Rhona’s eyes were swollen. Stinging.

  ?She lay on her mattress in the dim light of the family mansion. The only illumination came from her laptop screen, glowing beside her.

  ?The files were open.

  ?The Scoot Case.

  ?She read the data again, though she already knew the truth. Professor Wian Scoot had developed the teleportation device first.

  ?Her father, Wils Dingzu, had stolen it. He thought theft was a shortcut to success.

  He was wrong. He was still failing.

  ?But the price of his failure was paid in blood.

  The Scoot family was gone.

  ?And she was the one responsible.

  ?Tears blurred her vision again.

  ?Ping.

  ?The laptop screen brightened. A chat window popped up.

  ?[Trad]: Hey, Rain! Is Mist around?

  ?Rhona stared at the blinking cursor. She had no energy to type. No energy to pretend.

  Thankfully, another user logged in.

  ?[Mist]: I’m here.

  ?[Trad]: Mist! Did you know about the plants in the Golden Forest?

  ?[Mist]: All plants there are magical, Trad.

  ?[Trad]: I get that. But I mean specific ones. Plants with infinite energy sources. Something no other species has.

  ?Rhona hovered her fingers over the keyboard.

  She hesitated.

  Then she typed.

  ?[Rain]: Guys. Have you ever stolen data that got people killed?

  ?The chat froze.

  ?[Trad]: Whoa. Careful there, buddy.

  ?[Mist]: I’m not a hacker like you two. You in trouble, Rain?

  ?[Rain]: No. Logging off.

  ?Rhona slammed the laptop shut.

  She buried her face in the pillow, sobbing until a knock echoed on her door.

  ?"Miss? Your father wishes to speak with you."

  ?Agi.

  ?Rhona had turned off all her devices. Her father couldn't reach her, so he sent his message to Agi.

  ?"I don't want to!" she screamed. "Tell him I’m not coming home! I hate him!"

  ?Despite her screaming, Agi had his ways.

  ?an hour later, Rhona was in the backseat of the Mobat—an amphibious car that only existed in Nirvana country.

  ?Agi sat in the front with the driver. Rhona sat alone in the back, watching the rain streak against the glass.

  ?Vida’s death played on a loop in her mind.

  ?"Who was he?" Rhona asked. Her voice was hollow. "Vida’s killer."

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  ?Two days had passed since the massacre at Cygnus Park.

  The government was silent. The news was silent.

  It was as if it never happened.

  ?"Winn Ardion," Agi replied without turning around. "Nephew of President Davos Ardion."

  ?Rhona clenched her fists.

  ?"He sends his personal apologies," Agi added. "For startling you."

  ?"Hmph."

  ?Rhona scoffed. Startling her.

  Not for murder. Just for the shock.

  ?The arrogance was suffocating.

  But then, a bitter thought struck her.

  Wasn't she the same?

  Wasn't her family just as arrogant?

  ?She bit her lip, suppressing the urge to scream.

  "I am deeply grateful to him," Agi added, his voice dropping an octave. There was a trace of shame in his tone. "I owe him more than I can say."

  ?Rhona almost snapped back, Thank him for what?

  But the words died in her throat. Someone like her, who had caused so much ruin, had no right to judge anyone's gratitude.

  ?"We’re here," Agi said.

  ?"Where is 'here'?"

  ?"See for yourself, Miss."

  ?The cruiser stopped.

  Agi stepped out and opened her door. The smell of wet earth and pine rushed in.

  ?Rhona stepped out reluctantly. The wind whipped her uncombed hair across her face. She didn't care. She adjusted her dark sunglasses to hide her puffy eyes.

  ?They were on a hillside.

  A path lined with yellow wildflowers stretched ahead. It was beautiful, peaceful, and terribly sad.

  ?Rhona followed Agi up the path.

  Then she stopped.

  ?A headstone.

  ?Vida Scoot.

  ?It was a fresh grave. A wreath of white lilies rested beside it.

  Rhona stared.

  Vida had been buried with honor. In a proper place.

  According to official reports, he was supposed to be a John Doe. Discarded.

  This was Agi’s doing.

  ?Rhona’s knees gave out. She collapsed in front of the gravestone.

  ?"I’m sorry, Vida..."

  ?The tears came back, hot and fast.

  ?"I swear... I won’t go down that path again. I’m leaving it all. My father. The power. The wealth..."

  ?Her voice faded into a whisper.

  ?"I will pay for this. I will pay with everything I have."

  ?"Miss, you don't need to say that."

  ?Agi’s voice was soft. Concerned.

  To the brown-haired guard, she wasn't just an employer. She was family.

  ?"What else can I do?" Rhona stood up, her eyes fierce behind the dark lenses. "I can't go back!"

  ?Agi sighed.

  He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a silver chain.

  A bullet pendant hung from it.

  ?Vida’s necklace.

  ?"I think you should keep this."

  ?Rhona took it. Her hands trembled as she wrapped the chain around her left wrist, securing it like a bracelet.

  A shackle of guilt. A memory.

  ?Suddenly, Agi stiffened.

  ?The air on the hill shifted.

  It became heavy. Suffocating. As if the oxygen had been sucked out of the world.

  Agi’s sharp eyes scanned the tree line. The pines were swaying, but there was no wind.

  ?"Miss! Get down!"

  ?Agi lunged.

  He shoved Rhona hard, sending her face-first into the mud.

  ?CLANG!

  ?A steel arrow slammed into the headstone.

  The marble cracked. Spiderwebbed. Then shattered into dust.

  The arrow tip hummed with a faint, blue energy.

  ?Agi didn't hesitate.

  In one fluid motion, he drew his handgun.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  He fired blindly into the canopy. A muffled scream echoed from above.

  ?But the attackers weren't amateurs.

  They moved through the trees, leaping from branch to branch with impossible agility.

  ?"Run!" Agi roared.

  ?Figures in black masks dropped from the mist.

  Some held guns. Others wielded long, curved daggers that glinted with a strange light.

  ?"Who are they?!" Rhona screamed, scrambling to her feet.

  ?"Professional Executors!" Agi fired again. "Vida must have spent every last penny he had to ensure this hit!"

  ?A masked figure lunged.

  Agi spun, delivering a roundhouse kick charged with internal energy.

  BOOM.

  The air rippled. The assassin flew back as if hit by a truck.

  ?The battle spilled onto the road.

  Agi’s gun clicked empty. He didn't stop. He used the pistol as a blunt weapon, cracking bones with brutal efficiency.

  ?The driver jumped out of the Mobat, engaging two attackers with a sweeping leg kick.

  ?"Go! Use the water route!" Agi shouted, blocking a blade with his forearm guard. "I’ll hold them here!"

  ?THWACK!

  ?A silver dagger whizzed past Rhona’s ear, embedding itself deep into the cruiser’s door frame.

  The sound of metal biting metal snapped her into focus.

  ?She jumped into the driver’s seat.

  Her hands shook uncontrollably as she punched the ignition.

  ?The engine roared.

  With one last look at Agi fighting amidst a storm of steel, she floored the gas.

  ?The amphibious cruiser tore through the mud, leaving the grave—and her protector—behind.

  I asked for penance.

  I begged for a way to pay for my sins.

  The universe listened.

  And it demanded blood.