Kim Jongin-ssi?"

"Its Kai. Call me by anything else I'll kick your ." threatens the edgy freshmen who turned to their annoyed  informant whose gaze is fixed to the speaker on the podium. "Naming is not my forte. Chen, you take over" 

"You'll have to pay me real time." whispered the informant to their leader who shrugged. "Harbringers" says the grinning informant to the president. He liked the taste it left on his mouth. A name that'll bring doom to the man on the podium and his followers. The messengers of chaos. Exactly his style and it seems the Ravens' too. "Harbringers! From now on, all those that wears the color of black and aims to make this school our own haven are called Harbringers. And Raven rules Harbringers, anyone who dares question I'll plummet to the ground.And with that start the negotiation, herald."

"Harbringers. Of course" laughs the president as he eyed the sharp jawed spy he caught yesterday with keen interest. "Then I conclude you are of the Ravens and the only one who can hold negotiation" Baekhyun grumbled shouting I do negotiations too! "We ask nothing of the harbringers and restrict them of nothing therefore we can't negotiate"

"Then, lets set the ground rules of the game. The old man from before enumerated the laws that encomprises this school let's start with that. We, the harbringers, plays to take the thrones of the school that is to say if we win the school is ours. No one is to transfer or drop out of the school until the game is finished. In any cases, since the heralds does not want anything from us we are to assume that once we win the whole student population of the heralds shall remain. Laws, regulations, activities, school events, and every thing that the student council can do and is allowed to do shall be transferred to the harbringers if we win. If we lose then the heralds are allowed to state their prize and we will do everything to meet its end. If the heralds wants nothing then we do nothing, if the heralds want us out then we're out" explains the grinning Chen as he laid the foundation of the rules. 

"I see. In that case allow me to create the framework of the game based on the laws of the school. I am informed that Ravens are of six members and in coincidence or by work of fate the absolutes are also of six members. The ruling body of both factions even out. We will play by rule 1. Since the school promotes healthy rivalry we shall determine everything by events and games. Each and every arguments that appears too tedious to settle shall be decided by a game that both factions agrees. The rules of the games are to be decided on the spot. Duels between same ranks are to be held every month. Heralds are ranked according to their results on the yearly academic exams and we are to ask of you to rank your faction in a similar manner. Duels are to decided which of the school facilities are for who to use and when to use. Each wins comprise a chip and those chips are to buy the facilities and the timeslot. We shall go in details about this later. And lastly Ravens are allowed to challenge the Absolutes at any time and any place openly. If the Ravens brought victory to their side then they shall take over the responsibilty that certain Absolute is commanding. For example if I lose, the student government and all its work and data shall be transferred to the Raven that defeated me. The game is over once the six of the Absolute is defeated. This shall go on until the graduation in spring."

"Seems reasonable. What shall happen if the Raven is defeated? Is there any consequences?"

"That certain Raven member that challenges the Absolute shall lose his right to challenge the same Absolute for a month."

"Fine. I'll add this other rule to the list. Once every month the Ravens and the Absolute are to send a member in a meeting for them to discuss issues about the games. Ravens is to be given a copy of the heralds ranking system and their school regulations as an exchange for the ravens to do just the same. And another copy of the current holdings of the factions in the territorial war. In any case herald rules apply only to the heralds while our laws applies only to us. Furthermore, on certain and rare occasion that a herald must enter a harbringer territory and vice versa the guest is to be immediately subjected to the rules of the faction he/she entered and violations to certain rules is to subjected immediately."

"In accordance to the last added rule, an exceptional case is to be applied when a member of a certain faction invites a member of the opposing faction to their territory. The invitee shall remain subjected to his/her faction's rules. Do we striked a deal?"

"Clear as anything. Let me tell you this though. Ravens will burn this game down. Victory is already ours" declares a confident Chen as he took a seat to the specially black seat Baekhyun prepared for them. A comfortable modern looking couch that's often found on the lounge that they serves as their hideout. In as sense it also means that Ravens won't rest until they make the whole school theirs. The six Ravens members lazily seats on two couches staring at the four prim and proper students sitting on the seats on the stage. Suho returned to his seat on the middle of the empty center seat and the basketball captain. 

"The discussion is over! Open the doors! Absolutes hereby proclaim the start of the game! Heralds, let's play!" announced the chinese freshmen with a smile playing on his lips as he eyed the Ravens' maknae as if mocking him. He mouthed to the programmer Lets.continue.to.play.Eagle. His eyes crinkling as he saw the frown on the opposing team's maknae's face. The Absolutes exited the auditorium first with an anticipating smile on their faces. Like bored kids that found a worthwhile game to kill the time. Ravens shrugged as they pass by. They'll be sure to enjoy the events. 

"This is more interesting, right?" says the raven to the angel. He flapped his wings in excitement as he saw the interest in the eyes of the angel. For the holy being, the game was a first and unknown. 

"Certainly. This is very interesting" the angel replied with a coy smile on his face. His pure white wings spreading out letting some of his feathers fall to the endless white ground. "Let the games begin well".