The night draped the city in a muted shroud, its silence broken only by the distant hum of passing traffic. Inside the abandoned observatory—now repurposed as a temporary meeting ground—Ethan and Rafael stood facing each other like two blades drawn in the dark. Neither spoke at first. The air carried too many unspoken truths, too much tension to ignore.

Rafael’s jaw tightened. “Let’s make one thing clear,” he said finally, voice low but sharp. “This alliance isn’t built on trust. It’s built on necessity.”

Ethan’s gaze was steady, unreadable. “Good. Because trust has never been part of our vocabulary.”

Their words were an agreement and a warning at once.

They...