Footsteps echoed down the corridor.

  Uneven. Dragging.

  Rei’s boots struck metal flooring in a broken rhythm, each step sending a jolt of pain through his body. His right hand clutched his abdomen, fingers sticky with drying blood. His left arm hung uselessly at his side, shoulder dislocated, swaying with every staggered movement like it belonged to someone else.

  The hallway lights flickered overhead.

  Behind him—

  Slow.

  Measured.

  Boots scraped against steel.

  Dante was whistling.

  It was off-key.

  Casual.

  The sound crawled under Rei’s skin more than any shout would have.

  “You know,” Dante called out lazily, his voice carrying through the corridor, “you can stop anytime.”

  Rei didn’t answer.

  His vision blurred at the edges. He blinked hard, forcing it to clear.

  “I won’t judge,” Dante continued. “Everyone’s got a breaking point.”

  Another step.

  Closer.

  “You’re bleeding from your eyes,” Dante added conversationally. “That can’t feel good.”

  Rei swallowed the copper taste rising in his throat.

  Stay awake.

  Stay conscious.

  Just a little longer.

  The corridor split ahead. Rei veered right blindly, shoving open the nearest door he could reach. He stumbled inside and slammed it shut behind him, locking it with trembling fingers.

  The latch clicked.

  He leaned his back against it, chest heaving.

  Silence.

  For a second.

  Then—

  Thud

  A light knock against the door.

  Not breaking it.

  Just… tapping.

  “Taking a breather?” Dante’s voice came through, muffled but amused.

  Rei forced himself away from the door and turned.

  The room was larger than the last. Dimly lit. Metal tables lined the center. Racks along the walls.

  Weapons.

  Crates of ammunition.

  Grenades.

  Blades.

  Firearms of various models.

  Rei’s brain snapped into focus despite the pain.

  Inventory.

  Options.

  He staggered forward, scanning frantically.

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  Automatic rifles. Too heavy right now.

  Rocket launcher. Overkill, and too slow.

  Explosives—

  His gaze locked onto a small device resting alone on a metal table.

  Compact.

  Digital timer display.

  Detonator wiring already set.

  A timed bomb.

  Rei froze.

  That’s insane.

  He hated gambles.

  He hated relying on things he couldn’t calculate fully.

  But this wasn’t a strategic battlefield anymore.

  This was survival.

  Do or die.

  He grabbed it.

  It felt heavier than it looked.

  Behind him—

  The door exploded inward.

  Metal tore free with a screech.

  Rei didn’t turn around.

  He ran toward the opposite exit, clutching the device in his right hand.

  Dante stepped through the wrecked doorway, purple veins still glowing faintly under his skin. He clicked his tongue when he saw Rei retreating.

  “Still running,” Dante muttered.

  He crouched slightly.

  Then lunged.

  The distance vanished in an instant.

  Rei felt it a split second too late.

  A heavy boot slammed into his back.

  Pain detonated through his spine.

  He flew forward and crashed into the far wall, the impact knocking what little air he had left from his lungs. The bomb nearly slipped from his grasp.

  He collapsed to the floor.

  Dante approached slowly this time.

  No whistling.

  No laughter.

  He stopped in front of Rei and looked down at him.

  “It’s the end of the line,” Dante said quietly. “For real this time.”

  Rei coughed, blood spotting the floor.

  Dante crouched slightly, studying him.

  “You know what pisses me off?” Dante continued. “Your Grace.”

  Rei’s vision wavered.

  Dante tapped his own chest.

  “If I had your ability? I’d be high-ranking by now. Elite. Untouchable.”

  His mechanical arm hummed as it began charging, purple energy gathering along the seams.

  “And you,” Dante said softly, “waste it.”

  He raised his arm.

  Rei’s fingers tightened around the device.

  A faint sound filled the room.

  Beep.

  Dante paused.

  Beep.

  Beep.

  He frowned.

  “What is that?”

  Rei let out a weak chuckle.

  With trembling fingers, he lifted his hand and opened his palm.

  The digital display glowed between them.

  00:29

  Beep.

  Dante’s eyes widened slightly.

  “You’re insane.”

  Rei grinned despite the blood on his teeth.

  “Got no choice,” he rasped. “You backed me into a corner.”

  The timer ticked down.

  00:24

  “If I’m going to die,” Rei continued, breathing heavily, “you’re coming with me.”

  Dante’s gaze flickered between Rei and the device.

  “You idiot,” Dante muttered.

  Rei tilted his head slightly.

  “You’ve got options,” he said calmly.

  00:20

  “You could crush my head right now. Hope you’re fast enough to get out before it blows.”

  00:18

  “Try to disarm it. Then kill me.”

  00:16

  “Or…”

  Rei’s grin widened faintly.

  “Run.”

  Dante’s jaw tightened.

  The beeping filled the room now, louder in the tense silence.

  00:13

  “Which one you picking?” Rei asked.

  Dante’s mechanical arm hummed uncertainly.

  00:10

  Rei started counting aloud.

  “Ten.”

  Dante didn’t move.

  “Nine.”

  His eyes flicked toward the doorway.

  “Eight.”

  Rei’s pulse pounded in his ears.

  “Seven.”

  Dante snarled softly.

  “Six.”

  Purple veins pulsed brighter.

  “Five.”

  Dante leaned closer to Rei, eyes blazing.

  “You’re pathetic,” he said quietly.

  Then he shot backward.

  In one explosive movement, he bolted for the door.

  “Four.”

  He leapt through the opening.

  “Three.”

  Footsteps thundered down the corridor.

  “Two.”

  Rei closed his eyes.

  “One.”

  The timer hit zero.

  And—

  Nothing happened.

  The beeping stopped.

  Silence flooded the room.

  Rei slowly opened one eye.

  Then the other.

  The display read:

  00:01

  Paused.

  He exhaled shakily.

  “I hate gambling,” he muttered.

  He reached up weakly and flicked the tiny override switch he’d pressed at the last second.

  There was no way I was actually going to kill myself.

  His head lolled back against the wall.

  The adrenaline drained all at once.

  His body felt unbearably heavy.

  That worked.

  It actually worked.

  He let his eyes close.

  Just a second.

  Just going to rest for a bit—

  —

  Several levels above

  Steel clanged.

  A final body hit the ground with a dull thud.

  Tessa exhaled sharply, wiping her blade clean in one smooth motion. The weapon was nearly twice her height, its edge gleaming faintly under the flickering lights.

  Casper leaned against a wall, catching his breath.

  Andrei adjusted his glasses, scanning the room one last time.

  “Clear,” Andrei confirmed.

  Tessa rolled her shoulders.

  “How many was that?” she asked.

  Casper glanced at the unconscious figures scattered across the floor. “Too many.”

  “If it’s this many every room,” Tessa muttered, planting her blade into the ground and leaning against it, “we’re not finishing anytime soon.”

  Andrei tapped his tablet.

  “We barely mapped a quarter of this base,” he replied. “We don’t even know how many are stationed here.”

  Tessa sighed dramatically.

  “It’s going to be a long mission.”

  Casper pushed off the wall.

  “And don’t forget,” he added, “we’re on a time limit. Before the whole place gets blown to bits.”

  Tessa shot him a flat look. “Thanks. That’s comforting.”

  Just as they began to relax

  The entire room shook violently.

  The floor lurched beneath them.

  “Grab something!” Andrei shouted.

  Tessa grabbed her blade. Casper braced against the wall. Andrei clung to a metal beam as the ground shifted.

  It wasn’t an explosion.

  It was movement.

  Metal groaned all around them.

  Walls rotated.

  Ceilings shifted.

  Rooms slid past one another with deafening mechanical roars.

  Then—

  Silence.

  Casper blinked.

  “…They really aren’t giving us a break.”

  Andrei steadied himself and quickly checked his tablet. The holographic projection flickered before stabilizing.

  His eyes widened slightly.

  “That’s not good.”

  “What?” Tessa asked.

  Andrei rotated the hologram.

  “We’ve been relocated.”

  “Where?” Casper asked.

  “The deepest section of the base.”

  Tessa straightened.

  “And the others?”

  Andrei zoomed out the map.

  “A couple rooms above us are Elisa, Oliver, Luna, and Daisy.”

  He swiped again.

  “Our captain is isolated.”

  Casper’s expression darkened.

  “And?”

  “And Elijah, Violet, and Victor are alone too.”

  Tessa’s grip tightened slightly.

  “Below us,” Andrei continued, voice quieter now, “Rei and Zane. Both isolated.”

  Casper’s stomach twisted.

  “The rest are scattered.”

  Silence settled.

  Then Casper stood fully upright.

  “Guess it’s time to move.”

  They headed for the exit.

  Tessa walked slightly ahead.

  Casper reached for the door handle—

  Something screamed through the air.

  Fast.

  Tessa reacted instantly.

  Her blade came up just in time.

  CLANG.

  The impact rang through the room.

  A projectile embedded itself into her weapon’s surface, sparking faintly.

  Casper stumbled back.

  Footsteps echoed from the other side of the door.

  Slow.

  Measured.

  Familiar.

  A silhouette appeared in the doorway.

  Lean frame.

  Blue hair.

  An eyepatch covering the left eye.

  He stepped into the light.

  Asher smirked faintly.

  “Well,” he said casually, gaze resting on Casper. “You’ve got yourself some dependable allies.”

  Casper’s breath caught.

  His mind rejected what his eyes were seeing.

  No.

  That’s not—

  Asher’s visible eye gleamed faintly.

  He tilted his head slightly.

  “Long time no see.”

  Casper’s fingers trembled.

  The room felt suddenly smaller.

  Asher’s lips curved upward.

  “Hey there,” he said lightly.

  “Little bro.”

  [End of Chapter]