Paloma races after Johnny. Boots hammer dirt. Closing fast.

  “Johnny! Just listen. Let’s talk.”

  He doesn’t look back.

  She blurs ahead — blocks his path.

  He swerves.

  She dives. Grabs his sleeve. Yanks.

  Shadow tears.

  He reappears a step forward.

  Her palm clamps his arm. Jerks him back.

  “Johnny, please—”

  His knee rockets up.

  She ducks.

  Punch snaps past her cheek.

  He presses.

  A kick slams her stomach.

  She folds — staggers.

  He levels the gun at her head.

  “Try again… and I’ll shoot you.”

  A low chuckle leaves her throat.

  “Fine. Hard way.”

  She dissolves.

  Reappears inches from him.

  Gunshot cracks.

  Her boot smashes the barrel aside.

  She’s inside his guard. Breath on his skin. Fingers locking around his throat.

  He slams her wrist down. Grips. Headbutts. Once. Twice.

  She reels.

  “Stop being in my way!” he snarls.

  He blurs forward.

  Fist.

  She slips.

  Another.

  She weaves.

  Kick.

  Blocked.

  She spins — heel cuts air.

  He ducks.

  He lunges.

  She pivots. Catches his wrist. Twists. Yanks.

  He crashes into the dirt.

  Hard.

  She stands over him.

  “Had enough?”

  He rises anyway.

  Eyes darker now. Not anger. Something deeper.

  She flashes in.

  Two punches sink into his stomach.

  Air leaves him.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Blood follows.

  He drops.

  She grabs his head. Drags him to the river.

  Dunks him.

  Pulls him up.

  “Ready to listen?”

  He coughs. Glares.

  Back under.

  Up again.

  Still defiant.

  Under once more.

  When she lifts him this time, the fire has thinned.

  Water streams down his face.

  Tears mix in.

  She lets him go.

  He sits in the mud. Breathing hard.

  “What’s your deal… woman…”

  Paloma folds her arms.

  “You don’t charge blindly. That’s what Silas wants. You’d be bait.”

  Johnny stays low, staring at the river.

  “I was a Level 1 mercenary once. Traveled cities. Killed rivals.”

  He lets the memory settle.

  “I loved it. So much I dragged Sarah into it.”

  “Sarah?”

  “My sister. Clary’s mother.”

  His voice tightens, but he doesn’t stop.

  “She got good. Started traveling alone. Years later, I quit. Settled in a peak village. Sold wood. Lived quiet.”

  A pause.

  “Then she came back. With Pintosa. With Clary.”

  He swallows.

  “They left again. I raised Clary like my own after that. Until I took one last job.”

  Silence stretches.

  “When I returned… Clary was gone. Same day, Pintosa showed up. Said Sarah died sick on the road. Buried somewhere.”

  A bitter smile.

  “Villagers whispered Silas takes girls.”

  His eyes harden.

  “So I hunted.”

  A breath.

  “Years chasing shadows. Took down the Red Carpets. Still no Silas.”

  Paloma listens without interruption.

  Then—

  “Johnny… Clary came to my fortress once.”

  He looks at her slowly.

  “A servant brought her in. She stayed awhile.”

  She doesn’t rush the next words.

  “I sold her to Khalifah.”

  His gaze turns to stone.

  “Why.”

  “Because she wouldn’t stay. Adventure burned in her eyes. And the East isn’t kind to lone girls.”

  Her voice lowers.

  “They’re killed. Used. Broken.”

  A breath.

  “I made a deal. Sold her cheap. Begged Khalifah to place her somewhere safe. He chose New Sage.”

  Her jaw tightens.

  “I thought I was protecting her.”

  Silence.

  “I was wrong.”

  Wind moves through the reeds.

  “I’ve seen Silas up close. The torture. The trafficking. The darkness.”

  She looks at Johnny directly.

  “I’m not holy. But I couldn’t stand beside that anymore.”

  She extends her hand.

  “You’re not alone.”

  Johnny rises slowly.

  Walks past her.

  “Your intentions were genuine,” he says quietly. “That’s enough.”

  “Wait. Join us. Silas is our enemy too.”

  “I don’t join groups.”

  “Nina’s with us.”

  He stops.

  “Nina?”

  “She’s been searching for you.”

  A long pause.

  Then a thin smile.

  “Thank you. But I walk alone.”

  He leaves.

  Naco leans toward Paloma. “You’re letting him go?”

  “His resolve is iron.”

  Justice stands among the fallen, fists clenched.

  "Today… I lost so many…" His voice cracks, raw and heavy.

  Jessie steps closer, eyes narrowing with concern.

  "Justice… I’m still with you. Hold on. Look around. Some of your friends are still—"

  He cuts her off, voice sharp, trembling.

  "I’m weak. I have to get stronger." The words bark from his chest like a wound that won’t close.

  Moon Black strides away alone, her bleeding arm clutched to her chest.

  Migo calls after her, voice tight. "Moon Black… where you going?"

  She stops. Doesn’t turn.

  "The hardest part about having friends… is finally feeling broken when they’re gone."

  Her chuckle is dry, bitter. "This time, I pay no price—the priceless choice of walking away."

  Helma scans the battlefield. "Scarface! Momo!" She hurries to Daisy's side. "Seen them?"

  Daisy shakes her head, hollow eyes staring at the carnage.

  Migo lowers his gaze to the fallen. "Farewell…" His voice is soft, almost a whisper of sorrow.

  He turns and moves away, each step heavy.

  Justice calls after them. "Guys—we should stay together. We can’t survive separately…"

  Migo and Moon Black say nothing. They vanish into the wild, leaving only silence in their wake.

  Helma advances a little, a small, sad smile tugging at her lips.

  "Seems everyone is walking alone now… I can’t find Scarface or Momo. Wonder what happened to Lewa?"

  "Come with us," Justice says, looking at Machi Kuli behind him. "You too. Walk with us."

  Helma nods. "I’m in."

  Machi Kuli smiles faintly, shoulders straight. "Nah. I walk alone. We’ll bury them together as a farewell… then I leave."

  Daisy rises, eyes blazing through tears.

  "I need to find Uddin." She sprints into the town, voice breaking. "Uddin! Uddin… where are you!"

  Night falls over the town.

  Helma carries Lewa’s body carefully, laying her gently on the ground.

  "Lewa joins the fallen…" Her voice trembles, fragile as glass.

  Jessie and the others dig graves.

  Jessie pauses, glancing at Machi Kuli. "Where are you headed after this?"

  "South," she replies, voice steady. "My sister’s there. Captain of the Human Rights Activists. She’s a Level 1 mercenary. Wrote me a letter. I’m going to join them… learn from her."

  Jessie nods slowly. "Good. Glad you have a direction."

  Daisy walks past them, sobbing, into the woods alone.

  Justice runs after her. "Daisy—wait!"

  She keeps moving. "Let’s figure things out together as a team, Daisy!"

  Her form blurs, dissolving into the shadows. Gone.

  Justice stops, chest heaving. Eyes widen. "Huh…!"

  SILAS’S CASTLE — EAST

  The chamber is heavy with tension. Bandages wrap the pink-haired Elite.

  “You sure that wasn’t the Alligator’s crew?” Fury’s Edge asks.

  “No,” the Adviser replies calmly. “That was Jager. Scorpion gang leader. He had a score with the prince.”

  A surviving Firecracker captain clenches his jaw.

  “Centre City is crawling with monsters.”

  Sonia rises.

  “I’m done waiting for Silas. I came for Rain. Now one of my captains is dead.”

  She signals her crew.

  “We’re leaving. Centre City is mine.”

  “Lady Sonia—” the Adviser starts.

  “Discussion is over.”

  Her voice doesn’t rise. It hardens.

  “Battle decides faster.”

  Boots echo across stone.

  Silence follows.

  Johnny learns he was too late, again.

  Justice begs the broken to stay together. But only Helma listens.