Chapter One: The Quiet Before
The rain came like a whispered curse, falling soft and relentless on the narrow streets of Kuala Lumpur. Wreen stood beneath the brittle shelter of an ancient tamarind tree, her coat soaked through, eyes fixed on the glistening pavement. It wasn't just the cold that made her shiver—it was the weight of not knowing. Not knowing why Jason had vanished. Not knowing why her heart still clung to someone who had become a ghost in his own skin.
"Wreen, you shouldn't be out in this," came a voice from behind.
She turned to see Henry, her childhood friend, his face etched with worry. He looked older under the bruised sky, the soft lines of youth replaced by the sharp creases of responsibility. "I had to see him," she said quietly. "Jason… I don't know what's happening to him."
Henry stepped closer, lowering his voice. "You're chasing shadows, Wreen. Jason's changed. And not for the better."
Wreen's lips trembled. "He's still in there. I can feel it."
A sharp crack of thunder echoed, and Wreen pulled her collar tighter. "I don't understand how he could shut me out like this."
"Sometimes," Henry said slowly, "people break before they tell you the truth."
Wreen swallowed hard. Her heart thudded painfully, the slow ache of a love slipping away. She remembered how Jason used to smile with his whole face, how his fingers used to brush hers like a whisper meant only for her. Now those memories felt like someone else's dream.
Across the city, Jason sat in a dimly lit room, the weight of silence pressing down on him. His phone buzzed—a message from Wreen: "Please, talk to me." He stared at it but didn't reply. He couldn't. Not while the walls around him pulsed with threats and lies. Not while the truth was a blade he couldn't unsheathe.
Outside the café where Wreen had waited hours before, two men in dark coats exchanged a brief nod. "He's involved deeper than we thought," one murmured. "No turning back now." Their words disappeared into the wind, but the certainty in their eyes remained. Jason was no longer just a name on their list. He was a player. A liability. Maybe even a traitor.
In the distance, the skyline of Singapore gleamed under cold lights. Farther still, in the shadowed towers of Hong Kong, the wheels of a deadly game were already turning. Invisible strings pulled at puppets who didn't know they danced for monsters.
Wreen clenched her fists, rain mingling with tears she refused to shed. She didn't want to believe the whispers, the rumors, the fear growing in the hollow of her chest. Jason had always stood for something. For truth. For resistance. But now… now she wasn't sure.
She stepped away from the tree, her boots splashing in shallow puddles, the sound swallowed by the storm. Somewhere in the shadows, Henry followed silently. He knew her well enough not to try to stop her. All he could do was stay close—like he always had.
Jason stood at the window, watching the city breathe beneath him. Every light was a story. Every shadow, a secret. He used to feel anchored here. Now, everything felt foreign. Unforgiving. A siren in the distance wailed like a cry for absolution, but Jason remained still.
He picked up the photo from his desk—a snapshot of better times. Wreen laughing under a paper lantern, her eyes bright with mischief. He ran his thumb over her face, the sting in his eyes betraying his calm. "Forgive me," he whispered, to no one.
At that exact moment, a coded signal flickered across a hidden screen in a high-rise across the bay. A woman in a crimson blazer leaned forward, reading the message.
TARGET MOVEMENT DETECTED. INITIATE PHASE ONE.
She smiled. "Checkmate," she murmured.
Back in Kuala Lumpur, Wreen boarded the monorail without really seeing it. Her thoughts swirled like the rain streaking down the windows. Ling Yan had called her the night before, voice trembling: "You're not going to like what I found." Wreen had dismissed it at first. But now...
Now the air itself felt hostile.
Her phone buzzed. A photo. Jason. Meeting someone she didn't recognize. A briefcase exchanged. Smiles. The timestamp: Yesterday.
Wreen's breath caught.
Was this betrayal?
Or was Jason already in too deep to escape?
She didn't know. But she was going to find out.
Even if it cost her everything.