Bounty
The rain drummed softly against the city's rooftops as Kain Drayce stepped out of the penthouse. His latest contract lay lifeless behind him, throat slit with surgical precision. Another job done. Another paycheck earned.
He exhaled slowly, tugging his coat tighter as he melted into the dark alleys below. The city was always quiet at this hour—just how he liked it.
Then, his phone vibrated.
A blocked number.
Kain's instincts flared, but he answered. Silence. Then a single, distorted voice.
BOUNTY CONFIRMED.
TARGET: KAIN DRAYCE.
KILL ON SIGHT.
The line cut dead.
A message popped up on his screen. His own face. His name.
His breath slowed.
This wasn't a mistake.
This was an execution order.
He glanced around. The streetlights flickered. The world suddenly felt too quiet.
Someone was here. Watching. Waiting.
Kain's grip tightened around his coat. He shifted slightly, pretending to adjust his glove, but in reality, his hand hovered over the hilt of his hidden blade.
Then, a sharp metallic click.
A silencer being screwed onto a barrel.
Kain spun, pulling his pistol in one smooth motion.
Too late.
A gunshot cracked the silence. Kain barely twisted in time—a bullet grazed his ribs instead of piercing his heart.
A dark figure emerged from the shadows—face masked, gun leveled. An assassin.
No.
A former comrade.
The betrayal hit deeper than the wound.
"You're worth a fortune, Kain," the man said, voice steady. "Nothing personal."
Kain's vision darkened with rage.
They didn't even warn him.
He didn't respond—his body moved first.
He dived behind a dumpster as the next shot shattered the concrete beside him. Too close.
The assassin moved fast, precise. He knew Kain's style.
But Kain knew his.
One shot left before he reloads.
Kain waited. Listened.
Step. Step. Click—
NOW.
He lunged from cover, firing twice.
First shot—leg.
Second shot—hand.
The gun clattered to the pavement.
The assassin collapsed, clutching his bleeding leg, gasping. "You... you should be dead."
Kain stood over him, pressing the barrel to his forehead. His heartbeat was steady.
"Nothing personal," he repeated coldly.
BANG.
Kain didn't linger. He grabbed the fallen assassin's phone, hacking through it in seconds.
A familiar symbol flashed on the screen—the mark of the High Council.
Then, another message popped up.
NEW TARGET ADDED.
TARGET: ELYSE.
STATUS: ACTIVE.
Kain's breath hitched.
No. No. No.
His vision blurred with rage.
He sprinted through the streets, lungs burning, mind racing.
She has nothing to do with this.
He stole a car, engine roaring as he sped toward her apartment.
Please, let me be faster. Please.
But deep inside, a part of him already knew.
He was too late.