The dim hotel room felt smaller with each passing second. Elena paced near the window, her fingers curling into fists at her sides. Adrian sat in the chair across from her, his expression unreadable, his presence both infuriating and unavoidable.
"You expect me to believe you?" she asked, voice edged with disbelief. "That my father arranged a marriage between us?"
Adrian leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I don't expect anything, Elena. I'm just telling you the truth."
"The truth?" She let out a sharp laugh. "Funny, because my father never mentioned you. Not once."
His gaze flickered with something—hurt? Guilt? "Your father had many secrets."
She crossed her arms, unwilling to let his words sink in. Her father had been a man of honor, a warrior, a protector. If he had hidden something like this, there had to be a reason.
But then she thought of the diary, of the cryptic messages, of the carefully constructed web of lies that seemed to surround her.
"Why now?" she demanded. "Why tell me this when I'm already questioning everything I thought I knew?"
Adrian exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Because I need you to understand, Elena. I'm not your enemy. I never was."
For the first time, doubt crept into her anger. He had saved her life, guided her toward answers, yet his calm demeanor and carefully chosen words made trust impossible.
"What aren't you telling me?" she asked, voice softer now.
His lips parted as if he wanted to say something—something important. But before he could, a faint knock echoed through the hotel door.
Not a friendly knock. A warning.
Adrian's expression darkened. "They found us."
Elena barely had time to react before Adrian grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward the window. "We have to move."
The next few seconds blurred—gunfire, shattering glass, the sharp scent of smoke. The hunters had come prepared, their presence a silent death sentence.
Elena's instincts took over. She ducked low, reached for the dagger strapped to her thigh, and met the first attacker head-on. He lunged at her with a blade, but she was faster, twisting his wrist and driving her knee into his ribs. He crumpled to the floor.
Adrian moved with equal precision, weaving through the chaos with the effortless grace of someone who had done this a hundred times before. He deflected a strike with his forearm, countering with a swift punch to his attacker's throat.
"Out the fire escape!" he called.
Elena didn't hesitate. She vaulted over the windowsill, landing with a sharp thud on the metal stairs. Adrian was right behind her. Below, the city of Calezar sprawled before them—twisting alleyways, rooftop hideouts, places to disappear.
But the hunters were relentless. A figure emerged from the shadows below, gun aimed at Elena's chest.
Her heart pounded. She had seconds.
With a burst of speed, she pushed off the railing and leaped, twisting mid-air as she grabbed hold of the next building's ledge. Adrian followed, but not before tossing a smoke bomb behind them, buying them precious seconds.
They ran, the city a blur beneath them.
An hour later, they sat in a dimly lit warehouse, breathing hard. The air smelled of rust and rain, the only sound their racing hearts.
Elena's fingers tightened around the diary. "We have to find the safehouse."
Adrian wiped blood from his lip, watching her closely. "Are you sure you're ready for what you might find?"
She hesitated. Was she?
The diary had already torn apart her understanding of the past. But if there was even a chance it held the key to the truth—to her parents' secrets, to the power they had hidden—she had no choice.
Adrian reached into his coat and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. "Your father gave this to me before he died."
Her breath hitched. "You knew my father personally?"
Adrian nodded. "I was his apprentice."
Silence. The words hit her like a blade to the chest. She had spent years believing she was alone in this fight. And yet here was Adrian, holding pieces of her past she hadn't even known existed.
She took the parchment with trembling hands, unfolding it to reveal a rough sketch of an underground chamber. A single word was scrawled beneath it.
Excidium.
Elena traced the letters with her fingertips. "What does it mean?"
Adrian exhaled. "It's where your parents hid the artifact. And where the truth about your family begins."
For the first time, Elena saw Adrian not as an enemy, not as a manipulator, but as someone who had been carrying the same burden she had.
"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" she whispered.
He met her gaze. "Because I didn't know if you would trust me."
She laughed, but there was no humor in it. "I still don't."
A ghost of a smile crossed his lips. "Then let me prove it to you."
The words hung between them. An unspoken promise. A challenge.
She wanted to believe him. But trust had never come easy.
And as the night stretched on, with the city stirring beyond the warehouse walls, she knew one thing for certain.
She would find Excidium.
And when she did, the world would never be the same.
As the first light of dawn touched the city, Elena stood at the edge of the rooftop, staring at the horizon.
Somewhere out there was the truth she had been searching for.
And she would find it—no matter what it took.
Adrian stepped beside her. "Are you ready?"
She turned to him, her expression set with determination. "I've been ready my whole life."
But below, hidden in the shadows, a lone figure watched. Their lips curled into a cruel smile as they pulled out a communicator.
"She took the bait," the voice murmured. "Let's see how far she gets."
The hunt was far from over.