Despite it being so late into the night, Sero had adrenaline pumping through his body as the Pentagram and Janitors filed into the association conference room. With the addition of Gwyndolyn, Nala, and Luna, it was the same group of people from the first meeting.

"Alright everyone," Dante said, taking a seat at the head of the table. "I think we're all aware of the situation. Sero, why don't you fill us in on what you know?"

Sero took a deep breath, his eyes darting between each of them. "I think we can all agree that something big just happened tonight," he began. "The outbreaks have stopped, but more importantly, my friend, Casey, has been taken by the cult."

Dante held up a hand. "What does your friend Casey being kidnapped have anything to do with this?"

Sero clenched his jaw. "It might be a hunch, but as soon as he was taken, the outbreaks suddenly stopped spawning."

"So? That doesn't mean they're related."

"Of course it does," Sero snapped. "Think about it. The outbreaks have been spreading at an exponential rate, and now, as soon as Casey is taken, they just... stop? It's not a coincidence."

"Sero," Gwyndolyn began gently. "I know how you must feel, but if Culling's goal was truly to kidnap Casey, they would've done it while you were at my party, wouldn't they?"

Amaya shot Sero a questioning look, but he ignored it. "I realize that, but what if they didn't know where he was? What if they were waiting for me to get back to my penthouse?"

"That's a good point," Kaizo conceded. "And if that's the case, it does raise some questions about why they would want him. We know they're interested in invoking Catastrophes, but why would they target Casey? Opening a flurry of outbreaks would've given them enough sacrifices to do so."

Sero frowned. "I don't know, but I'm sure there's a reason. Maybe they needed someone with his particular skill set. Or maybe they just wanted to make a statement. Either way, we need to find him before they do whatever they're planning."

Dante shook his head. "Without proof, there's no reason to put so much emphasis on finding Casey. We don’t even know if he’s the only cause behind the outbreaks stopping all of a sudden. Our main priority right now is to continue to monitor the Zones, but now we have some Culling members in custody that we can interrogate."

Sero looked at Dante, anger and determination in his eyes. "With all due respect, Dante, we can't just ignore this. If we do, we're as good as letting them get away with it. And who knows what they'll do next?"

The Sin Reaper's eyes glowed neon green as he glared back at Sero, the scar across his face stretching taught. "I get that you care deeply for your friend, but don't forget your position, Sero. You're under watch, and with tensions running high, we can't afford to spare the manpower needed to search for him."

Sero felt his anger rising. "I won't ask you to spare any manpower, Dante. I'll find him myself."

"Sero," Kaizo warned. "You can't just go off on your own like that. You don't know what you're getting into."

"They're right, mate," J'takk chipped in as she glanced at Ione and Meredith for support. "Even if you do find him, what then? How are you going to rescue him?"

Sero's jaw tightened as the other two members of the Pentagram nodded their agreement. "I'll figure something out."

"If you want to go off on a suicide mission, then so be it," Dante growled. "But the rest of us here won't offer any help. Janitors included."

Sero's eyes flashed with defiance. "I didn't ask for your help, Dante. I'm doing this on my own." He stood up from his chair, his hands shaking with anger and determination. "If anyone here wants to come with me, feel free. But if not, then I'll find my friend myself."

As he turned to walk away, he half-expected Kit, Amaya, Nala, or even Enzo to follow. But no one, Luna included, made any move to join him. He felt a pang of disappointment, but refused to let it show on his face. He would find the boy, with or without their help.

Exiting the conference room, Sero prepared to teleport back to his ruined penthouse when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Sero..." Amaya's voice called out softly.

He paused, not turning around. "What?"

"I... I want to come with you, but I can't."

"What's the point of telling me that, then?"

"Because I need you to know that I am with you, Sero," Amaya said, her voice firm. "I believe in you, and I'll do whatever I can to help from here. Just... be careful, okay?"

Sero paused, his heart aching with a mixture of gratitude and frustration. He turned to face her, trying to hide the unsteadiness in his voice. "Thanks, Amaya. I'll be careful."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

He began to leave but suddenly bumped into someone around the corner, causing them to let out a soft cry of surprise.

"Ow- Sero?"

Elizabeth stood there, flanked by a tall man and woman. The man had short, spiky brown hair, piercing gray eyes, and a wolfish smile. Though he seemed at ease, there was a hungry look in his eyes, almost like a predator's. The woman, slightly shorter than Sero, had long dark hair, with a quiet aura about her. Her soft magenta eyes carefully observed Sero and Amaya.

"Elizabeth!" Sero exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah," Elizabeth smiled awkwardly. "I guess I wasn't totally honest with you the other night."

Sero frowned. "About what?"

"Who's this?" Amaya stepped up, and Sero swore he saw a hint of jealousy flickering in her eyes.

"Oh, uh, this is Elizabeth. I met her at Gwyn's album release party," Sero explained. "Elizabeth, this is my... friend, Amaya."

Elizabeth smiled, stepping forward. "Nice to meet you, Amaya."

Amaya nodded coolly. "Likewise."

"Um," Sero coughed into his hand, not knowing why he was sensing tension. "Why are you here, Elizabeth?"

"Oh," the other woman shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I never meant to hide it, but I'm the head of the A.R.E.S. Unit division."

Sero stared blankly at Elizabeth, but it seemed as though Amaya knew what she was talking about as the Spellblade had an incredulous expression on her face.

"You're... the Empress?" Amaya asked, slightly in awe.

"Who?" Sero glanced between the women. Elizabeth chuckled dryly.

"The A.R.E.S. Unit division is made up of non-Ascendants who are equipped with advanced technology that can keep up with the supernatural abilities of Ascendants," Elizabeth began, holding her palm out. A flash of white light emitted from her hand, forming a circular white disk with runic symbols on the outer ring. A smaller circle in the center glowed with a white light. "Called Armored Reinforcement Exo-Suits, these disks are the pinnacle of science, and give regular old humans like me a chance to stand on equal ground with people like you, Sero."

The two beside her nodded silently; the man conjured a blue disk with a glowing white center while the woman conjured a black disk with a glowing red center.

"To formally reintroduce myself, I'm Elizabeth Grace, holder of the A.R.E.S. Unit– a.k.a Empress," she said, dispersing the disk in her hand. "This is Jack, a.k.a Fenrir and Yelena, a.k.a Warpath. I work with the nation's defensive forces, much like the Ascendants Association's Special Protections division or the Janitors."

Sero's mind whirled with questions, but he quickly processed the information, giving Elizabeth a curious look. "Then, why were you at Gwyn's party?"

Elizabeth grinned sheepishly. "Well, Serafina, one of my subordinates in the A.R.E.S. Unit is her... friend. And she's always trying to get us to branch out, to interact with people from different backgrounds. So I went along with her plan, but I didn't expect to meet anyone quite like you."

"Yeah, likewise..." Sero trailed off, his mind still reeling from the revelation.

"To help answer Sero's question earlier," Amaya butted in, her initial awe at Elizabeth's identity replaced by a strange irritation. "I'm assuming you're here to join the meeting with the Pentagram and Janitors?"

"Yes," Elizabeth nodded. "We've been monitoring the situation closely and believe that our expertise in non-magical combat could be an asset to the group. We've already received the invitation from Dante and Gregor and will be in attendance."

Sero looked at Amaya, who was still glaring at Elizabeth. "Well, I'm glad we're all on the same page here."

Elizabeth chuckled, "Yes, it's good to have such a diverse group of individuals working together. I'm sure we'll make quite the team." She turned to Sero. "If you don't mind me asking, Sero, what role do you play in all this? You seem to know a lot about what's going on."

He opened his mouth, remembering what he had initially set out to do. "I... I have to go," Sero said apologetically. He glanced at Amaya. "Can you explain everything to Elizabeth, please? I really have somewhere to be."

"Of course," Amaya said, though she didn't seem too enthusiastic about the idea. "Go do what you need to, Sero."

Elizabeth nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Amaya. I appreciate it. And Sero, don't worry about explaining. We'll catch up later."

Sero hesitated for a moment before finally turning to leave, feeling slightly anxious about leaving the two women.

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As he walked away, Amaya could feel an ugly emotion rising within her. She glanced at Elizabeth, who was watching Sero's retreating figure with a curious expression. "So, you're friends with him?" Amaya asked, her voice dripping with suspicion.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Elizabeth replied, her tone calm and unperturbed. "We met at Gwyndolyn's party as you heard before."

Amaya narrowed her eyes. "And how did you two meet?" she asked, her voice cold.

Elizabeth blinked, caught off guard by Amaya's hostility. "Well, he was just sitting alone at the fire pit, and I just thought he'd like some company. Why?"

"Just... curious," Amaya replied, forcing her emotions down. She didn't know why she was feeling this way, but something about Elizabeth made her uncomfortable. Maybe it was the fact that she was stunning, or that she seemed to have an easy rapport with Sero.

"Think it's time for us to join the meeting, right?" The tall man named Jack interrupted.

"Oh, right," Amaya replied, still feeling slightly distracted. "Let's go."

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As soon as there was no one around Sero, he emulated Lawbreak, teleporting back to his ruined penthouse. When he got there, he was shocked to find that all the Culling bodies had disappeared, his place still a mess.

"What the fuck?" he muttered to himself, but ignored it for now. His main priority was trying to find any clues of Casey's whereabouts, or Culling's plans. He began to search the penthouse again, more methodically this time. Hours passed, and he found nothing of significance.

Giving up, Sero decided to salvage his apartment, using Cat Paradox to restore his penthouse. Aside from all the bloodstains, he managed to repair the furniture and the penthouse itself. He conjured a couple of Jacks and Kings to help clean his penthouse as Sero rested on the couch, trying to make sense of everything that had happened.

When the first rays of the morning sun began to emerge, exhaustion finally took over his body, pulling Sero deep into sleep. He dreamt fitfully, haunted by images of Culling, the outbreaks, and Malice.

The sound of his phone ringing loudly jerked him awake, causing Sero to sit up on the couch. He glanced at the screen, recognizing the number as Elizabeth. "Hello?"

"Sero, it's Elizabeth. I'm sorry to bother you, but I was hoping we could meet up again. There's something I need to tell you." There was a pause, and then she continued, "It's about Casey."