A Phantom on the Run?

Kai stood before Lucian and Varian, arms crossed.

“The Crimson Hand wants me to join or die,” he said. “What’s our move?”

Lucian smirked. “That’s up to you, Phantom. But if you ask me…” He flicked a coin in the air. “They underestimated you. That’s a mistake we can use.”

Kai narrowed his eyes. “Meaning?”

Varian leaned forward, his dagger tapping against the table. “They think you’re a stray dog looking for a pack. Let’s show them you’re a wolf that hunts alone.”

Kai nodded. It was time to turn the game on them.

A Warning in Blood

That night, the first body dropped.

A Crimson Hand enforcer was found in an alley, his throat slit—a silver coin pressed into his palm.

By morning, two more were dead.

The message was clear.

Kai wasn’t running. He was hunting.

Lena’s golden eyes burned with curiosity as she read the reports.

So… the Phantom bites back.

She smiled. “Then let’s see how well he fights when cornered.”

With a flick of her wrist, she passed a sealed letter to a waiting assassin.

“Deliver this to our contact. The real fun is about to begin.”

The Betrayal

Kai returned to the hideout, wiping the blood from his dagger.

Lucian was waiting, his usual smirk missing.

“We have a problem.”

Kai frowned. “What?”

Varian stepped forward, tossing a parchment on the table.

It bore a single symbol.

A black X inside a crimson circle.

Kai’s eyes darkened.

The Mark of Death.

Varian’s voice was grim. “Someone sold you out.”

Kai clenched his fists. “Who?”

Lucian sighed. “That’s the problem. We don’t know yet. But the Crimson Hand put a bounty on your head.”

Kai smirked. “Let them come.”

Varian shook his head. “You don’t get it. This isn’t just an execution order.”

Lucian finished the thought. “This is a public hunt. Every bounty hunter, rogue assassin, and mercenary in Eldoria is coming for you.”

A flicker of something dark passed through Kai’s eyes.

Good.

Because he was about to show this city why they should fear the Silver Phantom.

TO BE CONTINUED…