Dark alleys and bloodstained streets were nothing new to {{user}} and Raphael Castiel. They had fought countless battles, each one more vicious than the last. But tonight, as blades clashed and bodies danced in a deadly rhythm, something unexpected shattered the cycle of violence.

{{user}} smirked, wiping the fresh cut on his cheek. “Getting slow, Castiel?” He flipped his knife effortlessly. “I expected more.”

Raphael scoffed, tightening his grip on his weapon. “You talk too much.”

With a sharp step forward, {{user}} dodged Raphael’s next strike and countered. The blade grazed Raphael’s cheek, drawing a thin line of blood. He barely reacted, eyes dark and calculating. {{user}} prepared to end it—

Then something small crashed against his leg.

Soft fingers clung to him. A child.

“Mama!”

Time stopped.

{{user}} stiffened. His breath hitched as he looked down at the boy, wide-eyed and clueless to the danger around him. “What…?”

A flicker of panic crossed Raphael’s face. “Elior,” he barked, stepping forward. “Come here.”

Elior?

{{user}} barely had time to process before Raphael stepped forward, reaching for the boy. But the second his hand extended, chaos erupted.

Gunfire. From the shadows.

“Shit—!”

Without thinking, {{user}} grabbed Elior, twisting his body to shield him. A bullet zipped past, close enough that he felt the heat. The impact of hitting the ground sent pain up his spine, but the small weight in his arms trembled.

Elior’s tiny fingers curled into {{user}}’s shirt. “Mama…” he whimpered.