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
Seeing Sinas's text, Aria thought for a moment.
I already told Sona... so I'm not cheating her,
And with that, she texted him back.
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___
Aria came to KHSS early. She went straight to the stairs leading to the rooftop, not even bothering to leave her bag in the classroom.
The stairs were dusty, and branches from nearby trees had crept inside, spreading across the steps. She looked at the leaves for a moment, and even while staring at them, she kept walking.
She was afraid to turn around, worried that an insect or even a snake might attack her.
The fear felt real, and considering the condition of KHSS, no one could blame her.Finally, she reached the rooftop.
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 said. " ofcourse " with a pleasant smile.
Aria was about to leave when Mirzand spoke again.
"Did your friends tell you about Room Zero?"
"What's that?" she asked.
Mirzand chuckled. " Don't you want to go there?"
"Hmmm....where?" Aria asked, tilting her head.
"To the heart of KHSS."
Aria blinked. " what are you talking about?"
Mirzand struck a dramatic pose of disbelief " I thought your besties told you "
"they didn't," Aria said,a bit down.
Mirzand looked at her, come closer to her "then I will show you "he said.
Aria refused
"No,I think it's an bad idea "
"Why,not " he asked her.
Aria looked at him.
"I don't deserve to know that....I don't want to start a war here." Aria said.
"come on..you will love it. just follow me" Mirzand said.
Aria looked him up and down - he was standing there like a model in a jewelry shop window.
"Are you sure"she asked
For a moment, Mirzand just watched her.
"100%" he said.
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.
"whats this Room zero for"aria asked.
" just a place where people chill out." mirzand replied
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.
"warrior?"aria asked.
"thats my role here ... there will be an king the head,an queen and an warrior they role this school"mirzand said as he walk in.
Inside, two more boys stood. The moment they spotted Mirzand, they rose respectfully.
They gave aria a 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-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.
" why should I come here ?"aria asked.
"cause zorvath is the king,.... and we're looking for a perfect queen sooo..."
Aria said to her self Dream on....so mirzand is the warrior and that idiot is the king...no wonder all respect these fools.
The block looked just like the others: dusty floors, locked classrooms, silence thick in the air.
They took the stairs down.
"so the queen post is empty?"aria asked "yup ,not anymore I guess" mirzand said teasing.
I know exactly why you are shipping me and that idiot so badly....wait and see one day I will also get a chance
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.
The boy smiled. "You're Senior Aria, right?"
"Yes, may I," she asked
"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,
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.