Chapter 11: Scars in Silver and Silent
The night whispered.
Julian sat alone in the old auto shop behind the school—once his father's, now abandoned. Tools rusted in the corners like forgotten dreams. Dust floated in shafts of moonlight slicing through the broken roof.
His laptop glowed with files he should never have seen.
Emails. Bank transfers. Secret deals.
Henderson Tech wasn't just a sponsor. It was laundering millions through student loans, inflating tuition, bribing teachers to push elite students through without merit.
He exhaled.
Then pressed "Upload."
The files were scheduled to go live on every major student platform in 72 hours—unless he stopped it.
He didn't plan to.
The watch vibrated.
[Progress: 31%]
Time Remaining: 62 Hours.
Risk Level: 5/5]
Memory Most At Risk: Your 15th Birthday.
(Mother's last recorded laugh.)
His eyes stung.
He slammed the laptop shut.
---
A bathtub filled with rose petals. Champagne balanced on the marble edge.
Serena Volkova lay under water, her body still, her eyes open.
She wasn't dead.
Just drowning in what she couldn't control.
She had everything.
Wealth.
Fame.
Influence.
But not Julian.
He was slipping through her hands. Not because he was better. Because he was becoming dangerous. And she liked it. Too much.
The door opened.
Lila, her maid, entered.
"Miss, he's trending again. The footage from the race was leaked."
Serena smirked.
"Let them drool. Let them worship him."
She rose from the water, dripping.
"But when I crush him, I want them to cry."
---
School Grounds – 8AM
Chaos.
Students everywhere.
Fights. Screams. Rumors.
Someone posted photos of faculty members in bed with students. Teachers being bribed. Parent-teacher affairs. Even Miss Alina was implicated.
Julian watched it all from the stairs.
The watch buzzed again.
[Task Update: Complication Detected.]
A hacker named KIDR0T is trying to take credit for the leak.
Neutralize or expose him within 24 hours.
Reward: Protected Memories – 3.
Penalty: Video Leak – Your First Night with Alina.
He felt his lungs tighten.
Because the world didn't give gifts. It gave ultimatums.
---
KIDR0T wasn't a ghost. He was real.
Seventeen.
A high school dropout with piercings and a tongue that dripped venom.
Julian found him behind glowing monitors, flirting with a girl in black fishnets while cracking school security like it was a game.
"You're him?" Julian asked.
Kidr0t looked up.
"You must be the freak with the watch."
Julian didn't respond.
The hacker leaned back.
"Nice upload. Too clean. Suspiciously clean. You trying to be a hero or start a war?"
Julian stepped forward.
"I just want truth."
Kidr0t laughed.
"Truth doesn't trend."
Julian tossed a flash drive onto the table.
"All yours. If you broadcast this… they'll come for you, not me."
The hacker smirked.
"Tactical little bastard, aren't you?"
Julian's eyes didn't blink.
"Just tired of bleeding quietly."
---
She opened the door in a black robe, mascara streaked, eyes wide.
"You saw it?"
Julian nodded.
"They're going to suspend me."
"I know."
She grabbed him.
"I didn't love them."
He didn't speak.
"I love you."
He didn't flinch.
But he didn't believe it either.
She broke.
Tears spilled.
"Do something, please—"
The watch buzzed again.
[New Path: Mercy or Exposure?]
Choose: Save her name or bury her.]
Reward (Save): Influence Token – Alina's Recommendation.
Reward (Bury): Secret File – Alina's Past Identity.
Julian stared at her.
Then at the storm outside the window.
Both were just as violent.
And both… were about to break.
--