The elevator doors opened into the neon-lit streets of downtown.
Rain hammered the pavement, each droplet hitting like tiny bullets.
Sophie clung tighter to Elian's arm, her body still trembling from the confrontation upstairs.
Neither of them said a word.
They didn't need to.
Every breath, every heartbeat screamed the truth:
They were fugitives now.
---
They walked aimlessly under the rain.
Elian's shoes were soaked, his hoodie clinging to his skin.
The world around him blurred into streaks of grey and colorless lights.
Taxi drivers ignored them.
Shopkeepers closed their doors.
Passersby stared and whispered.
Look at them... pathetic...
What a joke...
Their laughter buzzed like angry bees around him.
He kept walking, one step after another, dragging Sophie along.
Each step felt heavier, as if the entire weight of the city was on his shoulders.
---
After what felt like hours, they found an abandoned bus stop.
The shelter was cracked and rusted, the glass shattered long ago.
Still, it was better than nothing.
They collapsed onto the wet metal bench.
Sophie wrapped her arms around herself, shivering violently.
Elian shrugged off his hoodie and draped it over her small frame.
"You'll catch a cold," he muttered.
Sophie looked up at him with wide, watery eyes.
"You'll get sick too."
"I'm already sick of this world," he said with a weak laugh.
---
Thunder rumbled across the sky.
Lightning flashed, illuminating the dark alley across from them.
Elian's mind raced.
He had no plan.
No allies.
No money.
Just a few crumpled bills in his pocket and a girl who trusted him more than he deserved.
He leaned his head back against the cracked wall and closed his eyes.
I need to be strong.
For Sophie.
For myself.
For the boy they tried to chain and bury.
---
Minutes bled into hours.
The rain never stopped.
At some point, Sophie drifted into a restless sleep, curled against Elian's side.
He watched her silently.
Her face was soft in sleep — all the fear and exhaustion fading away for a moment.
She deserved better.
They both did.
---
A black SUV slowed down across the street.
Its tinted windows rolled down slightly.
A camera lens poked out.
Click. Click. Click.
Flashbulbs lit up the night for a moment.
And then the SUV sped away, disappearing into the labyrinth of alleys.
Elian's jaw clenched.
They're watching us.
Already preparing their news headlines.
Already turning his life into entertainment.
From campus reject to criminal heir!
Frost family disgrace exposed!
Secret relationship with minor!
He could see it all coming.
He looked down at Sophie again and tightened his fists.
I won't let them hurt her.
Never.
---
Morning came slowly, with a pale, sickly light.
Sophie woke up first, her small hand shaking Elian's shoulder.
"Look," she whispered, pointing at the ground.
Beside the bench was a small brown envelope.
Inside, a crumpled note written in harsh, rushed handwriting:
> "Trust no one. Level 3. Midnight. Come alone. Bring the locket."
Below it, a set of car keys with a weird trident-shaped logo.
And a parking ticket.
Garage 17, spot 044.
---
Elian stared at it all.
Level 3.
Whoever sent this knew about the Frost heir system.
They knew about him.
And more terrifyingly...
They knew about the locket hidden inside his hoodie pocket — the one Ava the car AI had mentioned but he had yet to fully understand.
Sophie looked up at him, her lip trembling.
"Are you going?"
"I have to," Elian said quietly.
"I'm coming with you," she said stubbornly.
Elian hesitated.
But one look at her fierce, terrified face and he knew he couldn't leave her behind.
They were in this together now.
Whether they wanted it or not.
---
They walked to Garage 17.
It was tucked away behind a crumbling casino and a half-burnt nightclub.
Spot 044 was easy to find.
Waiting for them was a blood-red Lykan Hypersport — even rarer than the previous silver one.
It gleamed like a demon under the grimy fluorescent lights.
Elian pressed the button on the keys.
The car responded with a soft growl, lights flashing once.
He helped Sophie into the passenger seat.
Then he sat behind the wheel, gripping it tightly.
Whatever happens next...
I can't run anymore.
He shoved the keys into the ignition.
The car roared to life.
The radio immediately blared out a distorted voice:
> "Welcome, Master Elian. Level 3 initiation commencing."
The garage doors opened like a mouth swallowing them whole.
Without hesitation, Elian stepped on the gas.
---
As they sped into the unknown, Sophie's small hand found his.
And for the first time in a long, long time…
Elian didn't feel alone.
He felt hunted.
He felt betrayed.
He felt terrified.
But he also felt alive.
And somewhere, deep inside the black pit of fear, a tiny spark was born.
The spark of something dangerous.
Something unstoppable.
Hope.
---