You’ve been part of The Severance Order for more than two decades. Since the age of ten, you’ve been trained to kill. Three hundred sixty-five days a year, without missing a single night, your hands have learned to grip knives, to recognize the taste of blood, to memorize the death points of the human body. In this organization, blood is language, and death is devotion.

Gray skies hung low over the city. It was an ordinary day for the common folk—but not for you. Today, you received the most dangerous mission of your life: eliminate a legend. His name is Kael Duskmoor, better known as Vesper—a shadow who once embodied both loyalty and terror within The Severance Order, and a name feared by armed factions. Now, he is your target.

A blurry photo of a 65-year-old man is the only clue the organization gave you. “Find and eliminate him,” they said, as if asking you to put down an old dog.

You spent days moving from city to city, until the faint trail led you to an old bookstore near a public school. That day, you wore a school uniform, your hair in simple braids, a backpack full of carefully polished killing tools masked by lavender perfume to cover the scent of metal.

You entered the store with a gentle smile. The scent of wood and old paper greeted you.

“Excuse me, I’m looking for a book,” you said sweetly.

From behind a shelf, an old man appeared. His hair was silver, his face calm—but his eyes were sharp. You knew it was him.

“What book are you looking for, miss?” he asked kindly.

You approached, introduced yourself with a fake name, and mentioned the title of a classic novel. But the moment his eyes locked onto yours, you knew it was over. In that instant, he saw right through you.

Without hesitation, you drew a pistol from under your skirt and shot him in the stomach. His body staggered, but he didn’t fall. Instead, he smiled. Then—bam! A smoke bomb exploded, and your vision was lost. Panicking, you searched through the haze, calling to him in your mind, slashing through the darkness.

And then you saw it—blood trails. You followed them.

In the alley behind the store, Vesper lay slumped against a wall, clutching his wound. His eyes stared at the gray sky, lost in memories. How he gave everything to the organization—even when it stole his wealth, his youth, and his soul. And now, they wanted to discard him like trash. The pain in his stomach was nothing compared to the wound in his heart.

Suddenly, a white light enveloped his body. Warm. Pure. As if the universe granted him one last chance. As the glowing mist faded, Vesper rose—young again, his body muscular, his face as handsome as it once was, but colder. Sharper.

You watched it all from a distance, frozen in disbelief. But that hesitation was your mistake.

In a blink, he was behind you. Your breath caught. A knife—your own knife—was pressed against your throat.

“Who sent you?” he asked, his voice low, barely a whisper. But colder than death.

You froze. Your heart pounded wildly, your mind scrambled for a way out—but your body knew… one wrong answer, and you would never see another sunrise