The blast from Lucian's shot echoed through the underground chamber like a declaration.
Everyone at the King's Table stood.
Chaos followed.
"Seal the entrances!" one of them shouted.
The hacker king started typing furiously on a tablet, trying to regain camera control. The boy in the marble mask reached for a blade tucked beneath his seat.
I stayed still.
Because my teacher had just declared war… not on them.
On me.
---
Above Ground – Academy Courtyard
Lucian moved like a ghost, dodging the guards with unnerving precision. He wasn't heading for me—he was heading toward the Headmaster's Office.
And suddenly, I knew.
He wasn't here to save me.
He was here to end something.
---
Back Below – The King's Table
The White King turned to me, his voice dangerously soft.
"Why is your instructor attacking the academy?"
I answered without blinking. "Maybe he's tired of watching kids play war."
He stepped closer. "Or maybe… he knows who you really are."
I was about to speak when a voice cut through the room, smooth as silk.
"I know who she is too."
Everyone froze.
The masked boy with the onyx ring on his hand stepped forward.
"Remove your mask," the King commanded.
The boy obeyed, lifting it off slowly.
Revealing the first hidden male lead.
Aris Grey.
The quiet top-tier student. Perfect grades. Perfect silence. The one no one noticed.
But I did.
Because he had eyes like mine—trained, dead, then suddenly… awake.
---
Flashback – One Month Ago
A shadow in the hallway. I was sneaking into the off-limits files when someone appeared beside me. Silent.
Him.
He didn't stop me. Didn't speak.
He only said, "If you dig too deep, you'll start remembering."
Then he vanished.
---
Present
Aris: "She doesn't belong to your table. She belongs to mine."
The King: "She hasn't chosen a side."
Aris turned to me. "Choose."
Everyone turned to look.
My breath caught.
Kael. Darius. Ryker. Lucian. Vale. And now… Aris.
Too many boys. Too many loyalties. Too many lies.
I answered quietly. "I don't belong to anyone."
Aris tilted his head, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips.
"That's the right answer."
Then, he threw a dagger.
It embedded perfectly into the throne of the White King.
A message.
War had begun.
---
Later – Rooftop of East Dorms
Aris stood beside me now, the two of us cloaked in night. The King's Table was in lockdown, and Lucian was nowhere to be found.
I broke the silence. "Why show yourself now?"
Aris: "Because I need you to stop pretending."
I looked at him sideways. "Pretending what?"
He turned, his voice low. "That you're not still a weapon."
I went still.
Aris: "We were both trained under Alden. You were E.V.E.01. I was E.V.E.03."
I turned fully now. "You were in the program?"
He nodded. "Only two of us survived. You forgot. I… never could."
My breath hitched.
Aris: "He made you forget to protect you. But I remember everything. Every mission. Every kill. Every time they called us numbers, not names."
He looked away.
"I wanted to forget. But someone had to remember—for you."
I didn't know what to say.
For once, I just let the silence wrap around us.
And then he did something unexpected.
He gently took my hand.
"Next time," he said softly, "choose me."
Then he walked away.
---
Elsewhere – Surveillance Room
Kael stood behind Vale and Darius, arms crossed as they watched Aris walk away on a hacked camera feed.
Kael: "He was one of the hidden leads."
Darius: "And she's already pulling him in."
Vale (smirking): "She doesn't even know how dangerous she is to all of us."
---
End of Chapter 39