Aria's Room___
Aria opened the door and threw herself onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. She lay there for five minutes, replaying the events of the day in her head.
Ting… Ting…
Her phone buzzed. She lazily reached for it — until she saw the name. Sinas. She immediately sat up.
Sinas: Hyy pretty
Aria: Hii
Sinas: So… tomorrow, are you free?
Aria: Yes ✨
Sinas: Then let's meet at the café corner.
Aria: Sure, what time?
Sinas: I'll text you. It's near your school, right? So no worries.
Aria: Okey.
Sinas: Then bye. Sweet dreams.
Aria: Bye 👋
She shut her phone and squealed.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Aria jumped up in excitement.
The whole night, she couldn't stop smiling. She practiced how to talk, how to walk, even how to eat — imagining tomorrow's meeting again and again.
Next Day___
"Look, it's her…"
As Aria walked in, students whispered and pointed.
"Thanks for the treat!" one boy called out.
She simply smiled and kept walking. But as she passed the rooftop stairs, she stopped. After thinking for a moment, she turned and headed up.
Pushing open the rooftop door, she expected to see Zorvath in his usual spot. But it was empty. She sighed, scanning the area.
"Looking for someone?" a voice came from behind.
She turned to see Mirzand standing there.
"Yup… your boss."
"He's your boss too," Mirzand replied.
Aria smirked. "Really? Anyway… give this to Zorvath." She handed him the card.
Mirzand shook his head. "He gave it to you. It's your responsibility to return it."
Aria rolled her eyes and was about to leave when Mirzand spoke again.
"Did your friends tell you about Room Zero?"
"Yup. Any problem?" she asked.
Mirzand chuckled. "Nope. Don't you want to go there?"
"Can I?" Aria asked, tilting her head.
"Yes. As the Warrior, I grant you permission."
Aria blinked. "You're the Warrior?"
Mirzand struck a dramatic pose. "Yes."
"I guessed it," Aria said.
Mirzand looked at her, disappointed.
"Huh, I wasted my iconic pose in front of you? Why?"
he said. Aria chuckled.
"Is it too easy to guess?" he asked her.
Aria looked at him.
"Of course. In this school, barely 100 students are here. You guys are popular, but I thought you would be the king," Aria said.
"Why did you think so?" Mirzand asked.
Aria looked him up and down — he was standing there like a model in a jewelry shop window. In her gaze, he got it.
"Never judge a book by its cover," Mirzand said.
Aria rolled her eyes.
For a moment, Mirzand just watched her, his playful smirk fading into something more thoughtful.
"Aria," he called softly.
She was still looking elsewhere, but turned to meet his gaze.
"Do you want to see Room Zero for yourself?" he asked, his tone low and deliberate.
Aria's lips curved into a small, intrigued smile. She nodded. So did Mirzand.
*********************************
4th FLOOR ___
Through the dusty floors and cracked walls, Mirzand and Aria walked in silence.
Aria's eyes darted around — a little scared, a lot curious.
Mirzand strolled casually ahead, the soft clink of his jewelry louder than their footsteps.
Finally, they reached the end of the corridor.
A lone door stood before them.
Mirzand raised his hand and knocked lightly.
The door creaked open, and a boy peeked out.
When he saw Mirzand, he quickly swung it wide.
"Good morning, Warrior," he said.
Inside, two more boys stood. The moment they spotted Mirzand, they rose respectfully.
Aria, confused, recognized their faces — the same ones from yesterday's treat incident. They gave her small, silent waves.
They passed through, heading down a narrow path that linked the 4th floor of the main block to a hidden block behind KHSS.
From the outside, KHSS had no such structure, but here, deep inside, a small three-story block waited in the shadows.
This was Aria's first time here — and first time learning that a bridge-like walkway connected to this secret block.
"Is this really the way to Room Zero?" she asked, hurrying to keep up with Mirzand's long strides.
"Study the way well. Next time, you should come alone," he replied without looking back.
The block looked just like the others: dusty floors, locked classrooms, silence thick in the air.
They took the stairs down.
And then — the last step.
Aria froze.
The underground floor was bathed in soft blue light.
some of girls were waiting there, their eyes lighting up as Mirzand appeared. They rushed to greet him, forming a crowd around him.
Aria was left on the edge, watching.
Before slipping away, Mirzand pressed a badge into her hand.
She turned it over. "What is this? When will he—" She stopped.
Mirzand was gone.
Only the crowd of girls remained — and in front of her, a massive door.
She took a deep breath and reached for it.
A hand stopped her.
She looked up. They both spoke at once.
"You—yesterday!"
The boy smiled. "You're Senior Aria, right?"
"Yes, thank God you remember me," she said with relief.
"Do you have a badge to get in?" he asked.
Aria held up the one Mirzand had given her.
He grinned and pushed the door open. "Riswan," he introduced himself.
Aria smiled back and stepped inside.
The smell hit first — hot, stale air mixed with sweat, blood, and the faint tang of cheap energy drinks.
Then came the noise.
A wall of it.
Shouts, jeers, the slap of fists on skin, the dull thud of someone hitting the floor.
The hall inside felt bigger than it should have been.
At its centre, under the harsh glare of a single hanging light, a fight was in full swing.
One boy had another pinned to the mat, driving his knuckles into his face again and again.
Blood sprayed, and the crowd surged forward, cheering like wolves scenting meat.
Above, the balcony railing was crowded — every space filled with students leaning over, their voices blending into the roar.
Aria's gaze caught on one spot.
Zorvath was there, leaning on the railing like he owned it, his eyes fixed on the fight below.
Beside him, mirzand stood with his arms crossed, his face unreadable.
Leo lounged casually against the wall, one hand in his pocket, smirking.
Aswin was leaning forward, whispering something to Rithul, who laughed under his breath.
The rest of the room was a chaotic sprawl — card games and dice tables in one corner, the pink-and-red graffiti of the Couples' Corner in another, the VIP kids draped on couches with drinks in hand.
The walls were stained, names scrawled over one another until they were almost unreadable.
But Aria's eyes kept drifting to the farthest corner.
Half-hidden behind the glow of a flickering lightbulb was an iron door.
It was scarred with scratches, bound in heavy chains, the padlock dark with age.
No one went near it.
Even the loudest kids in Room Zero seemed to pretend it wasn't there.
The fight below reached its peak — a final punch landed with a sickening crack — but Aria barely noticed.
Her eyes were still on that door.
Something about it felt like it was watching her back.