The air trembled with heat, heavy with the smell of gunpowder and ash. Craters marked the battlefield where fire had once erupted; the sky above was smudged with thick smoke, clouding the ruined cityscape in hues of gray and orange.

And in the middle of it all, two figures stood facing each other—both panting, both bloodied, neither willing to fall.

Vengeance stood there, breath ragged. The pain was sharp, but nothing compared to the boiling fury in her chest. Her eyes were locked on Aegis, standing just meters away, also breathing hard, her gun still smoking from the shot she’d fired.

Vengeance wiped a smear of blood from her lip, her shoulder aching from the strain of holding both sword and gun. Her clothes were torn and dust-coated, her red hair plastered to her face with sweat. Her chest rose and fell with violent rhythm, heart pounding like a war drum.

"I will kill you," she growled, venom coating every syllable. "You hear me, Aegis?"

Across from her, Aegis’s eyes burned with the same fire. She was bruised and battered, a gash on her jaw still bleeding, but her grip on her blade remained steady. She spat to the side, then smirked, the corners of her mouth twitching upward.

"In your dreams, Vengeance," she replied, breathless but resolute.

The words stung more than the bullet. This was no longer just a battle of bullets and blades—it was pride against pride, pain against pain.

They had fought fiercely, ruthlessly, neither of them backing down. Each strike was parried, every bullet dodged or returned in kind. Their strength was equal, their resolve unbreakable. The world around them had faded into smoke and chaos, but their eyes never wavered from each other.

Then they launched forward again—a blur of motion.

Gunshots rang out. Blades collided in metallic shrieks. Every movement was sharp, deliberate, the result of years of training, hatred, and muscle memory. This wasn’t just a fight anymore.

It was a grudge soaked in old blood.

They moved like echoes of one another, every attack matched, every dodge predicted. Rage and adrenaline fueled them, and the battle raged on—gunfire echoing through crumbling ruins, metal clashing with metal as sparks burst with every strike.

Each was relentless. Blow for blow, strike for strike, they mirrored each other like two sides of the same blade. Equal. Opposed. Destined.

Then—just as Aegis prepared for the next strike—a voice shattered the rhythm.

From behind a crumbling wall, a shout pierced through the chaos.

"Aegis! That’s enough! We have to leave—Lilac is critically injured!"

Amber’s voice tore through the smoke like a scream in the void.

Aegis froze.

Her gaze darted toward the rear, eyes widening. And there—slumped against the wreckage of a burned-out vehicle—was Lilac. Her black hair was matted with blood, her violet jacket torn and soaked. Her eyes fluttered open only to squeeze shut again in pain.

Vengeance saw it—the shift in Aegis’s expression. The tension, the hesitation. Her enemy turned, looking past the battlefield, drawn by something far.

Lilac.

Aegis’s jaw clenched. She looked back at Vengeance, voice low and dangerous.

"This isn’t over. I’ll find you. And next time... I will kill you."

She raised her pistol and fired—not at Vengeance’s heart, but at her shoulder. A shot that is intended as a warning message.

The bullet tore through fabric and flesh.

Vengeance cried out, stumbling back as pain erupted in her arm.

Smoke surged between them again—and when it cleared, Aegis was gone.

"ARGH! Damn you!" Vengeance screamed, raising her gun again in fury—but before she could fire, a firm grip caught her wrist.

"Enough!" Veridian snapped, stepping beside her, eyes sharp with urgency. "Let’s go. We need to report this to Boss Azure.

Tangelo rushed to Vengeance’s side, offering support as she swayed from blood loss.

"Are you okay? You're hurt bad. Let’s get back to base—you need rest, and that wound needs treatment before it gets infected."

Vengeance winced, brushing away the blood from her face. "It’s nothing. I’ve had worse."

Veridian scoffed. "Don't be such a drama queen, Gray... It's just a minor wound. It's far from her vital organs—she won't di—"

Tangelo’s fist moved faster than anyone could blink.

It connected squarely with Veridian’s jaw before the sentence finished.

"You seriously just used my real name? Out here?!" Tangelo snapped, fury flaring in his eyes. "Do you have a death wish?!"

Veridian held her jaw, wincing. "It was an accident, alright? Chill!"

Vengeance, teeth gritted, pain flaring hotter than ever, groaned, "Would you two just stop fighting already? I’m the one who’s been shot—and now I have to listen to you idiots bicker?"

She stumbled forward. "Let’s just get back to base before we attract more enemies. This place is already a damn warzone."

Tangelo immediately moved to her side again, supporting her weight as she limped toward the vehicle. Her voice was sharp, her frustration aimed squarely at Veridian.

"Honestly, Veridian. Have some decency. She just took a bullet, and you’re walking around like some kind of jerk. Seriously—help me out here. Can’t you see she’s struggling? Or did your brain get punched too?"

As they approached the vehicle, Tangelo carefully helped Vengeance into the passenger seat and began treating her wound with supplies from the first-aid kit. Veridian took the driver’s seat, face twisted in sullen silence.

"I said I’m fine," Vengeance muttered.

Veridian, grumbling as she started the engine, shot back, "Why should I help? She brought it on herself. If she had been more careful, she wouldn’t be bleeding all over the place. Wasn’t she supposed to be the best among us? Boss Azure sure talks like she’s invincible. But look at her now—she got outplayed."

Vengeance turned her head slowly, voice low and even despite the throbbing pain in her shoulder.

"I never wanted to compete with you, Veridian. I’ve only ever done my best—if that threatens you, that’s your problem."

"Oh please," Veridian scoffed. "Don’t act humble. You always walk around like you’re better than everyone else. I already told Boss Azure from the beginning—I should’ve led this team."

Tangelo snapped, "Enough, Veridian! Vengeance is hurt, and you're acting like this? Just drive and keep your mouth shut."

Veridian grumbled but obeyed, turning her focus to the road.

Tangelo gently lowered Vengeance into the backseat, her fingers already busy with gauze and antiseptic. Vengeance didn’t complain—not about the pain, not about the mission.

She just sat in silence, the sting of the bullet forgotten for now.

Because in her mind, only one thing burned.

Aegis.

Meanwhile…

Aegis’s team—Amber and Lilac—were racing against time in their battered van, the tires screeching around corners as the city blurred past the windows. Inside, chaos was unfolding.

Lilac lay curled on the backseat, sweat glistening on her pale forehead. Her face had lost all color, and her trembling hands clutched weakly at the wound on her side. Her breath came in shallow gasps, and the occasional cough brought specks of blood to her lips.

Aegis knelt beside her, pressing a cloth tightly against the bleeding. Her jaw was clenched, trying not to let panic creep in. Every second counted.

“Please hurry, Aegis!” Amber’s voice cracked from the front seat. “Lilac needs medical attention ASAP!”

“I know,” Aegis snapped, more sharply than intended. “Keep driving, I’ll stabilize her.”

She turned back to Lilac, her hands already moving with practiced urgency. But they were losing ground fast.

From the driver’s seat, Amber’s voice trembled again. “I—I’m an artist, not a medic!” Her knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel. “I don’t know what to do!”

Lilac coughed again. This time, it was worse—thicker, darker blood. Her eyelids fluttered weakly as she looked up at Aegis.

“Am I... going to die?” she whispered, voice trembling like glass ready to shatter.

“No,” Aegis said instantly, her tone so fierce and unwavering it made Amber flinch. “You’re not dying. I won’t let that happen.”

Amber risked a glance at the wound again—and went pale. “There’s something wrong,” she breathed. “The wound… it’s turning violet. That bullet must’ve been poisoned.”

Lilac gave a hoarse laugh, even as pain laced every breath. “Hehe... Violet. My favorite color…”

“Amber, get the first-aid kit!” Aegis barked. “Now. Lilac needs treatment, and she needs it now.”

Amber fumbled around the glove compartment and tossed the kit back. Aegis snatched it open, already digging through gauze and vials, searching for anything that could slow the venom coursing through her friend’s veins.

“You’re unbelievable,” she muttered, voice wavering as she cleaned the wound. “You got shot, and you’re still cracking jokes.”

Lilac gave a teasing smirk through the tears. “Admit it… you really care about me, don’t you, Bestie? You really love your best friend.”

“Shut up, Bestie,” Aegis muttered, barely holding back her own tears. “You’re lucky I passed police medical training. Now hold still—and don’t you dare leave me yet.”

Time blurred. Every heartbeat was a war drum. The hours that followed were agonizing.

But eventually—miraculously—both teams reached their respective headquarters and base. For now, Lilac and was safe same to Vengeance.

Relief came, but it didn't last.

This wasn’t the end. The war was far from over.

The next time Aegis and Vengeance met, it wouldn’t end in smoke and threats.

It would end in blood.

[Madison’s POV]

We were back at the base.

The metallic scent of oil and steel hung thick in the air, mixed with the faint trail of gunpowder that still clung to our clothes. I was sprawled on the couch in the far corner of the room, half-covered in a dark red blanket. The fabric scratched against the fresh wound on my side, but I didn’t move. The others were busy inspecting weapons and fixing damaged equipment—doing anything to distract themselves from yet another failure.

Me? I was just trying to breathe.

My side ached, but I’d had worse. It wasn’t the pain that bothered me. It was what came with it.

This wasn’t the first wound I’d taken from Aegis—but for some reason, it felt like the most humiliating. Not because she overpowered me. No. We were evenly matched… and that was the problem.

Every time we crossed paths, it ended the same way: both of us bloodied, exhausted, and alive.

I was supposed to be stronger. I trained harder, shot faster, struck deeper. My alias wasn’t Vengeance for nothing. I was the sharp edge of our team—the storm that never missed. But Aegis? She was always just out of reach. Every bullet I fired, she dodged. Every sword I swung, she countered. It was maddening.

Why couldn’t I kill her?

And more than that—who was she really?

She fought like someone with purpose. Like someone who had lost something and refused to let it go. Her movements were precise, too clean to be improvised. There was something about her... something that didn’t add up. I had my suspicions, but no real answers. Only theories. And theories weren’t enough.

As I stared at the ceiling, letting the hum of machines fill the silence in my head, I barely noticed the others starting to argue. But the sharp snap of Veridian’s voice pulled me back.

“Boss, this is all your useless pet’s fault.”

Her tone dripped with venom, and I didn’t need to look to know she was glaring straight at me.

Boss Azure, our commander, didn’t even flinch. She folded her arms and stared at all of us with the disappointment of someone who’d seen far too many failures.

“Stop blaming each other,” she said coldly. “All of you failed. Equally.”

“Veridian, don’t put it all on Vengeance,” Tangelo snapped, wiping grease from her hands as she stood up. Her voice was firm, unshaken. “If anyone was useless today, it was you.”

Azure narrowed her eyes.

“Explain, Tangelo.”

Veridian scoffed. “Don’t listen to her, Boss. She’s twisting the story.”

But Tangelo wasn’t having it. She stepped forward, clenched her fist, and—crack—punched Veridian right across the jaw. Veridian stumbled backward, gasping.

“Shut your mouth,” Tangelo growled. “You couldn’t even pull the trigger on Amber. You froze. Like something was holding you back.”

“That’s a lie!” Veridian snapped, touching her bruised cheek.

“Is it?” Tangelo stepped closer. “You’re hiding something. I saw the way you looked at her. Admit it—you like her, don’t you?”

The room went still.

Veridian’s eyes dropped to the floor for a second. And that second was all Azure needed.

“Is that true, Veridian?” she asked, her voice quiet but sharp. “Can I still trust you?”

“Of course you can,” Veridian said quickly. “You can always count on me. I swear.”

Azure’s stare lingered on her for a long moment, then she finally nodded.

“Good.”

I forced myself to sit up, pushing against the couch with a wince.

“What’s the next move, Boss?” I asked. My voice was hoarse, but steady.

Azure turned to me, and for a moment, something softened in her gaze. Then she straightened her shoulders.

“Your next mission,” she said, “is called Mission: Vacation.”

The room went silent.

“You’re all taking a break. Especially you, Vengeance. Six months. No assignments. No contact with the enemy. Lay low.”

“I’m fine, Boss,” I said quickly. “I don’t need rest.”

“You do,” Azure said firmly. “You're bleeding pride more than blood right now. You’ve all been running on fumes. Go cool off. That’s an order.”

“Six months?” Veridian blurted out.

“Are you sure about that, Boss?” Tangelo asked, blinking in disbelief.

“Why not?” Azure replied, lifting an eyebrow. “You don’t want it? Then don’t take it. I’m easy to talk to.”

“No, no, we want it!” Tangelo grinned, raising both hands. “Thank you, Boss! I finally get a real break!”

“Then go,” Azure said, walking away. “Get some air. You’ve all earned it… barely.”

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

The three of us left the base without another word.

Once we were in the car—an old but powerful matte black cruiser—we sat in silence for a while. The hum of the engine filled the quiet, but it was Tangelo who finally spoke.

“You know,” she said with a sly grin, “we could go home and do nothing for six months… or…”

Veridian groaned. “Here we go.”

“Or,” Tangelo continued, ignoring her, “we go out tonight. One drink. One night. Let loose.”

I turned my face to the window, watching the lights of the city blur past.

“Where?” I asked.

“There’s a bar downtown,” she said. “Nothing fancy, but I heard it’s got live music and decent whiskey.”

Veridian sighed but didn’t say no.

Me? I didn’t protest either. For some reason, the idea of disappearing into a dark room filled with strangers sounded... easy. Comforting, even.

(What they didn’t know was that they were walking into more than just a bar.)

(They were walking toward something they didn’t expect—something that would stir emotions they thought they buried long ago. Something dangerous.)

(And for the first time in a long time…)

(…They were about to feel their hearts beat again.)

[Madison’s POV]

The music was too loud.

The lights were too dim.

And the crowd? Wild.

I liked it.

We walked into the bar like we didn’t just come from a battlefield. Like we weren’t covered in bandages beneath our leather jackets. Tangelo was already laughing, pulling Veridian toward the dance floor, both of them eager to drown their exhaustion in neon and noise. As for me? I wasn’t here to dance. I wasn’t even sure why I agreed to come.

Maybe it was the promise of a night where no one knew who we were. No aliases. No blood. No missions. Just strangers in a crowd of other lost souls trying to forget.

I slipped through the thick wave of bodies and found the bar, sliding onto one of the tall stools. A girl next to me screamed with laughter while another fell off her seat in a drunken blur. The scent of sweat, perfume, and cheap liquor clouded the air.

And then suddenly I saw her...

Across the crowd—standing by the far end of the bar—she stood like the world bent slightly in her direction.

She had long black hair that fell in soft waves against a backless, fitted black dress. Her skin glowed in the strobe lights, and the curve of her lips held a danger I couldn't quite name. She looked powerful. Calm. Controlled. And completely out of place in the chaos.

My heart stopped.

I didn’t recognize her face.

But something inside me did.

Our eyes met—and held.

It felt like a pull in my gut. A tether. Like gravity had decided I was hers.

She tilted her head slightly, and her dark lips curved into the kind of smirk that could ruin a woman.

I looked away, pretending not to care, and ordered a shot of something bitter.

“Whiskey,” I said to the bartender, voice low. “Make it burn.”

The drink arrived. I downed it. Still, I could feel her gaze. Could feel the heat crawling up my neck.

This was ridiculous. I didn’t do this. I didn’t get... distracted. But I also didn’t know how to look away from her.

I was halfway through my second drink when I felt a presence beside me—and there she was. She slid into the seat like she owned the entire bar.

“You’ve been staring,” she said, her voice velvet-smooth. Her lips curved again. “I was starting to think you’d never come over.”

“Maybe I was waiting for you to make the first move.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Maybe I like a woman who’s bold enough to act.”

I didn’t smile, not yet. But damn, I wanted to. There was something in her energy that threw me off balance and dragged me in at the same time. Like being caught in a riptide you don’t really want to escape.

“Name’s Alya,” she said, offering her hand.

I stared at it for a second too long before taking it.

“Madison.”

Our hands touched—just skin—and I swear the bar disappeared. I could feel it in my chest: this instant, electric knowing. The way the world quieted just a little. The way my fingers curled slightly around hers.

We talked. About nothing. About everything. About the wild people around us, the music, the chaos.

We laughed.

God, I hadn’t laughed like that in a long time.

“You don’t seem like the type to blend in with a crowd like this,” I told her, swirling the drink in my glass.

“Neither do you,” she replied. “But here we are. Pretending to be normal.”

“And doing a terrible job at it,” I grinned.

She leaned closer. “You know what I think?”

“Tell me.”

“I think you’re dangerous.”

That caught me off guard. My smile faltered. “Why?”

“Because you make me want to break my own rules.”

I froze. The air between us thickened. It was electric. I didn’t know her. And yet, I knew her. It was insane, reckless, and possibly the stupidest thing I’d ever done—but I wanted her. And I could see in her eyes—she wanted me too.

Without saying another word, I took her hand and led her through the maze of people, past pulsing lights and bodies moving like fire. We didn’t need to speak. We both knew what this was.

Alya followed.

I found a hallway, dimly lit and nearly empty. We leaned against the wall, laughing again like we were kids sneaking out after curfew. She pushed me first—pinned me gently, playfully. Her fingers curled into my red hair, and I tilted my head, letting my mouth find hers.

The kiss wasn’t soft. It was urgent. Curious. Starved.

It tasted like liquor and something warmer—something real.

“Still think I’m dangerous?” I whispered against her lips.

“More than ever,” she breathed. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

Somehow, we ended up in one of the back rooms—someone’s private lounge. I didn’t care who it belonged to. The door locked behind us.

There, in that low-lit space, we let go.

We shed more than just clothes—we shed names. Titles. Histories.

(For a few hours, they weren’t Vengeance or Aegis. They weren’t trained killers. They weren’t enemies.)

(They were just women who needed to feel something real.)

We kissed like we were starving. Touched like we’d never touched before. There was laughter between the kisses, teasing fingers, breathless sighs.

The world spun and blurred with every gasp, every press of skin.

And when we finally collapsed into the sheets—sweaty, tangled, drunk in every sense of the word—I stared at the ceiling and realized something terrifying.

I didn’t want to let her go.

Not yet.

She curled beside me, black hair fanned over the pillow, her breath soft against my neck. My arm draped around her waist. I closed my eyes and let the alcohol and exhaustion pull me under.

Tonight, I wasn’t thinking about missions or masks.

Tonight, I just wanted to stay in this moment, with her.

Whatever this was…

…felt like the beginning of something I couldn’t stop.