Seraphina had barely drifted back into sleep when the sharp, persistent ringing of her doorbell pulled her awake.
She groaned, eyes barely open, annoyed by the interruption.
Dragging herself out of bed, she made her way to the door and swung it open—only to find Lena standing there.
The second Lena laid eyes on her, her playful expression faded into concern.
"What the hell happened to you?"
Seraphina blinked, still adjusting to the light. "What?"
Lena narrowed her eyes. "You look like you got hit by a truck. And don't lie, because I know exhaustion when I see it."
Without waiting for an invitation, she stepped inside.
Seraphina sighed and turned back toward her bed, her movements slightly inconsistent.
Lena noticed.
She crossed her arms. "Seriously. What happened?"
Seraphina ignored the question. Instead, she asked, "How did you even know I was back?"
Lena huffed. "I asked the receptionist to tell me when you arrived since you weren't answering your phone. And you didn't even tell me when you were coming back!"
She faked anger, arms crossed dramatically.
Seraphina smiled slightly, the smallest amusement flickering through her exhaustion. "I'm sorry."
Lena gave her a look but accepted the apology.
Still, her concern didn't fade.
"So? What happened?"
Seraphina sighed, finally answering. "I had brutal training last night. With my boss."
Lena stared at her for a second.
Then, she groaned. "Oh great. So he's one of those sadistic perfectionist types?"
Seraphina smirked tiredly. "Something like that."
Lena squinted at Seraphina, lips twitching. "Brutal training? With your boss?"
She took a slow sip of an imaginary drink, then smirked. "Hmm. Sounds like someone's got a boss problem."
Seraphina rolled her eyes. "Not this again."
Lena grinned, completely ignoring her exhaustion. "Oh no, no, no. You disappear for days, don't answer my calls, return looking like you got tossed around in a fight—by your boss, might I add—and I'm just supposed to let that slide?"
She leaned in slightly, eyes gleaming with mischief."Tell me, was this 'training' just hand-to-hand combat, or did it involve some... tension?"
Seraphina gave her a blank stare. "Do you want me to throw you out?"
Lena gasped dramatically, hand to her heart."She dodges! That means there's something to dodge!"
Seraphina picked up a pillow and aimed it at her."Get out."
Lena ducked, laughing.
"I'm just saying," she continued, "if this was a movie, this is exactly where the enemies-to-lovers arc would start."
Seraphina groaned, dropping back onto her bed.
Lena just smirked. "Oh, this is going to be fun."
Seraphina rolled her eyes, refusing to entertain Lena's nonsense.
"You watch too many romance movies," she muttered.
Lena only smirked. "Maybe. But I'm also usually right."
Seraphina snorted."Not this time."
Lena just hummed, clearly unconvinced. "We'll see."
Seraphina let the conversation drop, but as Lena continued rambling about something else, her mind did what it always did.
It analyzed.
The way Ezrin had watched her during the case.
The way he had smirked during training.
The way he had left her on that mat without a second glance.
It wasn't anything. It couldn't be.
But then—her mind flashed back to the training.
The moment she had faltered.
The second his hand gripped her waist, catching her before she could fall.
The feeling of his breath against her skin as he whispered, "You hesitate again, and I win."
A sharp wave of irritation hit her. Not at him. At herself.
Why was she even thinking about that?
She clenched her jaw and pushed the thought away.
Because it didn't mean anything.
And it never would.
Her mind unwillingly circling back.
She wasn't someone who got frustrated easily.
But yesterday, Ezrin not letting her go home and thinking about yesterday's event is frustrating her.
Why was it different?
Suddenly—
A sharp clap in front of her face.
Seraphina blinked, jolted out of her thoughts. Lena smirked.
"You were thinking way too hard. I could see the smoke coming out of your ears."
Seraphina rolled her eyes, covering up the moment."What do you want?"
"Breakfast," Lena said with a dramatic sigh. "What do you want?"
Seraphina leaned back, exhaling. "Anything. But it should be healthy."
Then, after a pause, she added—
"And a big glass of hot chocolate."
Lena grinned. "Now that's a request I can respect."
Thirty minutes later, the breakfast arrived.
Seraphina and Lena ate together, the easy conversation pulling her mind away from everything else.
By the time they finished, she felt lighter—more awake. But her body? Still aching.
Lena, noticing her discomfort, handed her a bottle of painkillers.
Seraphina frowned. "I don't need them."
Lena raised a brow. "You couldn't even pick up your fork properly five minutes ago."
Seraphina scowled but took the damn pills anyway.
She lay back down, exhaustion dragging her under again.
Lena stayed, still sitting beside her.
3 PM.
When Seraphina woke again, the soreness had dulled.
Lena handed her lunch and another dose of painkillers. She ate without complaint, feeling her body finally recover.
Another hour of rest, and when she woke again—she was ready.
Still sore. But good.
Lena stood, stretching. "Alright, soldier, you look alive again. My job here is done."
Seraphina smirked as Lena bid her goodbye and left.
Not long after, the familiar black car pulled up outside.
She grabbed her coat, stepped inside, and left for Oblivion Division.
The dim lighting cast long shadows across Ezrin's office as he leaned back in his chair, eyes unreadable.
Kieran sat across from him, arms crossed, waiting.
Finally, Ezrin spoke.
"I heard you helped her."
Kieran didn't hesitate. "Of course, I did."
Ezrin's smirk was subtle, but it was there.
Kieran scoffed. "What you did to her was fine—I get it. You wanted to test her. Push her limits."** "But you should've at least helped her afterward."**
Ezrin remained silent.
Kieran leaned forward slightly. "You can't tell me not to help her when she needed it."
His voice was calm, but his meaning was clear.
"I'm not like you."
Ezrin finally looked at him, waiting.
Kieran smirked. "I may be cold and calculating. But unlike you—I'm still a warm-hearted and cool man."
Ezrin exhaled, tilting his head slightly, his smirk deepening.
"Is that so?"
Kieran chuckled, standing up. "You can pretend all you want. But I see it too."
Ezrin didn't reply.
And Kieran didn't need him to.
He pulled out a small encrypted device, placing it on Ezrin's desk.
"An intercepted message."
Ezrin raised a brow. "From who?"
Kieran's gaze darkened. "Marionette."
Ezrin's smirk disappeared.
Kieran pressed a button, and a distorted, heavily encrypted voice played through the device.
"You moved my pieces. Now, let's see if you can survive my board."
The message ended with a low, static hum—intentional, calculated.
Ezrin leaned back, fingers tapping once against the desk. "He's toying with us."
Kieran nodded. "And that's not all."
He tossed a file onto the desk that was in his hand from the beginning. "A name surfaced—Lazarus Vaughn."
Ezrin opened the file, only to find nothing but blank records.
No date of birth. No criminal history. A ghost.
Except—one location was tied to the name.
A psychiatric institute. Shut down five years ago.
Ezrin exhaled, closing the file. "Looks like we have our next destination."
Ezrin exhaled, shutting the file with a quiet thud.
A direct message. A ghost identity. A psychiatric institute.
The game had officially begun.
He glanced at Kieran. "Call her in."
Kieran nodded, pulling out his phone.
Within seconds, the call connected. "Seraphina. Boss wants you in his office. Now."
No questions. No hesitation.
The moment he hung up, Ezrin leaned back in his chair, smirking slightly.
This was about to get interesting.
Seraphina had just stepped into her office when her phone rang.
She glanced at the screen. Kieran.
Frowning, she picked up.
"Seraphina. Boss wants you in his office. Now."
No explanation. No room for delay.
The call ended before she could even respond.
Seraphina lowered the phone slowly.
Ezrin never called her in like this unless something was serious.
Her mind immediately switched gears.
Something had happened. Something big.
With a steadying breath, she straightened her posture, ran a hand through her hair, and headed toward Ezrin's office.
Seraphina strode toward Ezrin's office with steady steps, her mind sharp.
No hesitation. No uncertainty.
Ezrin didn't summon her like this without reason.
And if something had changed—she needed to know.
As she reached the door, she knocked once, then pushed it open without waiting for permission.
Ezrin sat behind his desk, expression unreadable.
Kieran stood nearby, arms crossed, watching.
Seraphina met Ezrin's gaze directly. "You called?"
Ezrin's smirk was subtle. "Close the door."
Seraphina closed the door behind her, stepping further inside.
Ezrin slid a file across the desk, his gaze steady.
"Read."
She picked it up, flipping through the pages, her expression remaining neutral—but her mind worked fast.
An anonymous message. A ghost identity. A shut-down psychiatric institute.
Seraphina shut the file with a quiet snap.
"So we're dealing with someone who wants us to follow their breadcrumbs."
Ezrin leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping against the armrest.
"And we're going to follow them."
Kieran, standing near the window, scoffed. "Sounds like a trap."
Ezrin smirked. "Of course it is."
Seraphina crossed her arms. "But we're still going."
Ezrin's gaze flicked to her. "Obviously."
Kieran sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Great. So when's the suicide mission scheduled?"
As they discussed the mission, a sharp knock on the door interrupted them.
Ezrin didn't look up. "Enter."
A man walked in, a thick folder in his hands.
"The blueprint of the facility," he said, placing it on the desk. "Satellite images, structural weaknesses, underground passages—all the details we could retrieve."
Ezrin took the folder, flipping it open as a large map unfolded across the desk.
Seraphina leaned in, scanning the layout. Kieran crossed his arms, his gaze flicking between the details.
Now, the mission wasn't just an idea.
It was real.
And tomorrow night, they were walking straight into it.
As they studied the blueprint, Kieran suddenly asked—not about the mission, but about her.
"How's your body holding up?"
Seraphina's fingers, which had been tracing the map, paused for half a second.
She glanced at him, expression neutral, but her mind registered the question immediately.
Not something Ezrin would ask.
For a moment, she considered brushing it off. Saying she was fine.
But Kieran wasn't the type to ask unless he already knew the answer.
So instead, she simply said—"Better."
Kieran leaned back slightly. "Painkillers?"
She didn't answer, but the way she shifted her weight told him enough.
Kieran smirked. "Thought so."
Ezrin, still scanning the blueprint, finally spoke—not looking up.
"If she wasn't fine, she wouldn't be standing here."
Seraphina glanced at him, something unreadable flickering in her gaze.
Kieran chuckled. "A little ruthless, don't you think?"
Ezrin smirked. "You think she'd prefer sympathy?"
Seraphina let out a quiet scoff, shaking her head as she focused back on the map.
"Are we planning the mission, or discussing my pain tolerance?"
Ezrin's smirk remained, but his voice was smooth.
"Both. You're our key player, after all."
She raised a brow. "Then let's move forward."
Ezrin placed a firm hand on the blueprint, his finger tapping against the west wing.
"Seraphina, you'll search the old patient files, medical records, and hidden documents. You'll enter from here."
Seraphina leaned in, committing the layout to memory. No questions. No hesitation.
Ezrin's gaze shifted to Kieran. "You'll take the underground tunnels, emergency exits, and vehicle access points. Your entry is through the basement."
Kieran exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Great. Dark, creepy tunnels. Exactly how I wanted to spend my night."
Ezrin ignored him, straightening. "The rest of the search is on me."
His tone left no room for debate.
Seraphina crossed her arms. "And if something goes wrong?"
Ezrin smirked. "Then handle it."
Kieran chuckled, shaking his head. "Of course. Classic leadership."
Seraphina rolled her eyes but couldn't help the faint smirk tugging at her lips.
The mission was set.
And they were walking straight into unknown territory.