Jay's POV
The high-pitched wail of the siren cut through the library, signaling the start of the Bloody Night. In Hell University, this wasn't an emergency—it was the dinner bell for the monsters.
My heart hammered againsty ribs as I heard the heavy, rhythmic thud of combat boots. I quickly shoved the old photograph into the waistband of my jeans, pulling my hoodie down to hide the bulge.
"Jay!" Keifer burst through the doors, his eyes frantic. Ace was right behind him, his hand already on the hilt of a concealed blade.
"I'm here," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.
Keifer grabbed my shoulders, scanning for injuries. "Why the hell are you in the basement during the hunt? We need to get to the Basement."
"I just got lost, Keifer. I'm fine," I lied. I looked at Ace, whose sharp eyes were lingering on the loose floorboard I hadn't quite kicked back into place.
I couldn't tell them yet. Not until I knew why Keifer's father was in that photo. First, I find the truth,I thought, then I tell him.
The morning sun in Hell University never felt warm; it felt like a spotlight in an interrogation room. The cafeteria was buzzing with the usual low-grade dread that followed a "Bloody Night," the scent of industrial cleaner failing to mask the metallic tang of the previous night's skirmishes.
I was sitting with Zein, trying to act normal despite the photograph burning a hole in my pocket, when the air in the room suddenly turned cold.
"You're quiet today, Jay," Zein noted, leaning in. "Something happened in that basement, didn't it?"
The chatter died down instantly. Nazzer Lumia and his Black Blood enforcers sauntered in, kicking chairs out of their way. He didn't stop until he was looming over our table, his shadow swallowing both of us.
He leaned down, placing his scarred hands on the table. "The Board is tired of the old ways," he rasped, his eyes darting between Zein's stoic face and my nervous one. "The Supreme Council is a sinking ship, and the 'Protector' is too busy playing bodyguard to see it."
He looked at Zein first. "You, Shion. You're wasted on them. Join the Black Bloods. With your skills and our fire, we'd own every corridor in this hellhole."
Then, his gaze shifted to me, a predatory glint in his eyes. "And Mariano... you've got a mouth that needs a bigger stage and great fighting skills. Join us, and you won't have to hide behind 'Supremo' or 'Watson' every time the siren wails. Join us, or die with the losers when the Red Trial begins."
I felt Zein tense beside me, her hand drifting toward the hidden pocket in her boot. I took a slow sip of my juice, looked Nazzer dead in the eye, and let out a sharp, sarcastic laugh.
"Join you?" I chirped, tilting my head. "Sorry, Mr. Whatever I have a strict policy against joining clubs where the primary recruitment requirement is 'not bathing' and 'having the personality of a wet floor sign. Honestly, I don't think you guys have enough brain cells collectively to finish a coloring book. It sounds... exhausting."
Nazzer's face contorted into a mask of pure rage. He lunged forward, but he stopped dead when two shadows loomed behind him.
"Touch them," Ace's voice dropped like a guillotine blade, "and I'll make sure you never hear the next siren."
Keifer was right beside him, his gaze fixed on Nazzer with a chilling, statistical detachment. "I've already calculated forty-two ways this ends for you, Nazzer," Keifer muttered, his hand resting possessively on my shoulder. "In every single one, you don't walk out of here.
Nazzer backed off slowly, raising his hands in a mocking surrender. "Let's see how long you can protect them. The hierarchy is rotting, Ace. Enjoy your little family while it lasts."
As they left, the tension broke. Dave looked over at Ci-N, who was practically vibrating in his seat, checking his hair in the reflection of a metal tray.
"Ci-N, why do you look like you just injected pure caffeine?" Dave asked.
"Of course he's excited," I teased, poking Ci-N's arm. "His crush is joining HU today. He's been practicing his 'cool guy' face since 5:00 AM."
"I have not!" Ci-N squeaked, turning a brilliant shade of red.
Just then, Rakki walked in. My best friend. She looked fierce, her eyes scanning the room like a hawk. Ci-N stood up, arms wide for a hug, only for Rakki to breeze right past him and pull me into a bone-crushing embrace.
"Jay-jay! You look terrible. This place is a dump," she said, ignoring Ci-N's dejected, outstretched arms.
"Seriously, Rakki," Ci-N pouted, finally dropping his empty arms. "I've been waiting at the gate for two hours and you didn't even say hi?"
Rakki finally looked at him, one eyebrow arched. "I saw you, Ci-N. You were wearing those ridiculous sunglasses indoors. I figured you were busy being 'cool.'
The table erupted in muffled snickers, and introduction and for a second, things felt… normal.
But the photograph in my waistband was a lead weight. I couldn't sit here pretending to be the "clumsy newbie" while my mother's face was staring at me from a twenty-year-old secret.
"I'm going to the washroom," I announced, standing up abruptly.
"I'll go with you," Zein offered, her protective instincts instantly flaring.
"No, stay. Finish your coffee. I just need a minute to wash the 'Nazzer-grease' off my soul," I joked, waving them off.
I didn't go to the washroom.
As soon as I cleared the cafeteria doors, I doubled back toward the maintenance stairs. My heart was a frantic bird against my ribs. I needed to get to the Basement—not the "Safe Room" the guys had built, but the deep basement, the one Raze had mentioned in his cryptic notes.
The air grew colder as I descended. The flickering fluorescent lights were replaced by dim, pulsing emergency bulbs. I reached a heavy steel door marked 'Maintenance Level 4' and slipped inside.
The room was filled with old servers and crates of rusted equipment. I began moving things aside, my breath hitching as I found a hidden alcove behind a stack of moth-eaten gym mats. On the wall, carved deep into the concrete, was a symbol.
It wasn't just a logo. It was the logo.
A serpent entwined around a cracked hourglass. I'd seen it a thousand times in my nightmares—the one where a woman's voice whispered my name while the world burned. Seeing it here, in the physical world, made my blood turn to ice.
"What are you doing here, Jay?"
I heard someone