Jay's POV
The heavy, rhythmic thud of combat boots against the polished marble of the Main Hall echoed like a death knell. The "Bloody Night" was supposed to be over, but for Zein and me, the real nightmare was just moving indoors.
The "Cleaners"—faceless men in gray tactical gear—didn't lead us; they dragged us.
My knees scraped against the floor, and I could feel Zein's fierce, jagged breathing beside me. We had humiliated Madam Violet. We had held a knife to the throat of the institution.
And now, the Board was waiting.
The Main Hall was a cavern of shadows, lit only by the cold glow of the surveillance monitors. At the far end, three hooded figures sat behind a long, obsidian table. The Board. The silent architects of Hell University.
"Kneel," a voice boomed from the shadows.
A Cleaner kicked the back of my legs, and I hit the floor hard. Zein was forced down beside me.
Her eyes were still wild, a trapped animal that refused to stop snarling.
"Interrogation begins now," the center figure whispered. "Private. No witnesses. No mercy..
I looked up, trying to find a flicker of humanity in the room, but all I saw was the cold, calculating gaze of the school administration. We weren't students anymore. We were glitches in their system that needed to be erased.
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Ace's POV
I stood in the balcony shadows, my fingers digging into the cold iron railing until my knuckles turned white.
Below me, Zein and Jay looked so small, so vulnerable, pinned under the spotlights of the Board.
Every instinct I had—every ounce of the "Supremo" persona I'd built—screamed at me to jump down there and tear those Cleaners apart. But I couldn't move.
If I intervened now, if I showed even a sliver of the protection I'd been weaving around them for years, it would all be for nothing. My infiltration of the Board, the secrets I'd gathered about the silver door, the plan to burn this place to the ground from the inside—it would vanish in a second. They would label me a traitor, and then there would be no one left to guard Zein's back.
"The girl Shion (Zein) must be disciplined first," the Board member on the left stated. "An example must be made."
"Wait," I said, stepping into the light, my voice a mask of bored authority. "The interrogation is premature. They have information on the hidden lab. If you break them now, you lose the data. Postpone the physical punishment for twenty-four hours."
The center Board member turned his hooded head toward me. "You seem overly concerned with their 'data,' Supremo. Or is it their safety?"
The air in the room turned to ice. They were testing me.
"I am concerned with the efficiency of this school," I snapped, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Don't mistake my pragmatism for sentiment. I want the information they stole. Once I have it, you can do whatever you want with them."
It was a lie that tasted like ash in my mouth. I saw Zein look up, her eyes finding mine for a split second. She looked hurt. I had to let her believe the lie. For now, it was the only way to keep her breathing.
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The doors to the Main Hall were suddenly thrown open. It wasn't the Cleaners—it was the students.
A digital chime echoed through the hall.
Every student's phone buzzed simultaneously. The screens glowed with a terrifying message from the Board:
[BOUNTY: Those who assist in the 'interrogation' of the rebels will be granted an immediate spot in the Top 10 List. Immunity for one year.]
The shift in the room was instantaneous. The students who had been huddled in fear moments ago now looked at us like golden tickets. The hunger for survival outweighed any bond of classmates.
"They're ours!" a boy from the back screamed, lunging forward.
He reached out, his hand aiming for their hair, but he never made it.
CRACK.
A fist collided with his jaw with the force of a sledgehammer. Keifer stepped over the fallen boy, his flashlight replaced by a heavy iron pipe. Behind him, Edrix, Rory, Cin , Mia and the others fanned out, forming a jagged, protective circle around me and Zein.
"Touch them and you'll find out why I'm still alive in this hellhole!" Keifer roared, his voice shaking the rafters. "I don't care about the Top 10! If you want them, you have to go through us first!"
The students hesitated, but the greed was too strong. A sea of bodies surged forward. It was a chaotic blur of fists, kicks, and desperate screams. Our friends fought like demons, but they were outnumbered fifty to one.
I felt a sharp tug. A boy had bypassed Keifer and grabbed a handful of my hair, jerking my head back. I clawed at his arm, but he was stronger.
"Got you, little rebel," he hissed, raising a shard of glass.
Suddenly, a hand clamped onto the boy's wrist—not a student's hand, but something stronger, more authoritative.
SQUELCH.
A knife drove through the boy's palm, pinning his hand to the floor. He screamed, releasing me instantly.
A tall, imposing figure stepped out of the shadows. He wore a tailored black coat that seemed to swallow the light. His eyes were cold, sharp, and unmistakably familiar.
Angelo. My cousin.
"You have very dirty hands," Angelo said, his voice a calm, terrifying silk. He twisted the knife deeper into the floor. "And you used them to touch someone that belongs to me."
The room went silent. The students backed away, recognizing the insignia on his lapel. He wasn't just a hunter; he was a legend within the administration.
"Angelo?" one of the Board members demanded, standing up. "What is the meaning of this? You are a member of this administration. Who are you to stop a sanctioned bounty?"
Angelo didn't even look at the Board. He wiped the blood from his cuff. "I am the man who will burn this hall down if another finger is laid on my cousin."
"You overstep!" the Board member shrieked. "We are the authority!"
"Are you?"
A woman stepped out from behind Angelo. She was stunning, her presence radiating a quiet, lethal grace. She was Ion, Angelo's girlfriend and the most feared administrator in the Science Wing.
"You seem to forget, gentlemen," Ion said, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the Board. "We are responsible for the daily working of the school's administration. We manage the Cleaners, the data, and the logistics. Do you really want me to remind you how quickly this school falls apart without us?"
The Board member's mouth opened, then clicked shut. He sank back into his chair, the fear visible in the way his hands shook.
The tension snapped like a dry twig. I didn't care about the Board or the fight anymore. I scrambled to my feet, my vision blurring with tears.
"Kuya!" I sobbed, throwing myself into Angelo's arms.
The "Cold Assassin" vanished. Angelo caught me, his arms wrapping around me in a crushing, protective hug. He buried his face in my hair, his shoulders finally relaxing.
"I've got you, Jay. I've got you. Nobody's touching you again."
"Ate Ion!" I reached out for Ion as well.
She pulled both of us into a hug, flicking a stray lock of hair from my face. "We're here, baby girl. We're here."
The students stood in stunned silence, watching the two most terrifying figures in the school act like a doting family.
Angelo eventually stepped back, his eyes landing on Ace, who was still standing on the balcony. They locked eyes—a silent communication between two men who had been playing a very long, very dangerous game.
"You've been doing your work well, Supremo," Angelo said, his voice carrying a hidden weight.
Ace gave a singular, stiff nod. "I do what's necessary."
Angelo then turned his gaze toward Keifer, who was still standing guard, his knuckles bleeding. Angelo stepped close, his height intimidating. "And you," he whispered, a brotherly warning in his tone. "Keep guarding her like that, and maybe I won't have to bury you."
Keifer gulped, nodding frantically.
Finally, Angelo turned to Percy, my stepbrother, who was leaning against a pillar, trying to look cool despite being covered in bruises. "Percy. Try to keep your head down for once, will you?"
"No promises, Kuya. It's how to do this with such handsome face," Percy grinned .
I wiped my eyes, looking between Angelo and Ion. The confusion finally started to set in. "Wait... what are you guys even doing here? You're supposed to be at the main headquarters! Why are you in this hellhole?"
Ion stepped forward and flicked my forehead—the same "dumbo" flick she'd given me since I was six years old.
"Honestly, Jay," Ion laughed, her eyes softening. "You're such a dumbo. Did you really think we'd miss it? Tomorrow is your birthday."
I froze. In the blood, the screams, and the shadows of the silver door, I had completely forgotten.
"Happy early birthday, kiddo," Angelo whispered, pulling me back into his side. "Now, let's go. We have a school to finish breaking."
Zein caught my eye and smiled—a real, genuine smile. The night was still dark, and the war was far from over, but for the first time in Hell University, we weren't fighting alone.
The hunt had ended. The revolution had just found its generals.
A/n
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