The stairwell was narrow and cold, stone walls pressing in on either side like the throat of a serpent. Ash descended slowly, the candle in his hand flickering with each breath of stale underground air. Shadows clung to him, silent and eager.

Then he heard it again.

A breath. Soft. Controlled.

Someone was waiting for him.

Ash smiled. He loved surprises. Especially the dangerous kind.

He reached the final step and entered a crypt-like chamber. Dust swirled through beams of candlelight. At the center stood a raised stone platform—and crouched atop it, like a cat surveying its prey, was a figure in black.

Their face was half-hidden beneath a silver-plated mask, but their eyes—icy and calculating—glinted like twin blades in the dark.

“Ash,” the figure said, voice smooth as silk. “I was wondering when you'd arrive.”

Ash cocked his head. “You know my name. That’s either flattering or terrifying.”

The figure leapt from the platform and landed soundlessly. “Both, I hope.”

Ash stepped closer, candle raised. “You’re not with the agency.”

“No,” the masked stranger said, removing the silver mask to reveal a young woman—pale skin, high cheekbones, and eyes the color of storm clouds.

She was beautiful in the way a dagger was—elegant, sharp, and not to be trusted.

“They call me Sable,” she said. “And I believe we’re looking for the same thing.”

Ash raised an eyebrow. “A cursed vault hidden beneath a chapel filled with secrets, guarded by poetic death threats?”

Sable smirked. “You’re not as reckless as they say.”

“I am. I’m just charmingly reckless.”

They circled each other slowly, both measuring, both pretending to be unarmed. Neither was fooled.

“The vault is beneath the stone slab,” Sable said, nodding toward the platform. “But it needs two keys.”

Ash tilted his head. “Ah. And let me guess—you only have one.”

She held up a pendant. It shimmered faintly under the candlelight. “This unlocks half the mechanism.”

Ash reached into his coat and retrieved a slender, curved piece of carved jade. “And this unlocks the rest.”

They stared at each other for a moment, the silence thick with unspoken choices.

“You could kill me now,” Ash said casually.

“I could,” Sable agreed. “But then I’d have to drag your body up those stairs.”

“That’s fair,” he admitted. “Teamwork it is.”

---

Minutes Later – The Vault

Together, they inserted the keys into opposing sides of the platform. With a groan of ancient machinery, the slab split open, revealing a staircase descending even further into darkness.

Ash peered in. “Ladies first.”

Sable arched an eyebrow. “Afraid?”

“No. Just polite. And mildly curious if you explode.”

She rolled her eyes and descended. Ash followed.

At the bottom lay the vault—an arched chamber carved from black stone. Shelves lined with scrolls and ledgers towered on either side. In the center was a pedestal... and on it, a painting.

The painting was simple—a garden, with a man in a red cloak walking among white roses.

But something was wrong. The roses bled.

Ash stepped forward, inspecting it. “This is it.”

Sable nodded. “The map is inside the frame. Folded behind the canvas.”

Ash reached for it.

Click.

A sharp hiss. Hidden vents opened in the walls.

Gas.

Ash and Sable locked eyes. “Poetic death trap,” Ash said, coughing. “How romantic.”

Sable yanked the painting free. “There’s a door. Side of the room. Help me!”

They stumbled toward it as the gas thickened. Ash, half-dizzy, kicked the rusted door open, and they fell into a narrow escape tunnel.

For a moment, they lay on the floor, gasping.

Then Ash chuckled. “You sure know how to show a man a good time.”

Sable smirked. “That was the easy part.”

---

Later – On the Rooftops

Night had deepened. Ash and Sable sat atop a roof overlooking the chapel ruins. The stars above were sharp and cold.

Sable handed him a small scroll pulled from the painting’s frame.

Ash unrolled it. Hidden coordinates. Names. Locations. Safe houses. And... a cipher key.

“This is big,” he murmured. “Too big for just one man.”

Sable watched him carefully. “You’re not just a spy, are you?”

“No,” Ash said quietly. “I’m a mistake that learned how to walk and wear expensive coats.”

She chuckled.

“You’ll disappear after this?” she asked.

He turned to her with a sly smile. “Probably. Or maybe I’ll fake my death again. It’s becoming a habit.”

Sable studied him. “You wear masks even when you’re alone.”

Ash’s smile faltered for a second. “Some faces aren’t worth showing.”

Then he stood and slipped the scroll into his coat. “Well, I should go.”

“To where?”

He winked. “Where the next body drops.”

She nodded. “Then I’ll see you there.”

Ash leapt from the rooftop and vanished into the velvet-dark streets below, a shadow among shadows.