Page 127 of Emperor of Havoc

The darkness is overwhelming, moonlight barely filtering through the dense foliage of the overgrown shrubbery above. My grip tightens on my gun, my senses on high alert. Every step forward feels like I’m walking deeper into an ethereal darkness, the narrow paths twisting unpredictably, the hedges pressing closer .

“Marianna!” Jin’s voice echoes again, distant, unhinged. “Come back!”

The madness in his tone makes me pick up the pace, adrenaline surging as I round each bewildering corner. The maze is disorienting, the paths winding and endless, twisting at odd, random angles. My pulse roars in my ears, every shadow setting my nerves on edge.

My heart leaps into my throat when a gunshot shatters the silence, followed by another. Then a third, together with a grunt of pain. I break into a run, my breath ragged as I navigate the labyrinth, my sense of direction completely gone. I dodge left and right, trying to home in on the source.

When I finally burst into a small clearing, the sight stops me cold. Mitsugi lies spread-eagled on the ground, blood pooling beneath him. His lifeless eyes stare up at the sky, his face frozen in an expression of shock.

“Takeshi!” Kolya roars from the distance, his voice filled with urgency.

“It’s Mitsugi!” I yell back, my voice raw. Crouching by the body, I check for a pulse I know I won’t find. The body is still warm, but he’s gone, his neck sliced clean across and a stab wound through his chest.

There's a faint rustle behind me. I spin, gun raised, just as a blade splits the air. I throw myself to the side, the weapon slicing through the empty space where I’d just been standing. A figure lunges at me and I fire, the gunshot deafening. The shadow recoils, darting into the darkness of the maze.

“Fuck!” I hiss, pushing to my feet and bolting after him.

My legs burn as I sprint after him, my breath uneven. The narrow paths twist and turn, stray branches from the hedges clawing at me as I move. I round a corner, my eyes scanning wildly.

He’s gone.

The silence closes in again, oppressive and smothering.

I have to find her before that maniac does.

…And something tells me I’m running out of time.

41

KATARINA

Gunshots pierce the silence,shattering the night. My pulse slams against my ribs as I skid to a stop, whirling toward the sound.

The gun goes off again. Then suddenly, I hear it.

“Takeshi!”

My heart lurches.

It’s my father’s voice, calling for the man I love.

For a second my mind can’t even process it, cannot accept it’s actually happening.

“It’s Mitsugi!” Takeshi roars back.

Hope blooms in my chest like a flower desperately clawing its way up through cracks in the pavement.

They’re here. My father and Takeshi arehere.

Hearing my father was one thing. But the dark tone of Takeshi’s voice hits me like a bolt of lightning, electrifying every nerve inmy body. The words themselves barely register: all I can focus on is that Takeshi ishere, so close, just beyond the twisting paths of this hellish maze.

“Fuck!” Takeshi’s roar and then a grunt slice through the air, chilling me to my bones. I don’t hesitate, just bolt forward, sprinting toward the sound, my legs pumping furiously as dry leaves and brittle twigs crunch beneath my feet.

I hear Takeshi yell again, his voice extending through the darkness like a lifeline.

I run harder, faster, the blood pounding in my ears so hard it almost drowns out the sound of him. He’s so close now I can hear his footsteps crunching through the leaves. My chest burns with the effort but I push through, my desperation to reach him eclipsing everything else.

I want to scream his name. I’ve wished for my voice back foryears, for a thousand different reasons, sometimes so badly I can taste it on my tongue.

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