"K14," the voice said—mocking, cold, and distant—its edge sharp like the flick of a blade in a dark alley.
Dain felt his heart jolt, a beat missed, as if his entire body paused to catch up with what his ears had just heard.
"Who the hell are you?" he shouted, his voice rising with barely contained fury. But the voice only laughed in response—low, gravelly, and unsettling. A sound not meant to comfort but to provoke.
Then came the footsteps.
Light, deliberate footfalls echoing from inside the room ahead. Not heavy enough to be charging, not fast enough to be fleeing—just steady, like someone who knew they held all the power in this game.
"Where did you fucking keep her?!" Dain barked again, this time louder, the veins at his temple pulsing. His fists clenched at his sides, trembling from both rage and dread.
Still, no answer. Only a pause in the footsteps—just long enough to make him feel the silence.
