The forest swallowed all sound except the clash of steel.
Emma's knives sparked violently against the captain's twin blades as they collided again and again, each strike harder than the last.
He moved like a shadow—quiet, calculated, impossibly fast.
But Emma didn't back down.
She couldn't.
Not now.
Not with Victor coming for her next.
••• A Duel in the Dark
The captain spun low, slicing at her legs.
Emma vaulted over the attack and kicked off a tree, flipping behind him. She slashed for his shoulder—
Clang.
He blocked without even turning.
"So predictable," his muffled voice muttered.
Emma snarled, throwing a second knife directly at his mask.
He tilted his head. It whizzed past his cheek.
But he didn't expect the third knife.
It sliced his arm cleanly.
He paused. Looked down at the drop of blood.
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
"…You really are as dangerous as he said."
Emma's eyes narrowed. "Who?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he lunged.
The force of his blow slammed her back against a tree, knocking the air out of her lungs. His blade hovered inches from her throat.
"Stop resisting," he said, voice calm. "Victor wants you alive."
Emma smirked despite the pain.
"And you think that helps your chances?"
She slammed her knee upward—hard.
He grunted, grip loosening just enough.
Emma twisted free, rolled in the mud, and swept his legs.
He hit the ground but caught himself instantly, flipping backward like a gymnast.
Emma rose to her feet. Both of them panting.
Both refusing to yield.
This wasn't a normal fight.
It felt planned. Personal.
Too personal.
••• A Voice She Recognizes
The captain stood perfectly still.
Wind rustled between them.
His mask gleamed in the faint moonlight.
"You should have stayed hidden, Emma Hellsing," he said quietly. "Victor wouldn't have destroyed you. Not completely."
Emma's heart froze for a moment.
That voice.
Not the tone.
Not the pitch.
Something beneath it.
Something familiar.
She stepped closer, weapons lowered slightly.
"…Do I know you?"
He said nothing.
But the slight tension in his shoulders told her everything.
Emma's pulse hammered.
"Take off the mask," she demanded.
He didn't move.
She took another step. "Do it. Now."
Still nothing.
Emma's fists tightened.
"Who are you?"
The captain slowly lifted his head.
And finally, he reached up—
grabbed the sides of his mask—
and removed it.
The world stopped.
Emma's breath caught in her chest.
Her knees almost buckled.
Because the face beneath the mask was one she thought she'd never see again.
A face she buried nine years ago.
A face she mourned.
Her voice cracked.
"…No."
He stared at her with cold, distant eyes—eyes she once knew like her own reflection.
"Hello, Emma."
She shook her head violently.
"No—no, this isn't real. You're dead. You died—"
"I survived," he said simply.
"And Victor saved me."
Emma staggered back, heart shattering.
"Liam…?"
Her older brother—the one who vanished on a mission and was declared dead—
was alive.
Alive…
and working for Victor Kane.
Liam's expression didn't soften.
"You should have stayed away from this world," he said. "You should have stayed a civilian."
Emma's voice shook with rage and heartbreak.
"You think I had a choice?! You LEFT us!"
He flinched—barely.
"Emma… go home. Before Victor makes me finish this."
Emma lowered her knives, but her voice turned deadly calm.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Liam tightened his grip on his blades.
"I don't want to hurt you—"
"You already did."
Both stood frozen.
Siblings.
Enemies.
Victims of a man pulling strings behind every tragedy.
The air vibrated with tension.
Then—
A gunshot echoed in the distance.
Darrick.
Emma's eyes widened.
"They're attacking the lodge!"
Liam didn't move.
Emma stepped back toward the noise.
"Liam, if you care at all—if even a piece of you remembers who you were—don't follow me."
A flicker of emotion flashed in Liam's eyes.
But he stayed silent.
Emma turned and sprinted toward the lodge.
Her heart breaking.
Her mind spiraling.
Her world collapsing.
Behind her, Liam whispered to the empty forest:
"…I'm sorry, little sister."
And he vanished into the darkness.