FLASHBACK — Ten Years Ago
The glass was cold against her cheek.
Yirenda's tiny hands trembled as she pressed herself into the shadow between the velvet curtains and the marble wall. Outside, the corridor echoed with footsteps—sharp, deliberate, cruel. Somewhere deeper inside the estate, a woman screamed.
Her mother.
Another sound followed—a laugh. Deep. Male. Mocking.
Then came the silence.
The kind of silence that slices deeper than any sound ever could.
She was only nine years old, but she knew what silence like that meant.
The door creaked open. A man stepped in. His shoes were polished to a shine. His mask was made of gold mesh, elegant, not a killer's mask—but that's what made it worse.
He crouched. His gloved fingers brushed the floor near the pool of blood.
"Such a waste of genius," he said softly. Then he looked around the room, as if sensing something.
Yirenda didn't breathe. Not once. Not even a blink.
He paused. Then… he smiled.
Directly at her hiding spot.
But he didn't move. Didn't say a word.
He stood up and walked away.
That was the day Yirenda Caelis learned the golden rule of her world:
Smile. Hide. Wait. And strike back when they've forgotten you exist.
PRESENT — Photoshoot Studio, Celestine Tower
"Caelis Rin! Over here—chin up! Look to the left—yes, beautiful!"
The studio pulsed with artificial light. Massive fans blew gently across her silk gown as photographers captured her from every angle. Her face, flawless under the glow. Her skin, radiant. Her eyes—just as sharp as ten years ago.
The director lowered his camera. "That's it. We got it. You are divine, darling."
Yirenda offered a polite smile—the kind that melted nations and sold billions in luxury products. But inside, she was scanning the room like a sniper.
Behind the cameras, a few elite guests had been invited to observe. Among them… one face.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Brown leather gloves. Silver cufflinks. A smirk that hadn't aged.
She stilled.
Her heart didn't skip. Her hands didn't shake. But her mind snapped into focus."Cipher…" she whispered mentally.
[System: Cipher Online. Emotional override: Passive Mode. Facial Match: 78.6% — Suspicious match to Subject GOLD MESH MASK. Tracking initiated.]
She turned her head slightly, pretending to flirt with the light.
But her gaze burned into the man's.
He tilted his head. Smiled faintly. Just like ten years ago.
Scene Shift — Dressing Room
Yirenda sat before the mirror. The world saw grace. She saw a battlefield.
Her phone buzzed once.
Encrypted Message: "You noticed him. Don't act yet. He's baiting you." — Zyad
She didn't reply.
Instead, she touched her earpiece. "Cipher, run full trace on that guest. Cross with public identities, death records, and asset trails."
[Cipher: Understood. Compiling data now. Estimated completion: 13 minutes.]
Her reflection stared back at her.
Golden eyes. The same ones that watched a mother die.
The world loved Caelis Rin. But no one remembered Yirenda Caelis.
And she planned to keep it that way—until it was time to burn their kingdom down from the inside.
Closing Scene — One Hour Later
The shoot was over. The studio was empty. Her guards stood outside, unaware she had stayed behind.
She returned to the exact spot he stood.
The man with the smirk.
There, on the edge of a prop table, a single white camellia was placed.
Fresh. Deliberate. Mocking.
The same flower her mother wore the day she died.
Her lips didn't move, but Cipher responded anyway.
[Cipher: Shall I mark him for removal?]
Yirenda's voice in her mind was ice.
"No. Let him watch me shine a little longer."
Scene 1 – Nightfall at Celestine Tower (Immediate Aftermath)
The city sparkled beneath her as she stood on the balcony of the tower's top floor.
Yirenda had dismissed the stylists, the guards, even her assistant.
Only the wind was allowed to touch her now.
She stared at the skyline—not to admire it, but to scan. Each light, each tower, each movement… a potential trap.
Her long hair flowed behind her like dark silk, and for a moment, she was just a girl standing in the wind.
But only for a moment.
"Cipher," she whispered. "Any match on the guest with the camellia?"
[System: Subject identified. Alias: Elion Drexel. No public records past 2015. Possible operative for encrypted network 'SECT-NOVA'. Confirmed link to Caelis incident: 87.9%.]
Yirenda's jaw clenched slightly.
"Begin silent tracking. I want his heartbeat mapped if possible."
[Tracking engaged. Passive mode on. Cloak level 5 initiated.]
Far below, a black car pulled away from the tower's underground lot.
She didn't blink. She didn't chase.
She calculated.
Scene 2 – Secret Call with Liora Vennstein (Midnight Hour)
The screen flickered to life.
Liora Vennstein appeared, fresh from a board meeting in Dubai, her platinum hair pinned back tightly. Her eyes were like scalpel blades.
"He's surfaced, hasn't he?" Liora asked.
Yirenda nodded. "Elion Drexel."
Silence. Then Liora leaned forward.
"You are not to move yet. If Cipher One suspects your awakening, it'll trigger another purge."
"I don't care."
"You will. You survived because you were patient. Don't switch to emotion now."
Yirenda didn't flinch. "You say that as if I ever stopped being patient."
Liora studied her for a long time, then spoke softer. "The last flower he gave… that was the signal, wasn't it?"
A white camellia.
A declaration of unfinished business.
Yirenda only said, "Yes."
Liora nodded once. "Then it begins again. Quietly. Elegantly. Mercilessly."
Scene 3 – The University of Helios Crown (The Next Morning)
Elite institutions weren't just about education—they were arenas for the powerful.
Yirenda arrived at the Helios Crown Academy in a wine-colored trench coat, large sunglasses, and her hair twisted up in an effortless knot.
The moment she stepped out of her limo, every head turned.
"Is that Caelis Rin?" "No way—she's here to study?" "I heard she's working on a triple degree."
Her professors had already been warned: This student is off-limits. She picks her mentors. Not the other way around.
Inside, the lecture halls were built like symphony chambers. Clean gold lines. Aesthetic perfection.
She took her seat quietly, front row, while the noise behind her buzzed.
But one person watched her silently—a man in his mid-30s, tall, elegant, with gloves.
"New student?" he asked politely, taking the empty seat beside her.
She turned, and the corner of her mouth curved. "Is this seat really empty?"
He blinked. "Excuse me?"
She leaned slightly closer. "Because someone like you rarely makes innocent choices."
[Cipher: Subject unreadable. Potential skill masking. Monitoring initiated.]
He smiled, but his eyes tightened. "Smart girl."
"Too smart," she whispered.
Scene 4 – Her Hidden System Activates Mid-Lecture
The professor introduced a difficult medical ethics case, projecting the case data on a holographic board.
No one raised a hand.
Yirenda did.
"Your answer is wrong," she told the professor directly. "You missed a variable: the synthetic neuro-blockers used in the patient's bloodstream. The scan you showed was outdated by six hours."
Gasps.
The professor stammered. "H-How did you…"
[Cipher: AI scan confirmed. Hypothesis correct.]
She simply said, "I don't speak unless I'm certain."
Later, the professor rushed to her after class. "I—I want to supervise your work. Any topic. Any paper—"
"I don't do favorites," she said. "But I do remember loyalty. And betrayal."
He looked pale. "Of course."
Scene 5 – The Boy in the Gold Mask
After class, she walked through the ancient greenhouse garden behind the university. Few knew it existed.
There, under the shadow of a silver-leafed willow, stood a boy.
Not a man.
A boy, around twelve. In a private uniform. White gloves. Golden mask.
"You're not supposed to see me," he said softly.
"I see everything."
"He said you would say that."
She didn't blink. "Who?"
The boy handed her a small, smooth stone.
Etched on it: 7.34 / YD-60 / Mirror
Yirenda's eyes narrowed.
"Cipher?"
[Code received. Classified sequence from Subject Cipher One. Possible challenge or directive. Decode pending.]
The boy turned to leave.
"You're going to change everything. That's what he said. So he wanted me to meet you first. Before you ruin the whole game."
He vanished into the trees.
She stood there, gripping the stone.
And for the first time in years… she smiled.
A real one.
The game had truly begun