CHAPTER I: Mission to Yakaterinburg

The sidewalk was made out of gray stone pavement… A short walk from there would lead to a small café... And a few blocks away from there led to a six-storey building.... A motel...

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"Tae Dong-hwan... I want you to take this special case..." Said the director tapping the case file with his index finger.. His glasses making him look more stern than he actually is...

"It's a special one... And you're the only one I can trust who wouldn't disappoint me..."

"Okay sir.." Said Tae as he took the case file, turned around and walked up to the door as he held the handle and was about to open it, the director–Lee Choyon-min.. Stopped him

"And remember not to die Tae..."

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Tae was sitting inside the café sipping on some hot coffee glancing out the cold streets of Yekaterinburg… Which weren't helping much either in giving some warmth... Quite literally...

Yakaterinburg smelled like snow and blood.

He pulled the collar of his coat higher, shoving his gloved hands into his pockets as he stepped onto the icy pavement. The neon lights of the city flickered against the wet asphalt casting eerie reflections that stretched like ghosts.

Too quiet. Too cold. The kind of cold that got into your bones and never left...

He had been in Russia for weeks now.. Searching for a particular person...

Rurik Dyavol Sokolov...

The name that was never spoken above a whisper... The white Death. They called him. A phantom. A predator... The kind of man who could slit your throat and step over your body without breaking his stride..

Tae had finally tracked down his location and he was going to find him... Today...

He walked back to his motel preparing everything he needed for the mission... Especially his disguise..

Covering his caramel blonde hair with a black wig.. Styled perfectly along with his back tailored suit and blue contact lenses to cover his hazel eyes, Tae could easily pass for a rich man throwing away his money.. All because he's bored..

Jin Hyun-woo.. A Korean businessman who is apparently a gambler... A high-stake gambler to be exact...

Tae's boots crunch against the cold floor as he finds himself standing in front of the entrance of

Belaya Krov' an underground club buried beneath the city's decaying underbelly... A known haunt for criminals, traffickers and ghosts like Rurik..

The security guard barely spared him a glance before letting him pass…. He was already on the list–the perks of going undercover as a buyer in the Black market

Inside, the air was thick with the scent of cigar, perfume, vodka and caramel... Along with something darker–secrets, lies and sins.. The dim light bouncing on the red velvet walls gave everything an almost eerie vibe.. Something straight out an 80s-90s mafia movie..

Tae's eyes scans around the entire room taking in the details before landing on him.. Rurik Dyavol Sokolov..

There, sitting at the center of the room was the most feared man of Russia... The White Death.. Draped in a white tailored suit, silver jewelries, his pale lashes casting a shadow over his crimson eyes making his albino features almost ghostly...

He sits there like a god bored of his Kingdom... The catch? He doesn't play cards... He plays people..

So this is him? Tae thought to himself as he took an unseen seat in the corner near the bar, his posture relaxed, but his eyes remained vigilant...

The dealer–Vasya– was sweating buckets whereas he? He barely even glanced at his cards

"You're shaking Vasya.... Is it the heat.. Or is it just me?" He asked leaning forward

Then, he gestures to the man standing beside him "Bring me a candle.." Everyone in the room was visibly confused. A candle? In the middle of a game?

He turns back to Vasya and says in a smooth, low voice– "You know, Vasya... When people sweat in my casino, it usually means they're lying or dying..."

Moments later, the guard reappears and a tall, slender and silver candlestick is now placed beside him.

Rurik removes a cigar from a silver box with two fingers and briefly dips most of it into a small glass of absinthe–green, bitter, otherworldly and then cuts it's edge with a small pocket knife instead of a cutter

So, he's lighting a cigar from a candle? I must say.... That's unique? Tae thought to himself

The Gurkha Black Dragon.... Each single cigar costs $1,150.. It's rare... And the leader never shares it... If you're seeing it that means you're either trusted or about to die.. Which in this case, means the latter....

But then, he does something that shocks everyone... Including Tae...

He takes out a fresh $100 bill, rolls it into a cone and leans forward towards the candle and lights the bill with the flame... Using it to light his cigar

Then, taking an uncomfortably long drag of his cigar, he finally picks his card, glances at him, smiled and says– "Call"

The dealer trembles even more after Rurik's call. He fumbles slightly while revealing the cards

"F-four of a kind sir..."

Taking a slow drag of his absinthe–laced smoke, he leans back in his black leather chair and studies the dealer–not the cards..

"Vasya... You've dealt this hand before..."

Rurik drops his own hand–a royal flush.

Tae leans in slightly his heartbeat slows instead of speeding.. He's no stranger to death but this? This isn't just violence...

This is artistry.

Rurik circles the table like a predator ready to pounce. Cigar between his fingers... He stops right behind Vasya. The whole room leans away–except for Tae who watches every detail.

Then the cigar–burned into the dealer's neck.

"AAHHH–!" A loud scream echoes through the casino

"Hold him steady." He orders to his men

Tae doesn't flinch when the pistol comes out. Silver, engraved, pristine.

One shot.

The scent of smoke and gunpowder lingers. Blood. Silence.

Rurik drops the still-lit cigar into the man's drink, the hiss of extinguished flame almost louder than the gunshot.

He turns to his men and orders "Get someone to clean this up.." He paused for a moment glancing at the candle "And bring me another candle"

Tae downs the last of his whiskey, sets the glass down and lets a small smirk pull at his lips.

So that's him? Beautiful, dangerous, a little theoretical and a lot insane. Perfect... He thinks to himself

And in that moment, Rurik's eyes–like frost over a blade–lifts across the room and lands directly on Tae. Lingering just for a moment longer...

As if he already knew....