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...Shadows of Restraint...

The sleek black car roared through the empty streets, slicing through the quiet of the night. Seraphina sat in the driver’s seat, her face calm yet unreadable. Beside her, Aria hummed a cheerful tune, while Vesper in the backseat lazily spun a knife between her fingers, her grin promising mischief.

As they approached a crossroads, a gang of thugs on motorcycles blocked their path, their engines growling like predators circling prey. Seraphina smoothly brought the car to a stop, her sharp eyes scanning the scene.

“Trouble,” Aria muttered, her cheerful tone dimming slightly.

Seraphina’s cold voice broke the silence. “Handle it. No killing.”

Aria sighed, smiling lightly. “Fine, no killing.”

Vesper snickered. “Didn’t say no breaking bones.”

---

...A Bloody Warning...

Aria and Vesper stepped out of the car, their presence immediately drawing the gang’s attention. The leader, a muscular man with a scar running down his cheek, approached them, his smirk as slimy as his words.

“Well, well,” he sneered. “What do we have here? A couple of pretty little things. How about you ditch the car and entertain us instead?”

Vesper rolled her eyes, flicking her knife into the air. “That’s original.”

Aria held up a hand to stop her, trying to keep the peace. “Listen, boys. We’re in a hurry. How about you step aside, and we’ll pretend this didn’t happen?”

The leader ignored her, his leering gaze landing on Aria. He grabbed her wrist, his grin widening. “Why don’t you come a little closer?”

In a flash, Vesper’s knife embedded itself in the leader’s hand. He screamed, releasing Aria, and stumbled back, clutching his bleeding palm.

“You should’ve listened,” Vesper said, her voice dripping with venom.

The gang erupted into chaos, drawing weapons and charging. Aria sighed, shaking her head as she sidestepped a swing. “Guess we’re doing this the hard way.”

---

...Seraphina Joins the Fight...

From the car, Seraphina watched silently as the fight unfolded. Aria moved with precision, disarming and incapacitating her attackers without killing them, her smile never fading. Vesper, on the other hand, was a whirlwind of chaos, her movements brutal and efficient.

But when one of the thugs pulled a gun and fired, hitting Vesper in the leg, Seraphina stepped out of the car.

Her presence alone was enough to make the remaining thugs hesitate. She moved like a ghost, closing the distance to the leader in seconds. Before he could react, she delivered a single, devastating kick to his chest, sending him crashing to the ground. She picked up his fallen gun and aimed it at the rest of the gang.

The thugs froze, their bravado shattered. “Leave,” Seraphina said, her voice calm but lethal.

They didn’t need to be told twice. Scrambling to pick up their wounded, they fled into the night, leaving behind their weapons and shattered pride.

---

...Aftermath...

Seraphina turned back to Aria and Vesper. Aria was unscathed, though her usual cheerfulness was tempered by concern. Vesper leaned against the car, grinning through the pain in her leg.

“You took your time,” Vesper teased, her voice strained but amused.

Seraphina didn’t respond. She crouched down, tearing a strip from her jacket to bind Vesper’s wound.

“Let’s go,” Seraphina said simply, standing up and heading back to the driver’s seat.

As they climbed into the car, Aria glanced at Vesper, her tone light. “Well, that escalated quickly.”

Vesper smirked. “Best part of the night.”

Seraphina said nothing as she started the engine, her cold silence louder than words. None of them doubted one thing: anyone who dared to cross them again would pay a far heavier price.

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