Beyond the mission

The hallway was a slaughterhouse-bodies of guards scattered like discarded dolls, blood painting the walls in brutal strokes. And in the center of it all stood Howl, bloodstained, panting, and smiling like a demon.

Only Aiden remained standing opposite him, blade shaking slightly in his grip.

"How... how the hell did you-?"

Howl licked the blood from his glove, tilting his head. "You're asking how?" he chuckled lowly, then flashed a wide, teeth-baring grin. "You do realize who I am, right?"

Boom.

The silence shattered. A second gunshot tore through the air-this time, Howl staggered, his eyes wide in surprise. Smoke curled from a sniper round lodged deep in his side.

"Tch..." he grunted, falling to one knee. "Damn... that one stings."

Two figures stepped out from the shadows of the hallway-slick, clean, untouched by the chaos. Their movements were precision wrapped in elegance and their aura made the air heavier.

The woman lowered her customized pistol with icy calm.

"Got him." Her tone was hollow. Cold. Surgical.

The man beside her cracked his knuckles, grinning.

"Finally, my turn." His voice was playful-too playful.

Howl tried to rise, but his limbs locked. The bullet-it wasn't normal. Something was eating at his nervous system, freezing him from the inside.

He exhaled shakily, pressing one bloody hand to his comm.

"Heh... guess this is it for me, guys..." His voice wavered but still carried that twisted cheer.

"Jason... if I had one regret... it's that I never got to spar you one last-"

SWISH.

His head rolled across the floor, his final word left unfinished. His body slumped in silence.

Aiden stumbled backward, pale.

"No... no way. They took him out with just one blow They must be the two SS-RANK the big boss hired".

The woman dusted her gloves, then whipped around and grabbed the man by the ear.

"Jinx! I told you not to kill him like a damn clown!"

"Ow-ow! Bon! I slipped! It's instinct, I swear!" Jinx whined, pouting as Bon finally let go of his ear.

She turned sharply to Aiden.

"How many infiltrators?"

Aiden swallowed hard. "T-Three confirmed... but we still don't know their actual target. We used a rare artifact as bait in the mansion... but they didn't bite."

Bon narrowed her eyes.

"Then they're after something else. Or someone."

Meanwhile, unseen behind a column, Seraphina stood frozen. Her eyes locked on Howl's lifeless body... and the dismembered head lying still on the cold marble.

A single tear rolled down her cheek. Her hand clenched tight.

"No way... Howl wouldn't fall this easy." She hissed to herself, rage boiling beneath her skin.

"Something's off about these two... they don't fight your ordinary guards . They hunt like ghosts they're more like SS-RANKS."

Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"I'll make them pay."

Before Seraphina could even draw breath, Bon was already behind her-silent as a shadow.

"I knew I smelled a rat," Bon whispered darkly, blade already swinging.

Seraphina spun low, barely ducking under the slash, the edge grazing the tips of her hair. Steel screamed as it cut through the air. Bon didn't flinch.

"Hmm..." she said, voice laced with indifference. "The rat's got claws. Cute."

Seraphina landed a few feet back, chest rising sharply. 'What is this pressure? Why am I already winded... is this fear?' Her grip on her dagger tightened.

Bon's arm moved like a blur-a flash of silver-and her dagger cut through the air again.

SPLASH!

A thin line of blood appeared across Seraphina's cheek. She staggered back, wide-eyed.

"Tch-What the...!" she gasped. Her knees buckled. Her body was trembling. The world began to tilt unnaturally.

Bon tilted her head, expression void of any care.

"Feel it yet? The burn crawling under your skin?" She took a step closer, voice like ice.

"My blades are laced with Hemlock-X. Not your average poison. It rots you from the inside-slow, painful... poetic."

Seraphina fell to her knees, dagger slipping from her grip.

"Y-You... monster..."

Bon turned her back on her, completely unfazed.

"No time for trash.I have a bigger target I heard Votex is here, and besides you're going to die anyway slowly at that. That's enough punishment." She glanced at her partner.

"Jinx. We're done here."

"Aw, no finale? Lame," Jinx muttered, twirling his weapon as they walked away.

"Get back here!" Seraphina screamed, voice strained. "Think this is over?! I'm not done yet-"

CRACK!

Bon's boot crashed into her face, sending her sprawling to the ground.

"Know. Your. Place."Bon said coldly without looking back.

Then they were gone. Shadows swallowed them.

Seraphina lay in a heap, breathing ragged. Her hand clawed at the ground, blood dripping from her lip.

"Damn it... those two... who the hell are they...?" Her vision flickered, darkness creeping in.

She gritted her teeth, dragging herself toward the wall.

"I can't die... not before I bury them."

Her trembling fingers reached into her boot and pressed a hidden switch.

A deep, mechanical hum. A red glow lit the corner of the apartment.

"If I'm going down... I'm taking this place with me."

With one last push of strength, she triggered Plan B-and a chain of detonations ignited across the safehouse.

BOOM!

The walls erupted in flames, glass shattering outward as fire surged skyward.

From the distance, Jason's eyes narrowed as the fireball lit the sky."...Seraphina."

He clenched his fist until knuckles cracked. Howl's last words hit him like molten steel:

"I told you not to be careless."

Anger surged through him-pure, white-hot.

"Whoever did this to you..." he muttered, voice low and trembling, "I'll make them pay."

He moved with focused speed-time was slipping away.

He then entered a chapel‑room. A stone altar stood at its center, candles guttering, ashes scattered. Jason's eyes locked on it-it looked like a shrine for someone dead. But there was no portrait, no nameplate. Something was off.

His gaze drifted to the wall next to it-a familiar photo: the father, Hannah, Liam... and a woman whose face made his blood freeze.

"So..." Jason's voice was soft, cutting. "She found a new family, huh? Not that I care." He turned away and left, footsteps echoing in the vacant hall.

---

Meanwhile... in the storage room

Liam sat pressed against the door, smoke swirling inside the cramped room, choking the air. His breath rattled in his chest. Panic? It was too late for fear. Then he yelled "HELP!"

Outside, the butler yelled, "Young master?! Stay back-I'm kicking this door!"

The door crashed open. Flames licked the edges of boxes and shelves. The butler rushed in and found Liam choking, hair aflame.

"Your hair! It's on fire!"

The butler scanned the room for something to douse the blaze. His hand landed on a satchel labeled PRAVANA - Liquid Coolant.

"We'll use this!" he shouted, flipping it open and splashing the liquid over Liam's hair.

Suddenly, the flames vanished-but hair color shifted: dark black to blazing silver, strands shimmering metal‑white.

"But... young master-why is your hair...?"

Liam covered his head, eyes wide in terror. "Nooo... Mom's going to kill me when she finds out!"

Then a whisper in the shadows. A figure stepped into the fire‑lit room. One moment-still. The next-knife flash.

The butler gasped. A dagger buried itself between his ribs. Locked in place.

He dropped to his knees, expression frozen in shock.

Riley's voice crackled through comms. "Target located. Kid with the hair change-possible imposter. Taking him out."

Liam's eyes filled with tears as he watched his protector slump to the floor.

Footsteps thundered. Jason burst through the door. He grabbed Liam, dragging him behind a crate.

Jason's glare cut through the smoke like a blade. His voice was sharp, cold. 

"You. Idiot. You just had to kill the butler? He wasn't even armed. He wasn't a threat!"

Riley clenched her fists, her voice rising. 

"Jason, what are you doing?! The kid's a fake! There's probably another-"

He cut her off flatly. "No. There isn't."

She stepped forward. "How the hell can you be so sure?!"

Jason didn't flinch. His gaze dropped to the sobbing boy slumped over his shoulder. 

"I saw the family portrait." His tone was unreadable, but something flickered in his eyes.

Liam's voice cracked between sobs. 

"Mr. Butler... was the only one who ever cared. He played with me... listened to me... now he's-" His words dissolved into a whisper. "Gone."

Then he went limp.

Jason shifted Liam gently on his back, eyes dark. He tapped his comm. 

"Target secured. Moving out."

Riley said nothing. She simply nodded and followed.

Outside, Daphne's eyes widened as flames clawed out of the building like a beast. She crouched low behind a blackened car, torn. 'Do I wait? Do I go in?'

Her fingers trembled before curling into fists. "Screw this."

She darted inside.

Jason and Riley were racing through the smoke-filled corridors when they ran into a squad of guards. Riley threw up a hand, signaling. 

"Go. I'll handle them."

Jason didn't hesitate-he sprinted past the group as Riley launched herself into the fight, blade flashing under the red haze of firelight.

He moved fast, ducking under fallen beams, jumping over debris. This place was collapsing. But he had one more objective. He wasn't just here for the kid.

Turning a corner, he skidded to a halt-Daphne stood in the middle of the hallway, coughing, wide-eyed.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" he snapped.

"I... I came to help!" she yelled, trying to hold herself steady.

Jason almost growled. "You idiot..."

Then something shifted behind his eyes. An idea.

"Wait. There is something you can do." He stepped closer, voice serious now. "Get back to the plane. Call for reinforcement."

Daphne paused. "But what about you?"

Jason turned, already moving again. 

"Retrieving the kid wasn't our only mission."

Then he vanished into the smoke.

"Go!" his voice echoed back. 

"I'm counting on you!"

"Right," Daphne replied, her voice steady. She slipped away, disappearing behind the smoke and flames.

Jason watched her go. Leaving the kid with her would've been a stupid move. I can't risk it.His thoughts sharpened, hard as steel.

A blade flashed-it cut across his cheek, burning like fire. Bon and Jinx stepped into view. The slash came not from Bon's weapon but from Jinx's-they'd aimed at his throat and missed.

Jinx laughed, bright and playful. "Ah, too bad! That was supposed to be your throat."

Bon stepped up, eyes narrowed. "You're getting sloppy, Jinx."

Jason didn't flinch. His expression hardened. He locked onto them. "Was it you who killed my teammates?"

Bon tilted her head, amused. "You mean that rat and that loser we offed his head? Oh yes, that was us."

Jinx grinned, careless. "Yep, we killed your teammate. Sorry-not sorry."

Jason's laugh rang cold. "That's all I needed to hear."

Bon asked quietly, curious. "Tell me... are you Votex?"

Jason chuckled, quiet but ferocious. "That depends on who's asking."

He shifted forward with lethal speed. Jinx's eyes widened. "He's charging! Do we fight now?"

Bon's grin turned razor sharp. "We charge. Right now."

They collided with violent force. Steel rang against steel. Bon's blade struck sparks. Jinx threw himself at Jason from the side. The hallway echoed with the clash.

Jason moved like water. He sidestepped Bon's strike, then her arm dropped-bone snapped, screaming followed. Bon fell to one knee-her blade clattering to the floor, blood seeping in dark arcs.

Jinx screamed at her fall. Jason didn't slow. He vaulted over the chaos, eyes locked on Jinx, voice low and venomous. "Don't even think about following me-or I'll make your last breath regret the life you lived."

Jinx boiling with anger yelled "you bastard you think I'll let you go just like that-"

In one precise motion, Jason's blade slit across Jinx's face, one eye spiraling closed under the red flicker of emergency lights.

Jinx reeled, flailed-then collapsed.

Jason turned, back still to Bon, ignoring her screams of rage. He vanished into the smoke-filled corridor.

The fire crackled behind him. The mission was still alive. His purpose was clear.

Finally, Jason reached the comms room. The alarms blared in the distance, firelight flickering through the cracked walls. No time to waste. He yanked the panel open, plugged in his drive, and started the data extraction. This was the real objective-the second mission.

Data transfer-100%. He pulled the drive free, tucked it into a secure pocket, and turned.

The door was gone. Flames and debris blocked his exit. Only one way out now.

He kicked open the window.

Smoke poured in, choking the space. Jason wrapped Liam tightly in his coat, then leapt through the window. The air howled around them. The building groaned-then roared. Part of the upper floor collapsed mid-jump, raining down concrete and metal.

Jason twisted his body mid-air and shielded Liam as they hit the ground hard. Debris buried them.

Silence.

Then-movement. Jason's hand shot up, pushing rubble off his back. Blood streaked his face, but Liam was breathing. Just as he was about springing to his feet, another wave of destruction came crashing down-a thunderous crack as the upper support beams gave way. The entire section of the wall above them collapsed, sending steel, concrete, and burning debris straight toward their landing spot.

Jason barely had time to look up before it all came down.

The ground shook violently as a massive chunk of the structure slammed into the earth, burying them completely beneath a cloud of ash and rubble

Silence followed. Just the crackle of fire and the wind carrying embers across the field.

Meanwhile, on the evacuation pad, the chopper blades thundered.

A bodyguard stepped forward. "Ma'am, the chopper is prepped. We can't stay any longer-"

Liam's mother stood frozen, eyes on the flames. "I can't leave. My son is still inside!"

The father grabbed her wrist. "Oh, stop it! You've never cared about that boy, not since he came into this family. He'll be fine. He's my son, remember?"

His words struck her harder than the fire ever could. Hannah pulled her along. Numb, the mother allowed herself to be guided onto the chopper. The door slammed shut. Blades roared.

Across the field, Aiden stood alone, eyes fixed on the inferno.

Another guard approached. "Sir... why didn't you tell them Liam was the primary target?"

Aiden didn't look back. "What, and send her into a meltdown? I told the Big Boss. That's all that matters."

Then his eyes turned toward the med tent-where Jinx sat on a cot, face bloodied, one eye wrapped, a medic wrapping what remained of his shoulder.

Aiden approached slowly. "So this is what the legendary SS-rank duo looks like now, huh? One missing an arm, the other blind in one eye. You're pathetic."

Jinx looked up, smiled through bloodied lips. "You're feeling bold, huh? I get it. Still got both your eyes, limbs in place..."

Then he twirled his bloodstained dagger lazily between his fingers.

"...Want me to fix that for you?"

His grin sharpened. "Free of charge."

Aiden's smirk faded just slightly. The tension between them cracked like thunder in the smoke-laced wind.

"I'm not your enemy... Vortex is," Aiden said coldly, eyes narrowing. "If we work together, we can bring that bastard down-for good."

Jinx's grin widened, a flash of sharp teeth showing through the blood at his lips.

"You're not wrong... Bon's probably cooking up a hundred different ways to kill him right now. Knowing her, she's enjoying every second of it. But still..." his smile faded slightly, "how the hell are we supposed to find him? He's slippery-probably long gone by now."

Aiden's tone dropped to a quiet, threatening growl. "No. He's still here. We found their plane."

Jinx blinked, surprised.

"He's cornered," Aiden continued, voice like steel. "He's got two options-steal another jet, or try to sneak out of the country like a rat. Either way..." he turned slowly, eyes sharp as razors, "he's in our territory now. And I don't care how good he is-he won't outrun us on our own turf.

Smoke curled behind Daphne like ghostly hands clawing at her back as she sprinted, lungs burning, boots pounding the ash-stained ground. Beside her, Brandon's weight had nearly brought her to her knees, but she dragged him from under the rubble without a second thought. Blood streaked his forehead, his breathing shallow.

She laid him gently beside a collapsed pillar, brushing dust off his brow. "Hang in there," she whispered. "I'll be back for you."

No time for second-guessing.

She took off again, legs aching, heartbeat deafening in her ears. Ten minutes, she thought. Maybe less. Just get to the plane. Get help. No distractions.

The remains of the safehouse loomed behind her like a dying beast, flames clawing at the night sky. Every step closer to the extraction point felt like survival clawing against fate.

But then-she skidded to a halt. Her breath caught.

Four figures.

Blocking the path to the hidden hangar, their silhouettes stood still against the backdrop of the rising inferno. No words. No movement. Just presence-unmistakable, dangerous.

Her hand instinctively reached for her blade.