Chapter 15
892 Words
đź“– CHAPTER 15: He Chose Her Once Before
The fourth hit shattered the door open.
Metal bent inward violently.
Smoke and dust filled the room instantly.
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Mira stepped back in fear.
Elara’s heart slammed against her ribs.
And Adrian—
Didn’t move.
⸻
Three armed figures entered first.
Black uniforms.
Expressionless masks.
Cold precision.
Behind them, more footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Too many.
⸻
One of them spoke immediately:
“Subject Elena Vale will be transferred.”
Adrian’s voice cut through the room calmly.
“No.”
Just one word.
But the entire atmosphere shifted.
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The lead operative tilted his head slightly.
“Resistance confirmed.”
Adrian slipped the silver device into his palm.
Still calm.
Still terrifyingly controlled.
⸻
Elara whispered, “Adrian…”
Without looking at her, he answered quietly:
“When I tell you to run, you run.”
Her frustration flared instantly.
“You cannot keep doing that!”
“Yes,” he said calmly.
“I can.”
⸻
The operatives advanced.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like they already understood Adrian was dangerous.
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One of them suddenly moved—
Fast.
Too fast.
Straight toward Elara.
⸻
Adrian intercepted instantly.
The silver device activated with a sharp pulse of blue light—
The operative crashed sideways into the wall hard enough to c***k it.
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Elara stared.
“…what the hell was THAT?!”
No answer.
Another operative lunged.
Adrian disarmed him with brutal precision.
Not messy.
Not emotional.
Efficient.
Like he’d done this too many times before.
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Mira whispered under her breath:
“He’s overusing it…”
Elara turned sharply.
“Overusing what?”
Mira looked horrified she’d spoken out loud.
But before she could answer—
The lead operative raised a weapon.
Pointed directly at Elara.
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Everything stopped.
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Adrian’s expression changed instantly.
Not calm anymore.
Dangerous.
Truly dangerous.
⸻
The operative spoke coldly:
“Step aside.”
Adrian moved slightly in front of her.
Completely shielding her body.
“No.”
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Elara’s breathing hitched.
Because this didn’t feel strategic anymore.
It felt personal.
⸻
The operative adjusted aim.
“Final warning.”
Adrian’s voice lowered.
“If you touch her…”
A pause.
Then:
“…I will kill every person you brought into this building.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
⸻
Even the operatives paused slightly.
Because he meant it.
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Elara looked at him in shock.
That was the first openly violent thing she had ever heard him say.
And somehow…
It sounded less like anger and more like certainty.
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The operative fired.
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Elara gasped—
But Adrian moved faster.
The blue pulse exploded outward again.
The bullet shifted direction midair—
Slamming into the ceiling instead.
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The room froze.
Even the operatives looked stunned.
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Elara stared at him.
“…that’s impossible.”
Adrian’s breathing had changed slightly now.
Less controlled.
Like the device was costing him something.
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Mira whispered urgently:
“Adrian, stop using it!”
He ignored her.
Eyes still fixed on the operatives.
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Then the lead operative spoke again.
Different tone this time.
Not confident anymore.
Interested.
“So the rumors were true.”
Elara frowned.
“What rumors?”
No answer.
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Another operative activated a comm device.
“Requesting authorization for Phase Black.”
Mira went pale instantly.
“No…”
Adrian’s expression darkened sharply.
“Get her out. Now.”
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Mira grabbed Elara’s wrist immediately.
But Elara resisted.
“What is Phase Black?!”
No one answered.
Which meant it was bad.
Very bad.
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The operatives suddenly stepped back instead of forward.
That scared Adrian more than the attack itself.
Elara saw it instantly.
His eyes sharpened.
Calculating.
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Then—
A low mechanical sound echoed through the building.
Deep.
Heavy.
Alive.
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Elara’s stomach dropped.
“What was that?”
Adrian looked toward the hallway slowly.
And for the first time since meeting him—
She saw genuine fear flicker across his face.
Only for a second.
But it was there.
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Then he said quietly:
“They brought a Hunter.”
Silence.
Mira whispered immediately:
“That’s impossible. They were decommissioned.”
“They lied,” Adrian replied.
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The sound grew louder.
Metal scraping against the floor somewhere outside the room.
Slow.
Intentional.
Like something large was moving closer.
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Elara’s voice dropped.
“…what’s a Hunter?”
No one answered immediately.
Then Adrian looked directly at her.
And said:
“The reason none of the other children survived.”
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The world stopped.
⸻
Another memory slammed into Elara violently—
Red emergency lights.
Children crying.
A massive shadow moving through smoke—
And Adrian holding her tightly as he ran.
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Elara gasped sharply.
The memory felt stronger this time.
Realer.
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She looked at him instantly.
“You carried me out.”
His eyes met hers.
Silence.
Then a quiet answer:
“Yes.”
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Another loud metallic step echoed closer.
The room itself almost vibrated.
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Mira pulled Elara harder now.
“We have to go!”
But Elara couldn’t stop staring at Adrian.
Because suddenly—
She understood something terrifying.
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He hadn’t saved her by accident ten years ago.
He chose her.
Even back then.
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And judging by the look in his eyes now—
He would choose her again.
Even if it destroyed him.
⸻
- Writer
