Beyond the mission

Back at the agency, silence hung thick as the surviving agents marched down the corridor, their boots echoing against the cold floor. They entered Raven's office, handing over the secured file.

Raven barely looked up from her desk. "Well done. The mission was a success."

Then she paused, her eyes scanning the group.

"...Where's Simon?"

The room fell quiet.

Too quiet.

Amelia stepped forward, her voice barely above a whisper.

"...He didn't make it back, ma'am."

Raven's fingers froze mid-turn of the file. Her expression didn't change-but her voice sharpened.

"Explain..what happened."

Ava, one of the top S-Ranks, stepped forward with venom in her eyes.

"Oh, we'll explain. Simon's dead-because he happened." She pointed directly at Jason.

Jason, eyes red and swollen, shook his head, tears spilling again.

"I didn't mean for this to happen... He told me not to come, but I didn't listen... and then he... he..."

Raven cut in, her voice cold and mechanical. "There's no point crying over it now. Simon's gone. We'll fill his position. The agency can't afford empty seats."

The words hit the room like a slap.

Ava's eyes widened in disbelief. "Replace him? You don't just 'replace' Simon. He wasn't a desk filler-he was one of the best! We're barely holding the line as it is!"

Jason clenched his fists. His voice, shaky but determined, broke the tension.

"Then I'll do it... I'll replace him."

Every eye in the room turned to him.

Ava laughed bitterly. "You? You're the reason he's gone in the first place. The one person who actually gave a damn about you-and you let him die."

Jason's jaw tightened. He didn't speak.

Ava wasn't done. She smiled, cruel and deliberate.

"Even your own parents didn't want you. Raven had to pay them just to forget you existed-and they didn't hesitate. You were always just a mistake they cashed in on."

Jason stood frozen. The words stung-but not like they used to.

Because now... something inside him had shifted.

Raven's tone darkened. "That's enough, Ava."

But Jason slowly looked up, his voice icy.

"...Do you really think I care about that anymore?" He gave a small, cold laugh. "My parents can rot. They were gone long before this."

He stepped forward, meeting Ava's glare head-on.

"But Simon? He was the first person who actually saw me. And yeah, I messed up. But I'm not staying down."

He took a breath, steel in his eyes."I will become an S-Rank. Not to prove it to you... but for him. And when I do-you'll remember this moment."

The room fell silent again-only now, it wasn't out of shock.

It was the quiet before a storm.

Raven finally looked up, and for a split second... there was something unreadable in her eyes.

"Then prove it i'd like to see you try."

Years passed, and Jason rose through the ranks like a storm-pushing beyond limits, breaking records, and mastering skills no one his age ever dared to attempt. Eventually, he stood at the top-an S-Rank assassin, feared, respected... greater than even Simon had ever been. But despite the glory, something still felt hollow. A piece of him was missing.

Meanwhile, at the Agency, something unusual was stirring. Raven summoned every assassin from D to S-Rank into the central hall. It was rare-unheard of even-for such a gathering to be called, and the air was thick with curiosity and tension.

Stepping onto the platform, Raven's voice rang out strong and clear:

"Over the years, I've watched many of you grow... sharpen your skills, hone your instincts, and bleed for your progress. But today," she paused, scanning the room, "today, I'm going to reward not just your strength-but your potential."

A ripple of surprise ran through the hall.

"I'm selecting six individuals," Raven continued, "for a mission like no other. Complete it, and you'll ascend beyond S-Rank... to Phantom Rank. SS-Rank."

The hall erupted in shock and excitement-SS-Rank was legend. Untouchable. Rumors and whispers danced through the crowd. And then the names were called.

Jason-of course.

Then others followed. And finally, the last name echoed through the hall:

"Daphne Amari."

Silence.

Heads turned. Confused murmurs spread like wildfire.

"Who?"

"D-Rank? Did she say D-Rank?"

"Is this some kind of joke?"

At the back, Daphne stood frozen. Her eyes wide. Her breath caught.

"Me?" she whispered. "There's no way. This has to be a mistake. I just got ranked last week... This has to be some sort of joke!"

As the murmurs intensified, Raven simply smiled. "That'll be all," she said. "Chosen assassins, report to my office. Now."

Jason stood, calm and unreadable. The others followed with pride. And Daphne? She stood on shaking legs, stepping toward the unknown... with the eyes of the entire agency burning into her back.

Inside Raven's private office, the atmosphere was cold and sharp-just like her. The six assassins stood before her in a line. Jason, arms crossed, unreadable. The others-seasoned, focused, confident. Then there was Daphne, trying hard to steady her breath, completely out of place.

Raven stepped back and pressed a button on her desk. Instantly, the lights dimmed and a holographic projection shimmered to life-at the center, a sprawling, high-security mansion pulsed in red.

She spoke calmly, but her tone was laced with gravity.

"Your target is a child. First name: Liam. Last name : Hugh. Age: Ten. Location: Saint Lucian."

The room went still.

"This boy isn't ordinary-he's an asset. Classified. You're to infiltrate the compound, extract him alive, and eliminate all traces of the facility afterward."

The hologram zoomed in, revealing layers of security: guards, lasers, armored drones.

"You get in. You get the boy. You burn it all down."

She locked eyes with them.

"Failure is not on the table."

No one spoke.

Raven paced slowly in front of them, heels echoing on the marble floor. "What I'm about to assign isn't just a mission," she began. "It's a test. A gauntlet. A gateway to Phantom Rank."

Her gaze swept over them. "Five of you are top-tier-S-Rank, well-decorated, trusted. And one of you..." she paused in front of Daphne, "...is an anomaly."

Daphne stiffened. The others shot her a glance. She wanted to disappear.

"But I've seen something in you," Raven continued. "Not raw power, not experience-but something more dangerous. Instinct."

Jason raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Then Raven added, "Only those who make it back alive... will earn the Phantom Rank."

Daphne's throat tightened. Jason finally looked at her-studying her-but not judging. More like... curious.

"And remember," Raven said darkly, "this isn't about fairness. It's survival."

She shut the map. "You leave at dawn."

As they turned to exit, Raven called out, "Jason."

He paused.

"Watch her."

Jason's eyes narrowed slightly. "If she slows us down-"

"Then leave her behind," Raven finished coldly. "No attachments."

Daphne felt a chill run down her spine.

Jason didn't answer. He just walked out.

Daphne clenched her fists and whispered to herself, "...I'll prove them all wrong."

As they left Raven's office, tension sparked immediately. Seraphina, one of the chosen S-Ranks, clicked her tongue in annoyance, her heels echoing down the corridor.

"I still don't get why we're stuck with a D-Rank on a Phantom-level mission," she scoffed. "She literally got ranked last week. What a joke."

Riley, walking beside her with an icy expression, didn't even blink. "Why not just get rid of her? She's gonna die anyway."

Seraphina smirked but sighed. "Trust me, I've thought about it. But we'd be breaking protocol-we can't kill teammates."

Riley turned, eyes cold as steel, fixing her gaze on Daphne. "Listen, D-Rank. Don't for a second think you're one of us. If you slow me down, I'll make sure you disappear. You're deadweight. Just a tool waiting to be discarded-and when I say 'discarded,' I mean dead."

Daphne froze, her voice barely a whisper. "Yes, ma'am... I won't get in your way."

Seraphina scoffed, disgusted. "Ugh, look at her. Shaking like a wet dog. So pathetic."

The two walked off without another glance.

Daphne stood alone in the hallway, hands clenched, trying to hold herself together. That's when Jason's voice cut through the silence.

"Watch your back," he said flatly, not even turning to face her. "They will kill you if you let them. I'd do it myself if it weren't against protocol. They're S-Ranks, yeah-but they act like rabid dogs. It pisses me off that I share a rank with them."

Before she could reply, he vanished down another hallway, leaving only the echo of his boots behind.

Suddenly, a warm hand touched her shoulder. She turned to see Howl-another S-Rank, but his aura was different. Calmer. Kinder.

"Don't let them get to you," he said gently. "It's gonna be rough, no doubt... Honestly, I still don't know why Raven picked you, but hey-maybe she sees something the rest of us don't."

Daphne lowered her eyes. "I don't even know what I'm doing here..."

Howl smiled. "Relax. If anything goes wrong, I've got your back. I won't let anything happen to you. That's a promise."

Daphne blinked, surprised. "You'd do that? For a D-Rank like me?"

"We all started there," Howl shrugged. "Some of them might've forgotten, but I haven't."

He leaned in slightly, voice dropping. "Oh-and don't mind Jason too much. He acts like he cares, but truth is... he doesn't. Even Raven lost his respect, somehow."

Daphne's eyes widened. "Wait... Madame Raven?"

"Yeah," Howl said, turning to leave. "Long story. Maybe you'll figure it out. Get some rest-we deploy at dawn."

As he walked away, Daphne stood a little taller. She still didn't feel ready-but maybe, just maybe, she wasn't as alone as she thought.

Daphne collapsed face-first onto her bed, groaning into the pillow like the world was ending. Her roommate, Cindy, peeked over from her side of the room, eyes twinkling.

"So... Miss Soon-To-Be-SS-Rank, how does it feel to be famous?" she teased, already grinning.

Daphne rolled onto her back, staring blankly at the ceiling. "Like I've just been sentenced to death... with glitter on top."

Cindy gasped. "Seriously?! Everyone would kill to be in your boots right now!"

Daphne raised a brow. "Yeah, and I might literally be killed in mine."

Cindy slid closer, eyes glinting mischievously. "Okay, but the best part is..."

Daphne turned her head, suspicious. "What?"

Cindy beamed. "You're going on a mission with Jason! You know-Jason! Your ultimate crush from last year!"

Daphne's face turned red instantly. She launched a pillow at Cindy. "SHHHH! Not so loud! That was just a tiny crush!"

"Tiny?" Cindy caught the pillow like a pro. "Girl, you wrote his name in your training notebook with little daggers and hearts."

Daphne buried her face. "Okay, maybe I liked him... but that was before I realized he wouldn't blink twice if I got vaporized on this mission."

Cindy threw the pillow back. "You don't know that. He might secretly care."

Daphne sighed, her voice dropping. "Or he might let me 'accidentally' get eliminated and say it was a 'tragic loss'."

Cindy's smirk faded. "Okay... real talk... you don't actually think they'll kill you, right?"

Daphne gave her a tired look. "Cindy. They're S-Ranks. The 'rules' bend when you hit their level. If I mysteriously trip into a volcano on this mission, no one's asking questions."

Cindy went quiet, the smile gone. She watched Daphne slowly curl into a ball. "You're stronger than you think, Daph... just don't die before proving it."

"Great pep talk," Daphne mumbled into her blanket before dozing off.

The Next Morning

The team gathered at the port. Everyone was geared up and ready-except two persons.

Seraphina tapped her foot like she was auditioning for a speed-drumming contest. "Where. Is. That. D-rank?"

Howl stretched lazily beside her. "Relax, Seraphina. You just got here two minutes ago."

Seraphina scoffed, arms crossed. "Yeah, but at least I didn't show up like it's a fashionably late brunch. She's already slowing us down and we haven't even left yet."

Riley chimed in, deadpan. "Maybe she got lost in her own panic attack."

Daphne came sprinting up the docks, hair a mess, breathing like she'd just outrun a pack of wolves.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I swear I didn't mean to be late!"

Howl turned with a calm, easygoing smile. "Relax. You're here, that's what matters. Besides..." -he checked his watch- "we're still one idiot short."

Right on cue, a voice rang out from behind, full of swagger:

"Ladies and gents! The fun has arrived!.. Sorry I'm late traffic wasn't easygoing today!"

Everyone turned to see Brandon, sunglasses on indoors, flipping a snack bar in one hand like he just walked off a red carpet.

Seraphina crossed her arms. "Brandon, there's no traffic inside a high-security assassin facility!"

Brandon gasped, feigning offense. "You're telling me that teleport jam at the East Hall doesn't count? Shame on you."

His eyes finally landed on Daphne. "Wait... is that a D-Rank? We got baby assassins on this mission now?"

Seraphina nearly exploded. "Oh my God, Brandon, were you even at the briefing yesterday?!"

Brandon shrugged. "Mentally? No. Spiritually? Also no."

He then spotted Jason standing nearby and sauntered over like he'd just spotted his best man at a wedding.

"Jay-Jay! My cold-hearted brother in arms! Why didn't you wait for me?"

Jason shot him a stare cold enough to freeze sunlight. "I don't remember ever being close enough to you to wait."

Brandon clutched his chest dramatically. "You wound me! Jason, after all we've been through-"

Jason turned away mid-sentence. Conversation: TERMINATED

Brandon pouted, then turned to the group with a spark of curiosity. "Hey, real talk... that kid we're supposed to 'adopt'-Liam, right? Don't y'all think he kinda looks like Jay-Jay?"

Howl chuckled. "Actually, yeah. The kid's got the same gloomy 'I-hate-everything' energy."

"Right?!" Brandon grinned. "If Liam had silver hair, I'd swear Jason cloned himself out of spite."

Jason didn't even flinch. "If you're done comparing me to a 10-year-old, maybe focus on not getting killed."

Suddenly, the air shifted-heels clicked against the dock floor.Raven arrived, as poised as ever, with Ava right behind her.

Ava smirked when she spotted Jason. "Well, well... if it isn't Mr. Ice Cube himself. Miss me, Jay?"

Jason didn't even blink. "Like a knife to the ribs."

Ava grinned wider. "Still sharp. I love that."

Howl muttered, "Great. They're flirting again."

Daphne just stared at them all like she'd stepped into a reality show titled

"Assassins Gone Wild."