Hidden Thorns

Inside a dark corridor in a secret building, the main office of an organization of assassins can be found. The building is located in a quiet and almost deserted area, making it perfect for an organization that wishes to remain unnoticed.

The corridor is filled with mystery and tension. Each step on the cold concrete echoes through the silent surroundings. The walls are a dull gray, and the only light comes from the lights hanging from the ceiling.

At the end of the corridor is a large metal door, leading to the main office of the organization. Inside, the most skilled assassins gather and plan for their missions.

But the leader of the Nightfall Maidens, Phantom Empress, is not headed there. Phantom Empress, the strongest and most dangerous female assassin in the organization, has a different mission.

After her last mission, she was immediately summoned by Chronos, the big boss and the person who leads the organization.

Everyone she encountered in the corridor quickly stepped aside, especially when they saw the bloodstains on her clothes. Her top was almost covered in blood, and she didn't even bother to clean it.

She knocked on the door three times before entering. Inside, she saw Chronos smoking in his favorite swivel chair.

"I guess you completed your mission again, Empress," he said, turning his back to look at her.

"Yes, Chronos. The mission was a success," Phantom Empress responded, her voice steady and calm despite the bloodstains on her clothes.

Chronos exhaled a cloud of smoke, his eyes studying her. "I see. You never fail to impress me."

She gave a small nod with her expressionless face. "What's the next mission?"

He stubbed out his cigarette and leaned back in his chair. "You have to stop him, Empress. I don't care if you have to kill that bastard, as long as he won't make any necessary moves to collaborate with the Aether Vortex. And I believe you can do that without the help of the rest of your team. You're strong enough to handle this mission."

She didn't speak. She didn't even think about what he said because all she wanted was to finish her mission. Chronos thinks she's strong, and she knows he trusts her enough to handle this big mission. She has to because it's her job.

"Hey, Empress," a voice called out.

She stopped walking towards her room when she saw Cyber, one of the Nightfall Maidens members who was skilled in hacking and a technician of the organization.

She didn't say anything and just watched as Cyber approached. Cyber was known for her excitement and enthusiasm, always eager to be part of a mission.

"I'm expecting you to complete the mission, Empress. Of course, I will accompany you," Cyber clapped her hands and her eyes twinkled with amusement. "Do you know that it has always been my dream to be on a mission with you? And now, it's finally happening!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Cyber leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "But Empress, have you ever wondered why Chronos always gives you the toughest missions? Doesn't it seem... odd?"

Phantom Empress paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. She had never questioned Chronos' orders before, but Cyber's words stirred a seed of doubt in her mind. Could there be more to these missions than she initially thought?

Her suspicions were confirmed when she felt the dagger sink into her thigh. She lifted her gaze to the pair of shoes approaching her as she struggled to move due to the gunshot wounds scattered across her body.

She wouldn't have ended up in this situation if she hadn't taken a drink earlier. She trusted Cyber to assist her on the mission, and it turns out she was the traitor. She was working with the enemy's organization and at the same time, working for the Chronos Organization.

Her eyes hardened at the woman, but all she got in return was a smile. The woman knelt in front of her and roughly lifted her chin.

The coldness in her eyes was a stark contrast to the warm smile on her face. The woman's betrayal was evident, her loyalty to the enemy's organization clear as day. The pain from the dagger in her thigh and the gunshot wounds was nothing compared to the sting of betrayal. But despite the pain and betrayal, she remained defiant, her gaze unwavering. The woman may have betrayed her, but she wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of seeing her break.

She didn't expect what happened next. The woman pulled her hair as if she were a toy, and she couldn't do anything but be dragged along. She felt numb from her wounds, and even though she had been hit multiple times, she didn't care.

She couldn't see the woman's face clearly due to the heavy rain and the darkness of the surroundings, but she could make out the figure of a man standing nearby. He's smiling wickedly, looking at them with his people.

Phantom Empress suddenly felt dizzy as her opponent punched her in the face, causing her nose to bleed. However, the heavy rain quickly washed away the blood. She tried to grab her opponent's hand, but her strength was dwindling due to her injuries and the medication she had taken.

"If you kill her, you will finally be a member of my Organization. I can also put you in the highest position of the Organization, and you can freely do whatever you want."

"No need to tell me that, President. After all, this woman has been my target in the first place," she smiled at her, but the Empress remained expressionless.

"I like this expression of yours, Empress. It makes me want you more," she said boldly. The Empress bit her lower lip as she felt the knives cutting through her skin. It hurt, and for the first time, she could feel the pain. Not physically, but emotionally. Despite not being close to the other members, she still remembered their bond as a team.

"Everything... Everything is a lie, isn't it?" Phantom Empress managed to murmur, her gaze never leaving Cyber's face.

Cyber just laughed. "Oh, Empress. You're so naive. This is the real world. Trust is a luxury we can't afford."

She clenched her jaw as the pain from her wounds intensified. "You... You betrayed us. You betrayed the organization," she struggled to speak, coughing up blood from her stomach wound. She could feel herself losing consciousness.

"Betrayal is a matter of perspective, Empress," Cyber countered. "In my eyes, I'm just doing what's necessary."

Phantom Empress could only glare at her former teammate, her heart filled with a mixture of pain and betrayal. This was a harsh lesson she had to learn - in their world, trust was a dangerous weapon. And she had just been stabbed by it.

She didn't expect what Cyber did next. She grabbed her by the hair, treating her like a toy, and she couldn't do anything but be dragged along. She felt numb from her wounds, and even though she had been hit multiple times, she didn't care.

She didn't expect that Cyber, who was the weakest member of the Nightfall Maidens, could overpower her so easily. Cyber was only good at hacking computers, searching for information, and she was always the first to give up during physical training.

She didn't expect to be defeated so easily. She smiled, but that smile only wounded her pride even more. Maybe this was the last day of her life. She didn't regret her past actions because she knew she was doing what was necessary. If the government didn't care about someone like her back then, then she would seek justice herself.

And now that she had fulfilled her mission, death would be her only option. A woman like her shouldn't live happily in this cruel world because ever since she witnessed her parents being killed in front of her, she didn't know how to be happy. She no longer understood the meaning of that word.

Cyber pushed her, causing her back to hit the cold stone wall. She still had no expression, and even though she was drenched in blood, she didn't care at the moment.

"Any last words, my Empress, before you go to hell?"

She stared at Cyber, her eyes still cold. Despite the pain coursing through her body, she managed a smirk. "Fuck you, Cyber. Just don't revive me because I'll be the one to kill you."

Cyber just rolled her eyes and took her gun from the side of her ankle, pointing it at her forehead. "Don't worry, I have no plans to revive you. You will be dead in my hands, just like how you killed my beloved father."

She stared at Cyber with her cold eyes. Despite the pain coursing through her body, she managed a smirk. "Your father? I've killed many, but I don't recall anyone significant enough to be your father. Are you sure he didn't die of disappointment?"

Cyber's eyes flashed with anger, but she kept her composure. "You're lying. You know exactly who he was."

She chuckled sarcastically. "Oh, Cyber, if I had known he was your father, I would have made his death even more painful."

"Stai zitto!" (Shut up!) Cyber's voice echoed, and her grip on the gun tightened. Empress furrowed her brow slightly. Cyber was speaking in Italian, her first language.

"Why... are you an Italian?" Empress managed to speak, even though the atmosphere was almost too dangerous for her. She hadn't been assigned any missions in Italy, as most of her missions were in Asia. If Cyber's father was Italian, had she killed an Italian?

"Sei sorpresa che uno dei tuoi membri ti conosca così bene?" (Are you surprised that one of your members knows you well?) Cyber retorted in Italian. "You killed my father, Empress."

Empress' eyes widened slightly. She remembered now. A lawyer, Italian. He was the first person she had killed. He had been protecting a murderer, the murderer of her parents. She felt no remorse then, she was only sixteen.

"Un avvocato... " ( Ahh.. lawyer ) she whispered. "Your father was a lawyer."

Cyber's eyes widened for a moment, but she just smirked. "Yes, the first person you killed."

She stared at her. She had killed many people, but this was different. This was personal. "He was protecting a murderer, Cyber. He was protecting the man who killed my parents."

Cyber's look softened. "Empress," she started, speaking softly, "Isn't it strange? How our past actions can tie us together."

She paused, keeping her eyes on the Empress. "You killed my father, but I don't hate you. Somehow, you've become something I can't stop thinking about, a constant reminder of how messed up our world is."

She looked confused. "What are you saying, Cyber?"

Cyber laughed. "Isn't it strange, Empress? In a different life, in a different world, we could have been on the same side, maybe even friends."

She then lifted her gun, her eyes becoming cold again. "But this isn't that world. This is real life. And in real life, actions have consequences."

She pulled the trigger and said a word one last time before she lost consciousness.

"Arrivederci Empress, fino a quando ci incontreremo di nuovo."