The MirrorI grip the edges of the sink so hard my knuckles turn white. The cold porcelain bites into my palms, but I don’t let go. I can’t. If I do, I might shatter into a thousand pieces like the mirror in front of me should.My reflection stares back, hollow-eyed and ruthless. A stranger.The bathroom light flickers, casting shadows across my face. The man in the glass mimics my every move, but I don’t recognize him. His jaw is sharper than I remember, his eyes darker, filled with something… unrelenting. The scars on my knuckles are fresh reminders of a battle fought too many times, of fists thrown in anger, of a past that won’t let go.I clench my fists. The past isn’t just behind me. It’s inside me.A knock on the door yanks me from my thoughts.“Nate?” It’s Olivia. Her voice is hesitant, careful. Like she knows she’s stepping onto thin ice. “Are you okay?”I don’t answer right away. I stare at the mirror a moment longer, half-expecting the man in the glass to smirk, to mock me.

The Final TestThe name on the screen doesn’t change.Riley.I read it again, slower this time as if that would somehow make sense. As if the letters will rearrange themselves into something else—something easier.They don’t.The briefing is simple. Direct. Brutal.Target: Riley.Status: Eliminated.My stomach knots. The air in the room turns dense, pressing against my ribs. My fingers curl around the edges of the file, gripping too tight.I force myself to breathe.Riley was one of us once. Part of The Oath. A fighter. A strategist. Someone I trusted with my life more times than I can count.She left. Disappeared. Ghosted into thin air like she was never there at all.And now, she’s resurfaced.A threat.A loose end.The weight of the words makes my skin crawl.My first instinct is to deny it—to tell myself there’s been a mistake. But I know better. The Oath doesn’t make mistakes. If her name is here, it means someone higher up decided she was a problem.And problems don’t get warnin

The WarningRiley runs.Not aimlessly. Not in fear.She knows exactly where she’s going.But so do I.Her boots pound against the wet pavement, splashing through puddles as she weaves between buildings, slipping through the city’s dark veins like she belongs here. Like she knows every alley, every hidden escape.And she does.That’s what makes her dangerous.That’s why I have to stop her.I move faster, cutting through a side street, anticipating her route. She’s good, but I know her tells—the way she glances left before taking a sharp right, the split-second she hesitates before committing to a path. I read her movements before she even makes them.And then, I see my opening.I push forward, closing the distance.She doesn’t even get the chance to turn before I grab her arm and slam her against the brick wall of the alleyway. The impact knocks the breath from her lungs, but she doesn’t struggle. Doesn’t panic.She just looks at me.Calm. Expectant.Like she knew this was coming.Like

The ConfrontationThe storm outside howls like a wounded animal. Wind rattles the broken windows, sending shards of moonlight slashing across the floor.Riley stands in the center of the abandoned building, breath steady, shoulders squared.She’s not running anymore.I step closer, gun raised, finger resting on the trigger. My arm is steady, trained by years of discipline. But inside, something is unraveling.She doesn’t flinch. Don’t beg.She just looks at me."Is this really who you are now?"My grip tightens.The rain drips from my jacket, soaking into the dust-covered floorboards. The scent of mold, rust, and old memories clings to the air.I don’t answer.Because I don’t know.The Oath’s orders are absolute. No hesitation. No emotions. No second chances.But here I am.And she sees it.Her voice is quieter now, threading through the silence like a knife slipping between ribs. "You can still make a choice, Nathan."Choice.That word doesn’t belong in my world."You know how this e

The Choice That Changes EverythingI exhale slowly. My grip on the gun loosens. The weight of it, the finality it promises, is crushing. But I lower it anyway."Go," I say.Riley doesn’t move. Doesn’t run. Just stares at me like she’s trying to figure out if this is real or just another illusion."They’ll come after you next," she warns. Her voice is calm, but I know her well enough to hear the strain underneath.I smirk, but the expression feels foreign on my face. Like something I used to wear, but it doesn’t fit anymore. "Let them try."Riley’s jaw tightens. "This isn’t a joke, Nathan. You’re turning your back on The Oath. That’s a death sentence."I shrug, but my pulse is pounding. I feel it in my throat, in my fingertips. "I was dead the moment I pulled that first trigger for them. This? This is the first real choice I’ve made in years."Her eyes search mine. She’s looking for something—doubt, regret. Maybe she’s waiting for me to snap back into the man they turned me into.But t