(Sera’s POV)Tangier was a city that punished sentiment. A city that was probably more dangerous than the people residing in it. It sounded stupid, but it was true. Ask the dead bodies lying underneath the soil of Tangier. They'll tell you to ask Tangier. To ask Tangier what they ever did to deserve the fate bestowed on them.

The city glimmered with sun-scorched charm in the daylight…all white stone walls, and loud market but underneath, it whispered in a language Sera Nyx knew well: the quiet currency of threats, and forgotten bodies. It was all just a mask. There was more to it than any normal person could ever imagine.

She walked through it like a native ghost. Not caring that she could easily be underneath the soil if she didn't thread carefully. Loose linen shirt, dark cargo pants, low hood. Just another shadow among a thousand. She moved with the breeze, but her eyes were sharp, still, and she looked at every angle.

She didn’t carry weapons.

Not visible ones.

The heat pulsed off the walls as she ducked into a narrow alley near Bab Al Bahr, fingers brushing the old stone just long enough to trigger a sensor. A rusted door clicked open behind a spice vendor’s stall. She slipped through without looking back.

Inside, it was dark. Cold. Unwelcoming.

“Tarek,” she called.

Silence.

There was silence for a long time, but Sera waited patiently because she knew the routine all too well.

“You’re late.” The voice came from the shadows. A man stepped out…early 40s, lean, scarred jaw, and a gold hoop in one ear. Tarek wasn’t loyal to anyone, but he’d saved her once, and in her world, that meant he got to live longer than most.

He held a cigarette like it was his best friend…and honestly, it was. It has to be. The world they lived in didn't permit them to make friends or let down their guards. There was no association without benefit. Everyone wanted something from the other. You could either give it willingly or it could get stolen. Emotions were treated like business transactions, and could be discarded easily after the contract ended.

“Bucharest made noise,” he said. “You left too clean. You wanted him to see.”

Sera didn’t deny it. It was true, and they both knew it. She walked past him, deeper into the bunker. She wasn't mad that Cassian had seen her at all. But she knew Tarek didn't like that at all.

“I need the Algerian route map,” she said flatly. “And intel on the woman named Mara Vale.”

Tarek narrowed his brows, and went for his cigarette again. He looked surprised. “You ignored my statement. Does that mean it's true?” he asked.

Sera rolled her eyes. “I'm starting to think that you've begun asking too many questions. What's that about?.”

Tarek shrugged. “I'm just curious.”

“Curiosity gets you killed. You're not an amateur, you know that already. So I ask again, what's that about?,” she asked.

“Nothing really. I've just started to…”

“Enough! Stop starting anything!,” she cut him off. “I'm getting suspicious, and you're making me ask myself questions. Do you know what that means?”

Tarek took a deep breath. “No. I don't know what it means.”

Sera looked him dead in the eyes. “It means I've started to doubt you…and trust me, you don't want that. So back to the question I asked you. Who is Mara Vale?”

Tarek held her stare. “Big name. Ice-blooded. Smiles like a knife. They say she slit her first throat at thirteen, and never looked back.”

“Sounds familiar,” Sera replied.

He grinned. “You admire her?”

She turned around. “I want to know if she bleeds.”

Tarek gave a low chuckle. “What’s your endgame, Sera? This isn’t just about the boy who ordered your father's execution. It’s been years. You’re not that child anymore.”

Sera turned. She didn't tense or show any signs of emotion, but his words cut deep. The question bothered her because she didn't have the answers. Not yet.

Her eyes were calm. But beneath them lived a storm.

“This is bigger than one man. Cassian Vale is just the beginning. I’m not trying to destroy him. I’m trying to uncover what made him.”

Tarek studied her for a long time. He knew whatever she was starting was going to ruin everyone slowly. It was also going to ruin her, and that's what he was scared of. She's already ruined. Any other addition would be the end of her. He shook his head, then tossed her a data drive.

“The route’s here. Use it tonight. Patrols shift at 0200.”

She caught it easily, but didn’t leave. Her voice dropped.

“You said something before. About a boy. "How did you know about my father?”

Tarek blinked, surprised. “You never told me?.”

“Exactly.”

His smile faltered.

Sera stepped closer, not enough to threaten him but to make him alert.

“Tarek. Who have you been talking to?”

He hesitated, and visibly tensed up more. He looked like he was fighting back his words, and that didn't escape Sera.

“I’ve kept you alive,” she said softly, “but that’s not a promise I renew blindly.”

He raised his hands. “Nobody. I swear. But you need to know… Vale’s people are sniffing. They’re rerouting high-value cargo. That means they’re preparing for impact. I think they are already taking you seriously, and an underground investigation has begun.”

“Good.”

She turned, headed for the exit, but paused at the door.

“Don’t follow me. Don’t send anyone. If I feel someone watching me, I’ll assume the worst,” she warned.

Tarek nodded slowly. “You’re bleeding tension, Nyx. You keep this up, and he won’t be the one to kill you.”

She smiled without warmth. There were a million things going on in her mind all at once, and the last thing was death.

“I know. That’s the point.”

Then she vanished into the night, and left no traces…like she had never stepped foot there before.