The first kill was easy. Too easy.
The warmth of blood sprayed across Luv's arm, but he didn't flinch. He had left fear behind long ago in the silence of his seclusion. Now, there was only instinct—cut, break, silence.
But the sound behind him made his head snap. Ayu.
Her movements were frantic, her knife trembling. She was cornered by a man twice her size. He slashed, and she barely managed to dodge. She struck back, awkward but desperate, and somehow her blade cut into his arm. The man howled and staggered.
For the smallest second, Luv's lips twitched. Not a smile—something rawer. She didn't freeze.
He moved again, faster this time. A third enemy lunged at him with a chain, swinging it like a whip. Luv ducked, closed the distance in a heartbeat, and buried his knife into the man's gut. The enemy collapsed, choking on his own blood.
Another came from behind. Luv spun, caught his wrist, and drove his elbow into the man's face with a sickening crack. Bone snapped. The attacker fell limp.
But Luv barely noticed. His focus was on Ayu. Every move she made screamed of inexperience—but also of fire. She was scared, yes, but not broken. He could hear her breaths, ragged but steady, just like he'd told her.
Two more thugs circled them.
"Behind you!" Ayu shouted, her voice sharp with urgency.
Luv twisted just in time, catching a glint of steel aimed at his neck. He grabbed the attacker's arm and snapped it like dry wood. The scream echoed off the walls.
For a brief moment, their eyes met—Ayu's wide, terrified, but burning; his cold, sharp, unreadable. And in that instant, something shifted.
She trusts me, Luv thought. Even now.
The fight blurred into chaos. Blades, blood, bodies falling one after another. Ayu's knife dripped red. Her hands shook, but she didn't stop. She matched his rhythm without realizing it—every time he struck, she filled the gaps, covering his blind spots. Clumsy, imperfect, but enough.
Finally, silence fell. The alley reeked of iron and smoke. Around them lay corpses, limbs twisted at unnatural angles, the pavement slick with blood.
Ayu collapsed to her knees, gasping, her knife clattering against the stone. Her eyes were wide, staring at the carnage.
Luv stood above her, chest heaving, his black eyes scanning for movement. Nothing. They had survived.
He looked down at her—this girl with trembling hands and a stubborn heart. She had killed tonight. She had bled. And she hadn't run.
Without thinking, he crouched beside her, voice low.
"You did good."
Her head snapped toward him, tears clinging to her lashes. "I… I was so scared."
"I know," he said simply. He reached out, wiping a smear of blood from her cheek with the back of his hand. "But you fought anyway. That's what matters."
Her breath hitched, and for a moment, the fear gave way to something else—relief. Maybe even… trust.
Luv stood, offering her his hand. "Get up. This is just the beginning."
She hesitated only a second before gripping it. Her small, trembling hand in his bloodstained one.
And in that grip, both of them knew—whatever came next, neither would face it alone.