Blood in the Rain

The scent of iron filled the air.

It wasn't the fresh, metallic scent of rain—it was something darker, something final.

Blood.

Beren's breath came in sharp gasps as she pushed through the cold night, her heart hammering in her chest. The rain had barely stopped, leaving the streets slick and treacherous. Every step felt heavier, like she was sinking into something she couldn't escape.

And then—she saw him.

Kanat.

Lying motionless on the ground.

Her mind refused to process it. No. This can't be real.

Her father's strong frame, the same hands that had once lifted her as a child, now lay lifeless in a pool of his own blood. His face was pale, his eyes unseeing. The rain had washed away most of the crimson, but the wound was still there—a deep gash across his chest.

Someone had murdered him.

A low chuckle broke through her daze.

She spun around, fear turning into ice in her veins.

A figure stood under the dim streetlights, his face half-shadowed, his blade still dripping red. His smile was cruel.

"Poor girl," the man sneered. "Lost something important, didn't you?"

Beren's fists clenched. Her nails dug into her palm so hard that she barely felt the pain.

Rage clawed at her throat, demanding to be set free.

Who was he? Why had he done this?

But before she could move—before she could even breathe—

A shot rang through the air.

The man stiffened. His eyes widened.

And then, he collapsed.

A new figure stepped into the light.

Emir.

His dark green eyes were burning, his jaw locked in stone-cold fury. His gun was still raised, the barrel still smoking. He hadn't hesitated. Not even for a second.

Beren couldn't speak.

Her vision blurred, the world spinning too fast, too violently.

Kanat was gone.

The man who had raised Emir. The man who had given him a name, a home, a reason to live—gone in a single night.

Emir lowered his gun, his expression unreadable. But when he looked at Beren, something shifted.

Something broke.

She took a trembling step forward. "He's… he's gone."

Emir's jaw tightened. He reached for her, pulling her into his arms.

For once, he didn't smirk. He didn't tease. He didn't play his usual games.

Because tonight—there was nothing left to play with.

Only the rain.

Only the blood.

Only the silence that came after a storm had taken everything.