"Come on, there's no time to waste."
Nikolai's voice settled over the hallway like a command rather than a request.
The three women followed him without further complaint.
Selene walked at his left, her hand still resting against his arm as if she feared he might vanish the moment she let go.
Madoka trailed slightly behind them, arms crossed beneath her chest, though her ears twitched toward every distant explosion echoing from S-City. Even her usual arrogance seemed muted beneath the oppressive light bleeding through the windows.
The mansion had changed in the span of a few hours.
'How irritating.'
The Volkov estate, which had once felt more like a noble family's grand residence than a military fortress, now turned a complete shift.
