The sound of gunfire had barely faded when Selene felt it the pulse of power in the air, the unmistakable sensation of something ancient and terrifying making its presence known. She knew that feeling. Knew it too well.
Viktor Kael.
The wind howled like it was mourning the loss of the world, but all Selene could hear was the pounding of her own heart. She didn't turn to Cassian, didn't even spare him a glance, though she could feel his presence at her side his body tense, his mind already calculating their next move. She knew what he was thinking, even before he spoke.
"We need to move. Now."
But even as the words left his lips, it was already too late.
A figure emerged from the shadows, stepping into the moonlight with an almost unnatural grace. Viktor Kael. His tall, imposing figure was bathed in the dim glow of the burning city behind them, the fire casting long, distorted shadows across his face. His eyes those cold, calculating eyes locked onto Selene with an intensity that could melt steel.
"Did you really think you could run forever, Selene?" Viktor's voice was low, like gravel being scraped over stone, but there was something almost.... seductively calm about it. "You can't escape who you are. Not from me. Not from this."
Her breath hitched, a cold sweat breaking out along her spine. She didn't respond, though her pulse quickened. She knew what he wanted. What he always wanted.
Cassian's hand brushed against her arm, a subtle warning to stay alert. She could feel the heat of his body against hers, the quiet strength in the way he moved, his presence a steady anchor in the chaos. But Viktor wasn't here for Cassian. Not yet. He was here for her.
"I didn't come for you, Cassian," Viktor continued, his gaze briefly flicking to him with a disdainful sneer before returning to Selene. "But since you're so conveniently in the way, perhaps I'll deal with you later."
Selene took a step forward, her heart racing, the sharpness of her knife still hanging heavily at her side. She wasn't afraid of Viktor. Not anymore. Not after everything she had done to survive. But that didn't mean she wasn't still terrified.
"You won't get what you want," she said, her voice steady even as her body trembled with the threat of what was to come. "I'm not your pawn anymore."
Viktor smiled, a slow, cruel curve of his lips that made her skin crawl. "We'll see about that."
Before she could react, he moved so fast, so viciously that it was like a blur. Selene barely had time to raise her weapon before he was in front of her, a dark presence, a shadow that consumed the light. His hand wrapped around her wrist, squeezing with bone-crushing force. She gasped, her vision blurring from the pressure as pain radiated up her arm.
"Selene," Cassian growled, his voice low and lethal. He was already moving, his gun raised, his eyes sharp as daggers. "Let her go, Viktor."
Viktor's gaze flicked to Cassian, and for a moment, there was something in his eyes a flash of recognition. A flicker of the past that neither of them were ready to face.
"It's not her you should be concerned about, Cassian," Viktor said, his voice a deadly whisper. "It's the truth."
Selene didn't understand what he meant, but it didn't matter. She wasn't going to let him control her again, not this time. With all her strength, she twisted her body, using her free hand to grab the knife at her side and thrust it upward.
Viktor's eyes widened, but he was faster. His grip on her wrist tightened, and with a brutal motion, he sent her flying backward. She crashed into the ground, her head slamming against the rough, charred earth. Stars exploded in her vision.
"Selene!" Cassian shouted, rushing toward her. But Viktor was already moving again, his foot pressing into her chest, pinning her to the ground. She gasped, struggling to breathe as the weight of his boot pressed down on her.
"You're so damn stubborn," Viktor muttered, his voice almost affectionate as he leaned down to her level, his hand cupping her chin and forcing her to look up at him. "You never learn."
"Get off her!" Cassian roared, his voice full of fury.
But Viktor only smiled, his eyes narrowing with a cold, malicious glint. "She can't escape me, Cassian. No one can. Not now. Not ever."
"Don't make me kill you," Cassian snarled, his gun raised and pointed at Viktor's head.
Viktor didn't flinch. "Go ahead. You've tried before."
Cassian hesitated. The air was thick with the tension, the space between them charged with unspoken history. The past was a heavy weight they both carried, and neither was willing to drop it. Selene could feel the connection between them, the fractured bond that had once been something more than just enemies.
"You're making a mistake," Cassian said through gritted teeth.
Viktor smirked. "I've already made it, Cassian. It's too late to stop now."
Selene's mind was spinning. The past, the present, and the future were all colliding in one catastrophic moment. She couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. She was drowning in the weight of it all.
But then, something inside her snapped. The fire that had been simmering in her chest, the fire that Viktor had once used to control her, flared up, fierce and unstoppable. She couldn't let him do this again. She wouldn't.
With every ounce of strength she had left, Selene surged upward, twisting beneath Viktor's boot and using his own momentum against him. He staggered backward, his hand releasing her as he struggled to regain his balance. She wasted no time.
In one fluid motion, she sprang to her feet, her knife in hand, and she slashed toward him with everything she had.
The world seemed to stop as the blade met its target.
Viktor's face twisted in shock as the blood began to pour from the wound on his side. His eyes flashed with a brief moment of surprise, then fury. He gritted his teeth, his breath coming in harsh gasps as he looked at her, the pain in his eyes only fueling the fire within her.
"You…" he began, his voice barely a whisper. "You'll regret this, Selene. You don't know what you've done."
She stood over him, breathing heavily, her eyes cold. "I know exactly what I've done."
Cassian's gun was still trained on Viktor, but Selene knew there was no turning back now. She had made her choice. She had finally severed the chain that had bound her to Viktor Kael.