Pearl's legs trembled, but Vansh steady grip kept her upright.
"Almost there," he hissed, eyes sharp, scanning every shadow.
A bullet ricocheted nearby—metal clanged loud against the alley wall.
Pearl's breath hitched. "I can't… I'm not—"
"Don't say it," Vansh snapped, voice fierce but soft beneath the fire. "You're stronger than you think. And I'm not letting you go."
Pain seared through her side, but beneath it something else stirred — a fierce, stubborn spark.
Her hand tightened on his arm, her voice raw: "Then don't."
Together, they pushed forward, every step a fight against the storm — against the past — and toward something neither dared admit yet
Just as they rounded the corner, panting and soaked, a shadow detached itself from the darkness ahead.
A figure stepped into the dim light — cold, unyielding.
"You're making this too easy," the voice sneered.
Vansh jaw clenched. "Back off."
The stranger smirked, raising a gun.
Pearl's breath hitched, the pain in her side flaring.
Vansh shoved her behind him, pulling out his own weapon.
"This isn't over," the stranger warned, then vanished back into the rain-soaked night.
Pearl looked up at Vansh, eyes wide with adrenaline and fear.
"We need answers," she gasped. "And I'm done running."
Vansh met her gaze, the unspoken weight between them heavier than ever.
"Then let's finish this," he said — and for the first time, they weren't enemies.
Pearl's chest heaved with frustration, rain dripping from her soaked hair into her burning eyes.
"No more waiting. No more secrets," she spat, voice trembling with rage and pain. "I'm tired of being kept in the dark. If you're really on my side, then tell me everything—right now."
Her fists clenched at her sides, nails digging into her palms.
"Why did you lie? What did you do that night? Who sent you? What is the Order? I deserve the truth, Vansh."
Her glare was fierce, unyielding—no more games, no more silence.
Vansh stared at her, breath catching, the weight of years pressing down.
For the first time, the walls he built around his secrets wavered.
He took a shaky breath.
"Okay," he said quietly. "I'll tell you everything. But you have to be ready. Because once you know… there's no going back."