The message came at 2:17 AM.
No name.No number.Just a single line:
"If you want answers… come alone."
Liora stared at her phone, the glow lighting up her face in the darkness of her room. The city outside Kolkata was quieter now—but not asleep. It never truly slept.
Just like her mind.
She didn't need to ask who it was.
She already knew.
Kael.
Her heart should've warned her.Her mind should've stopped her.
Neither did.
The streets were nearly empty when she stepped out.
No driver. No security. No second thoughts.
Only the sound of her heels against the pavement and the distant hum of the city. The location he sent wasn't somewhere she usually went.
It was far from her world.
Far from everything she knew.
By the time she reached the riverside near Howrah Bridge, the air had changed. Cooler. Quieter. Real.
The lights reflected on the water like broken gold.
And there he was.
Standing by the railing, hands in his pockets, looking out at the river like he had all the time in the world.
Like he knew she would come.
"You shouldn't be here."
His voice broke the silence before she could.
Liora crossed her arms. "You asked me to come."
Kael glanced at her, his expression unreadable.
"I didn't think you actually would."
She stepped closer.
"Then you don't know me very well."
A faint smile touched his lips—but it didn't reach his eyes.
"No," he said quietly. "I'm starting to."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The city noise felt distant here. Muted. Like the world had pulled back just enough to give them space.
"Why did you call me?" Liora asked finally.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"Because you keep asking questions."
"And you keep avoiding answers."
Their eyes locked.
Something shifted.
This wasn't the playful tension from before.
This was heavier.
Sharper.
"Alright," he said. "Then listen carefully."
Liora's pulse quickened.
Because something in his tone told her—
This wasn't going to be simple.
"I'm not who you think I am," Kael said.
"I already know that."
"No," he corrected, stepping closer. "You don't."
The distance between them shrank again—but this time, it didn't feel electric.
It felt dangerous.
"I work for people your family has been trying to destroy for years."
The words hit harder than she expected.
Her chest tightened.
"So it's true," she whispered. "You're on the other side."
Kael didn't deny it.
Didn't soften it.
Didn't lie.
"I didn't plan to meet you," he said. "And I definitely didn't plan for this to happen."
"This?" Liora echoed.
His gaze dropped briefly—to her lips, then back to her eyes.
"This… whatever this is."
Her breath caught.
"You should stay away from me," Kael continued, his voice quieter now. "From this world."
"Then why did you call me here?" she challenged.
Silence.
A long one.
Then—
"Because I needed you to hear it from me."
Her heart twisted.
"Or maybe," she said slowly, "you just didn't want me to walk away without knowing why."
That hit something.
She saw it.
Just for a second.
Kael stepped even closer now.
Close enough that she could feel his presence wrap around her like the night itself.
"You think this is a game?" he murmured.
"No," she said softly. "I think this is something you're trying to control… and failing."
His jaw tightened.
"Liora—"
"Tell me to leave," she interrupted. "And mean it."
The air stilled.
The city disappeared.
Everything narrowed down to this one moment.
This one choice.
Kael looked at her.
Really looked at her.
And for the first time—
He didn't look in control.
"Go," he said.
But it wasn't strong enough.
Not convincing enough.
Her heart knew it.
"You don't want me to," she whispered.
His silence confirmed it.
And that was the most dangerous thing of all.
A sudden sound broke the moment.
Footsteps.
Not theirs.
Kael's entire posture changed instantly.
Sharp. Alert. Dangerous.
"Stay behind me," he said, his voice low.
Before she could react—
Three men emerged from the shadows.
Not random.
Not lost.
Looking directly at Kael.
"Well," one of them smirked. "Didn't expect to find you here… with company."
Liora's pulse spiked.
"What's going on?" she whispered.
Kael didn't look back.
"Trouble."
The tension snapped.
Fast.
One of the men stepped forward. "You've been hard to track, Kael."
Kael's voice turned cold.
"You should've stayed away."
"Orders," the man shrugged. "You know how it works."
Liora's mind raced.
Orders?
Track?
This wasn't just business.
This was something bigger.
Something dangerous.
"Leave," Kael muttered to her.
This time—
It wasn't a suggestion.
"I'm not—"
"Liora."
Her name—sharp, urgent.
Different from before.
"Go. Now."
She hesitated.
And that hesitation changed everything.
Because in the next second—
Everything moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Kael grabbed her arm, pulling her back just as one of the men lunged forward. The world blurred into motion—shouts, footsteps, tension exploding into chaos.
"Run!" Kael snapped.
Her heart pounded as instinct finally took over.
She turned—
But not before seeing it.
The look in his eyes.
Not fear.
Not hesitation.
But something far more dangerous.
Control.
She ran.
The sound of the river behind her. The city lights ahead. Her thoughts spinning, breath uneven.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Not her life.
Not Kael.
Not the world she had just stepped into.
But one thing was clear—
This wasn't just forbidden.
This was war.