The cistern was silent now. The chaos of the explosion, the clash of fists and steel, the shouts—it was all gone. Only water dripped, slow and steady, echoing through the ancient chamber like the ticking of some unseen clock.And then—movement.A hand broke through the rubble, pale against the wet stone. Fingers curled, dragging rock aside with unnatural strength. Another hand followed, and then a face emerged, streaked with dust and blood but smiling as though none of it mattered.Lazarus pulled himself free of the wreckage.His golden eyes gleamed even in the pitch dark, burning with a light that wasn’t human. He exhaled once, brushing dust from his jacket, his motions calm, deliberate.“They thought that would kill me,” he murmured to himself, his voice carrying strangely in the hollow cistern. “Sang-woo’s desperation. Devin’s precision. And Soo-ah…”He paused, tasting the name like a fine wine.“Soo-ah.”The syllables rolled off his tongue with reverence and hunger, as if speaking
The night air in Istanbul was alive with noise—sirens wailing in the distance, the hum of traffic, and the occasional bark of stray dogs. But for Soo-ah, everything felt muffled, like he was moving underwater. His body was still trembling from the collapse, the taste of dust and iron lingering on his tongue.Sang-woo’s hand never left his arm, fingers digging in just enough to remind him that he was there, solid and unyielding. Devin walked a step ahead, silent, eyes sweeping every shadowed corner of the alley.They moved quickly, cutting through narrow streets lit only by flickering lamps and neon signs. Istanbul’s beauty was lost on them tonight—its ancient stones, its bustling markets, its golden domes. For them, it was only a labyrinth of escape routes and dangers.After what felt like hours, Devin finally ducked into a narrow doorway hidden between two shuttered shops. The inside smelled faintly of oil and old wood. A safehouse.The door shut behind them with a heavy thud. Devin
The cistern groaned like a dying beast, stone splitting with a thunderous crack. Water surged, black and cold, rushing into the broken walkways. The echo of the explosion still lingered in Soo-ah’s ears, a ringing that drowned out the chaos for a heartbeat—until Sang-woo’s grip on his arm dragged him back to reality.“MOVE!” Sang-woo’s voice was hoarse, raw from shouting. His body shielded Soo-ah instinctively, every step brutal with urgency.Devin was ahead, his movements sharp and calculating even in the chaos. He cut down a man who had stumbled free from Lazarus’s trance, then vaulted over a fallen stone column, landing in a spray of water. “This way! The charges opened a breach in the northern wall!”Yoon-min’s frantic voice cracked through the comms, distorted with static:“You’ve got thirty seconds before the entire structure caves in! If you’re not out by then, I can’t—”The line fizzled, dead.Soo-ah’s chest heaved, every breath burning as the rising water dragged at his legs.
The cistern roared alive with chaos. Gunfire cracked, ricocheting off stone columns. Shadows leapt across the rippling black water as the masked men charged.Sang-woo fired first, the muzzle flash lighting his face with raw fury. Two of Lazarus’s men went down, bodies crashing into the shallow water, but more surged forward, relentless.“SOO-AH, KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN!” Sang-woo bellowed, his voice like thunder.Soo-ah dropped, his back pressed against the cold stone, but his eyes locked on Lazarus. The man didn’t flinch at the bullets, didn’t even look at the carnage around him. He stood calm, almost amused, as though the fight was nothing but theater staged for him alone.Devin was a blur of precision—knife in one hand, pistol in the other. He slipped between shadows, striking with surgical efficiency, every movement controlled. Blood sprayed, shouts echoed, and still his eyes kept darting toward Soo-ah, as if gauging whether Lazarus would make his move.Yoon-min’s panicked voice rang
The Basilica Cistern was not meant for footsteps. Every sound—every boot scraping against stone, every shallow breath—echoed as if amplified by the cavernous space. Shadows stretched endlessly between the rows of marble columns, their reflections fractured in the dark waters below.Soo-ah walked in the middle, every muscle in his body tight. His fingers brushed against the railing, knuckles white. He couldn’t forget Devin’s words from the night before: Because you’re not empty.But as they moved deeper into the cistern, doubt clawed at him. What if Lazarus was right? What if he was weak enough to break?Devin walked ahead, confident, movements precise. Sang-woo trailed behind, hand close to the gun at his side, eyes scanning every angle. Yoon-min’s voice hummed in their earpieces from the surveillance van parked blocks away.“You’re clear so far. No heat signatures. But I don’t like it—it’s too clean.”Devin muttered, “He’s baiting us.”“Then why walk in?” Sang-woo snapped.Devin’s sm
The night in Istanbul was restless. Cars honked, voices echoed from the alleyways, and the Bosphorus glimmered under the moonlight like liquid silver. Yet inside the safehouse, silence pressed heavier than the city’s noise.Everyone knew tomorrow could change everything.Soo-ah sat alone by the window, staring at the distant lights across the strait. His reflection on the glass looked pale, haunted, too thin from sleepless nights. The others had turned in for a few hours of rest, but his mind wouldn’t allow it.Every time his eyes closed, Lazarus’s voice followed. Whispering. Promising. Threatening.A shadow shifted behind him.“You’re not sleeping again.”He turned. Devin stood there, arms crossed, his dark coat draped loosely over his shoulders. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes—those sharp, calculating eyes—studied Soo-ah like he was a puzzle.“I don’t have the luxury,” Soo-ah muttered.Devin stepped closer. “You’ll need it. Tomorrow won’t forgive hesitation.”“Tomorrow…”