Chapter 1
The sharp scent of gunpowder, the steady ticking of a clock, and the icy breath of an overworked air conditioner crawling mercilessly across her skin combined to deepen the chill of the room.
The door creaked open.
Slowly.
Lazily.
At the sound, she tilted her lowered head ever so slightly. Without fully opening her heavy eyelids, she swallowed the blood pooling in her wounded throat with visible effort.
A deep breath.
The familiar scent reached her first.
Cold.
Sharp.
Unmistakable.
A crooked smile tugged at the corner of her cracked lips—a smile that looked more like a taunt than amusement.
"You came."
Silence.
No answer.
She forced one eye open and let her gaze travel over the figure standing before her.
Black.
Everything about him was black.
The clothes.
The gloves.
The darkness that seemed woven into his very existence.
Only his eyes stood out—red in the dim light, burning like embers in the shadows.
She let out a faint whisper.
"So... you finally came."
His face remained unreadable.
No anger.
No pity.
Not even satisfaction.
Only death lingered behind those eyes.
With one swift motion, he drew the pistol from his waist.
His rough voice cut through the silence.
"To break you, I'd walk through hell itself. Compared to that, this place feels like home."
She ran her tongue across her dry, bloodstained lips.
A bitter smirk appeared.
"You went through all that trouble..."
A pause.
"I died a long time ago."
Her eyes drifted shut.
"I was only waiting for someone to bury me."
One of his brows lifted slightly.
"Well..."
Another pause.
"Your wait is over."
And then—
One movement.
One shot.
The gunfire exploded through the room.
For a moment, time stood still.
Blood splattered across the wall as her head snapped backward.
Yet in the final seconds of her life, as her mad laughter slowly dissolved into silence, her parted lips moved one last time.
Just one sentence.
One sentence that made something resembling doubt flicker across his face for the very first time.
"You lost."
One year earlier...
If success had a sound, it would have been the sharp click of high heels worn by a woman who knew the world belonged beneath her feet.
Click.
Click.
Click.
She reached the end of the faculty hallway.
Raising her hand, she gave the black door a brief knock.
Instantly, the chatter inside faded.
As though everyone had been waiting for her arrival.
Her elegant fingers brushed the golden handle.
A slight push.
The door swung open.
And once again, that confident rhythm echoed through the room.
Click.
Click.
Click.
She stepped into the classroom with effortless authority.
Setting her small leather bag on the professor's desk, she turned toward the students.
A soft smile curved her lips.
Sophia had always believed that a smile made people seem more untouchable.
More dangerous.
Her gaze swept across the room.
A brief silence followed.
Then she spoke.
"Good morning."
The cold atmosphere softened almost instantly.
A few students smiled back.
Some murmured greetings.
Others simply stared.
Sophia arched a brow and continued.
"My name is Sophia Hector."
A brief pause.
"Dr. Sophia Hector. Your new Quantum Physics professor."
Several surprised glances passed between the students.
But in the last row sat a girl who heard none of it.
None of the introduction.
None of the words.
Her entire attention was fixed on the woman standing at the front of the room.
Her smile.
Her voice.
Every movement she made.
She had known Sophia Hector for years.
Long before she ever stepped into this classroom...
