Date: Spring, 2025
Location: Haidan City, Inside the Grand Hall of the University
Time: 10:00 AM
Weather: Overcast, a light drizzle
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The next day dawned gray and dreary, a perfect reflection of Jackim's mood. He sat in the corner of a dimly lit café on campus, his fingers drumming absently on the cold coffee cup in front of him. The room buzzed with the usual morning chatter: students rushing between classes, laughing, arguing, and gossiping. None of it reached Jackim. He was lost in thought, his mind still lingering on the strange encounter with Susan and the haunting curiosity that had followed him into the new day.
He glanced at his phone, noticing a new message from Maggy, the only person who had ever been able to pierce through his protective shell.
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Maggy: "We need to talk. Meet me by the fountain after class. I'll be waiting."
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Jackim stared at the message for a moment, feeling an odd sense of unease. Maggy had always been his anchor, the one person who kept him grounded in a world that seemed to spin faster and faster with every passing moment. But lately, he could sense something was changing in her too. She was different—more distant, as if she were holding something back.
With a sigh, he stood up and left the café, the weight of the world on his shoulders. The campus, once familiar and comforting, now felt like a maze, each turn and corner hiding something unknown, something dangerous.
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As Jackim approached the fountain, he spotted Maggy sitting on the edge, her dark hair pulled back into a neat ponytail, her face serious as she stared at the water. Maggy was beautiful in an understated way. She wasn't the type to turn heads like Susan, but there was something captivating about her quiet confidence. At 21, she had already made a name for herself as a rising star in the world of business, managing her own small tech startup while balancing her studies. Her sharp mind and resourcefulness made her a force to be reckoned with. Yet, despite her success, she remained humble and grounded.
"Jackim," Maggy said without looking up, her voice soft but edged with concern. "I know something's been bothering you. You've been different lately."
Jackim hesitated. "I don't know what you mean."
Maggy raised an eyebrow, finally turning to face him. Her brown eyes—so familiar to him—were filled with an intensity he wasn't used to seeing. "Don't lie to me, Jackim. Something's going on, and I can see it. You're not just going to classes, sitting in the back, and blending in anymore. I see it. You're being watched, aren't you?"
Jackim felt a cold shiver run down his spine. "What are you talking about?"
"You don't think I've noticed the way the top-tier students look at you now? Or the way the faculty is always whispering behind your back? Ever since the board meeting last week, things have been… changing. And I think I know why."
Maggy's words hit Jackim like a ton of bricks. He had noticed it too—the subtle shift in how people viewed him. It wasn't just the students or faculty; it was like the city itself was starting to take notice, as if the quiet, invisible thread he had been walking on for years was beginning to unravel.
Maggy leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I think they know who you really are."
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Meanwhile, across the city, in the heart of Haidan's luxurious district, Susan sat in a private office atop a skyscraper, the walls lined with windows that offered a panoramic view of the city. Her assistant, Sophie, a sharp, loyal woman in her late 20s with dark brown hair and a sleek business suit, stood at attention beside her.
"Susan," Sophie began, her voice a mix of reverence and concern, "there are rumors swirling about Jackim. It seems there's more to him than anyone realized. People have started to notice."
Susan's lips curled into a slight smile. "I've been watching him. Jackim may think he's hiding, but he's already in the game. The question is, does he know it yet?"
Sophie raised an eyebrow. "You're playing a dangerous game, Susan. He's a wildcard."
"I don't play games, Sophie," Susan replied, her voice colder than ice. "I win them."
Her eyes glimmered with a hidden agenda, one that Susan had been quietly nurturing for months. She didn't know what Jackim's true potential was yet, but she could feel it—he was someone who could change everything. And Susan wasn't one to let opportunities slip away. She would have him in her grasp, whether he wanted to be or not.
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Back at the university, Jackim's thoughts swirled as he walked through the halls. His conversation with Maggy lingered in his mind, the unease gnawing at him. But something else was pushing through the fog—Gloria. The woman whose presence seemed to haunt him, even in the silence of his thoughts. Her cold, calculating eyes; her air of superiority; the way she always seemed to be watching him, just out of reach.
He could feel the web tightening around him, and he had no idea how to escape it.
As the bell rang, signaling the end of the class, Jackim quickly packed his things and headed for the door. He wasn't sure what would happen next, but one thing was clear: he was no longer a spectator in his own life. Something far greater was unfolding, and he was at the center of it.
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Later that night...
Jackim sat in his small apartment, his thoughts racing. The room was dimly lit by a single desk lamp, the shadows stretching long across the walls. He stared at the old photograph of his parents, wondering if they had ever faced the same uncertainty, the same weight of destiny pressing down on them.
The world was changing. And so was he.
A sudden knock at the door startled him. He stood up, hesitating for a moment before crossing the room and opening it.
Standing in the doorway was Tielen, his face unreadable. "We need to talk," he said, his voice low and urgent.
"About what?" Jackim asked, a sense of dread settling in his chest.
Tielen stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "About everything. This city, your past, and the people who are already circling like vultures. You've been marked, Jackim. And they'll stop at nothing to claim what's yours."
Jackim swallowed hard. "What are you talking about?"
Tielen looked him dead in the eye, his gaze unwavering. "There are people in this city who know exactly who you are. They know your bloodline. They know what you're capable of."
Jackim's heart pounded in his chest as Tielen's words hung in the air like a death sentence. He wasn't just a student anymore. He wasn't just Jackim. He was someone else, someone they were hunting.
And he had no idea how to fight back.
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