"What the hell are you doing, Raka? Don't tell me you're about to charge Vanya like some kind of madman!" Lena’s voice crackled frantically through the earpiece.Raka held his breath, his eyes fixed on Vanya’s silhouette. She stood with her back to him in a dim corner of the warehouse, as if waiting. The air in the old building was cold, damp, and the pungent stench of rust stung his nostrils."Then what am I supposed to do, Lena? She’s right there! And so is Elena!" Raka whispered back, his fingers gripping the handle of his folding knife tightly. He fought to suppress his rage. "I can't just stand by after what they did to Mrs. Anya.""I know, I know! But this isn't a movie, Raka! You can't just rely on raw nerve!" Lena sighed in frustration. "Vanya is cunning. She already knows you came in through the sewers. She’s definitely set traps at every turn.""That means she doesn't know Elena gave me the 'Lily' code," Raka smirked thinly, a sliver of hope emerging. "She thinks she knows e

"Get down, Raka!" Elena screamed from the dim, dusty corner.Raka slammed his body onto the cold, damp concrete floor. A sharp shink sliced through the air right above his head as Seraph’s blade cut through empty space with insane speed. If he had been a split second late, his throat would have been slit, and his blood would be soaking the dull floor right now. Dust swirled as Raka rolled away, trying to create a safe distance from the next attack, which was bound to be even more brutal."You are quite agile, aren't you, Honey?" Seraph hissed while spinning the knife in her fingers."Stop calling me Honey, it is seriously creepy," Raka replied while trying to stand up.The black tactical gear Seraph wore seemed to blend into the darkness of the warehouse, leaving only the cold and lethal glint in her eyes. She moved forward again, her footsteps barely audible on the concrete floor. Every movement showed high-level training that could not be obtained from an ordinary martial arts schoo

"Elena, wake up! Please, open your eyes!" Raka shouted, his voice cracking through the thick haze of smoke.He clawed at the warped metal of the overturned hearse, his fingers bleeding as he tried to unbuckle Elena’s seatbelt. The world was upside down, smelling of leaked gasoline and crushed jasmine flowers. Outside, the rhythmic roar of heavy motorcycle engines grew louder, their headlights cutting through the darkness like predatory eyes. Raka felt a sharp sting in his side, likely a broken rib, but the sight of Elena hanging limp in her seat made the physical pain feel distant and irrelevant. "Raka... is that you?" Elena whispered, her voice barely audible over the crackling of the fire."It’s me. I’ve got you, Honey. I’m not letting go," Raka said, finally snapping the buckle.He caught her as she fell, pulling her close into the cramped, dark space of the hearse’s rear compartment. They were shielded by a heavy velvet shroud that had fallen from the ceiling, creating a small, s

"I do not think this dress is supposed to be this tight, Raka!" Elena whispers through gritted teeth as she smiles for the cameras.Raka adjusts his tuxedo collar, feeling the sweat trickling down his neck. "Just keep smiling, Honey. If the guards see you grimacing, they will realize we are not the happy couple they are looking for.""You look like you are about to vomit!" Elena retorts, her hand gripping his arm so hard her knuckles are turning white."It is the smell of the lilies, I am allergic to marriage ceremonies!" Raka huffs, scanning the crowd of guests.The wedding hall is a massive, opulent room filled with hundreds of people in formal attire. Crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, casting a shimmering light over the sea of champagne glasses and silk dresses. At the far end of the hall, a priest stands behind a gilded podium, waiting for the vows to begin. The air is thick with the scent of expensive perfume and the underlying tension of a manhunt."Can you see Seraph?"

"Duck, Raka!" Elena yells as she throws a heavy wrench toward the cabin door.The metal tool clangs against the rusty frame just as Vanya lunges forward with a silver kitchen spatula in her hand. Raka dives under a control panel, his shoulder hitting a sharp lever that smells like ancient grease and ozone. He cannot believe he is fighting for his life in a subterranean locomotive while his head still spins from the purple wedding gas. The narrow cabin of the train is a chaotic mess of sparking wires and clanking gears as the engine groans like a dying beast."Is that a spatula, Vanya?" Raka asks while he kicks a pile of coal out of his way."This is the last thing you will ever see, Raka!" Vanya screams as she swings the utensil again.The spatula glows with a faint blue light, humming with a frequency that makes Raka’s teeth ache. He realizes too late that the object is not for cooking but for cutting through digital security like butter. Every time the metal edge hits the train’s in