The quiet atmosphere of the morning gradually faded away. The sun was rising higher, its rays growing stronger, shining through the dusty window frame and making the room much brighter. Specter and Orion sat at the wooden table opposite, their voices low, afraid of waking Noir.
"Are you sure that's okay?" Specter asked, his eyes still fixed on the light outside the window.
Orion rested his elbows on the table, his gaze tilted toward Noir, who was sleeping.
"Why not? Noir isn't the type who needs protection, but she's also not the type who doesn't feel emotions. Noir controls her emotions very very well."
"But it still depends on you."
Specter said nothing.
"Oh hell, trust me. I've got plenty of experience in love and relationships."
Specter narrowed his eyes at Orion, looking doubtful.
"Who can believe that? In VOID, we don't even have time to breathe while fighting. How could you care about love in that case?"
"That's the thing, it was my first love. But later, VOID took her away for experiments, so she forgot about me completely. Never mind that. Focus on yourself." Orion said firmly.
"Poor little fellow." Specter teases.
"Come on, Specter, where's your maturity? You need to worry about standing behind Noir." Orion punched Specter's shoulder.
Specter clenched his fingers, his knuckles turning white.
"I'm afraid... it will be a wound for both of us."
Orion smiled briefly, but his voice was steel.
"Afraid of what?"
"You have lived so long in blood and fire that you forget that sometimes wounds are proof that you can still feel. Don't wait until you lose it to understand."
"Noir used to be a machine, but now she's learning to be human—even though she... is human."
The words trailed off as Noir stirred slightly. Her eyelashes flickered, her eyes opening hazily. In that moment, she caught a glimpse of the two men across from her, sitting like two blocks of stone. They immediately changed the subject, covering their faces.
Orion quickly turned to tease her.
"You're awake? Falling asleep doesn't suit your image at all."
Noir raised her eyebrows, her voice hoarse after sleep.
"What's an image? Can it stop bullets?"
"Staying alive through a night like this is better than maintaining an image."
"Hey, an image can stop bullets, you know? At least no one else would dare..." Orion sat there yapping.
After a moment, Noir didn't bother arguing with him and just kept quiet, once he was tired of talking, he would shut up on his own. They all chuckled softly, but before they could stop, Specter's device blared with a siren. A distinctive signal, someone was coming.
Specter jumped up, his shirt still dusty but his eyes sharp again, checking to ensure the information was correct. Orion checked the sword at his waist. Noir adjusted her leather jacket, warming up gently on the old wooden floor.
In that brief moment, they looked at each other as if they understood what was about to happen.
Suddenly, Orion's phone buzzed. The screen displayed a string of jumbled characters, encoded in the old system the organization had once used. He frowned briefly, decoding it in seconds.
"They're here," Orion murmured.
Specter was a little nervous, his eyes darkening.
"Where? How did you get that code?"
"Right in the next town. He brought a squad with him. It seems like he's deliberately exposing himself on a few channels to make this chase more dramatic."
"Before that, I had attached a device I got from bandits to my phone. They often pick up strange frequencies, so this encrypted signal managed to slip through." *glancing at Specter*
Noir brushed off her coat, her hair falling. She was ready.
"If he's being so proactive, then he's probably trying to lure us into a trap."
Specter curled his lips.
"Trap or not... in the end, we can't avoid it."
Beyond, the heavy rumble of engines echoed. The once peaceful, verdant area began to tremble under the pressure of an advancing army. They had to act.
In the central forest, dust rose from the steel-clad wheels. The Black Army stood in silent lines, their shining rifles reflecting the sunlight. Each step of their boots pounded the ground like a drumbeat in the chest, steady and desolate.
The man stepped out from the ranks, tall and thin but strong. A long black coat covered his ankles, and every step he took exuded an aura that made the air seem to freeze. His face was hidden, only murderous eyes were visible. After walking a distance, he stopped in the middle of a space, looking up at the old balcony where Noir, Specter, and Orion were waiting. Whether it was her own perception or not, Noir felt as if he was smiling, across his lips, the smile of a sick man.
"Noir…" he said, deep and hoarse as if drawn from the bottom of the abyss.
"You finally revealed yourself. I don't need to hunt anymore."
Noir gripped the vine-covered railing tightly, her blue eyes blazing, she slowly responded.
"If you think I'll obediently return, you're wrong."
He laughed loudly, a short, cold laugh.
"A bad kid."
"Just submit, come back, and we'll treat each other like family."
"Look! Everyone is always welcoming and waiting for you."
"I still remember very clearly the day you were just a little girl, and how you grew into such a strong warrior."
"Getting injected with needles and zapped with electric shocks must have hurt a lot, right?"
Noir heard all of that, a surge of hatred.
But he continued.
"Isn't it? Or.. before those who accompany you have to pay the price."
Orion drew his sword, his eyes glinting with murderous intent. Specter stood silently behind Noir, his hands hidden in his pockets, ready if the situation got out of control. Noir raised her pointer to stop them both. Right now, they could be stepping on a landmine. She replied.
"What a family?"
"A large family always stays together through pieces of memory for bloodthirsty monsters..."
At that moment, all around was silent, only the sound of the wind blowing through the tattered flags.
Noir tilted her head, a smile as sharp as a knife.
"Alright! Since the monsters have come, we must welcome them properly."
"…let's see who pays the price first."
"I really want to see how many nets you've brought."
"Hahaha... you never disappoint me. I'm getting interested now." He took a step foward.
The sky was sunny earlier, but now dark clouds are rolling in, making the atmosphere even more stifling.
The sound of bullets being loaded echoes, dust swirling around. It's time…
The war was declared. Either they die, Noir's team dies… or everyone burns together.