Supremo Ace's Point of View
No matter how frustrated or angry I was, no one would ever see it on my face. I'd learned to control my emotions, especially the words that might slip out of my mouth. The less you say, the safer you are. In this place, it was never the enemy we were up against. It's always our own words. The truth didn't matter because it often came at the cost of our silence—sometimes even our safety.
As the Supreme Student Government president, my role was always to maintain peace and order during the day and punish those who dared disrupt it. At least until 6:59 p.m. I'd lose all my power from 7:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m., which we called the Freedom Night, also known as Bloody Night. I couldn't interfere.
Just like any other night, I was doing my usual rounds. The gangs were out, masked up and doing their thing. They were having way too much fun—running, screaming, and roaring like a pack of hungry wolves. Those who didn't want to participate were locked inside their dorms.
Mr. Francisco started Bloody Night. Hell University was a secluded campus where students had no freedom to go out. This was the only time they'd get a real taste of freedom. But freedom comes in many forms. For some, it was about finally letting out their emotions—the grief, the suppressed feelings, even the deep-seated hatred they had for others. This was the only time they could let it all out.
The soothing part was, they could do anything they wanted during Bloody Night. There were no limits, only the courage to act. Most students chose to stay inside their dorms.
"Supremo," a guy in a black mask called as he trailed behind me, though I paid him no attention and kept walking. "Do you have any orders?"
"Stupid, bro. Why are you bothering Supremo?" another voice chimed in.
"Easy, bro. Just checking in with our president."
Another thing about being the SSG president: I knew everyone. No matter how many layers of mask they wore, I'd recognize their movements, their posture, and the faces they were trying so hard to hide.
"Fuck, bro, the Warriors are around. There's only the two of us—we've got no backup!" one of them said, sounding worried.
"Shit, let's go and find the rest of our members first."
"We're heading out, Supremo!"
Then the two guys in black masks took off running. Not too far away, a group in red masks was walking calmly, carrying the weapons they planned to use tonight: chains, baseball bats, knives. They stopped when they saw me and quickly stepped aside to clear a path. I strode straight through the center of their formation.
"Good evening, Supremo."
"Done doing rounds, Supremo?"
No words slipped my mouth. There was only one hallway left to check. I heard a faint crying coming from there, so I stopped at the entrance. At the far end, I saw a guy soaked in blood. It looked like one of the gangs had gotten to him.
"S-Supremo..." He crawled across the floor, leaving a trail of blood behind him. "Help me. I'm begging you."
I just stared at him.
"I... I can't breathe," he whispered.
"Name?" I asked.
He was already scared, but when he heard my question, the fear on his face deepened. I rarely asked questions. When I did, it was to demand their name, which meant they had crossed a line. Everyone here knew there was only one thing to be afraid of: me asking who they are.
"N-no. I don't want to die yet, Supremo."
I sighed. I flipped through my notebook and found his name. I already knew it, of course. I just wanted to hear it from him. I drew a line through his full name. I looked down at my leg as he grabbed it, his blood staining my black slacks.
"Help me, Supremo."
I turned my back on him and started walking away, while he called my name over and over. A few more masked students showed up to approach him. I cannot interfere. As I said, my power only worked in daylight. Under the moonlight, I was nothing more than a levitating soul. Watching, observing, monitoring. I never interfered. My rules were my backbone. If I broke even one of them, who would I be then? No one, just like the rest.
The next morning, I walked into the SSG office to find Fritzy giggling while talking to Vice Ty.
"Good morning, Supremo," Vice Ty greeted.
"How's your sleep, Supremo?" Fritzy asked.
I went straight to my desk. The papers I'd left in a mess yesterday were now perfectly neat, thanks to Fritzy Saldivar, who'd always make sure my desk was organized. Honestly, that was the only good thing she could do for me. The rest was... questionable.
"Are you done with your first class rounds, Ms. Saldivar?" I asked.
"Ah, yes, Supremo."
"Anything?"
My attention was already on the paperwork. I had to head to the admin office before the day was over. As much as I hated going there, it was required.
"Everyone attended their first class," Fritzy reported. "No issues, Supremo."
I didn't respond. There was never an issue whenever she did the rounds. Yet when I took charge, I found many skipping classes. I couldn't say she was incompetent, but she was not exactly effective either.
"Tell him about those two," Vice Ty whispered.
"What? Don't be such a killjoy! They were just making out! I didn't want to ruin the moment, so I didn't bother them. Besides, I warned them to show up for their next subject."
I shook my head.
"What?" Vice Ty argued. "You waited for them to finish?"
"Of course," Fritzy replied, looking proud and giddy about it.
Feeling thirsty, I got up to get some water, knowing I had a long day ahead of me. Then I sensed Fritzy walking up behind me.
"Ah, Supreme?" I went back to my table. Here she goes again. "Can I go half-day—"
"No."
"But—"
"Second period is starting. Let's do the rounds," I replied, grabbing my notebook and standing up. Fritzy threw a little tantrum, but she followed me anyway. And that was how my day started. It had always been like that. It seemed never-ending. For now.
It was lunch break, and students were pouring out of the classrooms. I had just set my notebook down, and when I looked back, Fritzy was already gone. She never wasted an opportunity to enjoy her free time. Then I heard loud screaming, followed by students running everywhere.
"Five of them at once!" a student yelled.
I frowned and adjusted my glasses before following the crowd. My feet led me to Wide Space.
"Supremo!" Vice Ty rushed over to meet me. He rarely lost his composure, but this time, horror filled his eyes. The crowd of students parted as I arrived. My jaw clenched at the sight. In the center of Wide Space stood a single pole where five students in black masks were impaled on it like roasted meat.
"Devil God Warriors," Vice Ty reported.
Blood was still dripping from the bodies on the pole, meaning it just happened. In broad daylight. During the hours when my power was supposed to be in effect.
"The Black Blood Gang will not let this pass," Vice Ty said.
"OMG. My eyes!" Fritzy arrived, covering her face with her hands.
"Get their names," I ordered Fritzy.
"What?" Her eyes went wide.
"I will do it!" Vice Ty offered.
"No. Fritzy, you go over there and get their names. Then, have this cleaned up immediately," I said firmly. Fritzy looked absolutely disgusted. "I need that report before the day ends," I added before leaving the scene, my hands clenched and my footsteps heavy.
What the hell are they planning?
"How was it, Supremo?" A girl blocked my path. Nicky Colt. A member of the Black Blood Gang.
"What's with the theatrics?" I asked calmly.
She chuckled. "The boys are having too much fun."
"In broad daylight?"
"Days are getting boring," she said. "And you know what boring means, Supremo? Peace. And you know what comes after peace? Light. And light reveals what's meant to stay hidden."
My shoulders dropped. "We need chaos, Supremo."
"What are you guys planning for revenge?" There was no way they were letting this go.
"We're taking Rouge Silvenia," she said.
A week had passed since that incident. The Black Blood Gang had been unusually quiet. No, that couldn't be good. It was already dark by the time I walked to the admin office, carrying the paperwork for Madame Violet. She was there with Mr. Francisco.
"Supremo!" Madame Violet greeted me happily. "I have been waiting for you."
"Good evening, Supremo," Mr. Francisco added. Then he stood up to take the documents from me. "How was your day, my dear president?"
"I am about to do my nightly rounds, madame."
Her eyes fell on the notebook in my hand. Mr. Francisco stepped forward, took it from me, and started writing.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
When he was done, he handed the notebook back. I frowned when I saw six names I didn't recognize:
★Davies Silver
★Matthew Hart
★ Jerome Marquez
★ Vanessa Savagge
★ Almia Mendez
★ Zein Shion
Six newbies.
"When did they arrive?" I asked. Did Fritzy forget to tell me? Damn it.
"Just a little while ago, Supremo," Mr. Francisco answered. "They're resting in their dorms for now. But rest assured, we've already warned them about Bloody Night. I'm sure you won't run into any of them tonight," Madame Violet said, looking visibly delighted. "Enjoy your nightly rounds, Supremo."
I exhaled and nodded, then left the admin office, glancing at the six names now on my list. I'll give them a week, I thought, even though I was sure they'd be goners before the week ended. Poor souls.
On my way to start my routine, I bumped into Nazzer Lumia, the leader of the Black Blood Gang. I noticed a girl running away in the distance.
"It's too early to scare students, Mr. Lumia," I said.
He pulled off his mask, laughing while watching the girl as she ran back toward the dorm. "New student," he said.
I see. Maybe a week was too long for them. I'll have to count days.
"How's everything?" I asked.
He put his mask back on. "You will see," he replied before leaving.
The next day, the Black Blood Gang finally got their revenge on the Devil God Warriors. They killed Rouge Silvenia, the brother of the Warriors' leader, Raze Silvenia. And they did it in broad daylight.
It threw the whole campus into a panic. Hell University was paralyzed with fear. Everyone was talking about it. The two rival gangs were active again. Chaos.
I went on my daily rounds. Everyone attended class... or so I thought. I was almost finished when I ran into Nicky Colt, immediately noticing the nail she was holding. She just smirked at me and walked past. In the distance, there was a student slumped on the floor, frozen in shock. I walked over to her, but she was so stunned she didn't even notice me. Nicky must have scared her far too much. Her face wasn't familiar. Must be one of the newbies.
"No class?" I asked.
She seemed to snap out of it and scrambled to her feet.
"Full name, please?"
"Zein Shion."
I secretly smirked. Well, that was a breath of fresh air. It had been a while since a student wasn't too afraid to give me their name. Her name was last on my list. Zein Shion.
"Boom!" I barked at her, causing her to jump and let out a scream. I couldn't help but laugh. I forgot how fun newbies could be... and ignorant as hell too. A long time had passed since someone had the guts to yell at me. This is going to be fun.
"You have a class right now, don't you? Why are you here?" I asked. I was sure she saw the brutal murder of Rouge Silvenia, but she didn't seem intimidated at all. She even had the audacity to wander around. Interesting.
"Why do you care?!" she snapped.
But just because she had no clue who I was didn't mean I'd let her ignorance pass. She was about to walk away when I grabbed her arm. At first, she just looked surprised, completely unaware of the danger she was in. But I wanted to see more of her. I tightened my grip on her arm. She screamed in pain. Exactly how I wanted. She even tried to struggle, so I gripped her even harder.
This girl had no idea who I was, so I had to make sure she learned... in a way she would never forget. When I finally let go, she sank back to the floor, looking devastated as she stared at the marks I'd left on her arm. Then she looked up at me.
"That's the first warning, Ms. Zein Shion. If I catch you wandering around during class hours again, I might just take that arm off for good."
She looked at me, stunned. Really? Was that all? Didn't I even scare her off? She looked more angry than afraid.
"Who are you?" she asked.
I wanted to laugh. That was the first time someone had ever asked me who I was. As if the roles were suddenly reversed.
"Ace Craige. I'm the Supreme Student President of Hell University. Nice meeting you, Ms. Shion."
Then I left her there, a smirk slowly forming on my lips.