The mont Velra’s heel touched the ground, the three impostors exchanged a glance.
Their eyes narrowed in sync.
Then—crack—a sharp sound echoed as one slamd a smoke bomb onto the ground.
FWOOSH.
Thick gray clouds exploded in every direction.
It swallowed the ruined street in a choking haze.
It blinded all vision in seconds.
Velra didn’t flinch.
The fog swirled through the air, but she didn’t move to chase.
Didn’t even raise a hand.
She just stood there, breathing slow, lips curling with amusent.
"Running already?" Her voice echoed through the mist.
"Valcair must really be scraping the bottom of the slave barrel."
No answer ca—only the sound of rapid footsteps vanishing deeper into the alleys.
Then silence.
Velra exhaled softly. "Cowards."
She turned away—but not in frustration.
Not even in disappointnt.
There was satisfaction in her smirk.
"I knew they’d run."
From beneath the slit of her bodysuit, she pulled a small shard glowing faintly.
A tracker. Thin as a coin, sharp as a needle.
She glanced over her shoulder at the smoke dissipating slowly in the distance.
"One’s in her thigh. Another in the shoulder. Third... I slipped it right into her glove."
She chuckled and slid the tracker display across her left gauntlet.
Three blinking dots moved across the mini-map.
All going the sa direction.
"Good girls. Go straight ho."
She traced her finger across the dots and tagged their direction.
"Valcair Vantess."
She clenched her fists, poison and static still crackling faintly from her fingertips.
"You survived that accident."
"Hiding like a roach under the floorboards."
Her boots clacked against the pavent as she walked forward with calm purpose.
No hesitation. No rush. Just certainty.
"You’re the last Vantess."
She stopped and looked at the sky.
"I’m the last Vantess that mattered."
The cracked ceiling above let shafts of light beam down through broken steel.
"Let’s finish what the fire started."
She pulled a small communicator from her belt and tapped it once.
"Master," she said smoothly, knowing Zain would receive it wherever he was.
"I have sothing you might like."
There was a pause.
Then her smile sharpened again.
"I found your next hunt."
She tucked the device away and started walking.
---
Zain leaned back against the rooftop ledge, watching the city below.
His earpiece crackled with Velra’s voice.
"I tagged them. All three are leading us to him."
Zain smirked, slow and sharp.
"So Valcair Vantess shows himself at last."
He chuckled to himself.
"And here I thought this bloodline business would take longer."
Velra didn’t answer. She didn’t need to.
Zain tapped his earpiece. "Tonight, we move. Prep everything."
"Yes, Master."
The line went silent.
Zain stood, the faint wind rustling his coat.
He turned and headed back to his apartnt.
The mont he stepped inside, his gaze locked on the couch.
Zelia sat curled up beneath a thermal blanket, her arm wrapped in a brace.
Her cheek had a long, red graze.
Beside her, Savra leaned back with a bandaged shoulder, holding an ice pack to her ribs.
He stopped walking.
"What happened?"
Savra opened one eye.
"Tch. Your Velvet Demon fan club showed up," she muttered.
Zain blinked once. "Imitators?"
Zelia nodded slowly.
"Three of them. Masks, the outfit, even the sa colors."
"They called themselves Velvet Demons."
Savra added, "Tried to kill us. Didn’t say why."
Zain stepped forward, eyes narrowing.
"And the real one?"
Zelia’s lips twitched into the faintest smile.
"She ca."
Savra snorted.
"Yeah. Wrecked them in seconds. Didn’t even touch us."
"Just said we weren’t targets and told us to leave."
"She saved us," Zelia said quietly.
Zain stared at them, then exhaled through his nose. "I see."
He turned toward the kitchen and poured a glass of water.
More for sothing to do with his hands than thirst.
Zelia looked up at him.
"They said sothing weird. About... soone nad Valcair."
"Do you know that na?"
Zain froze for half a second.
He didn’t turn. Just drank the water in one long gulp.
Then placed the cup down.
"Never heard of him," he said.
Savra narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure?"
Zain didn’t flinch. "Positive."
Zelia leaned back against the cushion.
"I see then..."
She turned to Savra and nudged her gently with her elbow.
"Co on. Let’s go rest in the room. I think we’ve earned it."
Savra groaned but nodded.
"Yeah. I don’t plan on moving much anyway unless sothing explodes."
Zelia stood, a bit wobbly at first.
Savra caught her elbow instinctively.
Zain moved forward a step, just watching them.
Eyes half-lidded, arms folded.
Zelia glanced back at him as she guided Savra toward the hallway.
"So for dinner... can you eat out?"
"I don’t think we’re cooking anything tonight."
Zain smirked, eyes narrowing in amusent.
"Don’t worry about that."
"You two just lie down and recover. I’ll handle everything."
Zelia gave a small smile. "Thanks."
As she turned, she paused again.
"...Zain?"
He raised an eyebrow.
She hesitated, then just said, "Don’t get hurt."
Zain chuckled.
"I don’t plan to."
Savra muttered under her breath as she walked past.
"He better not. I’m not dragging your corpse back through BB-1."
Zain only shook his head.
"Please rest, big sis. And you too, Savra," he said, his tone strangely calm.
Zelia nodded, finally disappearing into the room.
Zain’s smirk faded the mont they were gone.
His eyes sharpened again.
His thoughts drifted to Velra, to the glowing tracker map.
The na was now burned in his mind like a curse.
Valcair.
He whispered it to himself.
And just like that, the room felt colder.
Dead n didn’t know they were already dead.
But Valcair was about to learn.
---
anwhile, in the dimly lit room, Savra leaned against the windowsill.
She smirked to herself.
"So... Zain knows the na Vantess, huh?"
She glanced back at Zelia, who was already resting, eyes closed.
Savra’s voice dropped to a whisper, just for herself.
"It’s been a long ti since I heard that na."
"Didn’t think anyone still rembered it—let alone him."
She folded her arms, gaze narrowing.
"This could get interesting. Real interesting."
She tapped the window fra lightly, her smile fading just a little.
"And dangerous."
Then she said nothing more.
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