THE LAST VEİL

The Ghost İn Berlin

The cold streets of Germany... Berlin.

2:46 A.M.

The heavy rain mercilessly struck the dark streets of Berlin. The sharp scent of asphalt blended with the smoke rising from the illegal bars hidden within the narrow, forgotten alleys. Red and blue neon lights trembled across the wet pavement, desperately trying to illuminate a city that had already fallen into darkness. The rain washed over everything even the traces of blood left behind.

Castiel Wior was one of the most secure and prestigious hotels in Berlin. It was the first choice of diplomats, government officials, and influential figures from around the world. For years, the building had been known for its flawless security.

But to someone else, security was nothing more than a meaningless word made up of a few letters.

Berlin had never been a completely peaceful city. Yet what happened tonight was far beyond an ordinary crime. Police sirens echoed through the streets, while red and blue lights surrounded the hotel, turning the area into something that resembled a battlefield.

Nova Crowe leaned against her car, taking a sip from her second coffee of the night. Her eyes first moved across her team members before finally settling on the chief officer standing in front of the hotel entrance.

Dacian Luke.

With his brown eyes, curly hair, and large build, he was impossible to overlook. The expression on his face carried both tension and a strange sense of humor something that reminded Nova of Lewis.

Dacian approached her and, as always, acted with a fatherly warmth as he messed up her straight gray hair.

"Everything's clear, Nova. Go ahead."

Nova simply nodded.

As she walked toward her team, she pulled a cigarette pack from her pocket. However, the moment she remembered it was empty, she muttered a quiet curse and placed it back.

Without wasting another second, she reached Veyn Jeoy and Lewis Carter. No one spoke. Everyone walked through the hotel doors as if they already knew exactly what they had to do.

Lewis immediately headed toward the reception desk. The woman standing there had bloodshot eyes. Her trembling hands and constantly moving fingers were enough to reveal her fear.

She struggled to speak.

"The eleventh floor... The elevators are experiencing a technical malfunction. I'm sorry..."

She pointed toward the stairs beside the elevators.

Electronic failures caused by heavy rain were not unusual in Berlin. However, in a hotel like Castiel Wior, even the smallest malfunction was impossible to ignore.

The officers quickly made their way toward the stairs.

The corridors were silent.

There was no one.

Either the building had been evacuated immediately, or everyone had locked themselves inside their rooms.

Despite their exhausted breaths, Nova was the first to reach the scene. She pushed her rain-soaked hair away from her face and straightened her posture. Moments later, Veyn and Lewis appeared behind her, both holding their weapons in a defensive position.

"How many?" Lewis asked, his eyes still fixed on his gun.

"Ten."

The forensic officer answered.

"Exactly ten bodies."

When Nova entered the first room, she expected to see a massacre.

But the only thing her green eyes found was perfection.