Rain poured heavily over the dark streets, the kind of rain that made the city lights blur like tears. Amelia, stood alone under the broken streetlamp, her black jacket soaked, her breath forming soft white smoke in the cold night. She tightened her grip on the small metal case in her hand.
She had carried weapons, money, and secrets before, but never something as dangerous as what was inside that case. It was the last job she ever promised to do for the Vargas . After tonight, she planned to disappear, change her name, and live a quiet life far away from blood and betrayal.
She whispered to herself,
"Just this one. After this... I'm free."
But freedom was never cheap.
---
The alley was silent except for the sound of dripping water. Amelia walked slowly, her steps steady, her senses sharp. Darkness was nothing new to her. She had grown up in it, fought in it, survived in it.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her.
She stopped.
Her heart tightened.
She knew those footsteps, light but confident, careful but familiar.
A man stepped out from the shadows.
Leon.
Her closest friend in. The man who trained with her, laughed with her, bled with her. The man she trusted more than anyone.
He smiled softly, but his eyes held something cold.
"Boss wants the case, Amelia," he said.
She felt her breath shake.
"You knew I was leaving. You promised you'd help me."
Leon lowered his head for a moment.
"I did. But when the order came... I had no choice."
Amelia's fingers trembled. It wasn't because she feared death. It was because the person betraying her was the one she once believed would never point a gun at her.
Leon drew his gun.
Amelia reacted instantly, she threw herself behind a metal dumpster as a bullet shattered the brick wall where she had been standing. The sound echoed through the alley like a scream.
She rolled onto her knee, pulled out her own gun, and fired back. Sparks flew as bullets hit metal and concrete. Water splashed where shots pierced the ground.
Leon shouted,
"Amelia! Stop making this hard!"
But she refused to die quietly.
She sprinted forward, dodging bullets, her feet splashing in puddles. She jumped onto a stack of crates, flipped over Leon's head, and kicked the gun from his hand. It flew across the asphalt with a loud metallic clang.
Leon staggered back.
"I didn't want this!"
Amelia grabbed him by the collar.
"Then, why pull the trigger?!"
He pushed her away, and they crashed into the wet ground. She rolled, quickly standing up. Leon threw a punch, but she blocked it. She moved with precision every motion sharp, and power
But Leon was strong too. He grabbed her arm, twisted it, and slammed her against the wall. Pain shot down her shoulder.
Still, Amelia fought back. She elbowed his ribs, kneed his stomach, and swept his legs. He fell hard, gasping.
For a brief moment, they stared at each other-two warriors shaped by the same cruel world.
Lightning flashed above them.
Thunder roared.
And everything changed in one second.
---
A gunshot echoed.
Not from Leon.
From behind them.
Amelia froze. A sharp, burning pain tore through her stomach. She fell onto her knees, blood mixing with the rain as her vision blurred.
She looked over her shoulder.
The mafia boss stood there, holding a gun calmly, as if he had done nothing more than throw away trash.
Leon whispered in horror,
"Boss... why? I said I would bring her alive"
"She knew too much," the boss replied. "The moment she planned to leave, she became a threat."
Amelia pressed her hand against her wound, but the blood poured out fast... too fast.
Her voice cracked,
"So... this is how it ends?"
The boss walked closer.
"You were talented, Amelia. But talent means nothing if you cannot be controlled."
Amelia's eyes filled with tears, not because of fear but because she realized she had never been free. Not even once.
Leon knelt beside her, shaking.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
Her breath became weak, each inhale painful.
She looked at him with soft, fading eyes.
"Leon... you were the only one I trusted... Even now."
He grabbed her cold hand tightly, tears falling onto her skin.
The world around her turned dim. City lights became distant stars. The sound of rain became soft. Her fingers slowly slipped from Leon's grip. Amelia's body collapsed onto the wet pavement.
Her blood spread in the water.
Her eyes close
---
Something cold pressed against my cheek.
Not the gentle kind - more like a slimy slap from the universe itself.
A groan slipped from my throat before my eyes could even open.
"She's moving!"
A small voice squeaked somewhere above me, trembling between excitement and fear. Then came a thud - someone getting flicked, judging by the yelp that followed.
"You can't poke strangers like that," an older girl hissed. "Especially not ones who look like they crawled out of the river."
Crawled out of the… what?
I forced my eyes open.
And found a little boy kneeling beside me, his dirt-smeared face hovering so close our noses almost touched. He blinked, wide-eyed.
"You're alive! We thought you were a forest ghoul."
A flick on his forehead silenced him.
I pushed myself upright - and immediately regretted the decision.
Cold, sticky mud slid down my jaw and dripped off my chin.
"What… is this?" I whispered.
My fingers touched my cheek. Thick. Wet. Warmed by my own skin.
I brought my hand forward.
Mud. Pure, unholy mud.
And the smell - "Oh no," I croaked. "Please tell me this is not. - "
It was.
My soul left my body for two seconds.
The boy snorted. The girl tried not to laugh. Both failed miserably as they rolled away cackling.
Perfect. I wake up alive, and my welcoming committee is two tiny gremlins.
I scrambled to my feet, wiping my face only to smear it worse. Panic thudded in my chest. My memories came back in flashes - bullets, blood, a sharp pain, darkness.
"I died," I murmured. "I know I died."
Then why was I breathing? Standing? Covered in farm dirt?
Desperate, I searched for something- anything - that could show me my reflection. A shallow water patch nearby caught the sunlight just enough.
I knelt, rinsing my face with shaking hands.
When the mud finally loosened, I leaned over the water.
The face staring back was not mine.
Soft features, smooth skin, eyes gentle where mine used to be sharp. A stranger. A different woman entirely.
A shaky breath escaped me.
"What happened to me…?"
Before an answer could form, a scream tore through the peaceful air.
"Children! Hide! Quickly!"
The urgency in the woman's voice jolted the kids into motion. They grabbed each other and sprinted toward the trees without hesitation.
My instincts kicked in before my thoughts caught up.
A Danger. Move.
I bolted after them, weaving through branches until I found a massive tree wrapped in thick vines. I pressed myself against the trunk, heart racing.
That's when I heard it.
A low, deadly hum. Not human.
"Please… no."
The buzzing intensified.
I stepped back.
A monstrous forest bee shot straight toward my face.
It struck.
A burning sting exploded across my cheek.
"WHY IS NATURE AGAINST ME?!" I wheezed, slapping the air like a maniac.
My hiding place betrayed me. Fine.
Plan B.
A swampy pool sat a few feet away.
This was stupid. This was humiliating. This was. -
I jumped in anyway.
Cold sludge swallowed me head-first. The smell was so foul I gagged before my head even resurfaced.
I rose from the muck looking - and smelling - like the queen of the swamp.
As if the day could get worse, a shadow blocked out the sun.
A man stood above me. Tall. Armored in black. Face hidden behind a metal mask etched with sharp patterns. He raised his spear toward me with all the elegance of someone dealing with a cursed creature.
"Get up," he ordered.
I spat mud. "I'm trying."
My limbs were heavy with sludge. The ground sucked at my legs like the swamp wanted me back. When I finally stood upright, the man's silence made me want to disappear into the earth.
Trust me, sir, I'm disgusted too.
Morning light brought no comfort. Only chains.
They shoved us into a massive wooden wagon reinforced with iron bars. Inside, the air tasted of fear. - old, suffocating, silent. People sat pressed shoulder-to-shoulder, eyes empty or swollen from crying.
The wagon jerked forward violently, nearly throwing me into the children I'd seen earlier. They huddled together, quiet now, hugging their knees.
Beside them sat an older woman - Elena, I learned later - her hands trembling even as she tried to soothe the two.
Outside, five men walked alongside the moving wagon. They didn't carry themselves like trained soldiers, but the weapons in their hands and the cruelty in their expressions were enough.
"Where are they taking us?" someone whispered.
"Harborview," a man replied. Heavy chains dangled from his wrists. "A city built on misery. Slavery. Back-alley markets. No one returns unchanged."
My stomach tightened.
I needed an escape plan. Fast.
Hours passed. The wagon shook with every bump, every turn. The children had fallen asleep on Elena's lap, but fear kept my own eyes open.
I leaned toward two captives near me- young, strong, and desperate enough to try.
"Listen quietly," I murmured. "When I move, follow. Don't hesitate."
They nodded. No words needed.
Good.
I banged on the wooden wall.
"Hey! I need to get out. It's urgent!"
A head popped in, irritated already. "What now?"
"I need to relieve myself," I said, dead serious. "Unless you want the smell of regret all over your cargo."
He cursed under his breath but unlocked the door anyway. The others shouted at him to hurry up.
Perfect.
The moment the door opened, my fist struck his jaw with precision born from a past life he couldn't imagine. He collapsed instantly.
Another lunged forward.
My heel smashed into his knee.
A third swung wildly. - I ducked, grabbed his wrist, and twisted until the bone popped.
He screamed.
I didn't have time to enjoy it.
Two more rushed in.
I struck one in the throat, swept the legs of the other.
All five hit the dirt.
My hands shook. Not from fear. From adrenaline.
"NOW!" I shouted.
One of the captives leapt from the wagon, seized the horse reins, and climbed onto the seat. With a hard pull and a panicked grunt from the horses, the wagon shot forward - straight into the forest.
The prisoners were gone. Safe.
I watched the wagon disappear between the trees, breath heavy and victorious.
Now… it was my turn to survive alone.
I crouched beside a guard, searched his pockets, and found -
A pouch.
I opened it with hope.
Rocks.
literally, a rocks.
"Of course," I sighed. "The universe hates me."
My stomach growled.
I needed food.
And a real bath. A long, scalding one.
--
Ebonvale City's air was cold and metallic, filled with the clamor of street vendors calling out prices and the clatter of wagon wheels. People moved quickly, each lost in their own struggle.
I held my worthless pouch of rocks tightly.
A gust of wind slapped something against my face.
A paper.
I peeled it off, eyebrows rising at the elegant ink
HIRING - Vorlachev Manor
Room. Meals. Stable pay. Immediate placement.
A real bed.
Real food.
A roof.
My chest tightened - not with fear, but something dangerously close to hope.
I folded the paper carefully and tucked it into my pocket.
My steps felt steadier.
For the first time since waking up covered in mud, I had a direction.
Vorlachev Manor.
My first path in this unfamiliar world.