[One Week Ago – Japan]
The streets of Osaka were wet with rain, neon signs flickering in the distance. Rokuro’s breath came out in ragged bursts as he ran barefoot, his expensive suit shredded and soaked. His eyes darted back over his shoulder every few seconds, pupils wide with sheer terror.
Somewhere in the shadows, footsteps followed. Calm. Unhurried. The sound of a cane tapping against the asphalt echoed unnervingly through the empty street.
“Stay away from me!” Rokuro shouted, his voice breaking. He turned into an alley—dead end.
The figure stepped into the dim light. The trench coat was dripping with rainwater, the brim of the fedora hiding most of his face. Only a cruel smile could be seen.
“W-we can talk! I can give you money—”
A gloved hand gripped Rokuro by the collar and slammed him against the wall with bone-snapping force. The man drew a thin blade—almost surgical in precision—and in one fluid motion, cut through him like paper. Blood splattered across the brick, steaming in the cold air.
Rokuro slid to the ground, twitching. The woman crouched, whispered something too low to hear… then drove the blade clean through his skull. The body went still.
The rain washed most of the blood away, but the alley still smelled like copper.
[Present – Italy, outskirts of Naples]
The Ravenfall five—Luce, Ishaan, Lev, Sayaka, Raiden—and the Inner Circle advanced on the crumbling villa where Leonardo’s men had traced Yuriko.
They expected a fight. Instead… silence.
The front doors creaked open under Luce’s push. The smell hit first—rot, iron, something sickly sweet.
Yuriko lay sprawled across the marble floor, her once-pristine black dress torn and drenched in blood. Her face was half-burned, eyes wide open, lips frozen mid-scream. A jagged wound ran from her collarbone to her stomach, deep enough to reveal glimpses of bone. Both wrists were broken at unnatural angles, as though someone had tortured her before the final blow.
Sayaka stopped cold. Raiden’s jaw clenched. Neither said anything.
Lev muttered under his breath, “…brutal.”
Ishaan crouched to inspect the scene. “Whoever did this… didn’t just want her dead. They wanted to make a statement.”
[COMA HQ – Apex Division]
Elda Korugane’s phone buzzed. One of her deep-cover spies in Japan spoke fast:
「コルガネ様、ロクロウは一週間前に殺されました……残酷な処刑でした。目撃者はいません。」
[“Korugane-sama, Rokuro was killed… one week ago. Brutal execution. No witnesses.”]
Before she could process that, another call came in—secure line. She answered.
A deep, gravelly voice came through, aged but still carrying command:
“Elda… my last warning. Don’t test my patience. COMA is not your playground—it’s mine. Treat everyone equally… or there will be no Korugane in the future.”
Her fingers tightened around the phone. She knew that voice.
“…Howard Valgrave.”
She almost dropped the phone.
The line clicked, and another call—this time conference, with Irina Volkova and Sylus Morozov.
Howard’s voice again:
“Both of you… your period is over. Stop meddling in things you shouldn’t. Go… enjoy your remaining days on this earth.”
Even Sylus, usually unshakable, shivered. “Understood.”
[Private Room – Valgrave Estate]
Howard: “Everyone leave. I want to speak to Gianluca alone.”
When the door shut, Howard’s voice exploded:
“YOU BASTARD… I already lost my daughter Amelia, and you—YOU pushed him way too hard!”
Gianluca kept his gaze steady. “I did what I thought was necessary.”
216Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmYtPREWUx
Howard slammed a fist on the table. “Necessary?! He thinks Lev Morozov and Erik Falk are his brothers. He thinks he’s the Seraph Falk Dragunov!”
Gianluca shook his head. “No. He still thinks he’s Moretti.”
Gianluca hesitated. “…He doesn’t know the truth.”
Howard’s voice cracked with both rage and grief. “He is Luciano Valgrave. Amelia Valgrave’s boy. And then Natalia and Dietrich promised me they would protect Luce… but they couldn’t live to see that day.”
Howard’s tone hardened.
“Never let him know he’s a Valgrave. Understood? And no more missions. Let them study. Let them enjoy their youth… For once in his life… let him breathe.”
[Italy – Safehouse]
Veer stirred awake in his cot. Ishaan was right there—holding up his phone, grinning. Veer’s face, upside-down and drooling from the rescue mission, was now Ishaan’s lock screen.
“Delete that.”
“Nope,” Ishaan said, snapping another pic.
Chaos erupted—Avni laughing, Dev choking on his coffee, Erik hiding his face in embarrassment.
In the corner, Luce and Lev sat with Sayaka and Raiden.
Luce: “Whether she was a good or bad mother… she was still your mother.”
Raiden just nodded. Sayaka’s lips trembled but she didn’t cry.
Then Avni’s voice cut in: “Wait—Yuriko’s dead?”
Luce pulled out his phone and dialed. “Elda Korugane—”
But the voice that answered wasn’t hers.
Gianluca.
Luce: “Why the hell are you picking up? I want COMA’s head, not—”
Gianluca: “She’s busy. We killed Yuriko.”
Luce: “…Then why send twenty members if you were going to kill her anyway?”
Silence.
Something didn’t add up—but the mission was technically over. Time to head back to Valgrave HQ.
[Airport – Departure Scene]
Ishaan crossed his arms. “I’m not leaving. I don’t need classes—I need missions.”
Everyone cracked up.
Leonardo stepped forward and hugged Ishaan tightly. “Addio, figlioccio.”216Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCt5pWrz2G7
Ishaan blinked. “…God… son?!”
Ishaan clung to him dramatically. “Nooo, don’t make me go! I’m being kidnapped!”
Leonardo laughed, tears in his eyes. “Be good… godson.”
“No, no, no — I’m staying here!” Ishaan shouted as Leonardo tried to push him toward the transport. “No classes! Just missions!”216Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1IOFEJZI0
Leonardo just chuckled and gave him a light shove. Ishaan went out the door flailing like he was being dragged to his own funeral.
Ishaan: “Goodbye… god daddy.”
Luce: “…Never say that again.”
[Post-Scene – Unknown Location]
From a rooftop two blocks from the airport, two figures stood side by side, watching Ravenfall board their flight. The wind caught their coats, revealing matching family crests embroidered inside—Valgrave.
The Female exhaled smoke. “So… that’s our little cousin.”
The Male’s voice was smooth, almost amused. “Luce has no idea. Neither do his friends.”
“Not yet,” the Female said. “But they will… when the time is right.”
Between them, a photograph of Yuriko’s mutilated body fluttered in the breeze—along with another photo: Rokuro, dead in the Osaka alley. Both marked with the same crimson symbol.
The male pocketed the photos. “Family reunions are always… messy.”
They disappeared into the night.
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and then Add to home screen.