From a distant rooftop, I watched her.
Safe.
Alive.
That was enough.
My phone buzzed.
New mission.
New target.
I packed my gear, closing the case.
Inside, a pressed white lily remained—a piece of the life I left behind.
“I protect what matters,” I murmured.
As I turned, I found a card in my pocket—one I hadn’t placed there.
An invitation.
A message in red ink:
We’ve been waiting for you, Phoenix.
I smiled faintly.
They thought they were inviting me in.
They had no idea what they had just unleashed.
