chapter 6

The hallway was quiet. Too quiet. Carpeted walls and muffled sounds, the kind of silence that makes your thoughts louder. He stared at the number plate. His fingers hovered over the keycard.

"The stand-in for the Gazenergo CEO never showed up," Rin thought, letting out a dry exhale.

"Because of that, I wrapped up the task earlier. No awkward handshakes, no staged press smiles. Just a bunch of middle managers scrambling. A win, technically."

He slid the card in. The light blinked green.

"But now comes the real problem."

He slid the keycard. The lock clicked.

And there he was.

Already inside. Already waiting.

Kai sat with one leg crossed over the other at the hotel table like it was his private suite, a crystal glass of something amber and expensive in his hand. His coat was draped over the chair beside him, a fur-lined monstrosity that looked like it belonged to a 90s mafia heir, not an intelligence asset.

"Oh please, come in." Kai smirked without looking up, swirling the glass like he'd been expecting room service.

Rin stepped in, letting the door close behind him with a soft click.

The anger was already bubbling under his ribs.

"He's talking like this is his room. Like he owns the place. Like he owns the mission."

"Why did you do it?" Rin said sharply. No buildup. No pleasantries. Just the question — the real one — stripped to the bone.

Kai looked up with faux surprise. "Come on, partner... at least a little small talk first. Pleasantries before politics. Want a drink?" He poured himself another finger of whiskey. Didn't offer Rin one. Just watched him, casual and deadly.

Rin didn't blink.

"The name's Kai."

He extended a hand, the same one that had ripped the flesh off a man's skull like it was wet paper.

Rin looked at it like it was a bloody weapon, not a gesture.

"The hand he used to make someone unrecognizable. Nope. Not shaking that."

But before Rin could answer — before he could even shift his weight — Kai's fingers were suddenly under his chin.

"Hey, printsessa... what's on your mind? You don't look so good. You okay?"

His smirk was lazy. His thumb lingered too long. Too comfortable.

Rin slapped his hand away, sharp and vicious.

"Touch me again and I'll dislocate more than your smug jaw," he snapped, stepping back. His eyes were cold. Precision-sharp.

"Because of you, I already dislocated my wrist. I'm not letting him get within a mile of my bones again."

Kai just chuckled, sipping his drink like violence was foreplay.

"So... what's your name, sweetheart?"

"You know it."

"I can't pronounce it."

Rin narrowed his eyes. "You can't pronounce Rin? Really?"

Kai just shrugged, sticking his tongue out playfully like he was testing the air — or worse, like he was imagining the taste of something. It was disgusting. Rin's face twisted in disgust.

"He's looking at me like I'm not even human. Like I'm a meal with legs. A mystery he wants to devour, not understand."

"You said you were at the police station... how long have you been watching me?" Rin asked, arms crossed.

Kai tilted his head. "From the beginning, honey."

That did it.

Rin's stomach clenched.

"From the moment I landed. So he saw it all. The moment I walked off the plane, he was watching. But why didn't he step in sooner? Why wait? Was he planning it all? Was the kidnapping part of some test?"

"Then why didn't you introduce yourself earlier?" Rin's tone was cold.

Kai leaned back, drink in hand, stretching like a cat in silk.

"HQ told me to wait until today. They said you'd make contact when it was time. I wasn't supposed to interfere. But when you got yourself into that mess... well, I figured I'd make an entrance. You're lucky I did."

Rin's jaw tightened.

"He didn't seem natural. Didn't act like someone from HQ. I figured I wouldn't have to deal with him. But now... this psychopath is my partner? Fantastic."

"You really did leave a good impression on me."

Rin's voice was flat, sarcastic.

"Nothing says 'team bonding' like you ripping someone's whole face off on day one."

Kai laughed, full-throated and indulgent.

"Why are you pretending you're some kind of pacifist, Rin? Let's be honest... Everyone out there wants to be special. Everyone wants to matter. But they don't. So they lie, cheat, manipulate — trying to climb a ladder that never had their name on it."

He sipped, slow and dramatic.

"You think people like us survive by being gentle? We're not saints. We're tools. Disposable. Replaceable. The only thing that makes us useful is how good we are at being dangerous — and baby, you're a lot more like me than you think."

Rin scoffed, turning toward his suitcase to break the stare.

"If you ever do decide to kill me... make it as boring as possible. None of your theatrical face-ripping bullshit. Just be quick. Quiet. Efficient."

Kai chuckled again, low and amused.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you — unless you hurt me. Believe it or not, I only attack in self-defense."

Rin spun back to face him, folding his arms.

"Yeah. Right. You seem real emotionally stable. Definitely the poster boy for restraint."

Kai leaned forward, resting his elbow on the table. The light caught the silver ring on his finger — a snake biting its tail.

"Scarlet, you think I'm a monster. But the world needs monsters. Needs someone to do the ugly things. I just happen to enjoy it. That's the difference. You do it because you have to. I do it because I can."

Rin didn't flinch.

But the silence between them was now so loud it could drown a room.

The air was thick with silence. Kai lounged like a satisfied devil in his chair, still sipping whiskey. Rin stood near the window, half-listening, half-ignoring, staring out at the dull Moscow skyline like it might offer him clarity.

Then—

Buzz.

His phone vibrated once, then twice in his hand.

1 New Message – From: Kim

He glanced at it, thumb hovering.

"Huh… this might be Tsar' Nochi Romanov." Rin muttered under his breath, opening the attached image.

Before he could process the face, Kai grabbed his wrist — not hard, not painful — but the movement was fast. Too fast. Too familiar.

Rin jerked slightly but didn't snatch it away. Not yet.

Kai leaned over to look at the photo. His eyes narrowed slightly. His usual smirk faded, just for a heartbeat.

"Yeah… that's him." Kai said, his tone suddenly flat. The playfulness drained out of it like smoke.

"We should be careful with this guy. Stay out of his lane. He's dangerous."

Kai released Rin's hand as casually as he'd grabbed it, like it was nothing. But Rin didn't miss the subtle tension in his shoulders, or how his eyes lingered on the photo a second too long.

"People who cross his path don't end well," Kai added, sipping his drink again. His voice was quieter now. Not scared, no — just... respectful. And that made Rin's skin crawl more than any threat.

Rin stared at the image. The man in the photo wasn't conventionally terrifying. Clean-cut. Expensive suit. Mid-30s, maybe. Dark eyes like frozen oil — depthless and slick. The type of face you could see on a politician's campaign poster… or on an international warrant.

"Was he involved in Liam's death?" Rin asked slowly, not taking his eyes off the screen.

Kai tilted his head, rubbing his jaw. "Liam... The CIA agent, right?" He smiled, but it didn't touch his eyes.

"Who knows? Could've been that psycho. Or not. Lots of people had reasons to want Liam gone. And Tsar' Nochi... well, he doesn't always need a reason."

He said it so casually. Like someone discussing the weather.

"Don't mind him," Kai said suddenly, waving his hand like brushing away a fly.

"Let's focus on why we're here. The mission. The job. He's not our concern unless we make ourselves his concern."

Rin was quiet for a long time. His grip on the phone tightened slightly.

"If even Kai — reckless, unfiltered, blood-happy Kai — is calling this man dangerous, then this isn't someone to underestimate."

He looked back at the photo again. No expression. No hint of cruelty. But somehow... it was worse. There was calm in the man's face. Not the absence of emotion — but the absence of conscience.

"I wonder what kind of person he must be, if even you are calling him a psycho," Rin said aloud, his voice low.

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Aw, you think I'm crazy? I'm flattered."

But Rin didn't look up. He was still staring at the screen.

"Wouldn't be surprised if they told me this so-called partner of mine is Tsar' Nochi himself..." Rin thought grimly.

"Because if Kai thinks someone's unhinged... then that person is beyond redemption. Beyond reason. Which means I need to start sleeping with one eye open."

He sighed and finally locked the phone screen.

"This just keeps getting better."

Kai leaned back, smirk returning as if he could feel Rin's paranoia in the air like perfume.

"Relax, partner. I'll protect you. From Tsar' Nochi... and from anyone else who gets ideas."

He winked. "You're in very dangerous company. But that's kind of sexy, don't you think?"

Rin gave him a dead stare.

"If you keep talking, I'll test how fast you can disarm a bomb with a broken jaw."

Kai laughed again, like the threat was a love letter.

"Anyways," Rin started, tone firm and low, "I heard you knew all about the flow of money and power in this country..."

Kai didn't even blink. Just tipped his glass lazily, swirling the amber liquid.

"Mhm. Yes, sweetie, I can get you connected to whomever you need."

"Politicians, bankers, mercenaries, smugglers, fashion designers, mob wives — Moscow is small when you know how to whisper."

He looked up at Rin with those eyes that never stayed still. "So... what's up?"

Rin turned, jaw tight.

"Then for starters... I want you to get me information. Deep, classified, buried under ten layers of hell information."

"People involved in the development of an underground weapon — I want names. Developers, financers, researchers. Ghosts. Traitors. Everyone."

He stepped closer to the table.

"I need to enter their world if I'm going to find PERSEPHONE."

At that name — PERSEPHONE — Kai's eyes flickered. Just for a second. A single heartbeat. A pinprick of widened surprise before he masked it beneath another theatrical smirk.

But Rin saw it. He always did.

Kai tipped his glass again. "Mhm... very well."

There was something off about how easily he agreed. Too smooth. Too instant. Kai wasn't the kind to say yes without asking for something first. Which meant… he already knew something.

Rin's expression didn't change, but his mind was racing.

Then, suddenly, he scowled, waving his hand in the air like batting away smoke.

"And please — tone down your damn pheromones. Do you want me to go into rut in the middle of a war crime investigation?" Rin snapped, scowling with genuine irritation.

Kai laughed — a low, melodic sound that curled like smoke.

"Oh I'm sorry, darling," he said, stretching his arms, languid like a cat in sunlight.

"I just can't always control it. Sometimes I get... overwhelmed."

That smirk again. That fake innocence behind razor teeth.

But Rin's brow furrowed deeper.

"Why are his pheromones this strong? It's not just potent — it's disruptive. Aggressive. And I'm an alpha too — so why is it affecting me this much? Unless…"

He studied Kai more closely.

"So, what are you then? Another alpha? Or… are you some twisted kind of omega?"

Kai's eyes glinted.

He leaned forward, placing the glass down without breaking eye contact. His tone dropped an octave — too smooth. Too rehearsed.

"Neither, sweetheart. I'm something a little more... rare."

"I'm an ENIGMA."

Rin stared at him. That word settled into the room like dust after an explosion.

"Enigma…"

The term wasn't just rare — it was mythical. A trait so genetically uncommon that most considered it theory. An "alpha of alphas," they called it in blacksite dossiers. A breed that could project pheromones strong enough to override an omega's cycle or make even other alphas submit.

"Enigma..." Rin echoed quietly. "The alpha of alphas... That's one rare trait."

Kai stood, slipping on his white fur coat — an extravagant, almost ridiculous thing — and yet it suited him. Like some apex predator dressing up for a bloodbath.

"I know," Kai purred, adjusting the collar. "I'm so special."

He moved toward the door with the confidence of someone who had never once heard the word no. The room filled with his scent, sharp and dizzying — a mixture of dominance, vanity, and something darker. Something animal.

"I'll try and see what I can find for you, princess. Let's meet tomorrow, same time, same place."

He reached for the handle — but Rin, annoyed and ready to regain control of his own space, moved to shut the door behind him—

THUD.

Kai's boot blocked it.

"What now?" Rin said coldly, deadpan. He was done playing.

Kai didn't answer right away.

He leaned closer, only just, voice low and coated in something dangerous.

"I'd like to see rip that mask off your face."

Rin froze. Just for a second.

Kai wasn't talking about the physical mask. He meant the real one — the iron composure, the calm exterior, the ever-strategic agent persona Rin wore like armor.

Then Kai flashed that smile. The kind that didn't mean I like you, but rather I know what you're hiding, and I'll enjoy tearing it out of you when the time comes.

"Just once. I think it'd be... thrilling."

He turned on his heel, coat fluttering behind him like wings, and disappeared down the hallway.

The door shut with a soft click.

Rin stood still for a long time. The silence in the room grew heavier.

"What the hell are you really after, Kai?"

His heart was calm. But somewhere in his chest, a chill crept in.

"Enigma or not… I don't trust you. I never will."

The elevator buzzed softly as it descended, a slow mechanical hum that vibrated through the steel walls. Inside, five men stood stiff and silent — each in black suits, military-grade boots, and identical expressionless faces. Except one.

Kai.

He leaned casually against the back wall of the elevator like it was a sofa in a penthouse lounge. One leg crossed over the other, hands folded neatly over the ivory handle of a cane he didn't need. The lighting above flickered — once, then again — as if sensing the shift in the air.

His coat — white fur over a dark charcoal suit — stood out like blood on snow.

Not a speck of dust touched him.

One of the men finally broke the silence, his voice clipped and professional:

"Сэр, каковы дальнейшие указания?"

("Sir, what are the next instructions?")

For a moment, Kai said nothing.

He simply stared at the elevator numbers ticking down.

7.

6.

5.

Then he smiled. Slowly. Like a candle melting.

His eyes glinted — something feral behind the lashes.

He turned his head slightly, just enough to cast a shadow across half his face.

"Взорвите всё."

("Blow it all up.")

The temperature in the elevator dropped — or maybe it just felt that way. The men didn't flinch, but their silence grew heavier.

Kai's voice turned soft, almost dreamy — like he was talking about a sunset, not a building full of lives.

"Не должно остаться ни единого следа..."

("There shouldn't be a single trace left behind…")

He paused.

Then tilted his head and gave a whisper of a grin. The kind that suggested he was picturing the explosion like a fireworks display, with popcorn in hand.

"Сделай красиво."

("Make it beautiful.")

The doors slid open with a soft ding.

Kai stepped out first, boots clicking crisply against the marble floor of the lobby. The cold winter air from outside slipped in through the rotating doors, sweeping across the sleek glass panels of the high-rise.

Behind him, his men moved out silently, ready to carry out the order.

But Kai — he paused at the lobby fountain, a sleek black monolith, water spilling gently from its top like a heartbeat. He closed his eyes for a moment…

And began to hum.

It was soft — almost childlike. A lullaby. A forgotten Russian tune, "Tili-Tili-Bom" — one mothers used to sing to their children to keep them quiet at night.

But the lyrics? They were a warning.

"Tili-tili-bom, zakroy glazki skoree..."

"(Tili-tili-bom, close your eyes quickly...)"

Kai hummed the melody slowly, each note dripping with irony, like he was mocking the very idea of innocence. He twirled his cane once in the air and let it land with a click against the floor.

The lobby guard sitting at the reception desk blinked and looked up — disturbed by the sudden song — but Kai had already vanished into the cold, snowy afternoon.

Just the echo of his hum remained, crawling up the elevator shaft like smoke.