Deep breaths.

Each inhale felt like shards of glass scraping through my lungs, the strain on my [Existence] growing heavier with every use of my Gift. The pain was familiar, a constant companion I’d carried for years. I’d endured too much, sacrificed too deeply, to falter now.

Yaksha writhed in my Soul Chains, cocooned and subdued. Subduing him without killing him had been a delicate dance, but my preparation had paid off. The ring I now wore and edited acted as a spatial anchor, but that alone wouldn’t have been enough to contain him. Fu’s dismembered limbs, scattered strategically as additional anchors, ensured Yaksha couldn’t teleport out. His teleportation was unlike any I’d encountered—raw, overwhelming, capable of bypassing nearly every obstacle. Yet here he was, trapped.

The battle had left me drained, but I pushed through, recycling Yaksha’s aura into myself while flooding him with mine. It was a brutal process, a technique derived from aura sabotage, meant to erode his will and complete the adjacent mind control.

I stared at him, my voice calm but firm. “I will ask again. Where is Leora?”

His resistance faltered as he rasped, “Alternate world.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What do you know of Cryptid-008, codenamed Truck-kun?”

“Spatial distortion abilities,” Yaksha said, his voice strained. “Capable of fabricating entire worlds… plausibly time travel.”

“Where is Truck-kun’s last known location?”

“Unknown…” he admitted. “Last intel suggests it’s now working with Cryptid-005, Nobody.”

My jaw tightened. “Where is Ulrich’s last known location?”

Yaksha hesitated before replying, “Three days in the future… Capital City.”

I pressed further. “I knew as much. But where in the Capital City?”

His eyes flickered with frustration. “I… don’t know.”

I leaned closer, my tone colder. “Where is Cryptid-001, codenamed God?”

His gaze snapped to mine, surprise flickering in his expression. “You even know that… I don’t know where it is.”

“What is God’s last known location?”

Yaksha’s breathing quickened. “What… are you planning?”

I let a small, bitter smile cross my lips. “You sure have strong willpower. What am I planning? I’m going to beg God to give me Leora back.”

His expression shifted, a mix of disbelief and grim determination. “I…”

And then he smiled. A cold, knowing smile. Before I could react, I felt the sudden, violent surge of his aura that I stole. He was imploding it, trying to take me down with him.

Pain erupted along the left side of my body as his aura burned through me. I severed the connection and forced his rogue aura into the atmosphere, dispersing it before it could do more damage. My left arm hung limp, scorched and useless for the moment.

Yaksha coughed, blood trickling from his lips. With a defiant gleam in his eyes, he bit down on his tongue.

“No!” I shouted, lunging toward him.

But it was too late. His body went limp, his life extinguished by his own hand.

I stared at the lifeless form before me, fury and exhaustion warring within. My only lead had burned himself out, taking critical answers with him.

The forest around me fell silent, save for the faint hum of lingering chains. I clenched my remaining fist, ignoring the searing pain in my body.

“I’ll find her,” I muttered to the void. “No matter what it takes.”

The forest was quiet except for the distant rustling of leaves and the faint hum of tension in the air. My burned side throbbed relentlessly, the aftermath of Yaksha’s last desperate move. I could feel the seared flesh pulling uncomfortably against my movements, but I kept my posture steady. Pain was an old friend.

Loki’s voice broke the silence as he emerged from the treeline. He carried Adam slung over one shoulder, as if the man were a sack of potatoes.

Stolen novel; please report.

“Yo~ nice seeing you!” Loki greeted, his voice light and mocking. His eyes flicked to the burns on my body. “Nasty burn marks. Want me to wake this guy up to patch you up?”

I shook my head, glancing at the unconscious Adam. “That can wait. We need to leave first. Lomar’s police department is not to be underestimated.”

Loki waved a hand dismissively. “Nah, we’ll be fine. I had the other Troupe members stage a robbery on the opposite end of the city. Total chaos over there. No one’s coming here anytime soon.”

Without waiting for a response, Loki pinched Adam’s nose and clamped his jaw shut, forcing him awake. Adam thrashed, gasping for air as Loki released him.

“What the… what the hell?” Adam coughed, clutching his throat and stumbling to his feet.

Kara materialized beside me like a ghost, her sudden presence catching me off guard. Her stealth abilities had improved since the last time I saw her. Gone was the purple, silk-clad figure I remembered; she now wore white, though her outfit still clung to the same belly-dancer theme.

“Nasty burns,” she remarked, her tone dry.

“Yeah, I know,” I replied.

Loki clapped his hands together with exaggerated enthusiasm. “Wakey-wakey, Adam! We’re your saviors!”

Adam blinked, disoriented. “What’s happening? Where’s the others?”

Loki smirked, pointing at me. “Ask him.”

I crossed my arms, keeping my tone steady. “I’m recruiting. Thinking of building my own team.”

Loki’s grin widened. “Oh man, you could’ve just hired my Undead Troupe, you know? We’re always open for business.”

I shook my head. “I can’t. The Troupe is loyal to you. I need people who won’t be loyal to anyone but themselves. And no, I’m not building a mercenary group. My goal is bigger—I’m going to replace the World Order.”

Adam, still rubbing his temples, looked at me sharply. “And why would I join you? Where’s the rest of DERT?”

Loki leaned against a tree, a mocking glint in his eyes. “Amnesia much? If you mean DERT, they’re dead. Killed by the World Order’s dogs.” He gestured toward Yaksha’s lifeless body. “That guy? That’s Yaksha. Recognize him?”

I glanced at the corpse. “That’s him, alright.”

Loki shrugged. “Not much of a big deal, really. He killed half your DERT buddies, and the sword lady got the other half. PS: I killed the sword lady. So, if my team needs healing, I hope you would look at us kindly.”

“Loki,” I said, my tone warning, “stop bothering him.”

“My bad, my bad,” Loki said, though his grin remained. “I gotta say, though, knowing how his ability works, I kinda want to recruit him myself.”

Adam stepped toward me, raising a hand. His aura pulsed faintly as he channeled his healing ability, knitting the burned flesh on my side. The pain dulled, replaced by a cool sensation as my skin repaired itself.

Adam’s expression was unreadable as he spoke. “I don’t know what’s going on, but if you can promise my safety, I’ll work for you. But if you compromise that safety, I’ll do one of two things: run away or kill myself on the spot.”

Kara chuckled, her voice laced with amusement. “This guy’s got guts. Are you sure, Loki, that he used to be some pen-pusher?”

Loki shrugged, his grin never faltering. “Pen-pusher or not, he’s got potential. You sure you don’t want me to take him off your hands, Reynard?”

I met Adam’s gaze, his resolve evident in his stance. “I don’t make promises lightly,” I said. “But if you work with me, I’ll ensure your safety as long as you remain loyal. You have my word.”

Adam nodded slowly. “Then we have a deal.”

The van’s engine hummed faintly as we glided through the darkness, cloaked in silence thanks to Kara’s ability to manipulate sound. Loki sat in the driver’s seat, his hands steady on the wheel, the dashboard lights off. He didn’t need them—his night vision, or whatever gave him that eerie awareness of the surroundings, made him as precise as any seasoned hunter.

The forest slipped away behind us, the trees thinning as we approached the city’s outskirts.

“You’re not bringing your undead with you?” I asked, breaking the quiet.

Adam, seated beside me, shifted uncomfortably. “Undead?”

Loki chuckled, his voice light despite the tension. “Yeah, I’m leaving them back there. Evidence of the World Order’s handiwork. Extra bodies should do the trick.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Why leave evidence?”

“If the Order covers it all up,” Loki said, his tone nonchalant, “it means they’d rather keep things quiet despite the mess we made. But if they let the news about the dead DERT members spread, then they’re likely going to go for a more aggressive approach. Either way, we’ll know what they’re planning soon enough.”

Adam’s discomfort grew, and he glanced at me warily.

I turned to him, my voice steady. “Adam, can you bring someone back from the dead?”

The van jerked as Loki swerved sharply, his voice a startled growl. “Motherf**ker, don’t scare me like that!”

Adam’s face went pale. “W-what? No, I can’t! That’s not how my Gift works!”

Loki grumbled under his breath, straightening the van’s course. “You’re lucky I didn’t crash this thing.”

I leaned back in my seat, letting the moment pass. Adam’s denial didn’t faze me—I knew what he was capable of, or rather, what he would be capable of in time. His ability was still nascent, like a seed waiting to sprout under the right conditions.

It wasn’t just idle speculation. I’d seen fragments of the future of what Adam would become. His path was tied to Selena, a woman whose bloodline carried an extraordinary trait. When someone from her lineage met their soulmate, their [Existence] underwent a profound evolution.

It was both fascinating and ironic how fate seemed to weave its threads, bringing people together to fulfill roles they couldn’t yet understand. Adam’s potential wasn’t just theoretical—it was inevitable.

But Selena was dead… I sighed…

Loki broke the silence again, his tone lighter now. “So, Reynard, what’s the plan? You’ve got the healer, the sound manipulator, and me. Pretty good start for a team, huh?”

I didn’t answer immediately, my mind still on Adam and Selena. The van rolled on, Kara’s sound barrier ensuring our stealth. For now, the city lights were still a distant glow on the horizon.

“Not bad,” I finally said. “But this is just the beginning. There’s a lot more work to do.”

And no, this was probably the last time I would be hiring Loki.

Adam looked at me, his expression conflicted. “I’ll help you for now, but I need to know what you’re really planning.”

I met his gaze, unflinching. “You’ll know when the time comes.”

The van sped on, the night swallowing us whole.