He sat back down directly opposite the weeping man. The leader was sweating profusely now, shaking from head to toe. Butcher picked up the scraping blade once again. With another swift, brutal motion, he scraped the skin completely off the man's other thigh, exposing the raw red flesh. He took another large handful of salt, and this time, he rubbed it even harder, grinding the sharp crystals deep into the open wound."NO! STOP! AAAAHHHHH!" The man screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking under the intense torture.Meanwhile, just a floor downstairs in the main courtyard, the rest of the Syndicate men were carrying out their regular, violent combat training.Tonight, it was a brutal fight to the death between two low-level recruits. Dozens of shadow soldiers were standing around the ring, shouting, cheering, and having fun as the two men mauled each other with fists and blades. The noise of the roaring crowd completely drowned out the screams coming from the upper basemen

The loud, piercing alarm went off wildly, echoing through every hallway, room, and courtyard of the underground base. Red warning lights began to flash violently. The automated security system immediately initiated a total lockdown, sealing the heavy iron blast doors to trap whoever was inside. But they were far too late. Clara was already long gone, slipping out into the cool night air before the gates could slam shut.Early the next morning, back at the main police station, the atmosphere was tense and quiet. Henry walked down the long hallway, his uniform neat but his face pale from lack of sleep. He stopped in front of the commander’s office, took a deep breath, and knocked on the glass door."Come in," a loud voice barked.Henry walked inside, closing the door softly behind him. "Sir, you called for me?"Sitting behind a grand, cluttered wooden desk was Commander Desmond. The large man didn't look up immediately. He was carefully reading through a thick stack of papers. Final

Valthera rolled her eyes coldly, adjusting the heavy weapon strapped to her hip. "Just tell us why you summoned us here, Clara. You know exactly how dangerous it is for the four of us to meet in one place."Clara sighed heavily, crossing her arms as she looked at the group. "I just hope you guys weren't followed here."Thomas let out a scoffing laugh, checking the magazine of his pistol. "What do we look like to you, Clara? Amateurs? We cleared our tracks three times before we even entered this district.""Fine," Valthera snapped, her hard eyes locking onto Clara’s face. "Tell us why you summoned us."Clara took a deep breath, her voice turning dead serious. "I found her. The King's rogue assassin sister. She is currently hiding at the abandoned cathedral on the very edge of the city." Clara looked at each of them. "We find her, we get the information, and we find the King.""And then we kill him," Valthera completed instantly, her voice dropping into a chilling whisper.Hearing those

Before the leader could even breathe a sigh of relief, Butcher calmly pulled a heavy pistol from his waistline. He pointed it directly at the man's head and blew his brains out. The man's body went completely limp against the ropes.Butcher turned around and walked out of the bloody room, barking orders to his soldiers in the hallway. "Prepare! We are going for an operation right now!"The entire base erupted into chaos. The soldiers moved fast, loading heavy weapons, crates of dark magic arrows, and high-velocity bombs into the backs of black SUVs. Within minutes, the armored convoy filled out and roared out of the hidden garage, with Butcher riding in the lead vehicle, ready for blood.A short while later, Valthera, Clara, Thomas, and Dorian arrived at the giant abandoned cathedral. The ancient stone building stood tall, surrounded by overgrown dead trees. It was the perfect place for a rogue assassin to hide.They approached the massive wooden entrance. Dorian and Thomas pushed

Inside, Clara heard Henry’s panicked voice echoing in her ear. She cleared her throat quickly, trying to remain calm in front of her mother. "We need to leave right now. They are outside."They moved rapidly out of the back room, guiding Stella and little Brian toward the main sanctuary. But just as they were about to step out into the wide open church, the giant front wooden doors burst open with a deafening crash.The Syndicate soldiers surged inside, their flashlights cutting through the dusty darkness. Brian, terrified by the sudden noise, accidentally ran ahead of the group, stepping right into the center aisle of the main hall. He was a completely clear, open target.A shadow guard raised his rifle, aiming directly at the child’s chest. They were about to shoot."Noo! Brian!!!!" Stella screamed at the top of her lungs.With a desperate burst of speed, Stella lunged forward, throwing her entire body in front of the little boy to shield him from the incoming blast.RAT-TAT-TAT-TA