Yakama.

Fear gripped the seven figures camped at the forest's edge.

None of them had expected this, especially Vince. But as an assassin seasoned by countless missions, he knew better than to let his guard down. The moment had come: fight to the death, or be torn apart by the forest's predators.

" Captain!" Scarface's hoarse voice cut through the tense silence. "Four tigers, coming our way!"

Sweat gleamed on his brow, not from exertion but from dread. Tigers were more ruthless than lions, faster, more agile, and far more unpredictable.

Before they could reposition themselves, two massive tigers emerged from the shadows behind them, and two more stepped out from the undergrowth ahead. They were surrounded.

"Crap.... this is bad," Vince muttered, eyes narrowing.

Despite their muscular build, tigers were swift and silent hunters. They could sprint over 35 miles per hour and leap more than ten meters in a single bound. Running wasn't exactly an option.

Weapon unsheathed in unison as the group prepared for a brutal fight.

Seko, or rather Number 05, stood protectively near the youngest member of their group, Little Seven. She was trembling, and her pale face looked even more ghostlike in the moonlight. Her wide eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

"Little seven," he said softly but firmly," stay close to me."

He tightened his grip on his combat knife. Compared to the veterans, Seko had trained for the shortest time. But after the relentless experiments Professor Johnson had performed on him, he was no ordinary human. Even so, he had no intention of revealing his full strength, not yet. Half of it would be enough.

As the young master of a prominent family, he'd studied many subjects and learnt a lot of skills from a young age, anatomy of human and animal being one of them. He knew how to strike the vital points.

A tiger lunged. In a blur, Seko sprang forward, driving his blade straight into his heart. Hot blood splashed across his face, but he didn't flinch. Without hesitation, he turned to the next one, his eyes cold and unblinking.

A blood-curdling scream split the air.

"Noo!" someone cried. "Hang on, please, Manu! I'll take you back to ZERO, you'll get treatment in no time."

Yakama dropped to his knees, clutching the lifeless body of Manu. Tears streamed down his face, but he didn't seem to notice. His voice trembled as he cradled his fallen friend.

The other members, having killed the last two tigers, heard Yakama scream. He was kneeling beside Manu's body; the two had been unusually quiet and close.

Manu hadn't just been a teammate. They were sworn brothers, bonded by trials, torture, and missions where one wrong step meant death.

"It's her fault!" Yakama shouted, pointing a shaking finger at little seven. If he hadn't tried to protect that brat, the tiger wouldn't have gotten him!"

"That's enough!" Vince's voice cut in, low but commanding.

Though he agreed deep down with Yakama, he couldn't allow emotions to fracture the team. How many comrades had he seen die during missions for the past nine years? Many! He could hardly count.

"I get it, Yakama. But death... it's always been a part of our path. Especially for assassins. You should know better than anyone, this was bound to happen sooner or later."

He turned to Scarface. "Prepare a place to bury him. We leave at dawn."

"Yes, Captain." 

Vince cast a sideways glance at Little Seven. Her body still trembled, and her knees finally gave way beneath her. She let out a soft whimper, her breath shallow and quick. Her wide, dreamy eyes had dulled, but there was something new in them now. Not just fear. A flicker of resolve, hidden beneath the tears.

She was changing.

The group buried Manu as the sun dipped beyond the horizon. Hawk and CJ said nothing as they began their journey back to the organization. Silence, grief etched into their faces. They weren't as close to Manu as Yakama was, but years of training had bound them all together in ways outsiders would never understand.

Yakama didn't speak. He simply stared at Little Seven, his eyes filled with quiet fury. She flinched beneath the weight of his glare.

"You are weak," Seko told her bluntly. "Train hard from now on and learn to protect others. Don't be a liability to other people."

Little Seven observed him, registering that he, too, had tried to protect her. He wasn't a bad person. She said nothing, but behind her silence was something sharp. She was listening to whatever this Big Brother was telling her...

And remembering.

Later that night, they set a camp by a river, the forest now quiet in the darkness.

Yamaha decided to stay at a distance from the others as he needed some time alone. The sounds of nature, the ripple of the river, and the chirp of crickets only seemed to make the silence louder in his mind.

He walked along the river aimlessly until he reached a certain spot where he found a flat rock and sank onto it. His shoulders felt heavy. He couldn't believe he had lost a friend... scratch that, a brother. In a single moment.

He always knew this day would come, but not so soon.

They had dreamed of escape together, made plans to run from this nightmare of a life when they got a chance. Now Manu had left him alone in that dream.

His fists clenched in the dirt. His chest rose and fell unevenly, grief pressing down like a boulder. His chest tightened as he tried to regain composure.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small figure.

A grin immediately spread across his face, the first in hours.

He followed the figure silently, careful not to be heard.