𝔻𝕀𝕊𝕋ℝ𝕀ℂ𝕋 ℕ𝕀ℕ𝔼 «재현»

13

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜɪʀᴛᴇᴇɴ

The sound of small, infectious laughter and chuckles echoed from the two teenagers. It seemed to harmonize with the gentle rustling of leaves in the nearby forest, creating a moment of pure, carefree bliss as they made their way down the bridge, hand in hand.

They walked towards the direction of their vehicle when a sudden, inexplicable force struck Trinity down to the ground harshly, causing her to gasp in pain as she tumbled to the ground.

"Trin—"

Before Jaehyun could react, the mysterious figure, cloaked in a black bomber jacket, matching jeans, and combat boots, turned to him.

The intruder was a woman, presumably in her late 30s, with short, tousled brown hair and tan skin. In her hand was a device with a stunning resemblance to a rifle, which blasted a familiar, eerie frequency into the air. The sound grated against Jaehyun's ears like a thousand nails on a chalkboard, leaving him reeling with disorientation and discomfort.

The overwhelming sensation sent him to his knees forcefully, and at the same time, his heart raced with a mixture of fear and curiosity. The lady, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, maneuvered the Blue onto his chest, brought his hands up behind his back and cuffed them with a satisfying click.

"You ain't so bad for half a million," she taunted. Her words were delivered with a faux sympathy that made her sarcasm all the more cutting. With a swift motion, she flipped him onto his back.

He did not know her name, but he knew who she was—a skip tracer, a relentless bounty hunter who would stop at nothing until their target was either eliminated or abducted under certain orders.

Jaehyun's heart sank as he glanced from Trinity, who still writhed in pain on the ground, to Yuta, who was bound and injured with blood trailing down the side of his face, leaning against their car.

"Let them go. You can have me, but just don't hurt them," The Blue pleaded, desperation evident in his voice.

With a nonchalant shrug, she broke into a Cheshire-worthy grin. "Little lady over there is worth a whole lot more than you and your friend combined, so why would I do that?"

The tracer's smirk seemed to widen as she strolled towards Trinity's fallen body. Her dark eyes bore into Jaehyun's futile attempts to free himself from the unforgiving handcuffs, and a chilling chuckle escaped her lips.

With a deliberate, almost taunting air, the woman bent down and seized Trinity by the collar of her shirt. A pained grunt escaped the Purple's trembling lips, and her wide, terrified eyes met the tracer's with an appeal for mercy that went unanswered.

Then, as if triggered by the anguished plea in Trinity's eyes, the tracer's grip on the teen's collar tightened, and her expression shifted into one of eerie detachment.

In the blink of an eye, the woman's mind was engulfed by a suffocating darkness, and she was instantly under the control of the Purple, a reality that sent the woman to her knees in surrender.

"Drop it," Trinity commanded, her voice carrying an almost otherworldly authority despite its softness. "and the keys."

The tracer's grip on her weapon loosened, and the gun fell to the ground with a muted thud along with the keys to both her car and the handcuffs, clattering against the floor. The sudden act of surrender was met with a gasp of astonishment from Jaehyun, his eyes widening in disbelief. He had always known that Trinity possessed extraordinary abilities, but witnessing them in person was an entirely different experience.

"Apologize to Jae, and Yuta," Trinity repeated with unwavering authority, her eyes locked onto the tracer's, unyielding in her demand.

The two held their breath as the tracer's gaze shifted from defiance to submission. Her voice quivered with a touch of remorse as she stammered out an apology to Jaehyun and Yuta.

"And now, you're gonna walk into that forest and keep walking. No matter how tired you get, or how hungry you get, you don't stop moving. Ever." Trinity's voice held an uncompromising edge, her gaze locking onto the tracer with an unwavering intensity. Her words were an unbreakable command, echoing through the room with a weight that couldn't be ignored.

"Ever." the tracer echoed, the word dripping with resignation. She released her grip on the girl's collar, her fingers unclenching slowly as if to demonstrate her reluctant submission.

With a slow, deliberate motion, the woman rose from the ground, her eyes lingering for a moment on the Purple, who had become both her captor and her liberator. There was a strange mix of emotions in her gaze-defiance, fear, and a hint of acceptance.

Without uttering a word, the tracer turned toward the lush green forest that beckoned her with its mysterious depths. She began her journey, her footsteps carrying her away from the scene and into the unknown.