Noah stepped out of the shadows, Null Stride fading as the dust of his body reformed into flesh and bone.

He was in a different alley now, the capital's uneven stone walls standing high on either side.

Trash littered the corners, and the faint smell of rot hung in the air.

He adjusted his coat, orange eyes narrowing.

Bruno's last words rang in his ears. An alley behind the East Market. That was his lead.

Noah retraced his path, emerging from the side street and weaving through the press of the capital.

Merchants hawked their wares, their voices ringing over the crowd.

With quick fingers, he stopped a small sheet of dark cloth, tying it over the lower half of his face like a mask.

There was no need for there to be accurate descriptions of his face floating around.

The bar had been dark, so he knew the occupants wouldn't remember him well. They hadn't even seen him clearly, and had fled when Bruno turned.

But here, he was about to do something... open.

He slipped behind a row of shops, cutting through twisting lanes until he finally found the one.

The alley.

It was narrow and damp, the light of day struggling to seep through. Shattered bottles glinted faintly in the grime.

Noah stood still for a long moment, breathing it in, eyes roving over every crack in the wall, every dark corner.

This was the place Snake had come to Bruno.

But the place was empty. All he could see was darkness and silence.

Noah's jaw tightened. If Snake had been here, he was long gone.

Still, Noah didn't give up. He began wandering the neighborhood, scanning the faces that crossed his path. His patience was rewarded, though not in the way he expected.

A cry rang out from deeper in the warren of alleys, a pained shout, muffled by fists.

Noah slipped towards it, footsteps silent.

Three men had cornered someone, a gaunt fellow clutching his arms over his face as blows rained down.

The thugs laughed, curses spilling from their mouths as they laid into him.

"Pathetic rat! Shouldn't have tried to short us!" one snarled, boot driving into the man's ribs.

Noah moved before he'd even thought about it.

His hand shot out, shadows lashing across the ground like snakes, binding one of the attackers at the legs and yanking him off balance.

The man hit the ground with a shout.

The other two spun, startled. "What the..."

Noah was already on them.

A flick of his wrist sent another tendril of shadow snapping around the second thug's throat, dragging him off his feet.

The third swung a knife wildly, but Noah sidestepped it, catching his wrist and twisting until the blade clattered to the ground.

The victim scrambled away, clutching his side, wide eyes locked on Noah. "T- Thank you, sir—"

Noah ignored him. He wasn't here for gratitude.

He shoved the knife-wielding thug against the wall, shadows pinning him like a fly.

The other two struggled in vain, their faces pale under the binding.

"Listen carefully." Noah's voice was low, even, the kind of calm that chilled bone. "I'm looking for someone. Red hair. Handsome. Calls himself Snake."

The bound thug's eyes bulged. "N— No! Never heard of him!"

Noah tilted his head, expression unreadable. He turned to the others. "And you?"

They shook their heads frantically, begging. "Please! We don't know him, I swear! We've never seen anyone like that!"

Noah studied them for a moment. His instincts told him the truth. They weren't lying. Just bottom-feeders, no ties to the man he hunted.

He exhaled, long and slow. "Shame."

Their eyes widened as the shadows writhed tighter around them.

Then the darkness surged, swallowing them whole.

Their screams cut off in an instant as their bodies dissolved into nothing, leaving only the faint aftertaste of mana seeping into Noah's veins.

The man they had been beating cowered, frozen in terror. He didn't dare move, didn't dare speak.

Noah glanced at him once, then dismissed him, walking away as if nothing had happened.

The search dragged on. Noah traced block after block, prowling every forgotten lane behind the East Market.

But each alley ended the same.

Empty.

No red-haired man. No Snake.

By the time the sun began to sink lower, frustration burned behind Noah's calm gaze.

He'd come this far, but his quarry had slipped away long before he'd arrived.

Snake was smart, or at least cautious. He wouldn't be found by wandering eyes alone.

With a final glance at the alleys, Noah summoned Null Stride.

The black rift tore open at his chest, his body fracturing into dust and shadows.

In a blink, the capital was gone.

When he reformed, it was inside the familiar walls of his dorm room at the academy.

He stood there for a few seconds, silent, fists clenched at his sides.

Snake was out there. And when he found him, there would be no mercy.

[][][][][]

Garret stood in the middle of the wrecked bar, the smell of old liquor hanging heavy in the air.

The fight had torn the place apart. The tables were smashed, beams cracked, and blood streaked all over the floor.

At the center of it all lay the dead body of a thug, Bruno, pale and broken.

One of the agents knelt beside the body, gloves slick with drying blood.

"Sir," he said, his voice tight. "The readings are the same as the girl's. High concentration of demon essence. Matching signatures."

Another agent added, "Whatever changed Juniper changed this one. It's the same source."

Garret's jaw tightened as he crouched, staring down at Bruno's body.

The man's veins were blackened, still faintly pulsing with corrupted mana.

His horns had receded, his flesh half-healed from whatever transformation he'd undergone, but the signs were undeniable.

Two cases. Same trail. Same hand pulling the strings.

Garret's mind raced. A potion? A ritual? And why here, in the gutters of the capital?

His teeth ground together as he rose, cloak brushing the rubble.

The door creaked, and the air seemed to shift. Heavy boots crossed the broken floorboards.

Garret turned.

Lord Rowe had arrived.

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