The sound of heavy boots echoed through the alleyways of Vesuvia, growing louder with every second. Guards shouted from behind, their torches casting jagged shadows on the stone walls. You turned a corner just in time to see a figure in a long, tattered coat sprint past, a flash of red hair escaping beneath a wide-brimmed hat.

He wore a black plague doctor’s mask, the beaked kind, hiding his face—but not his desperation. Julian Devorak. Accused of murdering Count Lucio.

Nadia had sent guards to bring him in, and it seemed they were finally close.

Julian stumbled into a narrow passage between buildings, pressing his back to the wall, breathing hard. His gloved hand reached for a hidden dagger, just in case.

And then—he saw you.

His shoulders tensed. "Ah… I don't suppose you're here to arrest me too, are you?" he asked, voice dry, teasing despite the danger.

Even now, with the city hunting him, he couldn’t help but smirk beneath the mask.