Episode 101 — A War of Breaths
The wind rustled the curtains of the safehouse like whispers from a dying world. In the pale morning light, Aria sat by the window, wrapped in a loose shawl, her fingers gripping the edges like they were the only thing tethering her to reality.
Each breath she took was a reminder — she was alive. But Raian?
He hadn't come.
Not yet.
Behind her, Ayan paced slowly. Lina had gone to fetch warm water and food, but he stayed — silent, brooding, restless.
"He'll come," Ayan finally said, unable to bear the weight of her silence. "You saw the guard deliver the message."
Aria didn't look back. "And what if they lied? What if they killed him after getting what they wanted?"
Ayan flinched, his jaw tight. "Raian's not that easy to kill."
She turned then, eyes hollowed by too many nights of fear. "Neither am I. But that hasn't stopped them from trying."
Just then, the front door creaked open. A faint knock first, followed by the soft shuffling of footsteps.
Lina stepped inside, cradling a tin bowl of steaming congee. "There's word from the boy," she said before setting it down. "The one who delivered the page."
Aria's spine straightened. "What word?"
"He says Raian… left the prison. Officially."
A beat of stunned silence.
"Left?" Ayan asked. "He escaped?"
"No." Lina shook her head. "The guard filed for a one-time leave. Said it was 'authorized for cooperation.' They've made it look legal."
Aria's breath caught. "Then he's on his way?"
"He should be," Lina said softly. "But the city's in chaos. Malik's men are swarming the streets. Every checkpoint is being searched."
Aria stood, legs trembling beneath her. "Then we leave. We meet him halfway."
"No!" Ayan snapped. "You're still weak—"
"And I'm still alive," she cut in. "And I'm not waiting here like a ghost. If he's risking everything, then I won't be the one hiding behind walls."
Her voice didn't rise. It didn't need to. The steel beneath it was enough to silence them both.
Lina exchanged a glance with Ayan and nodded. "Then we'll go together. All of us."
---
Across the city, the crowd in the alley shifted as another checkpoint closed off access to the southern roads. A car slowed by the shadows, engine idling. Behind the tinted glass, Raian sat, hand clenched around the pistol hidden beneath his coat.
His wrists bore the angry red marks of chains. His eyes held the storm of a man who had traded everything for one moment of truth.
The driver glanced back. "There's a road near the old textile mill. Quiet. No guards if we time it right."
Raian didn't blink. "Take it."
"But—"
"I said drive."
As the car turned, the radio crackled.
"…suspect believed to be armed and dangerous. Former heir of Han Conglomerate. Approach with caution…"
Raian's lip twitched into something between a smirk and a snarl. "They forgot to mention I'm coming home."
---
Near the outskirts, Ayan led them through a narrow bridge flanked by trees heavy with rain. The tires of their rented vehicle crunched over wet gravel as tension rippled through the cabin.
Aria leaned forward, hand pressed to her ribs, her eyes locked on the winding road ahead.
"How far?" she asked.
"Ten minutes," Lina replied. "If no one spots us."
"Someone will," Ayan muttered. "But let them try."
---
Malik stood in a room lit by blueprints and blood-red pins on maps. His face was unreadable, lips tight as a new report arrived.
"He's been seen. South sector. Old textile route."
Malik's fingers drummed against the desk.
"Send the Black Guard. Now."
"But—"
"He doesn't reach her. Ever again."
---
The first bullet shattered the windshield.
Raian ducked, pulled the driver down, and rolled out the side. Another shot cracked the silence, whizzing past his shoulder.
From the treeline, shadows moved — cloaked, armed, precise.
He dashed into the undergrowth, adrenaline drowning the pain in his body. Behind him, the car exploded.
But he kept running.
Every breath was fire.
Every step a vow.
Aria. Just a little longer.
---
They met in the stormlight.
Ayan braked hard, pistol already drawn.
And then they saw him.
Staggering from the woods, bruised, burned, bleeding — but alive.
Raian.
Aria burst from the car before anyone could stop her. She ran like nothing hurt, like her ribs weren't stitched, like love itself could carry her weight.
She collided into his chest, arms locking tight.
His own arms crushed her back against him, shaking.
"You're real," he breathed.
"You're alive," she choked.
They didn't kiss.
Not yet.
They didn't need to.
Their grip was enough. Their heartbeats enough. Their breaths — one.
But Ayan's voice broke the moment.
"They're coming."
---
Behind them, the hills echoed with engines.
Black Guard.
Raian turned to Ayan. "You still shoot straight?"
Ayan smirked. "Straighter than you drive."
Lina handed Aria a blade. "You still remember what I taught you?"
Aria flicked the knife open. "Every lesson."
Raian met her gaze. "Ready?"
"No," she whispered. "But with you? Always."
---
The four of them stood side by side as shadows surged through the mist.
Rain fell again.
This time, they didn't run.
They stood their ground.
Because love, when true, doesn't hide.
It fights.
And sometimes, it bleeds.
But it never breaks.
---
Teaser for Episode 102: Blood meets vengeance as Raian and Aria fight their way toward freedom. Ayan and Lina's loyalty is tested in fire. And Malik finally learns — even gods fall when love refuses to die.