Chapter XII
Blood in Velvet Silence
Nexa's point of view:
As I stepped into the private room, the air shifted—thick with tension, heavy with the scent of expensive cologne and death waiting in silence. My eyes darted around, and there they were.
Jenny and Malti.
Already there. Poised. Ready.
My heart stumbled in my chest. For a moment, I was overwhelmed—not with fear, but with admiration and shame.
How did they get here so fast?
Jenny's composure was like steel—cold, calm, sharp. And Malti? She was elegance mixed with danger, standing like a goddess sculpted out of shadows. I couldn't help but feel inadequate. Unlike them, I wasn't trained in seduction or hypnotism. My body didn't move like theirs. My powers weren't nearly as graceful.
Still, I forced a faint smile toward Malti. She returned it—barely a flicker, but it grounded me.
Jenny, ever alert, met my eyes. With the slightest movement of her hand, she gave the signal: Now.
In that instant, time slowed.
Without exchanging a word, we moved as one—like a symphony of death composed in perfect harmony. The guards had no time to react. Jenny moved with panther-like grace, her blades cutting through the air. Malti's hair danced like a whip, slicing throats with chilling precision. I struck from the shadows, silent and fast.
Within seconds, the once-guarded room was nothing more than a graveyard.
The businessman stood at the center—his body trembling, eyes wide, drenched in disbelief and fear. Blood trickled at his feet, staining his expensive shoes, seeping into the velvet carpet.
"Arc…" he stammered, staring at me like I was a ghost. "What are you doing?"
I stepped forward slowly, each footstep echoing like a drumbeat of doom.
And then I smiled.
Not with joy.
Not with pity.
But with power.
I raised my hand and peeled off my mask, revealing my true face beneath. The shock that crossed his face was almost satisfying. His world shattered in an instant. The people he thought were allies were assassins. The woman he thought was an ally… was death itself.
He panicked. Desperation surged through him as he hurled a ball of violent energy toward Malti—his biggest mistake.
The blast hit her square in the chest, but she didn't fall.
She didn't flinch.
She simply turned her head toward him, slowly… like a predator locking onto its prey.
And then?
She snapped.
In a blur of motion, Malti's hair stretched out like a blade-wielding serpent. It coiled around his neck, tightened, and with one swift jerk—sliced it clean off. Blood sprayed like crimson mist across the room. His decapitated body fell to the floor with a dull thud.
But Malti wasn't done.
Fueled by rage, she walked to the corpse and with long, obsidian-black nails, gouged out both of his eyes. One by one. Slow. Methodical. Then she tossed them on his chest, as if mocking him in death.
Silence fell again.
Heavy. Complete.
No one spoke. We didn't need to. This was our justice. Our warning.
I walked over and picked up a thick black plastic sheet. We wrapped his severed head carefully—like a morbid gift—and slid it into a discreet leather duffle. Jenny zipped it shut with the same elegance she used to slit throats.
I took a deep breath, pulled the businessman's mask from my pocket, and transformed.
My skin rippled.
My voice shifted.
My walk changed.
And in seconds—I was him.
The illusion was flawless.
I adjusted my tie, took one last look at the room soaked in blood, and walked toward the exit.
But the moment I stepped into the VIP corridor…
ALERT.
Red lights began flashing violently. Alarms screamed to life.
A red siren pulsed overhead like a beating heart.
The building was on lockdown.
"Shit."
They had found the body.
Police were already in the building.
Everything changed.
Malti and Jenny peeked from the hallway behind me, startled by the chaos.
I didn't hesitate.
"Go," I said sharply. "Get to the car. Now."
They understood instantly. No questions.
I turned the other way—toward the storm.
Toward the flashing lights.
Toward the sound of boots slamming against marble.
Let them chase me.
Let them believe I was the real businessman trying to escape.
Every second they followed me was one more second Malti and Jenny had to disappear.
I smiled under the mask.
If this was the game they wanted to play, then let it begin.
The predator had become the hunted.
But they had no idea what kind of monster they had just unleashed.
A Face Behind the Mask
I had managed to lure the police behind me. The plan was working… or so I thought.
What I didn't know was that the order to shoot me on sight had already been issued. The moment they identified me as the serial killer, there would be no warning—no arrest—just execution.
Suddenly, the sharp crack of gunfire shattered the night.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bullets whizzed past me, barely missing my head and torso. I could feel the heat of them grazing my skin. These weren't ordinary bullets—they were crafted from a rare alloy specifically engineered to wound or kill even the most powerful creatures.
They weren't meant to scare.
They were meant to destroy.
Realizing I had no chance in a fair chase, I made a snap decision. I sprinted toward the window, leapt with all my strength, and crashed through the glass. Shards tore into my skin as I fell two stories down and slammed onto the hard asphalt below.
Pain shot through my legs, but I had no time to feel it.
I ran.
Boots pounding behind me.
Sirens wailing.
Breath burning.
As I darted across the empty road, a black car roared behind me like a beast, its headlights glaring into my soul. I could feel it gaining on me—its engine snarling like a predator.
I turned sharply and ducked into a narrow, filthy alley, just barely wide enough for me to squeeze through. Trash and shadows clung to the walls. The car skidded to a stop, unable to follow.
I emerged from the other side and spotted Malti and Jenny waiting at the drop point. Without a word, I tossed the black duffle bag into Malti's hands—the one carrying the severed head of the businessman—and turned in the opposite direction, disappearing once again into the chaos.
I ran toward a nearby street and spotted a clothing shop. Outside, hanging on a hook, was a black hoodie—oversized, shadowy, perfect. Without hesitation, I grabbed it and pulled it over my head, concealing my blood-stained clothes.
Within seconds, I had returned to my Nexa form—a completely different identity. Unrecognizable.
Breath ragged. Eyes scanning.
Just as I began to move away—
Click.
A cold metal barrel pressed against the back of my head.
"Don't move. Turn around," a woman's voice commanded—sharp, steady.
I froze.
And then slowly, I turned.
My heart stopped.
It was Riru.
Or at least… the woman I had known as Riru.
My eyes widened. "You? Why the hell are you pointing a gun at me?! What are you doing here?!"
She looked shaken—sweat on her brow, her grip faltering. "Ahhhh… dammit! I lost him again!" she yelled in frustration.
My brows furrowed. "Lost who?"
"The killer," she said breathlessly. "The one who's already murdered so many. He escaped again…"
My pulse quickened.
"But why are you looking for him?" I asked cautiously.
Her expression hardened.
And then… her voice dropped. Serious. Controlled.
"My name isn't Riru," she confessed. "I came to your party under a fake identity. I had to. I had reason to believe someone at that party had stolen the Chief Minister's special ceremonial knife. It's a national security item."
I stepped back in disbelief. "So… you knew something was going down and still got in my car like nothing was wrong?"
She gave a cold nod. "Yes. I needed to follow leads. And you seemed like someone worth watching."
My stomach turned. "Then who are you really?"
She hesitated for just a second, then answered:
"My real name is Aurora. I'm a Senior Detective Officer with the Department of Paranormal Crimes."
The moment I heard that name—Aurora—my blood began to boil.
Everything in me snapped.
My breathing turned ragged. Rage burned through my chest like fire.
I didn't hesitate.
Without warning, I spun around and snatched the gun from her hands in a single movement.
She gasped.
But I wasn't done.
Before she could react, I aimed the gun low and fired straight into her leg.
Bang!
She screamed and collapsed to the ground, clutching her thigh.
"I should've known," I hissed through gritted teeth. "I should've known you were one of them…"
I didn't give her a chance to explain.
Didn't wait for guilt or mercy to catch up.
I ran.
Faster than before.
Because now, the game had changed.
The hunters weren't just the police.
Now, Aurora—one of the most dangerous undercover agents—was on my trail.
And she would stop at nothing to expose me.
But what she didn't know…
was that I wouldn't stop either.
Because I had a mission.
And no one—not even Aurora—was going to get in my way.
To be continue....