The dimly lit warehouse reeked of blood and fear. Shadows stretched along the cold concrete floor, flickering under the weak glow of a single overhead light. A group of men knelt, trembling, their hands tied behind their backs. Their muffled pleas echoed in the silence, but no one dared to move. No one dared to breathe.

A pair of heels clicked against the floor, slow and deliberate.

A girl stepped forward—dressed in all black, a mask covering the lower half of her face. Despite her delicate frame, the aura she carried was suffocating. Dangerous. Her presence alone sent chills down the spines of the men before her.

She stopped just inches away from their leader, tilting her head as if amused. "You made a mistake," she said, her voice calm but laced with venom. "You thought I was weak."

The man’s eyes widened in horror. He had underestimated her—just like everyone else.

A cold, metallic click echoed in the room.

The Silent Ace never missed her mark.

Bang.

As the lifeless body slumped to the ground, she turned on her heel, Celestiana removed her mask, her expression unreadable as she handed the gun to the man standing behind her. Without sparing another glance at the bodies on the floor, she turned and walked toward the exit, her heels clicking against the concrete in perfect rhythm.

Her second-in-command, Adrian Cross, followed closely behind. "That was risky," he murmured, his sharp gaze scanning her face for any trace of hesitation. There was none. There never was.

"They made a move against us," Celestiana replied simply, her voice devoid of emotion. "I warned them. They didn’t listen."

Adrian smirked, shaking his head. "You’re terrifying, you know that?"

She stopped at the door, finally turning to face him. The cold, calculating mafia queen was gone in an instant. Instead, she flashed him an innocent, almost shy smile—the same one she used in school. "Terrifying? Me? I’m just a weak little girl, Adrian," she said in a soft, playful tone.

He rolled his eyes. "Right. A weak little girl who just took out the leader of the Blood Serpents without blinking."

Celestiana chuckled but didn’t respond. Instead, she stepped out of the warehouse, breathing in the crisp night air. The city lights glowed in the distance, unaware of the silent war raging in its shadows.

Tomorrow, she would return to school. She would wear her glasses, stutter when called on, and pretend to struggle with lifting her books. No one would suspect a thing. No one ever did.

But deep down, she knew the game wouldn’t last forever.

Because in the world of crime, secrets always have a way of unraveling. And when that day comes…

The Silent Ace will no longer be silent.

The black car waiting outside purred to life as Celestiana slipped into the backseat, her expression neutral. The moment she was inside, she pulled out her phone, scrolling through the notifications like any other normal teenager.

A message popped up.

[Mom]: Don’t forget to be home by 10. School comes first, sweetie.

Celestiana smirked. If only she knew.

She typed a quick reply.

[Me]: Of course, Mom. Love you!

The irony almost made her laugh. Her mother still saw her as the quiet, obedient daughter. Her teachers saw her as the weak, intelligent student. Her classmates barely noticed her at all.

And yet, here she was—ruling the underworld with an iron fist.

Adrian sat in the passenger seat, speaking in a low voice to the driver. “Take us back to the estate.”

Celestiana rested her head against the window, staring at her reflection. For a second, she let herself relax. But before she could close her eyes, Adrian’s voice broke the silence.

“There’s been movement in the east sector,” he said, his tone more serious. “Word is, the Blood Serpents had allies. They’re looking for revenge.”

Celestiana sighed, rubbing her temple. "Of course they are."

Adrian hesitated before adding, “They sent someone into Ravenshire Academy.”

That made her pause. Slowly, she turned her head to face him, her calm mask slipping just slightly.

“They’re looking for the Silent Ace.”

The air inside the car grew heavy. The game she had been playing for years—balancing her double life—was beginning to crumble. Someone was coming. Someone who might not be fooled by her innocent act.

For the first time in a long time, Celestiana felt something stir inside her.

Excitement.

A slow, dangerous smile curled on her lips.

“Well then,” she murmured, eyes gleaming in the darkness. “Let the hunt begin.”

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✿ 𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 ✿ :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

As I walked toward our school building, something caught my attention. A crowd had gathered around the celestial-shaped fountain—one of the school’s most iconic designs. It wasn’t just a regular pond; it was wide, deep, and styled like a pool, with no fish, only flowing water pouring from the mouth of a massive lion statue. The stone beast stood tall and proud, its expression fierce, as if guarding something sacred.

“What’s going on?” a student asked, rushing past me, her voice laced with curiosity and concern.

I stepped closer, weaving through the murmuring crowd. Whispers floated in the air like drifting smoke—uneasy, cautious, cold.

Then I saw it.

Floating lifelessly in the center of the water was a girl. Her uniform clung to her skin, her hair spread out like dark ink in the water. The surface rippled softly around her, as if the fountain itself grieved.

Gasps erupted around me.

"Is she—?"

"Is that... Mikaela?"

The name struck something in me.

Mikaela. The girl who sat two rows ahead of me in Literature. The one with the bright hair clips, like little shields against whatever haunted her.

But now, she was motionless. Too still.

“Did she drown?” someone whispered.

Or was she… drowned on purpose?

The question lingered like a shadow—dark, quiet, and terrifying.

The school guards finally arrived, their voices sharp as they began pushing the crowd back.

“Move along! Class hours have started!”

One by one, the students hesitated, then slowly backed away. Some looked shaken. Others, disturbed. The smell was starting to creep into the air—faint at first, but unmistakable. The stench of death, raw and bitter.

No one wanted to admit it, but the body was starting to rot.

Still, I didn’t pay much attention. I wasn’t like them.

Murders didn’t shock me.

In fact, I had a strange relationship with death—some would call it fascination. Others might say obsession.

Me? I just call it a hobby.

I slipped away from the crowd without a word, my eyes lingering one last time on Mikaela’s lifeless body as it floated beneath the lion’s gaze.

Whoever did it… did it clean. No blood, no obvious wounds. Just her. Dead.

And I couldn’t help but smile—just a little.

Because now, things were finally getting interesting.

Inside the classroom, everything felt… off.

The chairs were the same. The whiteboard still had last week’s formulas half-erased. But the atmosphere? Tense. Hollow. Like everyone was pretending they didn’t just see a corpse float in the school fountain.

The teacher walked in, adjusted her glasses, and tried to act normal. “Good morning. Let’s settle down and—”

“Miss, is it true Mikaela’s dead?” someone blurted out from the back.

She froze. Her knuckles whitened around her marker. “There is no official statement yet. Let’s stay focused on today’s lesson.”

But no one was listening. Not really.

I sat by the window, watching the fountain from afar. They’d cordoned it off with yellow tape, like that would stop anyone curious enough to get close.

I pulled out my notebook, pretending to take notes. Instead, I wrote a name:

Mikaela L. Rivera

Age: 17

Found: Dead. 7:23 A.M.

Condition: No visible trauma. Drowned. Or made to look like it.

Underneath that, I scribbled a single word in all caps:

WHY?

Because that’s how it always started—with a single question.

Mikaela wasn't the first corpse I’d seen. She wasn’t even the first this year.

But she was the first in this school.

And that meant something.

The predator was getting bolder.

And if they weren’t careful, they’d cross paths with the wrong person.

Me.

**✦⭑༄ End of Chapter 1 ༄⭑✦**

“Hey.”

That voice again.

I turned, careful to keep my expression blank.

Zeke Navarro. The name alone was enough to raise internal alarms. He was new, quiet, calculated—the type of guy who didn’t just transfer without a reason. Not to this school. Not now.

“You knew her?” he asked, eyes flicking to my notebook.

I kept my gaze on him. “Everyone knew Mikaela.”

“Right,” he said, with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “But not everyone writes crime notes during class.”

I wanted to smirk.

He was testing me. Watching. Just like the others who’d tried before him.

He had no idea who I really was. No one at this school did. They only saw what I wanted them to see—

The shy one. The pretty little victim. The girl who never fights back.

Let them think that.

Because at night, I was none of those things.

At night, I ran the shadows. Controlled territories. Gave commands that ended people.

I was the queen of a world no one here could survive in.

But now, someone was moving in too close. Mikaela’s death wasn’t random. It was a message. And the fact that Zeke Navarro transferred here just days before it happened?

That wasn’t a coincidence.

Maybe it was a threat.

Maybe he was here for me.

He just didn’t know yet that in this game…

I always kill first.

---

The moon was high when I slipped out of my bedroom window.

The schoolgirl uniform was gone—replaced by sleek black clothes that clung to me like a second skin. My face was bare, hair tied back, every movement silent and sharp. No more shy smiles. No more fake stutters. Just silence. Precision.

The streets were empty as I walked, blending into shadows like I was born from them. A single motorbike waited at the corner, matte black with no plates. I swung onto it with ease, the engine purring to life like it recognized its master.

Fifteen minutes later, I reached the warehouse.

Not abandoned—secured. Guards lined the perimeter, faces I personally chose. They nodded in respect as I passed. No one spoke unless I did first.

Inside, the air was heavy with tension and loyalty. My second-in-command, Cypriene, stood by the long table with a map spread across it. Red marks. Black pins. Names. Photos. Crime families. Threats.

“We have a problem,” he said, eyes meeting mine.

“Another one?” I replied coolly, pulling off my gloves. “Make it quick.”

He pointed to a photo.

Mikaela.

I froze. Not visibly. But just enough for cypriene to notice the pause.

“She was found this morning. Dead. In your school.”

“She wasn’t one of us,” I said.

“No. But someone used your territory to send a message. That’s personal.”

I leaned over the table, scanning the information. My mind raced through names, threats, and unfinished business.

“And there’s more,” cypriene added. “A transfer student. Male. Zeke Navarro. No background we can trace. No digital footprint beyond basic enrollment. Too clean.”

“Suspicious,” I murmured.

“Should we handle him?”

I hesitated. That name… it echoed. Familiar, but not in a dangerous way. I remembered his stare—sharp, but not hostile. Curious. Intrusive.

“No,” I said. “Not yet.”

“But—”

“I’ll handle him myself,” I said, voice final.

cypriene nodded, backing down.

I turned away from the table, walking toward the dark glass wall that overlooked the city.

This was my kingdom. Built in silence. Protected in blood.

I didn’t know who killed Mikaela. Or why they were taunting me with it.

They’re deluded if they think that innocent student could ever rattle me

But one thing was certain.

Someone was coming for the queen.

And I don’t go down without a war.

**⋆｡°✩ End of Chapter 2 ✩°｡⋆**