Chapter 21: Chapter 20: Together
Zein’s Point of View
My jaw literally dropped when I heard that. I t Mada Violet’s gaze as she continued smiling at the students. She must be insane. A Bloody Hell Week? That was madness and just far beyond cruel. It was excessive, even by their standards.
I glanced at Supremo. He wasn’t shocked in the slightest, as if he had anticipated this all along. What disturbed
more was the silence of the students, there were no objections and no murmurs. They sat there as if biting their tongues, deliberately blinding themselves to the horror unfolding before them.
"Do you have a problem with that, Miss Shion?" Francisco asked coolly.
"What?" I replied with a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "Should I be surprised? What else should I expect from insane leaders?"
I couldn’t stop myself. I was shaken and terrified, but showing fear would only amuse them. And I refused to give them that satisfaction.
"Stop it, Miss Shion. You must not talk that way to them, they are still higher than us."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right Supremo. Excuse ." I walked out of the gymnasium. I had already heard enough of their aningless announcent.
What kind of rational leader would implent sothing like that? A full week where killing is legalized, even in broad daylight. It was abhorrent. They were not rely enforcing fear; they were openly mocking us, treating our lives as nothing more than pieces in a cruel ga.
The hallway was empty. Only the sound of the wind moving through the corridors accompanied . The silence was unsettling, it was just too calm and too deliberate. By Monday, this school would be even quieter.
What would happen then?
The calamity they spoke of was approaching. And whatever they were planning, it was far from ordinary.
When I entered our dorm, Vanessa was already awake, being given water by Jero.
"How are you feeling?" I asked, sitting down beside Matt.
"I’m okay. What happened? Why am I here?" she asked, firing off questions one after another.
I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t help smiling. Vanessa furrowed her brows at
and raised an eyebrow.
"What are you smiling at so much?" she asked, causing everyone to glance at .
"You’re scaring us, Zein," Dave added, laughing, and I couldn’t help but join in.
I just shook my head. "I was just amazed at you, Van," I began. "You weren’t afraid to speak up, to oppose them. You’re one of the bravest people I know, to contradict them like that." My tone betrayed my genuine admiration for Vanessa.
I honestly hadn’t expected any of my friends to do sothing like that.
"Eh? You’re exaggerating," she said, her cheeks still flushed. Hah! The witch was embarrassed.
"I must agree! I’m falling for her even more now..." Jero joked, earning a playful smack from Vanessa, whose cheeks were now bright red.
"You must be awarded," Mia added, laughing.
"Stop it, you guys!" Vanessa exclaid, burying her face into a throw pillow she grabbed from beside her. We couldn’t help but laugh at her antics.
"But let’s not forget the secretary," Matt said, grinning at .
They all smiled at , and once again I felt the awkwardness settle in. Vanessa lifted her head, frowning slightly, and I rembered, oh, right. She had lost consciousness earlier and had no idea what had happened.
"I know Zein is amazing, but what did she do earlier? Was she the reason I wasn’t sentenced to death?"
"Yes, Zein saved you from death and made us aware of that rule," Matt answered, clearly beaming with pride.
I just lowered my head in embarrassnt. They didn’t need to say things like that, their praise, exaggerated as it was, felt over the top.
"What rule are you talking about?"
"The death penalty enforced here at Hell University is effective only when authorized by the SSG President — Supremo himself. No one else has the power, not even the highest-ranking officials of Hell University, to impose this punishnt."
Supremo is truly brilliant. He created that rule, he alone can enforce it, he alone can overturn it, only he, Ace Craige, holds that authority.
"R-Really?" Vanessa asked in shock. I simply nodded in response.
"Waaah!" I fell onto the floor when Vanessa suddenly hugged
tightly.
"You’re totally my idol!" she shouted.
I could only laugh. I was relieved that I had saved Vanessa from the brink of death. If anything truly terrible had happened to her, I would never have forgiven myself. I had promised to protect them, and I intended to keep that promise, no matter the cost.
"Oh, by the way, our grades aren’t a problem anymore! Sir Alvarez will take care of them, I already talked to him!" I said happily.
I expected them to scream, to jump for joy, but silence swallowed them instead. What happened? Why such a reaction?
I was startled when Mia suddenly hugged , crying. I couldn’t move in shock. Mia didn’t hug people lightly, and she didn’t cry over trivial matters, but now, tears were streaming down her face. What had happened?
"Why, Zein? Why did you keep this from us?" she asked as she pulled away from embracing .
"W-what are you talking about?" I asked, confused.
I could not understand their behavior. What secret was she referring to?
"We already know that you are aware of HU’s secret. You will no longer be able to leave this place," Matt said, his tone was filled with anger.
I froze and was unable to speak. So they already knew. Who told them? Damn it.
"Why, Zein? You help us, you are always the one who saves us. Why do you never think of yourself? What about you? What if we gain our freedom and you are left behind? What then, Zein?!" Mia shouted.
I do not know why, but tears suddenly began to fall from my eyes.
"I will protect you. I will do everything to get you out of this hell."
"Damn it! How about you, Zein?!" Matt asked irritably.
"What about ? What? I do not care about myself anymore. I have already accepted it, I will die here. They will never let
go. I know HU’s most closely guarded secret. But what about you? You know nothing, and I will never tell you!"
"Dr. Quizon." I froze at Dave’s words.
"A secret ingredient. A formula capable of bringing the dead back to life," Jero added.
"The one who possesses the missing ingredient is sowhere among us," Vanessa said.
I was left speechless in shock.
"That is HU’s closely guarded secret," Mia said, wiping away her tears.
My chest tightened as I realized that they already knew. They knew the most fiercely protected secret of Hell University. There was only one aning to this: we would all be imprisoned in this hell together. Not a single one of us would escape.
"Now, Zein, we will die together in this place. We will never leave you alone. We will die as one."
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