In the late nights, the moon hung high above the city illuminating the structures with its silver glow.
Perched atop one of these steel giants, four figures crouched in the shadows with their eyes locked onto the twelfth-floor penthouse of a nearby building—AM Coven.
The one leading the operation, Drakos, stood at the edge with his thick arms crossed over his chest.
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He had deep scars across his knuckles and his reputation in the Oni terrorist network was as solid as his muscle-bound fra.
Orlma who stood right beside him, adjusted her night-vision goggles and took a deep breath. Her silver-blond hair was tied into a tight ponytail and she bore a calm expression.
Unlike Drakos, she was thodical, favoring intelligence over brute force.
Lyriss, clad in an all-black bodysuit, leaned against a steel beam, casually flipping a throwing knife between her fingers. Being a trained assassin with multiple confird kills, she was efficient and deadly—words were often a waste of her breath.
The fourth figure, Fox, was the most composed, yet the most cautious. She wore a demonic fox mask that concealed most of her features but her alert posture showed her experience. Her previous encounter with Aleman had left her wary—sothing the others failed to understand.
"He's just a player, Fox," Drakos scoffed while cracking his knuckles. "One guy against the four of us? This shouldn't take anything."
Fox let out a sigh before turning to face him. "You weren't there," she stated. "I was. You think I ca back in one piece by luck?"
Drakos waved her off. "Tch. Your team was weak."
Fox's fingers curled slightly, but she held her temper in check. "You don't know what you're talking about," she snapped. "Aleman isn't normal. I don't know how or why, but I watched my subordinates get obliterated when we engaged him. We underestimated him, just like you're doing now. And if you go in thinking this is a walk in the park, you'll be the next one to lose your head."
Silence settled between them for a brief mont, broken only by the distant sounds of the city traffic. Orlma decided to step in.
"She has a point," Orlma mused. "We know that AM Coven is a business front, but it's more than that. Aleman's popularity has skyrocketed, and with it, his resources. What if he has security asures in place?"
Drakos frowned, unwilling to back down. "We've taken down bigger threats. What could he possibly have?"
Fox scoffed. "How about cybernetic bodyguards?"
Lyriss, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. "I did my research," she voiced with a low tone. "There are five heavily ard guards in AM Coven. They don't just stand around looking pretty. I watched footage—one of them took down a thief in under two seconds. We don't know what else they're capable of."
Drakos exhaled through his nose with irritation but listened. "Fine. Then what do you suggest?"
Fox folded her arms. "We have to be strategic. Rushing in won't work. We need to lure him out, away from his base."
Orlma smirked slightly. "And how do you propose we do that?"
Fox tilted her head. "Easy. We hit sothing he values."
Drakos' brows furrowed. "AM Coven?"
Fox shook her head. "Too risky. His security is tight there. But he has connections—people he trusts."
Lyriss caught on imdiately. "His companions?"
Drakos' grin widened. "That's cold. I like it."
Fox turned to glare at him. "We did abduct a previous buyer of his and while it worked at the ti, he still managed to outsmart us so no..."
Drakos scowled. "Why not? It's a surefire way to get him where we want."
Fox shook her head. "It would bring too much heat down on us. If we go after civilians, the feds will get involved. And trust , we don't want that."
Orlma nodded in agreent. "Fox is right. We need a target that matters to him but won't send every law enforcent agency our way."
Lyriss smirked. "His business partner? The guy who runs things when he isn't around?"
Fox's expression remained neutral. "What did I just say about going after his companions?"
Drakos cracked his knuckles. "If you don't have a plan, then keep quiet, Fox."
Lyriss turned back to AM Coven, watching the building's security feed through her linked visor. "We monitor for now. We track his movents, his habits. We find the mont when he's most vulnerable and strike when he least expects it."
Drakos grinned. "Now you're talking my language."
"You guys better not co crying to when this fails," Fox stated with a cold look.
"Lighten up Fox. We'll be saving your reputation as well when we have Aleman where we want him..."
...
...
August had barely stepped into his apartnt when Sophia turned from the couch with her arms crossed, and a knowing smirk on her face.
She had been watching a drama on her tablet, but the mont her brother entered, all her attention shifted to him.
"So," her eyes sparkled mischievously as she began. "How was your date?"
August sighed while rolling his shoulders as he walked toward the fridge. "It wasn't a date," he replied before grabbing a bottle of water and taking a long sip.
"Mhm, sure." Sophia leaned back on the couch, clearly enjoying herself. "Did you guys kiss? Wait, wait—did you end up at her place?" She gasped dramatically. "August, don't tell you—"
"We drank, we talked, and she got drunk." He cut her off. "That's it."
"That's it?" Sophia raised a brow. "You expect to believe that you spent the night with a gorgeous blue-haired woman and nothing happened?"
August sighed again while rubbing his temples. "Sophia, I'm too tired for this conversation."
"Translation: 'I totally got laid, but I don't want to admit it,'" she teased before flipping back to her tablet.
Before August could shoot back a response, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out, noticing a ssage from Derrick.
Derrick: _Hey, bro. You might wanna get to AM Coven ASAP. A detective is here asking for Aleman._
August frowned. That was unexpected. He had no reason to have law enforcent sniffing around. AM Coven was legitimate. He wasn't doing anything illegal—well, nothing that the authorities knew about, anyway.
"What's up?" Sophia noticed his change in expression.
"Sothing at AM Coven," he grabbed his Aleman helt from the nearby shelf and kept it in his inventory. "I'll be back later."
"You sure you're not just running away from my questions?" she called after him as he headed for the door.
"Absolutely," he said dryly before stepping out.
---
By the ti August arrived at AM Coven, he imdiately noticed a different energy in the air.
The usual vibe of business was still present—custors browsing through displayed ga items, discussing trades, and extracting new things from Enders Light—but there was a subtle shift in tension among the employees.
They were stealing glances toward the main lobby, where a man in a dark trench coat stood speaking with Derrick.
August adjusted his posture into sothing more assertive as he took on Aleman's persona. "Sothing I can help you with?" his voice carried the sa confidence he always projected as Aleman.
The detective turned and scrutinized him. "Aleman, I presu?" His voice was deep, and there was a hardened look in his eyes, the type only soone who had seen too much of the world possessed.
"That's ," August replied. "And you are?"
"Detective Marcus Wright," the man introduced himself while pulling out a badge and flashing it briefly before tucking it back into his coat. "Mind if we have a chat?"
"That depends." August tilted his head slightly. "Is this about business? Because if it is, I'd prefer to keep things out in the open." He gestured at the surrounding employees and custors.
Wright smirked. "Let's just say it's about sothing a little... bigger than just business. Sowhere private would be preferable."
August exchanged a glance with Derrick before nodding. "Follow ."
He led the detective into one of the soundproof eting rooms he had installed for private dealings. It was a bit dark and professionally designed to fit the futuristic aesthetic of AM Coven. He gestured for the detective to take a seat across the tal table before sitting himself.
Wright wasted no ti. "You've been making waves, Aleman. Not just in Enders Light, but out here in the real world too."
August leaned back in his chair, feigning indifference. "I run a business. It's bound to get attention."
"This isn't about business." Wright clasped his hands together. "It's about the way you've been involved in so... unusual incidents."
August remained silent, waiting for the detective to elaborate.
"A few months ago, a certain hospital patient miraculously survived a fatal wound after an unknown individual interfered with a surgery. That sa unknown individual also helped track down two Oni-affiliated criminals a little while later." Wright's gaze sharpened. "And more recently, there was an attempted assassination on Celeste Montgory, where a mysterious figure in high-tech gear intervened at just the right mont."
August barely blinked. "That's quite the coincidence."
"Coincidence?" Wright chuckled before shaking his head. "I don't believe in coincidences, Aleman. And here's what's got really interested—you seem to have access to things no one else does. Tech beyond what should be possible.
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