Narrator: MOHITO
I walked out of the café with steady steps, without looking back.
Because looking back…would have made me cling to a world I don't belong to.
In my hand, it was my phone.
A single message:
"The factory… now."
*************
Inside the factory…
They were there.
Four shadows.
Cold expressions,as if they whispered hymns of death.
The moment they saw me approach,SHOUTNA spoke in his usual tone:
"Looks like everyone's here."
I stopped in front of them,my gaze moving from one to another.
"Are we the only ones handling this mission?"
SHOUTNA replied lightly—but with deadly confidence:
"Isn't that enough?"
I closed my eyes for a brief moment…Then stepped forward,
standing beside ZARYOUH, ADEL, and MIZYANI.
"That's… more than enough."
SHOUTNA glanced at ADEL,who opened his laptop in silence.
Within seconds,the four screens filled with government files.
SHOUTNA began speaking,his tone calm… yet heavy:
"The files in front of you.All of them concern… the War Front."
ZARYOUH raised an eyebrow.
SHOUTNA continued:
"In short…They are an opposing faction to the Kingdom of MARVA."
"Separatists…funded from the outside,to destabilize the kingdom."
MIZYANI slowly opened his eyes,his gaze fixed on the screen.
SHOUTNA stepped forward,zooming in on a man's image.
"This… is AMMAR."
"And he is our target."
I spoke quietly:
"So… assassination."
SHOUTNA nodded.
But MIZYANI's voice cut through the silence:
"Does he… deserve to die?"
He looked straight at SHOUTNA,his eyes reading every detail.
SHOUTNA took a slow breath…
Then said:
"Sometimes… the question isn'twhether someone deserves to die."
He raised his eyes,cold and unwavering:
"But whether we can affordto let them live."
Silence fell.
Then ZARYOUH spoke,doubt laced in his tone:
"Another mission for the Kingdom?"
SHOUTNA smiled faintly.
"In your opinion… what happensIf the War Front succeeds?"
ZARYOUH and MIZYANI exchanged glances.
SHOUTNA gestured toward the map of Marfa:
"It will burn… from within."
"And then…It will become easy prey for the outside."
He stepped forward,His voice sharpening:
"The War Front…are nothing but dreamers."
"They believe revolution alonecan bring peace."
"But what they will bring…is destruction."
He paused for a moment,Then spoke in a low, cutting voice:
"If a blind man…is walking down a road full of speeding trucks,dragging others with him—"
"Do we leave him?"
He looked at us.
"Or… do we pull him away by force?"
His gaze passed over each of us.
"Are you with me?"
We exchanged glances…
Then all nodded.
SHOUTNA smiled.
"Good."
He turned slowly.
"That's enough for today."
"Tomorrow… we meet here."
**************
MOHITO returned home.
He stood in front of the door for a moment…
Then inserted the key.
The door opened slowly.
Darkness was waiting for him.
He didn't turn on the lights.
There was nothing worth seeing anyway.
He stepped inside…
His footsteps were light,yet echoed through the emptiness.
The apartment… was hollow.
No furniture.No pictures.No life.
Only—
A simple mattress on the floor,and a drawer in the corner.
A place… that didn't feel like a home.
More like… a waiting point.
He walked toward it.
Opened the drawer slowly.
Searched for a moment…
Then pulled out a black case.
Small.Solid.Locked with an electronic seal.
He placed it in front of him.
Paused.
His breathing was calm…uncomfortably calm.
He entered the code.
The lock opened.
He lifted the lid.
Inside…
A black mask.
He picked it up slowly.
Studied it.
His reflection stared back at him…But it wasn't quite him.
As if the mask…knew him better than he knew himself.
He stared at it for a few seconds…
Then set it aside.
Beneath it—
Black armor.And a sword.
He reached out.
Touched the armor first…
Cold.Solid.Honest.
Then the sword…
His fingers lingered longer.
As if something old… had awakened.
He closed his eyes.
Whispered:
"It's time…"
He opened them slowly.
"...to return."
************
Early in the morning…
Inside the Intelligence Headquarters of the Kingdom of MARVA,
Five figures stood in complete silence.
Wearing specialized suits,and masks of different designs…
Their faces hidden,But their presence alone… was enough to fill the room with tension.
At the center—
SHOUTNA.
The only one without a mask.
Footsteps approached.
Two figures in formal attire.
They stopped in front of them.
"You must be… the Special Operations Unit—The Shadows."
SHOUTNA lifted his gaze toward them.
Cold. Assessing.
"Yes."
The man extended his hand:
"I'm MAYNO…And this is GHAZLAN."
GHAZLAN nodded slightly.
"We're the agents assigned to accompany you on this mission."
SHOUTNA shook his hand without hesitation.
"SHOUTNA."
Then gestured behind him:
"00… black mask.01… green mask.02… red and blue.03… brown."
None of them moved.
None of them spoke.
As if… they didn't need to.
MAYNO looked at them.
"The helicopter is being prepared.We depart in minutes."
SHOUTNA nodded,then stepped back beside his team.
Behind them…
GHAZLAN lightly pulled MAYNO aside.
"What is this…?"
He looked at her, confused.
"What do you mean?"
GHAZLAN looked at the shadow, then continued
"Is this… the entire team?This is an S-rank mission."
MAYNO glanced at the Shadows,then spoke in a low voice:
"What I'm about to tell you… is highly classified."
GHAZLAN swallowed.
"Have you heard of… enhanced human experiments?"
She hesitated, then nodded:
"Yes…highly restricted files,about individuals subjected to special procedures…that amplified their abilities."
Her eyes widened slowly.
"Don't tell me they're—"
MAYNO cut her off calmly:
"They're the ones who provided the Kingdom with that data."
"No one knows where they came from…or the source of their power."
He paused.
"Except… the King."
Silence.
Mystery wrapped around the Shadows… like a living presence.
Then
A voice from behind broke the tension.
On the other side,
SHOUTNA slightly tilted his head…
Then spoke, calm but firm:
"It's time."
He turned.
Without another word…
He moved.
And the Shadows followed—
like a single entity.