THE DARK COVENANT

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Fifteen Years Ago.. There were three kinds of secrets. The ones people buried. The ones people protected. And the ones people were willing to kill for. Tonight... A man was running with the third. Rain lashed against the deserted streets, washing streaks of blood into the drains as he staggered through the darkness. His breathing was uneven.His white shirt, once neatly pressed, was now soaked crimson beneath a charcoal-grey coat. He didn't stop.He couldn't. Behind him, the distant growl of engines echoed through the empty streets.They were close.Too close. He tightened his grip around the worn leather satchel hanging from his shoulder. Inside it wasn't money.It wasn't gold.It wasn't power.It was something far more dangerous.The truth.The kind of truth that had destroyed families and would destroy many more if it ever fell into the wrong hands.A blood oath that ruled the city. He glanced over his shoulder. Three black SUVs emerged from the rain. Their headlights sliced through the darkness like knives.He knew who they were.He had once stood beside them.Trusted them.Believed in them. Until he discovered what The Covenant truly was.A His mistake... Was believing he could walk away. His vision blurred.Blood continued to drip from the gunshot wound beneath his ribs. Every breath burned.Every step felt heavier than the last.Yet he forced himself forward. Not for himself.For her. He finally stopped before an old bookstore hidden between two forgotten buildings. Its weathered wooden sign swayed gently in the wind. LIBRERIA AURORA A sad smile crossed his face. "So you're still standing..." he whispered. The bookstore hadn't changed. Neither had the promise he made inside it years ago.With trembling fingers, he reached into his satchel.A small brass key. Around it hung a faded leather tag. He stared at it for several seconds before kissing it softly. "If fate is kind..." "...you'll find this." Kneeling beside an old red postbox, he carefully opened a hidden compartment beneath it.He placed the key inside. Then a sealed brown envelope. On the front, he wrote only one name. AIMAARA DANEESHA His hand trembled as he traced the letters. "I'm sorry..." "...I couldn't come home."A tear mixed with the rain upon his face. The sound of car doors slamming echoed behind him.He slowly closed the compartment.Footsteps approached. Measured. Patient. Confident. He didn't turn around.There was no point. A familiar voice broke the silence. "You should have handed it over." The man smiled faintly. "It never belonged to you." "It belongs to the truth." A cold chuckle echoed through the rain. "The truth is whatever survives." The man lowered his head. "No." "The truth always waits." Even if it takes years.A pistol clicked.Metal against metal.The sound was enough.He knew his time had come.But he wasn't afraid anymore.Because the most important things was no longer in his possession. The Covenant could kill him.They could erase his name.They could burn every record of his existence.But they would never find the key.Never.He looked toward the dark sky one last time. "Aimaara..." "If we never meet again..." "I hope you'll forgive me." His eyes slowly closed. BANG! The gunshot echoed through the empty street.Silence followed.Rain continued to fall.As though the city itself was mourning someone it would never remember. Far beneath the old postbox.Hidden inside a forgotten compartment.The brass key marked 214 remained untouched.Waiting. For the day its rightful owner would finally come looking for the truth. "Every secret has a beginning. Every covenant demands a sacrifice."