Victor slowly opened his eyes.
His breath had grown heavy. All around, darkness pressed in, as if time itself had frozen. Nikolai was nowhere to be seen, but his shadow seemed to drift in the air.
Alia whispered, "Victor, what do we do now?"
Victor's voice turned hard. "We have to get out of here. He's forcing us to play his game, but I don't want to play."
Alia quickly nodded. "Alright, but…"
Her voice faltered.
Victor looked at her sharply. "What is it?"
Alia slowly turned to look behind her.
On the far wall, a shadow was cast—a large, distorted shape that looked nothing like their own.
"You cannot escape…"
A cold voice floated through the air.
Victor snapped his gun up, but saw nothing. The shadow quivered, but there was no body behind it.
Alia stood stiffly. "He… he's around us, isn't he?"
Victor spoke calmly this time. "He's not just watching us, Alia… He's trying to invade our minds."
At that moment, the air around them grew dense. A terrible cold settled over them, like someone's breath against their necks.
"It is time for you to learn the truth…"
Suddenly—a flash of light!
Alia shut her eyes, and when she opened them again—
They were no longer in that room.
They stood in a vast, ancient mansion. Dust blanketed everything. The air smelled of old wood.
Alia stared in bewilderment. "Where… are we?"
Victor's face turned grim.
"I know this place…"
His voice dropped, deep and weighted.
"This is my childhood home."
Alia gasped. "Your… home?"
For a brief moment, Victor's eyes softened with pain.
"Yes… where everything began."
Alia looked around—old, crumbling walls, a few worn pieces of furniture… and a large painting.
A family portrait.
In it, a little boy stood beside a man—stern, hard-featured, eyes full of cruelty.
Victor slowly stepped closer and stared at the picture.
His lips pressed into a hard line.
"That man… was my father."
Alia stared in shock.
"Your father?"
Victor didn't answer.
At that moment, the shadow moved again.
"Victor, you can never forget… Just as you killed him, one day you will kill yourself."
Alia sucked in a sharp breath.
"You… you killed your father?"
Victor slowly lifted his head.
Fire burned in his eyes.
"He tried to kill me first, Alia."
A chill ran through her body.
"Then… are you truly separate from the shadow?"
Victor gave no reply.
But his shadow began to swell… and in its eyes, a strange red glow flickered.
Victor's shadow began to shift, as if it were a living being. Alia held her breath, watching. Suddenly, the shadow twisted grotesquely, and from within it, Nikolai's voice emerged—
"You tried to kill me, brother. But do you know? Shadows never die."
Victor felt his chest tighten. That voice… was it really Nikolai, or just his own mind betraying him?
"Are you ready to fight me again, Victor?"
Just then, the massive doors slammed open! Cold air swept inside, and with it, a squad of armed men stormed in!
"Victor! It's a trap!" Alia screamed.
Victor quickly drew his gun, but in that instant, the shadow lunged toward him with terrible speed!
CRACK!
For a moment, everything went black.
Then, a squad of men in black suits entered the room. Each held a heavy weapon, death in their eyes.
Victor raised his gun swiftly, but then a deep voice drifted through the air—
"Why draw weapons among brothers, Lord Victor?"
Victor slowly turned around.
From the darkness, a tall man stepped forward. A black coat draped his frame, a cold smile on his lips, and in his eyes—a peculiar cruelty.
Nikolai.
But he was not alone. Standing beside him was another fearsome figure—with deep blue eyes, a neatly trimmed beard, and a kind of aristocratic chill in his expression.
Konstantin Vladimirovich, boss of the Russian Mafia.
"After all these years, you're still running, Victor?" Konstantin spoke in a slow, deliberate tone, exhaling smoke from his cigarette.
Victor's face grew hard. "I am not running."
Nikolai laughed. "Alright then—let's see who the true lord is."
Alia took a frightened step back, and at that moment, the lights in the room blazed on.
The entire mansion was flooded with light. In the grand hall stood three men—three kings.
Victor—the Lord of Shadows.
Nikolai—the dark soul thought dead.
Konstantin—the Russian Mafia's boss.
And Alia?
She was the enigma for whom these three shadows faced each other.
Night wrapped around the city in darkness. The air reeked of gunpowder. Far off, the faint sound of tires skidding over concrete. Inside the ruins of an old factory stood Victor, Alia, and before them—the ranks of the Russian Mafia.
Victor's gaze turned steely. The shadows around him seemed to swell into monstrous forms. On the opposite side, Nikolai stood, that enigmatic smile never leaving his face.
"It's been quite some time since we last met face to face, brother," Nikolai said in a soft voice.
"You always come back from the brink of death, Nikolai," Victor's tone was icy as frost. "But this time, I'll make sure you never return."
Nikolai chuckled. "Do you really believe… you can kill a shadow?"
Just then, several enormous SUVs rolled to a stop. Mafia men piled out—armed to the teeth, eyes cold and merciless.
"Boss," one of them addressed Nikolai, "awaiting your orders."
Alia instantly readied herself. Her hand slid toward the weapon at her waist. On her belt gleamed the badge of a phoenix, catching the dim light.
Nikolai took a step forward. "Tonight will be a black chapter in history, Victor. You stole my place—now you must prove you are truly the lord."
Victor drew his pistol and leveled it at Nikolai. "My weapon will declare who I am. Tonight, your shadow ends."
Nikolai only smiled again. Then he raised his hand and gave a signal.
In an instant, gunfire erupted!
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The silence of night shattered. Victor, Alia, and their small force took cover together. The Russian Mafia opened fire from all sides.
Alia quickly shifted position, ducking behind a crate, then aimed with deadly precision.
CRACK!
Two Mafia men collapsed at once.
Victor lunged behind an attacker, driving his blade into the man's neck, then slipped past and advanced.
Nikolai moved like a phantom, gliding effortlessly among the bullets. Nothing seemed able to touch him.
"Victor!" Alia cried out, "He's not human! He—"
Victor reached Nikolai and stopped. Only a few feet separated them. For an instant, all the noise of battle fell silent.
Nikolai fixed his black eyes on Victor.
"Do you know why I keep coming back?" he said softly.
Victor said nothing.
"Because every time you try to end me, I return inside you," Nikolai smiled coldly. "Because I… am your shadow."
Then, with a sudden motion, he seized Victor by the collar and hurled him to the floor.
THUD!
Victor crashed down, but immediately caught himself and rose again.