The forest was a blur of white.
Snow whipped across Luca's face as he ran beside Adrian through the freezing darkness. His lungs burned with every breath, and the cold air stabbed into his chest.
Behind them, flashlights cut through the storm.
Viktor and his men were getting closer.
"Faster!" Adrian shouted.
Luca pushed himself harder, his boots sinking deep into the thick snow. The wind howled like a warning through the trees.
Ahead of them, the ridge appeared.
A steep cliff overlooking the frozen valley below.
Luca skidded to a stop.
"You want us to jump off that?" he yelled over the storm.
Adrian turned, scanning the forest.
Figures were already emerging between the trees.
They had seconds.
Adrian grabbed Luca's arm.
"Trust me."
Before Luca could respond—
Bang!
A gunshot echoed through the forest.
Adrian suddenly jerked forward.
Luca's eyes widened.
"Adrian!"
Dark blood spread quickly across Adrian's shoulder, staining the white snow beneath his feet.
Another shot rang out, hitting the tree beside Luca.
Viktor stepped out from the trees, his gun still raised.
Even in the storm, his smile was visible.
"I told you," Viktor called out calmly. "The snow remembers every step."
Adrian clenched his teeth, gripping his wounded shoulder.
"We don't have time," he whispered to Luca.
Luca shook his head.
"You're bleeding."
"I've been through worse."
Viktor slowly approached, his men spreading out behind him.
"Don't move," Viktor said casually. "I'd hate to damage the key before retrieving it."
Luca's anger flared.
"You're insane."
Viktor chuckled.
"Maybe."
He pointed the gun directly at Luca's chest.
"But the Syndicate wants what's inside you."
The wind roared louder, pushing snow across the cliff edge.
Adrian leaned close to Luca and whispered something quickly.
Luca's eyes widened.
"You're crazy," Luca said.
Adrian smirked faintly.
"Probably."
Then he grabbed Luca's wrist tightly.
Viktor frowned slightly.
"What are you doing?"
Adrian stepped backward toward the cliff edge.
"Ending your hunt."
Before Viktor could react—
Adrian pulled Luca with him.
And they jumped.
The world vanished in a rush of cold air and falling snow.
Luca felt himself falling through darkness, the storm swallowing them completely.
Above the cliff, Viktor ran forward and stopped at the edge.
He looked down into the deep valley below.
Nothing but endless snow.
For a long moment, the storm was the only sound.
Then Viktor sighed softly.
"What a shame," he muttered.
He turned back toward his men.
But as he walked away, something strange happened.
Far below the cliff…
A faint movement stirred beneath the snow.
And a single drop of blood slowly spread across the white surface.