When Fire Devours Ice
The steel door rattled under impact. A bullet slammed against it, ricocheting with a metallic scream.
Kai flinched. Lucias didn't. He stood perfectly still, weapon raised, eyes locked on the door like a predator waiting for prey to make a mistake.
In the silence between gunshots, Kai's mind raced. The mansion's security system wasn't just down—it had been dismantled. Whoever orchestrated this blackout had studied Lucias's defenses in detail.
Kai's pulse quickened. He hated admitting it, but this wasn't amateur work. It was his kind of work.
Lucias's voice cut through the dark, low and commanding. "There's a panel behind the desk. You can access the backup grid from there."
Kai spun toward him. "Why the hell do you think I'd help you?"
Lucias finally looked at him, fire blazing in storm-grey eyes. "Because if they get through that door, they won't just kill me. They'll kill you too."
The words landed like a slap of cold water.
Kai gritted his teeth, storming toward the desk. His hands slid beneath the polished wood until his fingers found the concealed latch. With a click, a small panel sprang open—wires and switches tangled inside.
"Pathetic," Kai muttered under his breath, kneeling. "Your backup system's a joke. Whoever designed this should be shot."
"Funny," Lucias said, dry amusement lacing his tone even as danger loomed. "That 'joke' has kept me alive for years."
"Not tonight." Kai's fingers moved fast, untangling wires, bypassing burnt circuits. His brain shifted into overdrive, filtering chaos into order. This was where he belonged—inside code, inside puzzles, in control.
The lights flickered, faint at first, then stronger. Emergency power surged through the mansion.
Lucias's mouth curved into the faintest smirk. "Impressive."
"Shut up," Kai snapped, though his chest tightened at the praise.
The door rattled again, another explosion against it. Lucias fired back without hesitation, his body a wall of strength between Kai and danger.
For a fleeting moment, Kai caught himself watching—not the gun, not the bullets, but the man. The precision in his movements, the steadiness in his aim, the unwavering calm even with death inches away.
Lucias fought like someone who had nothing left to lose.
And that terrified Kai more than the attackers.
---
Downstairs, Jas crouched behind an overturned table, ears ringing from gunfire. Mark was a shadow beside them—moving like liquid steel, every motion efficient, lethal.
Jas's hands trembled as they tried to steady their breathing. They weren't made for this world of blood and bullets. Yet when Mark's hand brushed theirs briefly, grounding them, their fear steadied.
"Stay low," Mark ordered, eyes scanning the room. His shirt clung with rain and sweat, veins taut along his forearms as he reloaded.
"You make it sound easy," Jas whispered, heart pounding.
Mark glanced at them—just a flicker of softness in his hard gaze. "It is. You stay alive."
Another wave of enemies burst in. Mark moved before Jas could blink—swift, precise, merciless.
When the last body dropped, silence fell heavy. Jas stared, chest heaving. They had just watched Mark kill three men in less than a minute. And yet… their heart ached not with fear, but with something sharper.
Mark wiped his blade clean, avoiding Jas's gaze. "You shouldn't see this side of me."
Jas stepped closer anyway, voice trembling but firm. "It doesn't scare me."
For the first time, Mark's composure cracked. He looked at Jas as though they were something he didn't know how to hold, something fragile yet unstoppable.
"Then you're a fool," he murmured.
Jas only smiled faintly. "Or maybe I just see you."
---
Upstairs, Kai slammed the panel shut. "Done."
Lucias fired one last shot, then lowered his weapon as silence echoed beyond the door. For now, the attackers had retreated.
Kai stood, brushing dust from his hands. His pulse still raced, but his mask was back in place. "You're welcome."
Lucias turned, gaze heavy, burning into him. "You saved my operation tonight."
Kai scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself. I saved myself."
"Lie to yourself all you want," Lucias said softly, stepping closer. "But you didn't just save you."
Kai's throat tightened. His back hit the desk as Lucias loomed, one hand braced against the wood beside him.
"Why?" Lucias asked, voice low, dangerous. "Why risk yourself for me?"
Kai's breath caught. He wanted to deny it, to throw another sharp remark—but the truth clawed at him, raw and ugly.
Because in that moment, when the mansion was under siege, Lucias's life had felt tied to his own. Because despite everything, he couldn't watch him fall.
But he couldn't say that. He wouldn't.
Instead, he shoved Lucias back, heart pounding. "Don't twist this. I don't care about you."
Lucias smiled—not cruel, not mocking, but something worse. Something knowing.
"You keep saying that," he murmured, "and I keep not believing you."
Lightning flashed, illuminating the storm still raging outside—and the firestorm rising inside the room.
Kai turned away, jaw tight, forcing his breathing steady. But the words lingered, cutting through his defenses like smoke seeping into locked rooms.
I keep not believing you.
And the terrifying part was—Lucias was right.