SHADOWLESS LOVE

Erika stormed out of the dimly lit room, her footsteps echoing like a death knell in the hollow wooden hallway. Her eyes burned with a feral intensity, wide and untamed, as though the smallest provocation could ignite a murderous rage. A sharp sting seared her throat, but she didn't care. She didn't even bother to mask her fury behind the calm façade she so often wore like armor.

"SHADOW HUNTER!" Jae's voice cut through the tense silence, sharp and commanding. When she didn't stop, he lunged forward, grabbing her arm with a grip that spoke of desperation.

The house was hidden deep within the shadowy embrace of the forest, its weathered timbers standing as a testament to decades of secrecy. Only two structures were permitted within this secluded sanctuary of the GHOST FLEET: the chief's house and the barracks. The chief's house, where they now stood, was a fortress in disguise—a simple one-story cabin fortified with enchantments and surveillance, unbreakable by any intruder. The cold air within felt heavy, as though the walls themselves absorbed the weight of unspoken histories.

"Do you have a death wish?" Erika's voice was low, venomous, her words slicing through the air like shards of ice. Her expression froze Jae in place, his spine stiffening under the force of her glare. But he held his ground. He had to.

"Unless you want your skull flying across the room, go ahead and try to kill me," Jae retorted, his calm tone a deliberate defiance to her wrath.

She jerked her arm free from his grasp with a forceful shrug and smoothed down her worn leather hoodie, the motion calculated yet seething with irritation. Her sharp exhale seemed to make the air colder, a storm brewing just beneath her skin.

"What do you want, Kim Jae?" She asked, her voice eerily composed, though her fiery eyes betrayed her fury.

Jae hesitated, his mind racing for the right words—ones that wouldn't set her off even more. "You're not actually planning to reveal yourself after ten years in hiding, are you?" His gaze bore into hers, searching for even a flicker of emotion, a trace of humanity. But her expression hardened, her features carving into a marble mask of indifference.

"How does it concern you?" Erika's tone dropped further into icy disdain. "Are you planning to rat me out to the higher-ups again?"

Her words dripped with bitterness, a venom Jae didn't flinch from. He met her scorn head-on, his expression unshaken. "It's my responsibility to monitor your actions, Shadow Hunter," he replied evenly.

Erika's eyes narrowed. She pulled down the high collar of her hoodie, revealing the stark, jagged scar that ran across her neck, a cruel reminder of iron shackles that once choked the life out of her. The sight of it felt like a punch to Jae's gut, though his face betrayed nothing.

"And because of your fucking responsibility..." Her voice cracked, raw with hatred, as she pointed at the scar. "I can never forget just how selfish and heartless humans can be."

The words hit Jae harder than any physical blow. A lump formed in his throat, but he swallowed it down, his calm demeanor faltering for the briefest moment.

Erika stepped back, her gaze cold and unyielding. The shadows from the flickering lantern above danced across her face, highlighting the hardness of someone who had lived through unimaginable pain. She looked every bit the predator she was trained to be, yet beneath the surface was a wound that refused to heal.

"It was part of my mission," Jae murmured softly, almost apologetically.

Erika's bitter laugh echoed through the room like broken glass. "Sure it was, Assistant Jae," she spat, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"It was your fault for trusting anyone in the GHOST FLEET," Jae said, his words cold and cutting.

The past rushed over her like a tide. The Snake Island massacre. His betrayal. The six months of imprisonment that followed—six months of endless darkness and torture, where the fire in her heart was the only thing keeping her alive. She had trusted him, the one person she thought she could rely on. And he had broken her.

Her silence was deafening. Jae shifted uncomfortably under her piercing gaze, but his expression remained composed.

"What do you have to say to me?" She finally asked, her voice steady but with an edge sharp enough to draw blood.

Jae took a breath. "Are you planning to return as your real self? Everyone thinks you're dead."

Erika scoffed, the sound devoid of humor. "It doesn't matter. No one remembers me. No one cares to remember."

Her words cut deeper than she intended, and for a moment, her own thoughts betrayed her. Memories of a life she left behind clawed at her resolve. A fiancé. A life she once dared to dream of. A future she foolishly believed in.

But it was gone. All of it. And so was the person she used to be.

"Focus on your duties, Kim Jae," she said coldly, pulling herself back to the present. "You won't find any flaws in me no matter how much you dig."

Jae's narrowed eyes followed her as she turned to leave. His voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Don't die."

Her shoulders stiffened. For a moment, a fragile stillness settled between them. Erika didn't turn around, nor did she respond. Whatever expression crossed her face in that moment, Jae could only imagine.

But one thing was clear. Under her icy exterior, her heart still carried scars deeper than any blade could carve.