"A letter from the shadows leads them toward the city—where silence hides the loudest secrets."
The road twisted like a faded ribbon between hills and forest, its gravel cracked in places where nature had started reclaiming what once belonged to her. Nala rode at the front, Yoru's hooves striking a steady rhythm against the earth. The city was still distant, hidden beyond the rise, but the sharp smell of smoke already tinged the air—distant chimney soot, metal, and something older... like ash that had never cooled.
Lena pulled her horse up alongside Hikaru, eyes scanning the horizon. "So... do we think this mysterious letter-writer is friend or foe?"
"Too soon to tell," Hikaru muttered. "But they know too much to be neither."
"You're great at making things sound comforting," Lena said dryly.
Nala didn't look back. "We don't have the luxury of guessing motives. If they wanted us dead, we'd already be."
Her voice cut like steel, calm and detached. Hikaru studied the shape of her back as she rode—tall, poised, unshakable. A commander without a title. And still, he found himself watching her in the quiet moments. More than he should.
They passed under a crumbling wooden arch, the remnants of a travel checkpoint long abandoned. From here, the terrain grew harsher—old railway ruins, half-built towers, and scavenged trade carts that lined the outskirts of the city. The skyline beyond was jagged and grey, smoke curling into the sky from a dozen industrial stacks like twisted fingers.
The outpost was just ahead—if the note could be trusted. And Nala had a feeling they weren't alone on the road.
They reached a rest station by late afternoon, sun dragging shadows across the cracked stone and rusted metal. A crooked sign swung above the door, creaking with every gust of wind. Outside, four men lingered near a barrel fire, their voices loud with drink and their eyes quick to settle on Nala and Lena.
"Looks like the Gods finally blessed this dump," one said with a crooked grin, eyes raking over the women as they dismounted.
Lena rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Please don't let them speak to us."
Nala ignored them as she tied Yoru's reins with calm precision. Her silence seemed to rile the tallest one—stocky, sunburnt, and wearing arrogance like cologne.
"Hey, beautiful," he called out. "You're not from here, are you? That walk—those hips—ain't local. We don't see women like you around here. All that... shape."
She turned, slow and unreadable, giving him nothing. As she stepped past—
Smack.
His hand landed on her backside with a loud pop.
The world stopped.
Lena inhaled sharply. Hikaru's fingers twitched. But Nala—Nala didn't even flinch. She simply paused mid-step, back still to him.
He snickered to his friends, eyes dragging down her frame. "Skin like bronze, curves like that... You're definitely not from around here. Exotic."
Nala turned.
No expression. No warning.
Then—crack.
She moved so fast the man didn't see her hand until it crushed his wrist, twisting it at a brutal angle. He howled, crumpling to his knees.
"You just lost the only useful thing about you," she said coldly.
The others jumped up in alarm, but Hikaru was already behind her, sword half-drawn, face carved in stone.
"Step in," he warned, "and I'll make sure none of you walk out of here with your teeth."
Silence fell like an avalanche.
The man on the ground writhed, clutching his wrist. "She's crazy—!"
"No," Hikaru said, eyes locked on him. "She's patient. You just tested the limits."
Nala turned back to her horse like nothing had happened.
Lena, ever dramatic, gave the man a mocking curtsy. "You should thank her. That's probably the most action you'll ever get."
Lena stayed close to Nala's side, her jaw tight with rage. "I was this close to throwing hands," she muttered.
"I know," Nala replied calmly, brushing invisible dust from her sleeve. "That's why I stepped in first."
The city pulsed with restless life, all flickering signs and humming wires. Buildings towered in uneven stacks, lit by floating paper lanterns and digital screens. The city outskirts didn't sleep; it whispered. Alleyways curled like veins behind noodle shops and bathhouses, growing narrower with each turn.
They reached a weather-worn door set beneath the ground. Barely visible above it was a faded lotus symbol—closed, not in bloom.
"This is it," Hikaru said, jaw tight. "It's the same mark from the letter."
Nala didn't answer. Her gaze swept the shadows. Lena glanced between them, then muttered, "Well. If this turns out to be a murder trap, I just want it on record I told you both this felt sketchy."
Inside was dim, quiet, and cooler than outside. The air was tinged with cedar and ash. Scrolls lined one wall. Old tech blinked softly in another corner. A single low lamp cast shadows across the underground room.
Then a calm voice cut through the silence.
"Took you long enough."
A man stepped out of the darkness, arms crossed loosely.
He was tall, lean but built like he knew how to fight—and win. His skin was a warm golden-bronze, smooth and marked at his temple with an old scar that caught the light. Long black hair was braided down his back, neat and striking against his dark coat. His features were sharp, unmistakably Japanese—high cheekbones, a straight nose, and narrow eyes that flicked up with calm precision.
But what caught Lena's breath was the way those eyes—steel-gray with flecks of soft gold—landed on her for a second too long.
No way.
No. Freaking. Way.
Lena's brain short-circuited. He was exactly like the guy she'd described to Nala that night in the tent, half-joking and dreaming out loud. The "mysterious rogue detective with a braid" fantasy she spun up like a joke had just walked into the room and handed them a clue.
She didn't say a word. Didn't blink. Just stared.
The man looked between them all. "Name's R.K. For now, that's all you need to know."
Hikaru's eyes narrowed. "You sent the letter."
"I did." R.K. stepped forward, slipping a folded paper from his coat. "I don't work for the Lotus. But I know what they're doing. I've been following them for years."
He placed the paper on the table. "This is your next lead. You'll want to read it."
Lena still hadn't moved.
Okay. Calm down. So what if he looks like a daydream. He's probably shady. Most fine men are.
Still, she tugged her sleeve down over her wrist. Just in case he looked again.
R.K. stepped back as Nala approached the paper. The others hovered behind her, silent.
It wasn't a long letter. Just a few lines, written in a neat but firm hand.
"The Lotus moves through silence. What they stole from you is alive, changed. They operate from shadows beneath the city—below glass, beyond honor. Seek the Black Veil Quarter. You'll find answers, but not all truths want to be known."
— R.K.
Beneath the message was a drawing. A symbol. Nala's hand froze midair as her eyes locked on it.
A lotus again. But this time, coiled behind it—a fox. One with mismatched eyes. One light brown, one gray.
Her breath caught in her throat.
She hadn't seen that image since she was a child. Since—
"Who drew this?" Her voice was low, sharp.
R.K.'s expression flickered. "It was left on the body of a man connected to the Lotus. I copied it before it was destroyed."
Hikaru stepped closer. "You recognize it?"
Lena turned, brows drawn. "Nala?"
Nala didn't answer right away. Her eyes were locked on the fox's eyes. One was the exact color of hers. The other—gray. Like his.
Her oldest brother's.
"I think... I think this is a sign," she said quietly. "From my brother. Or about him."
She didn't say how she knew. She just did.
"Your brother?" R.K. asked, not unkindly. "The one taken after the massacre?"
Nala's eyes snapped to his.
R.K. held up a hand. "I told you. I've been following the Lotus for a long time. They don't just kill. Sometimes they take. And they change what they take."
He looked at her, voice low. "If your brother's alive... you may not recognize who he's become."
A cold silence settled over the room.
R.K. leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "The Black Veil Quarter isn't on any city map. It's underground. Hidden beneath the East Sector. Abandoned subway lines, old war tunnels. Lotus territory now."
"Sounds like a trap," Hikaru muttered.
R.K. nodded. "It probably is. But it's the only lead you've got."
Lena paced, glancing at Nala. "This can't be a coincidence. That symbol, the eyes. It's your brother. It has to be."
Nala's expression was unreadable. "Then I'll go. If he's there... I need to see for myself."
"You're not going alone," Hikaru said sharply. "It's suicide walking into their underground without backup."
She gave him a slow look. "Worried about me?"
He looked away. "Worried about the mission."
R.K. stepped forward and unfolded a rough sketch he'd drawn. "There's one way in—through the eastern freight terminal. You'll need clearance. I can forge something that'll last a few hours, but once you're inside? You're on your own."
Lena crossed her arms. "And what are you doing while we go play tag with killers?"
"I'll stay in the city. If you don't come back in two days, I'll assume you're dead and burn this whole sector down trying to figure out what happened."
Hikaru smirked. "So dramatic."
"I work best under pressure," R.K. replied coolly.
Nala stepped forward, her gaze cutting through the room. "We leave tomorrow night."
Lena arched a brow. "So soon?"
"They won't expect us yet. And I don't want to give them time to cover their tracks."
R.K. handed her a smaller slip of paper. "This symbol... if you see it again, follow it. It'll mean you're on the right trail."
She studied the paper. This time, no fox. Just a black veil inked over the lotus.
"I'll find him," Nala said, voice soft but resolute. "Even if he's changed."
Hikaru said nothing. But his eyes lingered on her a moment too long.