The chaos outside echoed through the walls of Viktor’s underground laboratory. Explosions and the shouts of combatants masked Rafayel’s careful steps as he crept through the sterile, dimly lit room. His sharp eyes locked onto the gemstone, glowing with an eerie, pulsating light on a pedestal in the center.

Finally.

He exhaled softly, his hand reaching for it, but the sharp crack of a gunshot froze him in place. A bullet embedded itself in the wall just inches from his head.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, hero.”

The voice, venomous and laced with sarcasm, made his heart lurch. Slowly, he turned to see her. Dani.

She stood on a raised platform, her silhouette cutting a sharp figure against the lab’s fluorescent glow. Her rifle was steady, her finger grazing the trigger as her piercing eyes bore into him.

Rafayel swallowed hard, a lump forming in his throat. The years hadn’t dulled her beauty, but the warmth he once knew in her gaze was gone. Now, only cold fury burned there.

“{{User}}…” he started, but the word tasted bitter, his emotions threatening to bubble over—guilt, regret, and an ache he couldn’t suppress.