Chapter 6
Artemis, Asher, Aiden, and Ace exchanged unreadable glances. Tension lingered in the air like smoke before a fire. Ace adjusted his mask—the sleek black covering that shielded more than just his face. He hated the idea of a girl challenging his dominance, and the fact that Lyric had done just that with a single stare made his blood boil. He cracked his knuckles and leaned back on his chair.
"She thinks she's smart," Ace muttered, his voice coated with venom. "There are several ways to make her bend. All we have to do is choose the cruelest one."
Asher smirked. "Lilian is protecting her. Maybe they're sisters."
"But they have different surnames," Aiden pointed out.
"They're close enough to act like blood," Artemis murmured. "If we can't break Lyric... then we break Lilian."
The laughter that followed was cruel and slow, like wolves celebrating a hunt. But the lighthearted cruelty came to an abrupt halt when Aiden spoke again, his voice dropping low.
"You've heard about Death, right?" he asked, glancing at the others. "No one knows who he or she is, but the pattern's always the same—kills clean, and leaves with the victim's heart. Like a collector."
Silence settled over the room like a thick fog. Even Ace stopped smirking. The stories of Death haunted even the cruelest minds, a ghost without a face.
Just then, Artemis' phone buzzed. He checked it, and a deep frown etched itself onto his perfect face.
"They found me a wife," he said grimly.
"What?" Ace blinked. "Again?"
"They think my royal bloodline in Japan means I should marry a doll they pick." He locked the phone and shook his head. "Can't they just let me be?"
Ace snorted. "You? Free? Keep dreaming."
"But anyway," he added, his voice dropping with excitement, "there's going to be a kill tonight."
No one asked who or where. They all simply nodded and exited the classroom like shadows disappearing into smoke.
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PRIVATE ROOM – THE BLUE HOUSE
Inside the polished walls of a private chamber, Vice President Milo Vance sat across from President Helix Rowe. The room was tastefully quiet, but the tension between the two men crackled like hidden electricity.
Vance began briefing the President on recent happenings, his tone calm and methodical. But when he mentioned the suspicious death of Senator Malcolm Drayce, President Rowe narrowed his eyes.
"That was too clean," the President said. "Wasn't it?"
"Dark L is on it," Vance assured him. "The best hacker we've ever seen. She's already digging into the threads."
"She?" the President repeated, leaning forward.
Vance nodded slowly. "The Minister for Welfare called. Apparently, this hacker is a girl, still in college. She refused to remove her mask during their attempted arrest. Even insulted the security officers. Called them 'noisy animals.' In the Blue House."
The President's eyebrows shot up. "And no one has seen her face?"
"No one," Vance replied. "And no one dares to. She's not afraid of anyone. Not the police. Not the government. Not even death itself."
The President remained quiet, absorbing the weight of Vance's words.
"She once killed four boys... right in front of a school," Vance added. "Walked away like it was nothing. No trace. No identity. Nothing."
The President leaned back, his mind spinning. "Do we know her name?"
"Only one," Vance said. "Lyric. And she gives off one hell of a bad vibe."
After a heavy silence, the Vice President leaned in.
"What about the project?" he asked, eyes gleaming with greed. "It's going to make us ten times richer. We can use the people's money and mask it under government initiative."
The President stared out the window, calculating. "Let's see how long I can stretch it without suspicion."
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LYRIC'S ROOM – 3RD FLOOR
Lyric stared into the pitch-black ceiling of her room. Her body was exhausted, but her mind? Wide awake. Night never brought her rest. She rose silently and walked out of her dimly lit room, the only light being the faint glow from a red motion sensor near the elevator.
She walked down the hallway and stopped at a large black door—her fourth room. She placed her hand on the biometric lock. A soft chime and the door clicked open.
Inside was her sanctuary. A lair of humming computers and endless data. Screens lined every wall, flashing maps, heat sensors, satellite feeds, and coded information. Every inch of Alaska and most of the U.S. was under her surveillance.
But her eyes always lingered toward one particular screen: the Blue House.
She smiled coldly. "Just a little longer."
Another screen blinked to life, revealing Lilian's room. The girl was asleep, but her eyebrows twitched, her lips moving. A nightmare.
Lyric sighed. She stood, left the room, and stepped into the elevator. She pressed "2."
Ding.
The second floor was warmer. It was where Lilian slept. Lyric walked down the hall and opened Lilian's door. Muffled cries met her ears.
Lilian was curled up under the blanket, whimpering softly. "M-Mommy…"
Lyric's chest tightened. She remembered the blood, the screams, the cold blade that ended Lilian's mother's life. With barely a thought, Lyric climbed onto the bed and wrapped her arms around Lilian.
"It's okay," she whispered softly, not like the cold, ruthless Lyric she was known as.
Lilian calmed down almost instantly, her head falling on Lyric's shoulder. "Mom…"
Lyric didn't flinch. She gently patted her back until her breathing slowed. Only then did she allow herself to breathe again. She sat by the bed, watching her sleep like a silent guardian.
She didn't sleep. She never did.
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MORNING
The sun rose, but the house remained quiet. Lyric sat at the table, calmly eating breakfast. Her black mask hung around her neck, not yet tied in place.
The elevator doors opened and out stepped Lilian, yawning, her eyes heavy with fatigue.
"How are you up already?" she grumbled.
Lyric ignored her.
"Did you come into my room last night?" Lilian asked quietly.
"No," Lyric replied without blinking. "I don't have time for that."
Lilian frowned but said nothing. Something inside her whispered otherwise, but pressing Lyric never ended well.
After breakfast, the girls walked out of the house, Lyric now wearing her black mask. The driver greeted them with a respectful nod, to which only Lilian responded. Lyric had already closed her eyes, her arms folded across her chest.
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DIAMOND COLLEGE
The ride to school was smooth, but the moment they stepped out of the car, something was off. A crowd had gathered outside the school building, murmuring and buzzing like bees.
Lilian, ever curious, stepped forward to see what was happening, but Lyric walked ahead, unbothered.
Then a voice rang out. "Don't you know the rules?!"
Lilian froze. A girl from the crowd pointed at them.
"No student walks through that entrance once the A⁴ have entered," another added, her voice shrill.
Lyric's eyes scanned the crowd and then found them—Artemis, Ace, Asher, Aiden—the self-proclaimed elites of Diamond College.
She scoffed.
A cold, deathly stare settled on the students, making several of them flinch. "I hate rules," she said icily. "Don't ever mention anything that stupid again."
"Lyric—" Lilian tried to stop her, but Lyric's glare silenced her.
The crowd erupted into whispers and rumors as Lyric climbed the stairs, her presence like a blade cutting through the air.
And just like that, Diamond College had a new Queen of Shadows.