Even as the car navigated through the bustling streets of Punta Luzbel, a city which Koral had never seen before, the girl found herself utterly disconnected from her surroundings.

  The vibrant color of the sea shimmering in the distance, or the bustling sounds of honking horns as well as the people going around with their day amidst the disheveled streets —none of them managed to evoke any sense of childlike curiosity in Koral, too emotionally stunted to derive any interest from them.

  She simply held her head low as old man Apollo continued driving silently with only his right hand —the only one he had.

  An entire day had come to pass since her world had been torn asunder, since the flames of hell had engulfed her life, leaving only charred remains of what once was. Koral’s heart remained trapped in a state of rigor mortis, unable to find even the faintest glimmer of solace amidst the ashes.

  Kirana’s tangible and still form was now beyond her reach, robbed from her after committing so many unspeakable atrocities, and piled among the scorched corpses of her murderers. Whatever fate awaited their bodies was one that the blonde’s fractured mind could scarcely even begin to fathom —nor did she want to.

  Most of the dark hours had been brimming with night terrors and nightmares, refusing to leave her head even as the rays of the sun replaced the light of the moon. Apollo had seen that she received the most basic of medical treatments —taking the shape of bandages that now encircled her head, completely obscuring her ruined left eye; yet the excruciating phantom of pain had begun its relentless haunting the moment adrenaline was drained from her veins.

  She could now name the place where the kidnappers had taken them to —Punta Luzbel, the city ruled and enforced by the Medula Cartel. Police held no true authority here, and the corners of alleys where full of old tales of brutality and their twisted manner of retribution. Naturally, her fate would have been very swiftly decided in a merciless manner if not for Apollo’s intervention.

  Not like she particularly cared too much. In the hollowed chambers of her heart, Koral found herself devoid of both much will or any meaningful reason to live. With both Kirana and her attackers dead, the young girl felt adrift in a sea of pointlessness, stripped away of purpose and identity, leaving not much behind but an empty husk.

  That was the reason why Koral didn’t bother asking for neither Apollo’s identity nor objectives for saving her, even as her future descended upon whatever his design was. The weight of her grief was too immense, too all-consuming, to allow for such trivial curiosities to take root.

  At first, she had entertained the idea that maybe he was a detective, or a solitary vigilante who understood the enigmatic nature of beings like the blue-haired phantom. However, Koral knew better than to indulge in such childish fantasies. The unforgiving reality was etched into the lines of Apollo’s weathered face, a grim reminder that he was no hero from a storybook.

  After all, for as tense of an exchange that had transpired between them, the old man had ultimately chosen not to pursue further hostilities with the thug that survived, the bald man called Milo —a silent acknowledgment that whatever Apollo was, he couldn’t be much different from the monsters who had stolen her sister’s life.

  Not like it made any difference to question it. The world had already revealed its true colors, painting a canvas of cruelty that left no room for naivety.

  Perhaps sensing her desolated indifference, a palpable aura of listlessness that clung to her like a shroud, it was Apollo who attempted to break the ice from behind the steering wheel. His voice carried a hint of paternal worry, a discomfort that Koral found herself bristling against. She had never been good at receiving condescension from adults.

  “Are you afraid?” Was his softly-spoken question, the words hanging in the air like a wisp, ephemeral yet also a bit suffocating.

  “I’m not.” Koral answered with a sigh, her shoulders unable to muster the strength to sit upright, even if she were to have any inclination to try. “I just… Don’t care anymore.”

  Her words were followed by another heavy silence between the two, so in the end, it was the young girl who decided to continue the conversation.

  “Can I trust in you, Apollo?” She asked, tightening her fists as she felt the pungent sting of tears harming her yet-to-heal left eye. “Are you not going to kill me, for what I did?”

  A part of her craved death, a release from all that pain threatening to consume her whole. Without Kirana by her side, she felt incomplete, emptied. That’s why, regardless of the answer Apollo would give, she wouldn’t resist her fate any longer.

  “My goal is for you to survive.” He appeared to be a man of few words, sighing just the same as her, as more open landscapes gradually began replacing Punta Luzbel’s streets. “That doesn’t mean you should trust me.”

  Apollo’s golden met her aquamarine for a brief moment, a glimmer of something indecipherable flickering within their depths.

  “The most important lesson you must learn is that no one is trustworthy enough to leave your life in their hands.”

  But then… If he truly meant those words, shouldn’t she be doubting whatever teaching he was trying to impart her in the first place? The train of thought left Koral reeling for a moment, giving up before there was any sense to be made. She didn’t understand him, and that ignited her frustration.

  “Do you have children, Apollo?” Koral asked back, not even a hint of hesitation as she changed the topic into something she could more easily poke him with.

  “Another crucial one is to never ask unnecessary questions.” He quickly replied, his voice carrying a subtle edge.

  “Humph. I feel sorry for them if you do.”

  >> “You’d suck as a dad.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  A small, entertained sound escaped from Apollo’s mouth, but mixed alongside the amusement there was also the lingering hint of melancholy hiding underneath. It was something that Koral couldn’t quite comprehend at her young age. She didn’t exactly dislike him though, and the feeling appeared to be mutual.

  “You really have no respect, do you?” He finally replied, his words carrying a gentleness that seemed at odds with his prior severity. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, one that didn’t appear entirely out of place despite the layers of coldness he wore like an armor. “Why don’t you try calling me Mr. Apollo for once?”

  “As if.” Koral scoffed, rolling her eye with practiced apathy as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Consider yourself lucky I call you anything at all.”

  She had already bared enough of her soul to the old man’s gaze, as he consoled her tears and helped her carry out the parting rites with her sister. As much as she didn’t hate Apollo, that was already more than enough of exposing the maelstrom raging within. The time to continue her anguish would come once she was given enough space for misery to suffocate her in private.

  There were many things that she wanted to question him about as the lustrous black car marched on. From transcendental ones like what were monsters like Apollo’s eagle supposed to be, to trivial ones like if missing an arm made it any harder to drive —yet Koral refrained from voicing any at all, her attention instead being called to the looming figures of large and lavish houses slowly appearing in the horizon.

  Sun rays beat down harshly upon the opulent villas that dotted the landscape, each a monument to wealth and excess that Koral had only glimpsed through the flickering of television shows.

  Lush gardens overflowing with vibrant blooms and ornate fountains adorned the sprawling estates, a stark contrast to the desolate alleyways and crumbling tenements that had been her only reality this far.

  As the car wound its way through the exclusive enclave, Koral couldn’t help but notice the menacing figures of men copiously distributed across the area, their watchful eyes following the vehicle closely as it moved along.

  And it was inside one of such villas that the car finally began decelerating, making Koral already feel out of place even when she hadn’t taken one single step outside yet.

  The young girl’s jaw dropped, her eyes widening as they fully stopped before the grand edifice of gleaming white marble, perched high on their path like a crown jewel. Countless windows nestled between pillars sparkled like captured stars, allowing tantalizing glimpses into the lavish interior as Koral absentmindedly followed the silent Apollo, her gaze moving from one opulent detail to the next.

  Twin staircases, elegant and curving outward like embracing arms, descended from the sprawling house’s main level to a patio below. Their handrails were adorned with vibrant red roses that trailed down to the stone path, winding through immaculately manicured gardens.

  At the center of it all, a current of water cascaded into a large and crystal clear pool adorned with floating petals, the gentle sound of the stream a soothing counterpoint to the oppressive tension she felt across the men in suits stationed like statues.

  The sheer extravagance that surrounded Koral, while not enough to completely distract her from pain, did certainly manage to make the air in her throat feel heavier. This was a world wholly alien to her, a realm of luxury and indulgence the likes she could have only dreamt of before. The lives of those at the top were a universe apart from the places she knew, a chasm of privilege and wealth that now seemed utterly insurmountable.

  As Apollo dictated their steps with a quick and confident pace, Koral found herself following his lead gingerly, her small frame dwarfed by the towering mansion. Had it not been for him guiding them forward she was certain that she would have faltered, too overwhelmed by the grandeur to even dare to approach —or perhaps even swiftly ejected before she could even set foot inside.

  Counting the stories and balconies of the building above her head, the two of them climbed one of the staircases, its steps guiding them onto a spacious outer terrace from which the cascade originated. In there was a medium-sized pond adorned with vibrant lotus flowers, their delicate blossoms floating serenely atop the rippling surface. Large, colorful fish darted beneath the lily pads, their scales glimmering under the sun filtered through the latticed overhang above.

  Yet more striking than any material object, more captivating than the meticulously crafted gardens or the intricate tilework underfoot, was the woman resting there, seemingly awaiting their arrival. While she was covered in dazzling jewelry and fragrant blooms, her inherent beauty was one that left Koral enraptured.

  In the wake of their approach, the woman was minding a crystal chess board laid upon a low terrace table. The pieces had tiny roses of various colors and states of vibrancy captured inside their tempered glass, and while she appeared amused by them, she soon enough raised her eyes towards Apollo with an unfaltering smile.

  “Miss Valerica.” Apollo took out his hat and bowed his head for a brief moment before taking a seat in front of her, his large stature descending into one of the stuffed lounge armchairs —though his shape was still taller than Koral’s. While there were more than enough resting places for the small blonde to join the two adults, she instead kept her sheepish ground behind the silver-haired old man. “I’ve come, as per your request.”

  “Is that how you decide to open this conversation?” The woman called Valerica replied with an entertained tone, one that didn’t completely undermine her strong and confident presence. Despite how youthful she looked when compared to Apollo, there was very little room for doubt regarding which of the two held a higher status. “Are you suggesting I should ignore the stray kitten you picked up along the way?”

  >> “Having a soft spot for children is quite an attractive trait. Wouldn’t you think so, Solano?”

  In Koral’s mind, Valerica could have easily graced the chapters of a telenovela. Her olive skin held a radiant glow, and high cheekbones accentuated the sharp, angular lines of her jaw. Her lips were painted a shade of deep crimson, adding to her poise and drawing the girl’s gaze with mounting curiosity.

  So engrossed she was with her features, that Koral missed most of the subtle power dynamics woven into their conversation, nuance escaping her immature perception.

  “I never intended to hide her.” Apollo replied, not sounding tense despite the smothering presence of the woman scrutinizing him. Perhaps he was used to this kind of situation. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have brought Koral with me.”

  “What a lovely name, very fitting.” The young girl tensed up instinctively when the emerald green of Valerica’s attention fell onto her unsuspecting shoulders. They were framed by long, dark lashes that fluttered every now and then within their captivating gaze —cunning eyes, suggesting a level of calculation that Koral could only fail to imagine. “You’re welcome to stay with me for the afternoon, little beauty.”

  >> “But as for you, Solano…” Her voice dropped down to a somber, chilling tune. “You should know better than to jeopardize my operations.”

  >> “If you have a valid reason… You’d better start explaining yourself right now.”

  Her hair was a fiery mix of dark-brown and copper crimson, cascading down her back and the sides of her face in lustrous waves, loosely curled as they framed her features with an elegance that seemed almost ethereal. She wasn’t tall, at least when compared to Apollo, but her lithe figure remained imposing, accentuated by a designer suit tailored to her frame.

  In comparison to her own ragged appearance, with her sun-damaged and tattered plain dress, full of dried blood marks and dirt… What else could Koral do but to end utterly and thoroughly transfixed?

  So much distracted the young girl was that she didn’t even pay mind to the telltale click of Apollo lifting the safety lock off his gun beside her. Realization struck a moment too late as he raised the barrel, aiming it squarely at her face.