[Hi, Iris Shadow here!

The city pulsed with life, neon lights flickering like restless fireflies against the night sky. Somewhere in the city, a club named The Star Fall throbbed with the rhythm of the music, its bass-heavy beats spilling into the alleyways. The kind of place where secrets were traded as easily as drinks, and shadows danced just as much as the people.

Donovan Jones sat at the edge of it all, far enough to be unnoticed, yet close enough to feel the tremor of the music in his chest. He wasn’t there to party or to lose himself in the crowd. No, he was there because he had made the wrong choice in friends. Because honestly? He sometimes regretted his choice of friends. 

He loved his bestie, Sofía Zamora, and sometimes tolerated her boyfriend Jackson Moore. But his group had two more people: Mark Young, who studied the same major as Donovan, and Margaret Allen with whom he had some classes in common. These people loved to party and to mess with his peace like there was no tomorrow. 

Donovan cursed his friends in his head. They’d lied to him so many times that he should have seen it coming, but his excitement was too strong when they mentioned going to the movies to watch that film he'd been talking about all week. For a brief moment, he forgot that lies were a thing.

He sighed, annoyed. The line for the club was unbearably long, and there was nothing he hated more than waiting for something he didn’t want to do. He wanted to leave, but when he looked into his friends’ eager faces, their excitement so clearly evident, his fragile heart couldn’t bring himself to walk away.

Fine, he thought. He had nothing else to do to distract himself from the looming exams. Maybe he could suck it up and stay for a bit. At least the line was moving fast, and they had gotten there early enough that they made it in quickly.

Once inside, the atmosphere was electric. Loud music blasted from the speakers, and flashes of colorful lights danced across the packed dance floor. On the sides, there were tables with couches, perfect for taking a break when the dancing got overwhelming.

As expected, the group knew Donovan wasn’t about to dance. So, without hesitation, they headed straight for a table, leaving him to do what he did best—admire the handsome guys from afar.

After a while, Donovan couldn’t shake the sense that he wasn’t really enjoying himself. He’d never been one for alcohol—he couldn’t stand the offensive taste. The whole scene felt off to him, and worse, he knew his friends. Left to their own devices, they would quickly become irresponsible, and someone would have to keep an eye on them. He sighed, the weight of responsibility settling heavily on his shoulders.

He briefly considered pulling out his tablet, but it didn’t sit quite right with him, as if it was just an easy way out—he didn’t want to be the killjoy, the one who seemed to ruin everyone’s fun. Instead, he forced himself to settle in and scan the menu's QR code, hoping something could at least distract him from the pressure.

His eyes caught on the arcade section. Coupons for free play? That was a nice little win in the middle of everything. But when he scrolled down further, he couldn’t ignore the drink menu. The cocktails—non-alcoholic, right? He picked a drink with a funny name, feeling a slight smile tug at his lips, then placed his order. As he waited, his gaze drifted back to his friends, observing them as they mingled, his mind trying to keep him grounded in the moment.

Margaret was flirting with every person who came her way, especially girls, trading free drinks in exchange for some time with her and, sometimes, even a kiss. Jackson was on the dancefloor with his girlfriend, dancing way too close to each other for it to be appropriate in any other situation. And Mark was being himself, going after every potential suitor that crossed his way: girl, boy, or whatever they identified as, he didn’t care, as long as they were hot, they were good enough for him.

Donovan’s friends looked like they were having fun, enjoying one last weekend of freedom before the exams started. Watching them, he felt a tug of guilt for not fully joining in. He knew he should at least try to engage—maybe even talk to someone—before sinking into his usual habit of withdrawing.

But instead, his mind began to wander. He imagined how his crush would walk in through the entrance, his gaze locking onto Donovan instantly. He’d make a beeline toward him, moving to the beat of the music, his smooth voice greeting him with excitement. "Hey, wanna dance?" He’d ask. Donovan would be stunned, then immediately agree, swept away by the moment.

They’d begin dancing, the rhythm pulling them closer and closer, until the space between them disappeared completely. And then—Donovan's heart would race as their lips finally touched.

But, as the song blared on and the night carried on, the person he was waiting for never appeared. With a sigh, he took a sip of his "Baby Blue Colada," sulking as he watched his friends dance the night away, carefree and confident, doing everything he wished he had the courage to do.

Alcohol-free drinks did absolutely nothing to quench his anxiety, and it hadn’t helped at all to ease his boredom. He had expected his drink to be something much more unique, but it had turned out to just be a normal piñada with some Curaçao? He checked the menu again, he didn’t know what that was, but it had sounded a lot more fun in his head.

Well, at least the "Baby Blue Colada" had tasted decent, and it gave him enough of a push to step outside for a breath of fresh air before rejoining his drunken friends. After settling his bill, the bartender gave him a great tip: as long as the stamp on his wrist remained, he could come and go as he pleased for the rest of the night. Donovan pulled out his phone, scrolling through his GPS app, looking for a quiet escape from the chaos. He found a spot called Moon Brew—a cozy café that was famous for its rich coffee aroma.

He smiled faintly, letting his mind wander once again. In his daydreams, his crush would be the perfect protagonist in a Danmei novel, everything Donovan could never be: the bold lead, the one every love interest noticed. And there, there was him, just a background character in his own life.

So there he was, lost in thought as he gazed at the stars, barely aware of where his feet were taking him. That’s how he ended up stumbling into an empty warehouse—unbeknownst to him, a place that would change his life forever. In his current state, however, he didn’t think twice about it. He just assumed it was another one of those trendy spots—an old building turned café or arcade, like so many popping up around town. Without a second thought, he wandered inside, unaware that he was walking right into a classic case of: wrong place, wrong time. But of course, that was just his luck.

The city stretched below like a restless beast, its veins of chaos pulsating against the silent night. From the penthouse windows, Kali watched the city life with detached curiosity, her gloved fingers tracing the cool glass as if she could feel the hum of life below. She adjusted her blonde hair, until she deemed it perfect, then started choosing the perfect bag to match her outfit. 

Kali, also known as Agatha Quinn, was a strategist and tactician. Always measured, always prepared; she could calculate the trajectory of a bullet, the likelihood of betrayal, the exact moment when someone’s mask would slip. But tonight, she had to be more than that. 

As fate would have it, Agatha Quinn had been born into an unconventional family. Her mother had been the leader of the most feared gang in the country, maybe even the world, known for their perfect crimes: The Dauntless Shadows. A group of people who have suffered the consequences of choices, and regretful development of events in their lives which have led them to be there, supporting her family with their plans. 

The Dauntless Shadows thrived on secrets—and, paradoxically, on trust. To them, the true identity of their leader wasn’t critical. Yet, rumors always found their way through the gang. Some whispered that Orpheus, Agatha’s older brother Koray, was the one pulling the strings. Others insisted it was her uncle, Phobos, who quietly called the shots. There were even whispers that Kali, the gang's most feared and revered figure, was their one and only true leader. 

The chaos had begun when Agatha’s parents—former leaders of the Dauntless Shadows—had died in a car accident when she was 16, leaving the succession a mystery. No one knew who would step into their place, and the gang had been left to wonder ever since.

The one thing the members of The Dauntless Shadows knew for sure was this: if either Kali or Orpheus gave an order, they obeyed without question—or else. The last person who dared defy them had paid with their life.

Agatha thrived on power and control, but being one of the top members of the gang had forced her to grow up too quickly. She had to live by strategy, her every move calculated and deliberate. And she hated it when things didn’t go according to plan.

Today was one of those days. She had to host a meeting with the gang, a task that was usually left to her uncle Phobos. His easygoing nature and approachable personality made him the perfect fit for running these gatherings. But it also sparked rumors—many believed Phobos was the true leader of the gang. His leadership had never been questioned, even when he was second in command under Agatha’s parents. Since their tragic deaths, the siblings—Agatha and Koray—had run the operation from the shadows, with only three people knowing the real power behind the gang’s operations. Kali, Agatha's older sister, had yet to officially take the lead. Until then, the family's influence remained strong, and the rumors about Phobos’ role only intensified.

After some pondering, Agatha turned away from the window and picked up her dagger, hiding it in her purse. Her thoughts now drifted to the meeting in the warehouse, to the things she’d left unfinished, adding them to the list of things she needed to get done that night. And once she was ready, she turned away from the window, her heels clicking against the marble floor as she left the penthouse, ready to deal with whatever the night threw at her.

As she walked along she mentally prepared herself, repeating "Agatha you have to treat everyone well, you can't kill anyone tonight" like a mantra in her head. That fateful day, her uncle had gone to deliver a major purchase to one of their clients and was unable to host the meeting. So, in his absence, Agatha and her brother took over, leading a discussion with some of the gang’s most important members about resource allocation and prioritization, and security measures, but they could truly be very stubborn, especially when someone younger than them tried to tell them what to do. She sighed, thinking that it was going to be a long, long night.

The meeting started out smoothly, largely because this duo was the most feared in the gang. Everyone knew that even a glance in their direction could be a death sentence, and that fear kept the room silent, each person too terrified to risk saying anything that might seal their fate. "So, first of all, we need to discuss our new supply routes. New tourist attractions have obstructed the old ones, so we are switching to alternative routes that will pass through…" 

Kali could tell that some members disagreed—perhaps they didn’t truly grasp the risk of running into tourists—but that hardly mattered. What mattered was the way a single glare from her could put them on edge. There was a strange satisfaction in that, a quiet thrill in knowing that people feared her. It wasn’t just about control; it was about certainty. A reminder that, no matter how vulnerable she sometimes felt, she was strong. She was the one truly in charge of the most feared organization in the country.

Every time someone shrank under her gaze, she could feel it—the power coursing through her, a dark pleasure in knowing that, if she wanted to, she could end anyone’s life.

But that wasn’t her whole life. There was another side to her, one she enjoyed just as much: being a student of business administration at the country’s most prestigious university. There, she wasn’t Kali, the untouchable force of the underworld—she was just Agatha. A girl with friends she cherished and a family that, despite everything, she still loved.

Agatha’s friends were her glimpse of normalcy—a world untouched by the shadows she lived in. With them, she could laugh without calculation, let her guard down, and, for a while, forget the weight of her secrets. Though she kept them at arm’s length when it came to her other life, she genuinely cared for them, enjoying their company in a way she rarely allowed herself elsewhere. They grounded her, reminding her that life wasn’t just about survival—it was about living.

But that didn’t matter right now. Her survival instincts had kicked in the moment she heard the footsteps. Someone—an unknown presence—had entered the warehouse. That was definitely not part of the plan.

She needed to get rid of them. Fast.

Before she was forced to break her promise to herself about not killing anyone tonight.

.｡.:*☆☆*: .｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆☆*: .｡.

[Hi, Iris Shadow here!