The rain came hard that night, hammering the rooftops, flooding the gutters, washing crimson rivers into the sewers. For most, the storm meant shelter. For the Wolves, it meant cover.
Ayu crouched on a rooftop, her black hair plastered to her pale face, pistol heavy in her hand. Her jade-like skin glowed faintly under the lightning flashes, but her eyes… her eyes burned darker now.
Below her, the den of poisoners stirred. A warehouse reeking of rot and chemicals, its windows barred, guarded by men who carried no swords—only vials and darts. The very same network that had marked Luv with a scar, the same cowards who had crept into shadows with their venom.
Luv stood beside her, silent. The black in his gaze matched the storm. He gave no speech, no reassurance. He simply placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded once.
That was enough.
They moved like phantoms through the storm.
The first guard slumped without a sound, his throat split. The second collapsed into the rain, Ayu's dagger buried in his chest. By the time the third screamed, it was already too late—the Wolves were inside.
The warehouse was a maze of tables and bottles, a kingdom of toxins bubbling in cauldrons. The air burned their lungs, but Ayu's fury burned hotter.
She shot the first alchemist in the chest. His vials shattered as he fell, releasing a hiss of acid that ate through the floorboards. Another lunged at her with a needle, but she twisted his wrist until the glass sank into his own neck. He gurgled, eyes bulging, as venom raced through his veins.
Her expression didn't change.
Luv was a storm of silence. His blade carved through flesh with unerring precision. He ducked, slashed, struck throats and arteries, his movements efficient and merciless. Every drop of blood was a message: your poison is nothing against me.
But it was Ayu who burned brightest that night.
When they cornered the last survivor—the poison-master himself, cloaked in robes, his hands trembling as he clutched a vial of black venom—Ayu stepped forward.
"You tried to kill him," she said softly, almost tender. Her pistol rose, steady despite the rain. "You failed. Now you'll pay."
The man stammered, offering gold, knowledge, anything. But Ayu's finger never wavered.
The gun roared.
The vial shattered in his hands, spilling poison that ate his flesh before the bullet even finished its work. His screams echoed until the storm drowned them.
The Wolves left the warehouse in flames. Bottles cracked, fumes ignited, and the entire district reeked of smoke and charred venom. People woke to the sight of fire on the horizon and whispered in fear: The Wolves had struck again.
But Ayu didn't look back. She walked beside Luv, rain mixing with the blood on her skin, her jade-like beauty now carrying a shadow that no storm could wash away.
"Do you regret it?" Luv asked quietly as they reached the alleys.
She shook her head, eyes sharp as steel. "No. They tried to take you from me. I'll burn the whole world before I let that happen."
For the first time in a long while, Luv allowed himself the faintest smile.
And above, the watcher in black clenched his fists, his smile fading.
"She's changing too fast," he muttered. "Good… but dangerous."