Sara splashed water on her face. One, two, three ... she kept going until it felt right. She took a deep breath, leaning into the mirror, studying her own reflection ..... but it wasn't quite her own. Someone else was staring back at her.
"Oh Sara, oh Sara," the reflection said. "Why are you mourning over such a small matter? Just leave it .... doesn't it sound good to you?"
Sara's eyes burned with fury. "What do you think, Lyall ..... making me feel guilty all the time won't give you anything."
"Really, Sara?" A slow smile crept across the reflection's face. "You just don't know how much it helped me when you break down like that. Hahahah." She started laughing.
That's when Sara realized what was actually happening.
She clenched the washbasin, leaning forward, her voice dropping into something sarcastic and disgusted .... "Fuck you, Lyall. I will never let you have your way again."
She turned and walked out of the washroom.
Lyall's hysterical laughter started echoing in her head ... hurting her, making her feel dizzy. But she decided: not now. Not anymore. This was already enough.
She opened her wardrobe and took out an outfit to change.
________________________________
The tarmac outside a private FBO hangar in Australia. The sun is just starting to rise, casting a cold, cinematic blue light over the airfield.
The wheels of the Gulfstream G650 shrieked against the runway, a sharp reminder that they were finally on the ground. Halfway across the world.Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was suffocating. No one had slept. The air smelled of expensive leather and stale espresso.
Maera was staring at the window lost in thoughts, a lot was running in her head right now, who knows how many scenarios she has thought of during the travel, the laptop screen was shining infron of her...while li cheng was not doing any better than her...he took of his glasses and pressed the bridge of his nose, but he was used to it.
The jet taxied away from the massive commercial terminals, turning toward a secluded, high-security hangar on the edge of the airport grounds—the FBO. Through the oval window, three black, armored Mercedes SUVs could be seen already parked on the asphalt. Their exhaust pipes puffed white steam into the crisp morning air. Local handlers, hired by the syndicate hours ago, stood by the vehicle doors like statues.The jet ground to a halt. The hydraulic stairs lowered with a soft hiss.
Before the two of them could even stand, a man in a crisp Australian Border Force uniform stepped into the cabin. He didn't look like a standard customs agent; he looked like a senior official who had been pulled out of bed early for a "special request."
"Good morning, gentlemen," the official said, his voice tightly professional. He held a tablet in one hand and a small stack of customs declarations in the other. The moment he saw the golden shiny ring with a mark of black dragon on it, he knew exactly who was on this plane, and more importantly, he knew the multi-billion-dollar corporate empire they controlled.
Li cheng didn't slide out of his leather seat. He simply reached into his breast pocket, pulled out two immaculate diplomatic passports, and laid them on the mahogany table. Alongside the passports sat a pre-filled, flawless biosecurity manifest detailing every piece of luggage in the cargo hold. No drugs. No weapons. Perfect compliance.
The official didn't even look at the baggage. He scanned the passports, his tablet chiming with immediate clearance approvals. The Citadle's digital network had already cleared the system from the backend hours before takeoff.
"Everything is in order," the official said, stamping the physical pages with a satisfying click. He handed them back, locking eyes with Li cheng for just a second too long. He knew something dangerous was about to happen in his city, but he was smart enough not to ask. "Welcome to Australia. Your transport is waiting on the ramp." he said in a tone not too polite...
"Thank you, officer," Li cheng replied, his voice dead, calm, and terrifyingly focused. He stood up, adjusting his suit jacket. He didn't look like a man who had just spent 21 hours in the air. He looked like an executioner. fixing his specticals, he picked up his breif case...as he stood Maera followed the lead..buttoning up her coat.. by a glance nobody could say these two beings have travled 21 hours , there was no trace of sleep in their eyes.
They walked down the steps. The Australian wind hit their faces, sharp and cold. Without a word, the handlers opened the doors to the center SUV. They slid inside in an instant, the heavy doors shutting with a solid, armored thud, cutting off the sound of the airport entirely. Without wasting a second the engine roared, the tire moved with a force ...and in the blink of an eye...the SUVs were runing on the road...rending the wind apart to their next stop, the safe house.
_____________________________________...
Sam was nearly at the rooftop , breathless, half-stumbling ... when the view hit him and his breath simply forgot what it was supposed to do. It was, technically, a rooftop. But technically was doing a lot of heavy lifting there ... because what stretched before him was one of the most heavily secured spaces he had ever encountered outside of a film. Though, to be fair, Sam had a habit of falling asleep during films, so perhaps that wasn't saying much. He felt, in that moment, a profound and entirely personal grief for himself.
"Hmm. Right on time. Great."
He couldn't even manage a smile.
He moved forward. His mind had narrowed itself down to one single, merciless question ... what exactly was expected of him now ... and the answer, it seemed, was to crash into it entirely. He came to stand before Nao and Renji. Between them sat a small table, and on it rested several objects whose purpose Sam could not immediately place. He squinted, trying to read the context of them.
Nao noticed. A smirk settled across his face.
"Pick up the black blindfold," he said, "and tie it over your eyes."
"I... m-me... wh-what..." Sam managed, barely. "What do I... have to do?"
this time renji spoke,
"You tie that blindfold over your eyes," he said, his voice carrying the texture of gravel, "and then you carry this tray in both hands and walk to the edge of this rooftop. Remember — there is no penalty this time."
"Right, right," Nao added, laughing softly. "Because the only consequence of a mistake is death."
Listning to this, the color drained from Sam's face entirely.
He swallowed hard. His gaze drifted — just once — toward the edge of the rooftop, then downward, measuring the distance to the ground below. Sweat was already sliding past his temples.
If you fall, sam, not even your bones will survive.
He whispered it to himself, voice shaking. His hands had gone cold, blood retreating from them like it too wanted no part in this. But there was no room for protest. So, with a face caught somewhere between forced composure and the quiet devastation of someone about to weep, Sam lifted the blindfold with trembling hands, tied it over his eyes, picked up the tray, and stepped up to the edge.
"H-h-how... how many... l-laps?" he asked.
"Three hundred." nao said
One answer. No elaboration.
Sam's condition was deteriorating by the second. He cursed ..... thoroughly, silently, from the depths of his soul .... the moment he had decided to come here. Shaking, he climbed up and attempted to begin walking. Behind him, Renji stood watching everything. Nao had already started the timer.
It's okay, Sam. You'll survive this. It's okay.
He kept whispering it inward, steadying himself, and took one careful step .. just as Renji's phone rang. Renji pulled it from his pocket and stepped away, moving toward the far side.
Nao watched all of this.
Something shifted in him, heaven knows..what, quietly, without announcement. He reached out and took Sam's hand. Cold as ice, stiff as marble.
"Easy," he said. "Easy. Slow. Go slow."
Sam went rigid with shock. But he said nothing. He simply began to walk .... and slowly, carefully, they moved together until they were nearly through one full lap. Sam's grip on the tray was white-knuckled and desperate. Nao moved beside him, unhurried.
Sam himself couldn't understand it. What had gotten into him?
His focus wavered. He stumbled — but Nao caught him, holding firm.
"Easy ..... Sam, focus!" The sharpness in his voice was sudden, almost like a coach snapping at a distracted athlete. Nothing about him in that moment resembled someone who was capable of ending a life simply because he felt like it.
"Mhmmm."
Then ... a thick, deliberate clearing of the throat came from behind them. Sam couldn't turn, couldn't break his focus. Nao looked back. Renji was staring directly at him.
He looked away.
Without a word, he guided Sam through the completion of the first full lap. Once it was done, the rest was his to carry alone.
"Five minutes," Nao said, glancing at the timer. "The next should be done in four."
Sam said nothing. He started walking again.
Nao turned and moved toward Renji.
"What is your problem?" he said, her voice entirely unbothered.
"Nao." Renji's tone was measured, deliberate. "You know very well what happens when Obsidian's rules are broken. What you're doing ..... stop it."
"Stay out of my business."
That was all he said firmly.
Renji pressed his lips together and held his silence. Then... "The party has been delayed by a week. Tell Sam as well."
Hearing this, something lit up in Nao's eyes.
But before Renji could say a word to Sam himself, Nao stopped him.
"No," he said quietly. "Don't break his focus. we can tell him after the training ends.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
It's been two days, no contact, no calls, no trace of him. Jacob was worried sick. He had tried calling Sam countless times, but every single time, the phone was switched off.
Sam had taken Jacob's bike with him, but the complete lack of contact was starting to gnaw at him. After all, the idea had been his in the first place.
All kinds of thoughts swirled through his mind.
He was at his bar at the moment and had stepped outside for a while. Pacing back and forth, he kept calling Sam again and again, but there was still no answer. According to Jacob, the event should have happened by now. At the very least, there should have been some news about Sam, but there was nothing, not a single clue.
Just then, a hooded man hurried past him and accidentally bumped into him. The phone in Jacob's hand slipped and fell to the ground. The stranger's phone dropped as well.
Both of them bent down and picked up their phones.
"Sorry, my bad. I was in a hurry," the stranger said.
There was something enigmatic about him that immediately made Jacob suspicious, but he didn't pay much attention to it.
"It's okay," Jacob replied, picking up the phone.
The stranger quickly turned around and walked away. His face was hidden behind a mask.
After he left, Jacob glanced down at the phone in his hand.
It wasn't his.
It was a dummy phone.
"Hey, brother, wait!" Jacob called out.
Dropping everything, he ran after the man. After chasing him for a short distance, he realized the stranger had vanished. Unable to find him, Jacob finally stopped to catch his breath.
Just then, another man approached him and held out a phone.
Jacob took it and looked at the man standing in front of him with questioning eyes.
Pointing in the opposite direction, the man said, "A guy heading that way gave this to me for you."
Jacob smiled.
"Oh, I see. Thank you so much."
Seeing Jacob breathless and visibly distressed, the man gave him a suspicious look. Reading the story hidden behind that gaze, Jacob quickly came up with an excuse.
"Actually, he's my friend. He was just messing with me."
The man smiled.
"Ohhh, I see. Alright then."
Still smiling, he turned around and went back into his shop.
Jacob looked at the phone for a moment.
The screen looked exactly the same as before.
He switched it off, slipped it into his pocket, and started walking back toward the bar.
By now, even he knew this was no ordinary matter.
Today it was just a phone.
Next time, he himself could end up in serious danger.
For now, stepping back seemed like the wiser choice.
_______________________________________________
"Max, you brought me with you, but where exactly are we going?" Hazel's confused voice barely reached Max's ears over the rush of wind.
Guessing the rest of her question, he shouted back, "You'll find out soon enough, have some patience!"
At the moment, they were flying down the road on his friend's sports bike. Max had managed to borrow it after promising his friends two days' worth of free treats.
About half an hour later, Max pulled the bike to a stop in front of Bronx Park. The park was only a short distance from their college and fairly close to the Citadel.
The two climbed off the bike and placed their helmets on the seat.
Hazel's eyes widened with excitement.
"Brooo! You brought me to Bronx Park?!"
The joy on her face was impossible to miss. She was smiling from ear to ear.
Max knew this was Hazel's favorite park, yet she had never gotten the chance to visit it before. Seeing her this happy filled him with an indescribable warmth.
"You go on inside, I'll park the bike and be right back."
Nodding eagerly, Hazel wandered ahead, looking around excitedly at everything she could see.
There weren't many people in the park at that hour. It was around eleven in the morning, and on a working day, a quiet crowd was nothing unusual.
She had only taken a few steps further when Max caught up to her from behind. Resting a hand on her shoulder, he said cheerfully,
"Today we're going to enjoy ourselves properly, Hazel. Whatever you want, just tell me, okay?"
Hazel immediately nodded along, her excitement shining through every expression.
Spotting something in the distance, she suddenly dashed toward it. saying a big sound of "woowww!"
Watching her run off so happily, Max felt a prayer rise in his heart without warning.
Oh God, may Hazel's smile never fade.
He loved his sister more than anything.
He hadn't been able to save Sara from breaking apart, but he had already made up his mind.
He would never let Hazel fall apart the same way.
_____________________________________________________
Evening had fully set in, and everyone was busy with their own routines. The weather was slightly cold; as March drew closer, the winter chill was steadily fading. The noise of traffic was everywhere, but he couldn't see or hear any of it. Gripping the doorknob tightly and pushing hard, he opened the door. There was no strength left in his legs to walk. Barely managing to close the door behind him, he moved toward the bed. The moment he reached it, he collapsed heavily on his back, completely spread-eagled.
He was totally exhausted. After running 300 laps all day and getting ripped apart by Renji, he didn't need anything else to break him.
"Haah!!" Staring at the ceiling with an empty mind, he let out a cold sigh.
"Where the fuck did you get trapped, Sam? Who told you to play the hero?" he muttered to himself. Entirely cut off from the world around him, he got lost in his own thoughts.
"And on top of that, this training will go on until next week. Man, what kind of cruelty is this?" he said, sounding like he was about to cry. "This is what they call, 'I fucked up with both holes,'" he cursed himself bluntly.
As he lay there talking to himself, his eyes suddenly fell on the window. The curtains were open. Unwanted, a mocking voice echoed in his mind: 'Looks like you have no desire to stay alive, huh?'
Remembering Nao's words from when he had fixed those curtains before, Sam felt like crying his heart out.
"Man, what a joke... I already have no strength," he muttered irritably. Still, forcing his whole body weight onto his hands, he tried to stand up.
Barely getting off the bed, he leaned on the side table for support. He reached out, trying to fix the curtain. "Come on, just close already," he cursed at the curtain, struggling to grab it.
While he was still in the middle of this struggle, another hand—wearing a black glove—came right past him and smoothly closed the curtains.
Sam spun around instantly. Nao was standing right in front of him, and his face actually looked soft. Right then, Sam's eyes fell on the table below. Hot food was sitting inside a tray on the table.
The distance between Nao and Sam was practically zero.
"N... Nao..."
He could only say that much before his foot suddenly hit the side table. He lost his balance and was about to fall, but Nao quickly grabbed his waist with a strong hand, catching him. Nao pulled him up, but because the space was so tight, Sam hit straight against his broad chest.
Their noses bumped against each other.
The coldness of Nao's slightly wet black shirt seeped straight into Sam's soul. Their eyes met, and for a moment, time completely stopped. Outside, every single person walking slowed down; even the wind felt like it held its breath. The scent of lavender coming from Nao started to put Sam under a strange spell.
For a second, Nao forgot where he was and what he was doing. He stared closely at Sam's pale, tired face, watching every single emotion cross his skin. The beating of their hearts was the only thing that could be easily heard in the quiet room.
Then, a drop of water dripped from Nao's wet hair and fell right onto Sam's face.
That was exactly when they both snapped back to reality. Sam instantly pulled himself together, and Nao immediately turned away, covering his mouth.
"Ahem!"
Running a hand through his hair, Nao started to leave. "You... eat your food. Leave the tray here." Saying just that, he walked out.
The moment the door to Sam's room closed, Sam fell right back onto the bed where he was standing. His sleepiness and tiredness were completely gone.
"What the hell... what was that?" he muttered, wiping away the tiny drops of sweat on his temples. His heart was still beating wildly, and he pressed his hand against his chest, trying to force it to calm down.
___________________________________
TO BE CONTINUED