"Hey! What are you two doing back here?"
Evryn turned his head to see a broad-shouldered man approaching. His outfit had that sleek, effortless style—he wore a short, sandstone-colored coat with folded lapels, left unbuttoned to reveal a fitted black shirt underneath. The coat stopped just at his waist, perfectly paired with slim black pants and polished boots. It was the kind of look that blended authority with sharp street fashion, something straight out of a high-end catalog.
He had medium-length blond hair, slightly tousled, and deep, dark brown eyes—so dark they could almost be mistaken for black.
Crap, this doesn't look good.
"Ah, I was told to head back here because I thought we were supposed to put our weapons here." Evryn scratched the back of his head, trying to play it cool.
The man didn't buy it. His gaze swept over Evryn and Razek, eyes narrowing as he assessed them.
"I'm going to need you two to come with me."
You have to be kidding me… Evryn paused, weighing his options. Talking his way out seemed unlikely. Maybe he could make a run for it—no, that would ruin everything.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted them.
Two other men stood at the entrance, both dressed in identical outfits—sandstone-colored coats, black shirts, and matching pants. Their stance was firm, their eyes locked on him and Razek.
There really is no way out of this, is there?
Evryn sighed, lifting his hands in surrender. Razek, looking equally defeated, followed suit.
The men began walking toward them before reaching out their hands.
Evryn looked up, confused about what the man was planning to do—
The men soon placed bags over their heads. A strong, pungent scent filled Evryn's nose, making his body weaken. He heard Razek's muffled screams as he struggled to fight back before the sounds abruptly stopped.
Evryn didn't even try to resist—he couldn't. His entire body felt drowsy and woozy. His vision blurred, and his hearing dulled.
He felt his body collapse to the ground, yet he didn't feel any pain. It was as if his whole system was becoming numb.
The muffled voices of the men echoed in his ears, but he couldn't make out what they were saying—until one sentence cut through the haze.
"One of them was talking about the Black Suns."
This isn't good… Evryn's mind was too weak to even piece together coherent thoughts. Even those began to fade.
Before long, Evryn's mind drifted into nothingness.
…
Everything around Evryn was black. He couldn't see anything, but slowly, he began to feel his body again.
He was sitting in a chair, his arms pulled behind him. His wrists felt bound, tied to something. He moved his fingers slightly—and to his surprise, he felt skin.
The sudden sensation made him jerk in place, startling him.
"W-who's there…?"
"It's me."
Evryn immediately recognized the voice.
"Razek…"
The bags were still over their heads, and from what Evryn could gather, they were tied back-to-back on chairs.
"Good to know you're here with me…"
"Do you know where we are?"
Is he seriously asking me that?
Evryn's tone turned sarcastic. "Hmm, I wonder where we could possibly be." He raised his voice. "I don't know, maybe we got kidnapped and are tied up in some random room!"
Razek gasped. "What are they going to do to us?"
"Like I—"
A voice cut through the room.
"If you two don't shut up, something bad will happen to you!"
Evryn turned his head slightly. The voice came from the far right corner of the room, but it sounded… familiar.
"Well, I need to know what's going to happen to us," Razek muttered. "My body isn't free, you know."
Evryn's eye twitched. Is he seriously talking like this when we're tied up, with who knows what about to happen?
"I get that I'm a good-looking young man, but you can't just tie me up like this without paying me first."
What is wrong with him!
"I told you two to shut up!" The man hit something, making a loud noise that echoed through the room.
Evryn spoke quickly. "I'm not talking! That's him! I'm sitting here being quiet."
"Hey! You can't just throw me under the bus like that!" Razek rattled in his chair, making a fuss.
"What do you even want from us?!"
Before long, they felt a splash of ice-cold water drench them.
Both Evryn and Razek coughed and sputtered.
Evryn's body began to shake, his teeth clattering together. "S-so… cold…"
Razek whimpered softly. "My clothes… noooo."
"I told you two to keep quiet!" the man barked. "Stay quiet until she arrives."
The room fell into an eerie silence. The only sound that filled the space was the faint, steady drip of water falling from their soaked clothes.
How much longer are we going to have to wait…
For Evryn, it felt like an eternity sitting in that chair—his clothes clinging to his skin, the damp chill seeping through. But worst of all… his socks were wet.
This is truly torture…
The whole situation was beyond irritating. His patience was running thin, and the longer he sat there doing nothing, the closer he felt to losing his mind.
Suddenly, a soft hiss echoed from behind him.
A door.
Footsteps followed—two pairs, maybe more.
"M'lady!" The man's voice, the same one who had drenched them moments ago, had completely changed. The harshness was gone, replaced by a tone dripping with reverence.
Oh great… Evryn thought, his lips curling into a half-scowl. Let me guess—she walks in, and suddenly everyone's kissing her boots like she's some queen
A dull thud sounded in front of Evryn, the distinct noise of a chair being placed down.
Another sound followed, slightly heavier—likely a crate.
Then, breaking the heavy silence, an elegant and smooth voice filled the room.
"Remove the bags."
A firm grip tightened around the edge of the bags before they were yanked off.
Evryn squinted as a dim, hazy light flooded his vision, forcing his eyes to adjust. The room was nothing special—wooden crates stacked haphazardly from one corner to the other. Dust lingered in the air, illuminated by the faint glow from an old hanging light overhead.
His eyes drifted toward the source of the man's voice earlier. The guy had made himself comfortable, sitting lazily atop one of the crates, his posture much more relaxed now. But Evryn's attention quickly shifted to the woman sitting across from them.
She was perched on a chair with her legs crossed, propped up casually on a nearby crate. Her skin was tanned—really tanned. Almost flawless, like the kind of tan you'd expect after lounging on a beach for weeks. Way too nice for someone running a shady operation in a backroom like this…
Her hair was jet-black, falling just to her neck, with three stray strands sticking out to her right side. Her lips were smooth and soft, shaped with an elegance that felt out of place in this dingy room. But what stood out the most were her eyes—a striking yellowish hue that almost seemed to glow faintly in the dim light.
A thin trail of smoke drifted through the air from the pipe she held between her fingers.
She wore a red jacket that barely covered down past her chest, leaving just enough to tease while maintaining an air of danger. Bandages were tightly wrapped around her chest, pulling her breasts in uncomfortably—how the hell is she even breathing like that?
Her black shorts looked worn and slightly frayed, having clearly seen better days. The whole outfit was a strange mix of allure and roughness, making her seem both dangerous and captivating. "So, what were you two boys doing back there in that hallway?" she asked, taking a slow puff from her pipe, the smoke swirling lazily in the air.
Evryn blinked, trying to focus, but his mind wasn't cooperating. He was completely thrown off—not just by the situation but by… her feet.
They were right there, propped up on the crate in front of him like they owned the place. And for some reason, Evryn couldn't help but notice… too much.
Her feet were ridiculously perfect. Smooth, tanned skin with a slight sheen, like she had just walked out of a spa. Her toes were slender and neatly aligned, with nails painted a glossy black that somehow managed to look both elegant and dangerous.
The arches of her feet were high and delicate, curving just enough to make them look like they belonged on some goddess of seduction rather than a woman holding him hostage. Even the faint lines running down her soles had an almost artistic symmetry.
Why the hell am I noticing all of this? Evryn's face twitched, his eye slightly narrowing as he tried to look anywhere else. But it was like his brain had locked onto them.
Are those… battle-hardened feet or pampered ones? The thought hit him before he could stop it. Do criminals even have time to take care of their feet like this?
"Hey!" Razek's muffled voice broke through Evryn's internal crisis.
Evryn snapped back to reality, his face slightly flushed as he quickly looked away.
What the hell is wrong with me?
But damn… those were really nice feet.
One of the men raised his voice at Razek, "Hey! Don't talk when—"
He stopped mid-sentence as the woman raised her right hand, signaling for him to calm down. The room fell into a brief silence.
She took another slow puff from her pipe, her gaze never leaving them. Her eyes gleamed with that unsettling calmness.
"Now, would you like to tell us what you two were doing back there?" she asked, her tone smooth and almost teasing, as if this was all some game to her.