Ace's POV
The air in the hallway leading to the Basement was unnaturally still. My internal alarm was screaming. Usually, the Basement echoed with the distant sounds of training or the low hum of the ventilation system, but tonight, it was silent. Too silent.
Zein was walking closely beside me, her hand occasionally brushing my arm. She was still wearing the dress Mia had delivered—a white dress that made her look a queen . But she was acting strange. Her eyes kept darting to the shadows, and she was walking with a rhythmic pace that felt… choreographed.
"Zein," I muttered, my hand instinctively reaching for the tactical knife hidden in my belt. "Something's wrong. This is so quiet."
"You worry too much, Supremo," she replied, though her voice had a nervous pitch to it. "Maybe everyone just finally followed your order.
We reached the heavy steel doors of the Basement. I placed my hand on the handle, sensing a faint vibration from the other side. I looked back to tell Zein to stay behind me, but my heart skipped a beat.
The space beside me was empty.
"Zein?" I hissed, spinning around. She was gone. Not a sound, not a footprint. My secretary had vanished into the pitch-black corridor.
Panic, a cold and unfamiliar emotion, flared in my chest. If someone had taken her under my watch, there would be hell to pay. I kicked the Basement doors open, my body tensed for a fight, my eyes scanning for threats.
The room was pitch black.
"Zein! If this is a game—"
Suddenly, a deafening roar of voices shattered the silence.
"3... 2... 1... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUPREMO!"
The lights flickered on, blinding me for a split second. As my vision cleared, I didn't see an ambush. I saw a chaotic, colorful, and completely ridiculous transformation of the grim Basement. There were streamers hanging from the pipes, balloons (some of which were taped lopsidedly), and a massive banner that looked like it had been painted in a hurry.
I stood frozen. The President of the Student Council, the feared 'Supremo' of Hell University, was rendered completely speechless. I didn't know how to react. My hands, usually ready to strike, hung uselessly at my sides. In this school, birthdays were usually marked by survival, not celebrations.
Zein stepped out from behind a pillar, a soft, triumphant smile on her face. She walked up to me, ignoring my stunned expression, and stood on her tiptoes.
"Happy Birthday, Ace," she whispered into the silence of my shock.
"You… you all did this?" I managed to say, my voice sounding rough even to my own ears. I looked around at the faces. Matt, Vanessa, Dave, Jerome—Zein's loyal circle. Then Keifer, looking stoic as ever, and Percy, who was covered in what appeared to be blue frosting.
"Thank you," I said, looking at each of them. My gaze lingered, searching the room. "But where is…?"
Percy laughed, shaking his head. "Don't worry, Supremo. The mastermind is just finishing the final 'tactical' touch."
Suddenly, a weight slammed into my back.
"BOO!"
I didn't flinch—I knew that chaotic energy anywhere. Jay-jay had jumped onto my back, her arms wrapping around my neck as she let out a bright, infectious laugh. She smelled like flour and vanilla.
"Happy Birthday, you grumpy King!" she shouted in my ear before sliding down. She was covered in flour, a blue smudge still on her nose.
"Thank you, little troublemaker," I said, a genuine smile finally breaking through my mask. I looked at her, then at Keifer. "How did you even know? My records are encrypted."
"Raze told us," Jay-jay said, winking. "And speaking of the devil..."
The door creaked open again, and Raze Silvenia walked in. The leader of the Devil God Warriors looked remarkably out of place near a birthday cake, but he tipped his head toward me. "Even a King needs to age, Ace. Happy Birthday."
"Make a wish, Ace," Zein said, stepping closer as Keifer and Jay-jay emerged from the kitchen area carrying a three-tier cake that looked dangerously lopsided but smelled incredible.
"Did you make this ?? "I asked both of them.They nodded proudly.
I looked at the cake, then at the group of people surrounding me. In a school designed to break us, these people had chosen to build something. I closed my eyes for a second. I wish to not lose a single one of them.
Then, the gifts began. It was the most absurd collection of items I had ever received.
Keifer handed me a small, heavy box. "A customized GPS jammer. For when you actually want to disappear."
Percy and Freya handed me a neatly folded black shirt. "You wear too much grey," Percy remarked. "Try to look stylish while you're intimidating people."
Edrix and Rory gave me a "technical wish"—a voucher for any hardware override they could provide.
Mia and Vanessa handed over a vintage camera, Dave and Matt offered a high-end perfume, and Ci-N and Felix sheepishly handed over a tub of expensive face cream.
"We couldn't get out " Ci-N explained quickly. "So we… uh… raided our personal supplies. You have a lot of stress lines, Supremo. It helps."
Raze stepped forward and tossed a pair of professional-grade boxing gloves onto the table. "For the next time we spar. Don't hold back."
Finally, Zein stepped forward. She didn't have a box. She handed me a simple, cream-colored envelope. "I don't have technical gadgets or fancy creams," she said, her cheeks turning pink. "So I wrote it down instead."
The group immediately erupted into hoots and teasing. "Ooh! A love letter!" Jerome yelled. "The Supremo is blushing!"
"Quiet," I commanded, though I tucked the letter into my inner pocket as if it were a state secret. "What's next?"
"Next," Jay-jay announced, grabbing an acoustic guitar from the corner. "Is the main event. I wrote this specifically for the birthday boy."
She sat on a stool, her fingers finding the chords. The room went quiet as she started to strum a upbeat, slightly bouncy melody.
Jay-jay's Song for the Supremo:
(Verse 1)
He sits on a throne made of metal and spite,
Giving us orders from morning 'til night.
He's got the 'Supremo' glare, cold as the sea,
But he still hasn't figured out how to stop me!
(Chorus)
Oh, Ace, you're a King with a very loud frown,
But we're the ones turning your world upside down.
A 'Thunderpuff' hero with a heart made of gold,
Even if you're acting like you're a hundred years old!
(Verse 2)
You fight like a demon and lead like a boss,
But without us, you'd be at a total loss.
So blow out the candles and eat all the cake,
Before your cold heart starts to finally break!
Everyone erupted in laughter. Even Keifer had a smirk on his face. Jay-jay finished with a flourish, bowing dramatically while I just shook my head, fighting the urge to laugh out loud.
"A 'Thunderpuff', Jay?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It fits!" she chirped.
As the laughter died down, Dave dragged a large table into the center. "Alright, the cake is eaten, the songs are sung. Now, it's time for the most dangerous game in Hell University."
He pulled out a glass bottle and set it in the middle.
"Truth or Dare," Zein said, her eyes flashing with a mix of excitement and dread. "And since it's your birthday, Ace… you get to spin first."
I looked at the bottle, then at the circle of friends—and rivals—sitting on the floor of the Basement. Tonight, the secrets of the school felt far away. Tonight, we were just teenagers playing a game.
I reached out and spun the bottle.
A/n
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