The room smelled like a mixture of rust and damp air and it felt like a place that was not designed to hold people but only ghosts. Seraphina sat tied to a chair with aching wrists and her eyes were burning from the dim light that flickered from a single bulb which was hanging in the room. Several Hours had passed and it seemed it was changing into something shapeless and quite unexplainable. But surprisingly, she did not cry, not even once.Cortez felt afraid and this made him to be silent. At worst, he felt defiant.When he walked in, his expression carried that smooth calm of a man who was immersed in the thoughts of victory as he had a feeling that he had already won “You have been quiet” he said, circling her slowly with a warm hug and he further remarked “Most people would scream by now.”Seraphina tilted her head slightly and with a low but sharp voice she replied “Most people are not me. I am different. ”That reply made him to laugh from him in a short and disbelieving tone “

The world returned slowly like light bleeding through smoke.Seraphina opened her eyes to muted sunlight filtering through thick curtains while her body ached and her throat burned and it took her a moment to understand where she was.The room was quiet simple while the concrete walls softened the faint hum of machinery somewhere in the distance. It was a safehouse.Then she saw him.Adrian sat in a chair by the window with one arm bandaged from wrist to elbow while his shirt undone and stained with dried blood and his eyes were hollow haunted but when he realized she was awake, the mask cracked just enough for relief to flicker through.Seraphina’s voice came out rough “You look like hell.”He gave a faint dry smile “You should see the other guy.”The silence that followed wasn’t empty but was heavy and full of everything they hadn’t said and everything they had almost lost. She tried to push herself upright wincing as the bruises on her ribs protested but he was beside her in an inst

The safehouse was silent except for the hum of rain outside while Seraphina sat on the couch staring at the faint line of light beneath the door. Adrian had barely spoken since morning but carried on with just routine words: eat, rest, stay inside, and nothing moreHis tone was calm but detached when he finally looked her way “You’re pale. I should call Dr. Wills…”“No” her voice came out sharper than she meant.Adrian paused “Seraphina, you were unconscious for hours. You need to be checked.”“I said no” She forced her breath steady, “it’s not safe, you can’t trust anyone yet.”He studied her face for a long second with his eyes narrowing “You think Cortez has someone inside?”“I think we’ve seen enough to stop pretending we’re safe” she said.He didn’t argue but just nodded once with the soldier in him agreeing even when the man didn’t “Alright. I’ll go myself. Get what we need. You don’t open the door for anyone. Understood?”“Understood”He hesitated before leaving, that half-sec

Elena sat in the middle of Victor’s living room with her fingers tracing the rim of her wine glass while the night outside was calm but her mind wasn’t because the air between her and Victor had turned suffocating and the silence felt heavier than any argument they could have had.Victor stood by the window with his shirt unbuttoned halfway and his tie hanging loose while making a call; he was always on a call recently and always someone else needing his attention or another excuse.Elena spoke without looking at him when he hung up “Who was that this time?”Victor glanced over his shoulder “No one important… just business.”“You have been saying that recently”He sighed “Elena, what do you want me to say? That I’m out saving the world?”“I’d settle for the truth” she said while standing, “You’re not the same person anymore.”He chuckled dryly “That’s rich, coming from you.”She folded her arms “What’s that supposed to mean?”Victor turned fully, his expression between irritation and

Rhea had been gone for four days while Adrian barely slept for two because every creak in the safehouse and every whisper of the night breeze against the old shutters made him look up, half-expecting Rhea to return with news.When the door finally opened, he was standing already, jaw tight and eyes tired “Tell me you found something,” he said the second she stepped in.Rhea removed her black jacket slowly, dusted off the dry leaves clinging to it and sighed “You should sit down first.”“Don’t start with that” Adrian muttered, “found her?”“She’s hiding,” Rhea said quietly, “And she’s good at it.”Adrian leaned back “Why would she hide from me, Rhea? I didn’t hurt her. I…” His voice broke for a moment before he caught himself, “If this is Cortez’s doing, I’ll…”“Stop”Rhea’s tone cut through the air “This doesn’t reflect Cortez.”He looked up sharply “You don’t know that.”“Yes, I do” she replied, stepping closer, “Cortez doesn’t operate quietly. If he wanted her gone, you’d have known