That single metal door opened slowly in a low, ominous squeal...like it was a heavy, stubborn thing being dragged along by invisible hands...and Raliya felt every muscle in her body tighten with it.

  This felt like being in the eye of a storm right now; every nerve on high-alert as she held her breath and waited for the first hint of danger. There was a beat of tense silence that stretched…

  Then, like a bullet fired, the second iron door opened too; squealing just as loudly as the first had.

  Raliya's entire body went rigid, her grip on the rifle tightening until her knuckles turned white. The two doors creaking open at once meant something; they were being watched, maybe even lured out into the open now...

  She didn’t move yet; just kept scanning through those swirling Miracle Eyes of hers for any signs of movement beyond what she could already see with normal vision too: "They're waiting." Raliya whispered sharply back to Kirsi as tail bristled behind her in warning. "Don't step forward unless I say so."

  Kirsi gave a tiny nod beside her, eyes flickering toward Raliya briefly before focusing straight ahead again where those ominous iron doors still stood partially open like some kind of grotesque mouth ready to swallow them whole if given the chance…

  Raliya didn't hesitate, she lunged forward with a sharp snarl, her rifle already firing in controlled bursts as she moved to flank the left ambush point. Her Miracle Eyes flared brighter than ever now; swirling violently like storm clouds as she picked off targets one by one with terrifying precision.

  The first enemy dropped before they even realized what was happening, their gun clattering uselessly against the pavement while Raliya advanced without slowing down for a second: "Cover me!" She barked over her shoulder toward Kirsi just before turning a corner into the hallway where the last hostile still lurked unseen behind a cover.

  Kirsi didn’t need telling twice, already moving smoothly toward a right side position while returning fire at remaining threats outside.

  Raliya felt that adrenaline surging through her again, driving her forward like lightning toward that last hostile behind a cover. This was her element—she moved with a grace and speed that seemed superhuman, as if the whole world was moving in slow motion compared to her. Her teeth were clenched tight with that familiar rush of intensity that only comes with combat adrenaline. She was a perfect storm right now.

  And Kirsi was quickly finding out why this woman was called the best soldier back in Ukiuq…

  Raliya slammed into the side of the cover the enemy hid behind, using her weight to knock them off balance while still firing away without mercy. The hostile tried to shove back against her, but there was no stopping Raliya when her blood was up like this, her whole body moving in perfect sync with that familiar rush of adrenaline.

  Meanwhile, Kirsi was doing the same, picking off the last enemies outside while moving toward a better position to support Raliya too: "I got your back!"

  Raliya's body moved like a well-oiled machine; all the hours of training and combat experience kicked in as she fought like a whirlwind. Every shot fired from that rifle connected; her aim was like a laser as she pressed the hostile against the cover and left a trail of bodies behind her.

  But even the best soldier can make a mistake eventually...and that mistake, in the form of an enemy bullet, found its mark. A bullet hit her shoulder and bounced off, not piercing her skin due to the thick coat of aura around her body. She stumbled back to look at who fired the bullet, and it was none other than ex-President Vexa.

  Raliya whirled around, her Miracle Eyes locking onto Vexa in an instant. The air itself seemed to crackle with tension as their gazes met; one furious, the other smug and calculating.

  "You." Raliya's voice was a low snarl, her rifle still trained on him now despite the pain flaring in her shoulder from that last shot landing too close for comfort already...

  Vexa just smirked behind his own weapon; clearly enjoying this moment where he had some upper hand over them both: "Still alive? Disappointing."

  Kirsi’s head snapped toward him next, golden eyes widening slightly at recognition before narrowing again sharply into something far colder than before…

  And then? She took aim without hesitation either.

  Vexa looked at Kirsi, recognizing her and shaking his head mockingly. "The pacifist, hm? I thought you specialize in resolving conflicts peacefully, what's this?”

  There was nothing but contempt in Raliya's face; her heart was beating loudly in her chest despite the pain. Her shoulder still felt like it was burning, but that was secondary to the anger and frustration burning in her veins now as her expression twisted into a furious snarl: "I never liked you."

  Kirsi kept her rifle trained on Vexa too; her own lips pulled into an equally angry frown now as she said: "And I believe in peaceful resolutions...but you've given us no choice this time."

  Raliya's entire body locked up for a split second, her Miracle Eyes flaring violently as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

  "K-Kirsi?" Her voice cracked slightly with shock; rifle still trained on Vexa but now shaking just the tiniest bit in her grip. That wasn't supposed to happen…that wasn't how this was supposed to go at all!

  Vexa let out an amused chuckle beside them, clearly enjoying watching Raliya’s reaction unfold before his eyes: "Ohhh? What’s wrong, little Fennec?" He taunted mockingly while nudging Kirsi toward Raliya further like some sick joke being played here.

  But then, just as suddenly as it had started? Kirsi twisted mid-step and rammed a knee squarely into Vexa's groin, making him crumple forward with a pained grunt instead of letting him push her any closer toward a confused Raliya who looked ready to snap right now…

  Kirsi turned back toward him too quickly even after that stunt though, golden eyes burning bright with fury now: "...Never touch me again."

  Raliya's breath hitched, her Miracle Eyes flickering wildly as she finally processed what Kirsi had just done. That was...not the reaction of someone who was working with Vexa.

  The tension in her shoulders eased slightly, but Raliya still didn't lower her rifle yet; not until she knew for sure where Kirsi’s loyalties really lay here now. "What the hell is going on?" She demanded sharply while keeping both targets locked in sight still, just in case this turned out to be some twisted trick after all…

  Vexa let out another pained groan from his knees though; face flushed red with rage and humiliation alike before snarling up at them: "You traitorous little bitch!"

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  Kirsi ignored him completely though, her entire focus now entirely on Raliya instead as golden eyes searched those swirling irises for any sign of trust (or betrayal) hiding behind them next:

  "...Do you believe me?"

  Raliya hesitated, just for a fraction of a second. Her grip on the rifle tightened, but her stance shifted subtly; like she was weighing every possible outcome in that split second before deciding.

  Then, "Yes." The word came out gruff, almost reluctant...but it was there all the same as Raliya’s Miracle Eyes locked onto Kirsi with unblinking intensity: "Prove you're not with him."

  Vexa let out another furious snarl from where he knelt between them now though; blood dripping down his face as he glared up at both women through narrowed eyes: "You idiot! She's working against you!"

  Kirsi didn’t even glance his way though…just kept staring straight back at Raliya instead while slowly raising her hands into view again (still empty) before saying quietly:

  "...I’m not going anywhere until we settle this together first."

  There wasn't any hesitation behind those words either, just pure resolve shining bright beneath the golden gaze right now…

  And somehow? That made something inside her chest loosen ever so slightly despite everything else still hanging over their heads like storm clouds ready to burst open anytime soon too…

  Raliya took in a sharp breath, the tension in her shoulders easing just a fraction more and that was the only thing to give away the sudden shift happening deep inside her at this moment. For a split second? Relief.

  But then it was gone, swallowed back down behind that cool, calm fa?ade of hers as Raliya kept the rifle leveled at Vexa while asking quietly: "Get up, slowly. We’re not done here yet."

  Vexa gritted his teeth, a muscle in his jaw twitching like he desperately wanted to protest, insult or fight back, but one sharp glance from Raliya made him think better of it and he begrudgingly got to his feet again.

  He kept his arms up too; clearly aware that Raliya wouldn’t hesitate to shoot if he tried anything stupid. He knew she meant business and was not in the mood for games right now…so he decided to go for his ace in the sleeve:

  "...I'm not alone.”

  Raliya's eyes narrowed slightly, her head tilting a fraction while still keeping her aim trained on Vexa. "There's more of you?" She kept her voice even, giving away nothing of what was going on inside her right now and keeping her cool fa?ade of calm like always…

  That was when two more men stepped up…

  Those two new arrivals were dressed in matching black outfits with rifles too, moving with the same silent grace as Vexa and Raliya did, like soldiers who had been thoroughly trained in stealth for this line of work. They moved into position on either side of Vexa now, just a few feet behind him with their weapons trained on Raliya and Kirsi too.

  They hadn't said anything yet, just standing there like silent sentinels...but even without their faces showing, Raliya could practically feel their smug smirks anyway…

  Due to the X-ray vision of Raliya’s Miracle Eyes, Raliya could see through the clothes of the man on the right, and she saw something that made her blood boil even hotter: a pair of Miracle Eyes in a tube of liquid.

  Raliya’s entire body locked up for a second, her breath catching in her throat as those swirling eyes behind glass met hers through the X-ray vision of her own.

  "You..." The word came out low, dangerous; like she was barely holding back from firing right then and there. Her grip on rifle tightened until knuckles turned white again while tail bristled behind her violently now: "Where did you get those?"

  Vexa just smirked wider at Raliya's reaction though, clearly enjoying watching how much this revelation had rattled even the best Fennec soldier alive today…

  The mercenary with stolen Miracle Eyes didn't speak either yet…just kept staring straight back at Raliya through that tube with unblinking gaze before slowly raising one gloved hand toward his own face, as if testing something unseen by others here still too.

  Kirsi looked between them all sharply next though; golden eyes flickering between stolen organ container first then over Vexa again before settling on mercenary finally:

  "...Those are not yours.”

  The mercenary's gaze turned to Kirsi slowly at those words. His expression was cold and hard to read behind that tactical mask, but there was something almost...disgusted behind it still: "No, they are not."

  His voice had a distinct digital quality about it too, giving it an almost robotic tone that only served to make Raliya's blood boil more as she kept the rifle trained on them all steadily while listening:

  "...They are property of the company we work for," he finally said.

  The moment after those words left his mouth, a shadow figure blurred past everyone, and the tube in the mercenary's coat disappeared.

  Raliya’s entire body slammed into high alert, her Miracle Eyes flaring so violently they nearly blinded her with the sudden burst of energy.

  That shadow figure had moved faster than even she could track, and now that stolen tube was gone, just like that.

  "What the hell?!" Raliya snarled; rifle whipping toward where shadow had disappeared to but finding nothing but empty air left behind now…

  Kirsi reacted instantly too though; golden eyes scanning area quickly for any sign movement again before muttering under breath: "...We need to move."

  Vexa looked just as stunned by this turn events himself though, his smug grin finally cracking apart into something closer panic instead when realization hit him:

  His mercenaries weren’t alone here anymore either…

  And whoever took those organs? They weren’t playing around either.

  The tension in the room skyrocketed tenfold at once then as all parties involved slowly turned their heads toward each other warily. That was when Raliya's Miracle Eyes landed on two men who were currently using Phase Cloaks to be invisible to ordinary humans like the others.

  One was a stocky man built like a bull, face hidden behind helmet while gripping a big sniper gun casually in his hands.

  The other was a slender man in tactical gear; his face hidden behind a gas mask that made his features even harder to read but also making him look like some kind of terrifying wraith in the shadows instead. They also wore backpacks; one red, and the other green. That's right, the Traveler Bros are back! But only Alphonso and Giovanni, the survivors.

  Raliya had to forcibly hold her ground; tail bristling furiously while her body tensed even more to the point where her muscles almost ached with intensity now...

  Giovanni was the first to break the silence then, his voice coming out deep from behind that gas mask and making it almost sound like he was growling through the device: "What exactly do we have here?"

  Nobody answered right away. Raliya didn’t dare blink either; her eyes flicked between all these enemies now, trying to keep track of everything happening.

  But Kirsi didn't hesitate this time, stepping forward so she was slightly more in view. "A disagreement of sorts," she answered, keeping her voice even like the tension in the room right now wasn’t affecting her at all.

  But her golden eyes were still scanning their surroundings like a hawk; ready for any sudden move at a second's notice…

  Giovanni cocked his head faintly, that gesture just barely visible beyond mask as he considered that answer before replying:

  "A dispute between which of you?" His voice was still cool, but there was a hint of amusement there too now.

  Raliya hesitated, her eyes narrowing dangerously. She did not like this tone of voice nor where this question probably was going, but she answered anyway, her voice as icy and cold as ever in reply:

  "Between myself and Vexa here"

  Vexa had the audacity to look almost amused himself now; almost. A small smirk was tugging at the corner of his lips as he tilted his head slightly:

  "I was simply…negotiating."

  Giovanni let out a slow, heavy exhale through his gas mask, like he was genuinely tired of this entire situation already.

  Then Alphonso chimed in next from where he stood with his sniper rifle still slung casually over his shoulder: "Negotiating with stolen organs?" His voice carried an almost mocking disbelief behind it now too while glancing toward Vexa's mercenaries briefly before adding: "...Real professional. Anyways, we got what we needed from ya, so let us be on our way and—”

  Raliya’s entire body twitched like a live wire had just been shoved down her spine; her Miracle Eyes flaring violently again as she locked onto Giovanni with the intensity of a predator about to strike. "Give those back." she cut him off, the words coming out low, deadly as her finger already tightened around the trigger without hesitation now either:

  "Now."

  Giovanni didn’t even blink behind his mask though…just tilted head slightly while examining stolen organs carefully first before replying flatly: "...Make me."

  Alphonso let out an amused snort at this point too though; sniper rifle lifting smoothly toward Raliya's skull while muttering under his breath: "Ohhhh this is gonna be good."

  Kirsi looked between them all sharply then before stepping forward again quickly, eyes burning bright with warning aimed directly at the Traveler Bros:

  "Do not test us right now."

  Vexa just watched silently from the sidelines, still smirking faintly despite how close they were tipping over the edge into full-blown bloodshed.

  A loud metallic click echoed through the air as Alphonso removed the safety off the gun slowly.

  Everyone froze instantly except for one person who moved faster than anyone expected…