Chapter 3 THE GAZE OF THE DARK KING

When she reached the perfect position, Aurora spotted a man with a long rifle, his scope trained directly on Valerio. She inhaled, tightened her grip and fired.

BANG!

The sniper was thrown backward. Aurora ducked just as return fire tore through the air above her. She slid down the opposite side of the vehicle roof, rolled, and covered her head in one smooth, fluid sequence. The tide of the firefight shifted.

The new guards finally caught up. They fired, took cover, and fought the way only people who truly wanted to stay alive could. As the enemy line began to falter, Leonhardt turned and fled toward his car.

Vixen raised his pistol. "I'll take the shot-"

Valerio lifted a hand calmly. "No."

Vixen froze.

From behind the debris, Aurora watched him breathing hard, her body flooded with adrenaline. She saw how Valerio stood unmoving in the middle of the battlefield, as if the chaos itself bent around him. And for the first time, Aurora understood something. Valerio Blackthorn was not merely a mafia boss. He was a threat that made other threats kneel. And serving as a guard for a man like that wasn't just a job. It was a warning that every day, every mission, every conflict would always demand blood.

When the fighting finally subsided and the last enemy retreated, Aurora rose to her feet. Her body bore minor wounds, but her eyes remained sharp. She swept the area, then returned to formation.

Valerio walked past her. For the second time that day. But unlike before, he paused.

"Move," he said without looking back. "We're not finished."

Then he walked on. Aurora followed in silence. A light rain began to fall as Valerio's convoy left the industrial zone that had just become a sea of blood. Flickering streetlights reflected off wet asphalt, casting long shadows across the road. The black vehicles sped forward, still locked in perfect formation like a unit returning from war.

Aurora sat in the back of the guard vehicle with two other recruits, their faces pale. Their bodies trembled. Their breathing was uneven. Aurora remained calm.

The graze on her shoulder had stopped bleeding, leaving only a dull heat as it dried. Adrenaline still coursed through her veins, keeping her alert.

She knew one thing for certain. That fight... wasn't the last. And she had to survive. When the convoy entered the vast grounds of the Blackthorn mansion, the guards disembarked and formed two lines. Valerio stepped out of the limousine with an easy stride as if he had just returned from dinner, not a firefight capable of wiping out half the district. Vixen followed, then stopped in front of the recruits.

"All of you. With me," he said shortly.

He led them toward the east wing a building of dark glass and reinforced steel doors that sealed automatically. This was the internal training and evaluation center, where new recruits were judged worthy of advancement... or erased from the living roster.

Aurora followed the line, taking in the room. Bright white lights. A long table. Large monitors mounted on the walls. Several technicians sat behind computers, waiting. Vixen tapped the digital screen. Footage from the earlier firefight played instantly. The recruits' faces drained of color as they watched how close they had come to dying again and again.

The recording showed Aurora climbing onto the vehicle roof, firing at the sniper, rolling down, and rejoining formation without hesitation. One technician glanced at Vixen, raising an eyebrow.

"That woman... she's not recruit-level."

Vixen only shrugged. The other recruits stared at Aurora with a mix of fear and awe.

"I don't like long speeches," Vixen began the inspection. "Today, every one of you made mistakes."

He pointed at the screen, freezing the frame on a male recruit crouched behind a car.

"Marcus. You changed position without orders. If Aurora hadn't kicked you out of the enemy's firing line, your brains would be on the asphalt."

Marcus swallowed hard. Vixen switched to another clip.

"And you three too slow sealing the perimeter. Do you think the enemy waits for you to get ready before attacking?"

Several recruits lowered their heads. Then the footage paused on Aurora shooting the sniper. The room fell silent. The technician slowed the playback. "This is insane," he muttered. "She fired while mid-jump?"

Vixen didn't look surprised. He turned to Aurora.

"You."

Aurora straightened. "Yes."

"Who trained you?"

"No one," Aurora answered flatly.

Vixen narrowed his eyes. "Don't lie. People like you don't exist without someone shaping them."

Aurora met his stare without flinching. Her eyes said: Believe it or don't. That's your problem. Vixen didn't press further.

"I don't care about your past," he said finally. "Starting today, all of you will be trained. And you will learn to follow orders not just charge in on instinct."

Aurora almost laughed. It was precisely because she hadn't followed orders that she was still alive. But she said nothing. She wasn't foolish. Then the door opened. Everyone fell silent. Valerio Blackthorn entered. The atmosphere shifted instantly cold, dense, suffocating. Even the overhead lights seemed reluctant to touch him.

Aurora felt a strange pressure in her chest. Not fear. Alertness. Valerio didn't bother scanning the recruits. He walked straight to the monitor, watching the slow motion footage of Aurora killing the sniper. His gaze was dark. Calculating.

"What's her name?" he asked softly. The voice was gentle but gentle like a freshly sharpened blade. Vixen answered, "Aurora Vale."

Valerio turned toward her. Aurora felt her breath hitch as those black eyes locked onto hers. This wasn't just an assessment of skill. Not merely a calculation of threat. It was reading. Peeling her apart. Searching for something beneath the surface.

"You don't hesitate," Valerio said quietly. "Your shots are clean. Your instincts are fast. And... you don't wait for orders."

Aurora held her breath.

"Is there something you'd like to explain?" he asked.

Aurora answered honestly without fear, without disguise: "If I had waited for orders, you would be dead."

The room froze. One recruit dropped his pen. Vixen's eyes widened. Very few people dared speak to Valerio like thatnespecially on their first day. Valerio wasn't angry. He wasn't offended. Instead, the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. Amused. Or perhaps... intrigued.

He stepped closer, closing the distance. Aurora restrained the instinct to raise her weapon. Valerio stopped one meter in front of her.

"Not many people dare speak to me so directly," he said.