Tales woke up drenched in sweat. His eyes were wide and glaring. He swallowed hard and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. "That damn dream again."He rubbed his face out of frustration. "Why do I keep having these nightmares?" he murmured. Then he stopped as he realized something. It wasn't like this before, but ever since 'father' came—though he didn't really know who he was—his bad dreams had started."Don't tell me, it's because of the bastard 'father?" He unbelievably ask himself. No way! How could it be!He sat hunched on the edge of the bed, his right palm was pressed to his temples while his left one is on his thigh. The dark circles beneath his eyes show how rough and restless his night is, yet even when be heard the footsteps and when the door burst open with a smiling penguin, he didn't flinch. He just look at Jake plainly. 'Looking at him is making my head hurts more.'"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" Jake’s voice was bright and exaggerated, almost sing-song, and immediately ra
"Let's have sex." Tales’ voice was sharp, unyielding despite the fire burning in his chest. It is suffocating him. He's tired. He's exhausted. He just wants to be alone but everything is just messed. He feels like if he'll really stays with Raja, he'll discover something devastating about him. And he's not ready for that. “If we fuck, does that settle the debt? How many times do I need to let you have me before this is over?” Raja froze, the weight of those words slamming into him like a ton of ores. Silence ensued as he directly stare to Tales who's so serious and his face shows conviction. For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of his own shallow breathing. Then, slowly, his lips twisted into something dangerous—half a grin, half a snarl. “Say that again.” His baritones voice was barely a whisper, hoarse not with shock, but with something darker. Something feral. He felt like Tales just woke something in him. Tales stood firm, staring him back despite the suffocating air R
They entered the house, and Tales immediately noticed Jake’s absence—who should have greeted them with a smile. The living room was empty and quiet. They immediately ascended the stairs and entered the red room. Raja shut the door behind them, his presence oppressive as always. The red room looked more like a dungeon inside. It felt suffocating. The walls were a deep, matte red, engrossing the dim glow of a small chandelier that barely lit the space. Metal hooks and brackets lined the walls, bearing an assortment of restraints, chains, and other items that Tales couldn’t immediately identify or fathom. The air smelled of something Tales couldn’t recognize, but it irritated his nose. In the center of the room stood a large bed covered in smooth, black satin sheets. The bedposts were equipped with heavy metal rings, likely for restraints. To one side, there was a sleek black cabinet, its doors slightly open to reveal rows of neatly arranged items—blindfolds, cuffs, and an assortment of
Raja positioned himself in front of Tales' ass. Raja grabbed his manhood and pointed it at Tales' hole but he didn't shove it there. He rubbed his tip into Tales' hole which earned a groan. Tales was on the verge of losing his control of his body. He needs to stay still but he feels like he'll really slump at the bed any minute because of too much sensations. Just when Tales least expected it, Raja shoved his manhood, deep and calculative. "Ahh!" Tales' eyes widened and he gasped. His arms gave way so he almost fell on the bed but Raja caught his hips which caused him to push his manhood harder. "Fuck. You're so tight." He said in a low, rough voice. Tales clenched the bedsheets as he tried to look forward. His body shivered at every thrust of Raja. The room was filled with moans and gasps. "This feels like heaven." And he immediately thrust again. But now, it wasn't as hard but the strength was still there. "I feel like I'm gonna cum any minute." Raja said breathlessly and imm
Raja was sipping his vodka while leaning on the table, watching Tales carefully, who was groaning in his sleep. He really wondered what kind of dream was happening inside Tales' head that he was sweating buckets, and his hands were clenching onto the sheets.Raja’s gaze shifted to Tales' scars. There were too many, but they were small—scars made by cigarettes. The scars on his thighs were clearly from being flogged with sharp equipment.'This is why you don’t want me to see your body, huh?' he asked incredulously. Crossing his arms, he added, 'Nothing wrong with your body, though. You’re still appetizing in my eyes.' He then tapped his forefinger on the rim of the glass. "But if it bothers you so much, you can tell me who fuckin’ did it, and I’ll rip their throats, hammer their hands, and butcher their bodies," he murmured dangerously to himself. "But you won’t do that, will you? Since you’re so stubborn… till the very end."Raja stared even more intently when Tales started shifting h
The room was dimly lit and the vague flicker of an overhead bulb emitting long shadows that ripple across the bare walls. A figure stood near the window that overlook the whole city, wearing a suit that screams wealthiness, their outline sharp against the faint glow of the city skyline. They held a sleek black expensive phone to their ear, their voice calm and measured."The Twilight Organization is on the move," came a voice from the other end of the line, slightly warped by static. "They’re rooting out the rats. If we don’t act now, they’ll trace everything back to us. What are your orders?"The figure remained silent, their gaze fixed on the city below. The hush sounds of honking cars and distant conversations can be slightly heard. The man's palm touched the windowsill as they contemplated their response. Finally, they spoke, their tone cold and unyielding as they smirk with such dangerousness."Let them dig," they said, their words stopping the tension like a blade. "They’ll fin
“Investigative team... they’re gone.”Raja froze, his expression turns into shock then cold. “What do you mean gone?”“They were ambushed,” Gabriel continued, his voice steady but heavy with controlled fury. “Someone sold us out. A traitor inside the unit lured them into a trap. When they were cornered—” Gabriel hesitated briefly, his voice dropping lower, “—a bomb went off. There’s nothing left. Only one survivor.”"Me."Tales, who had only one goal in mind, to finish what he's eating then go to his room, looked up sharply at the mention of the bomb. His face became full of curiosity.Raja’s grip on the phone tightened, his knuckles turning white. “And the traitor?”“Gone too. Either they were part of the detonation, or they had their own escape plan,” Gabriel replied bitterly. “But I swear I’ll dig through every file, every lead, and every damn body if I have to. We’ll find who’s pulling the strings.”“Not if I find them first, I'll make sure to hunt them down.” Raja said coldly, h
Many luxurious car parked around the grand hotel 'SALAMANCA". Men and women in suits appeared out kf the vehicles, exuding danger and authority. The sound of their shoes and high heels, echoed throughout the the stairs as they strode towards the revolving door. They showed their card to the counter and the personnel immediately assist them in a VIP manner. Unit 1, the assassination team who's leader is Raja stays quiet at the back while their leader is standing near the table. Raja is cold and methodical, with sharp, calculating eyes. He doesn’t waste words, and is dangerously quiet while he analyze everything about the person in the room. His team is trained to kill with precision, and failure is not tolerated. Unit 2 - The infiltration team, Elara wore a red and black sexy low back dress with low neckline. Her red lips smirked a she smoke her cigarettes while tapping his stiletto high heels. Her long black hair flow freely at her back. Elara is ruthless and manipulative. Her sharp
"Don't forget me, Tales."Tales slowly regained consciousness. His head throbbed like a gong, each beat connecting painfully through his skull. He groaned softly, the sound escaping before he could stop it. His vision was blurry at first, but as the world began to come into focus, he realized he was on a soft bed in the infirmary. Again. There was an IV in his arm.He stared at the ceiling for a long time, embracing the silence the room offered. Unknowingly, a tear fell from the corner of his eye. The dream he had wasn’t just a dream. It was his long-forgotten memory. He bit his lower lip to suppress his emotions, yet his heart felt like it was being squeezed because of how painful it was.He couldn’t believe he forgot Raja. He had promised him freedom, yet he forgot about him and that hellhole!A low sob escaped from his lips as his eyes began to water again. He looked like a child wailing over his first love, yet he didn’t care. He was disappointed with himself but felt hypocritical
The oppressive silence of the compound shattered as the monthly wipeout began. Children, some trembling, some eerily composed, were gathered into the arena. The blood-stained floor of the ring loomed over them, a bitter reminder of the fates that had befallen those who stood here before."Huh! They didn't even clean it for us to see," Tales scowled internally.Tales clenched his fists, his heart pounding in his chest as he glanced to both sides for Raja and Jake."Stay alive," he whispered to himself like a mantra, though it seemed the other two thought those words were meant for them."Of course I will," Raja exclaimed, even raising his fists."Basic," Jake snorted, making Tales look at him with a disapproving glare.The rules were simple: survive. The opponents? Determined by chance—or at least, that’s what Father wanted them to believe. Tales knew better. The system wasn’t random; it was designed to weed out the weak and pit the strong against each other. They want us to die!And w
A year had passed, and Tales had not remained idle. Every day after their training, he would sneak out and take careful note of the compound’s layout—the heavy doors, the creaking floorboards, and the blind corners where the guards were too lazy to patrol. Anywhere they could escape without anyone noticing. It was for their survival; there was no grand reason. If he was going to get out of here, he needed to know every inch of this godforsaken place. He didn’t have beautiful memories outside this place. He was always hungry, yet he also couldn’t stomach what they were doing there. They were killing each other because FATHER ordered it. They were like puppets that shouldn’t have their own awareness. When he was alone or with Raja and everyone else was asleep, Tales would sketch maps, though calling them “maps” was generous. They were chaotic, messy doodles of squares and lines, barely resembling the compound. But they made sense to him. And he was proud of them, as if they were the be
Tales could smell the faint scent of saltiness in the breeze as they marched toward the opposite flat building, accompanied by their armed men. They hadn’t changed their clothes or washed their stained body parts. When the door opened, Tales immediately noticed the long table with the leader sitting at the end of it. Dishes were already served, including a watery soup. Tales didn’t know what this was all about. The dishes ranged from shimmering, luxurious ones to simple, peasant-like fare. "Sit." The children immediately obeyed, still scared and walking on eggshells. The only sound they could hear was the dragging of chairs. Tales and Raja sat beside each other, but Tales felt even more irked when Jake, all smiley, sat beside him. Their seating arrangement: Jake - Tales - Raja. "Congratulations on staying alive." Although the man was congratulating them, his tone was indifferent and monotonous. He didn’t care about them at all. "Though the number of survivors is a bit lower than e
The air Jake was giving creeped Tales out so much that he couldn’t help but scowl at the other child, who seemed younger than him. "I'm Raja," Raja stated with a beaming smile, as if he had found another playmate. Tales' brows furrowed. "Hey!" His reprimanding tone made Raja blink twice, as if asking what he had done wrong. This naive child, Tales sighed and just shook his head. Jake smiled more when he saw Tales' reaction. Though he was smiling widely, his eyes seemed unaffected. His eyes were bland, dull, and plainly colorless. "Now that you know who your teammates are," the man stated, grabbing Tales' and the others' attention again. Jake also walked to his side and turned around to face the man. "There's a weapon on the table. Choose anything that fits your hands and that you think you can wield with ease," the boss stated. Tales stared at the man for a moment, cursing him in his mind as he clenched his teeth. What did this man think he was doing? Clearly, he was not human. Ta
Tales was just wandering around the streets, trying to find a signage that offers a job. His both hands were in his pockets, and he shivered because of the cold. It was winter, and he, who's wearing thin clothes, shivered every time the breeze hit him. He felt like his now red nose and ears could fall off anytime. Every time he breathed using his mouth, smoke would form.On top of that, his stomach was growling loudly like he was hosting some kind of monster that had been deprived of food for about thousands of years. He hadn’t eaten for 2 days now."Ahh," just when he saw a signage wanting a dishwasher, a van maneuvered beside him, making him turn around to see what kind of dumbass almost hit him. But to his surprise, masked men bolted out of the van and captured him.His eyes widened in horror as the two unknown persons yanked down a fabric forcefully, shrouding his face in darkness. He gasped when strong hands gripped his arms, leaving no chance for escape. His body trembled, muscl
The dim light seeped through the window blinds of the headquarters infirmary. It was already morning, but Raja hadn’t slept a wink as he sat near Tales, who was still unconscious. He couldn’t sleep, nor could he leave Tales behind. His face showed exhaustion—not from work, but from the thoughts that kept lingering in his mind. He looked at Tales, who was peacefully sleeping, and winced when his chest throbbed. He cupped his face and gritted his teeth. Truth be told, he had really intended for Tales to disappear the moment the Scorpions threatened him, saying they had Tales. It was like a consequence that Tales should face for disobeying him. Yet, the moment he discarded Tales, he felt a pang in his chest. He couldn’t breathe as his ears rang for reasons unknown. Just the mere thought of Tales' death made the pain unbearable. It was even more torturous than when he had been in training. He couldn’t breathe, and his eyes began to water. “Kill him, feed him to rabid dogs. It’s your ca
“Kill him, feed him to rabid dogs. It's your call. You don't have to call me unless you want me to pick up his corpse."The room fell silent. Tales burst out laughing, his voice cutting through the tension. “Told you! He doesn’t give a fuck about me!” he managed between chuckles. “You’re wasting your time!”'What do I expect from that bastard?' Tales muttered in his head. ''I'm all alone now and I needs to survive. I'm not gonna die here.'Scarface’s face turned tomato red with rage. He slammed the phone onto the table and turned to Tales, his fists clenching. “You think this is funny?” he lash out.“Absolutely,” Tales agreed, his laughter slowly change into a deriding grin. “You guys went through all this trouble, and for what?" No one answered that he once again chuckled. "Raja’s not coming. You’re stuck with me, and honestly, I’m a terrible hostage.”Scarface’s fist landed on Tales’ jaw, the force flicking his head to the side. Pain surface through his face, but he gritted his teet
The once neat living room of Raja's estate became an utter chaos. His trusted men—Claren, Raoul, Michael, and several others—lie down across the floor, unconscious. Empty mugs of coffee and tea were scattered across the tables. Raja stood in the center of the room, his hands immediately clenched into fists, his jaw tight and his temple shows veins when he tried to control his emotions. 'No sign of forced entry. Whoever did this knew their way around.'Raja’s jaw tightened as his pulse quickened. He stand beside Claren, kicking him moderately. “Wake up,” he barked. “What happened here?”Claren groaned faintly but didn’t open his eyes. Raja's mind immediately play different scenarios of what could possibly happened here. When he's focusing on his work, this happened? His men was drugged and incapacitated? Then the realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. Tales.He turned sharply, his eyes flaring as he strode rapidly toward Tales’ quarters. The room was empty. The sheets were