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The Mask Never Slips

Shuhas
The Mask Never Slips In a world where morality is blurred, Shiva navigates the dark underbelly of crime while concealing the unbearable weight of his own existence. Emotionally detached yet deeply wounded, he wears a mask of indifference, suppressing a lifetime of trauma that manifests as relentless physical pain. He is a master manipulator, a deceiver, and a survivor—yet, at his core, he is a man consumed by self-disgust. Despite his hatred for himself, three fragile reasons tether him to life: his love for a girl who barely acknowledges him, his unwavering loyalty to the abusive family that broke him, and the little brother he raised to be everything he could never become. If even one of these reasons crumbles, so will he. As he maneuvers through the chaos of the crime world—both a participant and an outsider—Shiva finds himself drawn into a series of brutal conflicts, each forcing him to confront the contradictions within him. He claims to have no desire to kill, yet death follows in his shadow. He yearns to be understood, yet has perfected the art of deception. He wants to feel something—anything—but every emotion is buried beneath years of carefully constructed lies. When the past he’s tried so hard to bury resurfaces, Shiva’s carefully maintained facade begins to crack. Someone close to him is starting to see through the act. And as the weight of his suffering becomes impossible to contain, he is left with one question: Can he keep holding on, or is the mask he wears the only thing keeping him alive?
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A dance with the pentarch kings.

In a kingdom ruled by kings barely out of boyhood but already steeped in blood and power, Royal Imperium Prestigia High is where monsters are crowned—and innocents are devoured. Five thrones. Five ruthless rulers. And thousands of noble-born students who’d kill for a chance to kneel at their feet. For most girls accepted into Prestigia, it’s the pinnacle of existence. The highest honor. The dream—a chance to brush shoulders with royalty, to earn the favor of the five ruling kings, and maybe, if they’re lucky, be claimed. They come draped in silk and perfume, eyes glittering with desperate hope, praying for a glance, a favor, a touch. They whisper the kings’ names like prayers and spend their days chasing their attention like moths to flame. They worship the kings like gods. They would die to be noticed. And some do. But Blazar Staray is not like the others. And she didn’t come here for love. Blazar Staray was born a nobody. Sold into slavery. Bought by a king. Raised as a weapon. Her orders are simple: infiltrate the elite academy, pose as a noble boy named Orion Spade, and assassinate the most powerful king among the five. Succeed, and she gets to live. Fail, and she dies the way all pawns do—forgotten. But the academy is nothing like she expected. Prestigia isn’t a school. It’s a warzone wrapped in silk and gold, where students wield magic like knives, royalty rules with claws and fangs, and the five kings—Dante, Kaelric, Vesper, Xeari, and Ryuzaki—treat life like a game they always win. One wrong look, one wrong word, and you're either sent to the dungeon cells… or executed. Blazar’s defiant presence doesn’t go unnoticed. Instead of fading into the background, she catches the attention of all five. They should have ignored her. They were supposed to. But now they’re circling her like predators, each with their own twisted interest. Some want to protect her. Some want to break her. Some might want more. To survive, Blazar must outwit predators who were born to rule, all while hiding her identity, her scars, and her past. But she didn’t come here to play their game. She came to end it. And if she has to burn this entire academy down to do it? So be it.
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