Third Person POV
The Fateful Night - XX Month, 2nd
10:23 PM
Riyan stood in his room, checking his gear for the third time.
Black combat clothes. Mask. Brown contacts to hide his scarlet eyes. Two knives strapped to his thighs—backup, in case the darkness wasn't enough.
The plan was simple. Stupid, but simple.
Get to Hotel BlackMoon. Find eleven traitors before they executed their betrayal. Stop them. Don't die.
He'd memorized their faces from the novel. Ten operatives, one leader. All working for Nexus. All about to slaughter innocent people if the original timeline held.
Not tonight.
Tonight, the script got burned.
First problem: leaving the estate without his mother finding out.
Riya Descartes—SS+ rank, Fire Empress, pathologically devoted to her children's safety. If she caught even a whiff of what he planned, she'd lock him in his room with enough wards to survive a nuclear strike.
Stealth wasn't optional. It was survival.
He had one advantage: his SS+ Darkness affinity.
The estate's security was brutal during the day. Magical wards, physical guards, surveillance tech, detection spells. But all of it required seeing him first.
And at night, wrapped in shadow, he was invisible.
Better yet—his mother's wards recognized family members. Blind spot. She'd never imagine one of her kids using that to sneak out for vigilante murder.
At 10:23 PM exactly, Riyan pulled the darkness up from the floor.
It came fast. Cold. Heavy. Wrapping around him in coils that felt almost alive, almost hungry. His edges blurred. Solid flesh became smoke, became nothing, became a patch of deeper black in a room already dark.
He moved to the window. Dropped three stories.
The impact should have shattered his legs. The darkness absorbed it instead—cushioned him, dispersed the force, set him down on the grass without a sound.
The perimeter wards washed over him. Registered Descartes family member. Let him pass.
Too easy.
The thought nagged at him, but he shoved it down and disappeared into the night.
11:47 PM - Hotel BlackMoon
Hotel BlackMoon squatted on the edge of Qara City—twenty-four stories of black glass and steel that swallowed light instead of reflecting it.
The place catered to baseline humans only. No awakened allowed past the lobby. Marketed as a "sanctuary" where the non-powered elite could relax without worrying about offending someone who could atomize them with a thought.
In reality, it was perfect for corrupt dealings.
Beneath the gleaming exterior, accessible through maintenance tunnels that didn't appear on any blueprint, lay the Underground Basement. Concrete maze. Pipes. Machinery. Flickering fluorescent lights that cast shadows thick enough to drown in.
The air tasted like damp earth and machine oil. The walls absorbed sound, creating silence broken only by steam hissing through old pipes and the occasional groan of metal settling.
In the darkest corner, where even the failing lights couldn't reach, a shadow moved.
It rose from the concrete floor—not spreading, but growing, taking shape, solidifying from formless black into something recognizable.
Riyan materialized in seconds. Black clothes. Masked face. Brown contacts hiding his eyes.
Phase one done. Now comes the hard part.
According to the novel, the eleven traitors would spread throughout the building before making their move. Some at entry points. Others on upper floors managing hostages. The leader probably somewhere in the middle, coordinating.
Finding them before they acted required methodical searching.
Finding them without alerting security or the targets required significantly more skill.
Start with ground floor, Riyan decided. Main entrance, lobby, service corridors. That's where they'll lock down exits. Four, maybe five operatives.
He moved through the basement tunnels with confidence—the original Riyan had memorized these layouts during childhood, bored out of his mind during his mother's business meetings.
The tunnels connected to service corridors running parallel to public spaces. Maintenance staff used them to move through the building without disturbing guests.
Also perfect for moving unseen.
Riyan found a service elevator. Reached for the button.
Then stopped.
The air pressure shifted. Subtle. Barely noticeable.
He melted back into shadow half a second before voices echoed down the corridor.
"—sure this is going to work?" Male. Young. Nervous.
"The plan's solid." Older voice. Confident. "Sia thinks we're eliminating targets. By the time she realizes we've taken hostages, we'll have the weapons and be halfway to the Nexus rendezvous."
Riyan's jaw clenched behind the mask.
Nexus. They were working with Nexus.
The organization that had kidnapped him. That had experimented on Raven.
This just became personal.
"What if she figures it out?" The nervous one pressed. "Sia's not stupid—"
"She won't. We've covered our tracks. And even if she does, what's she going to do? One hunter against our whole team, with hostages as shields?" The confident voice hardened. "Stop second-guessing. Get to your position. Main entrance. No one gets in or out once we move."
"Right. Main entrance."
Footsteps retreated in opposite directions.
Riyan waited. Counted to thirty. Emerged from the shadows.
Two confirmed on ground floor. Main entrance position.
The service elevator carried him up silently. Through ventilation grates, he heard ambient hotel sounds—guests talking, elevator bells, soft background music.
Normal. Peaceful.
Completely unaware.
Riyan moved toward the main lobby connection, every sense heightened, Reader's Eye ability active.
The original plan had been observation. Gather evidence. Intervene carefully.
But hearing them mention Nexus so casually changed everything.
This isn't about impressing Sia anymore. This is about making sure Nexus doesn't get weapons. Doesn't get resources to hurt more people the way they hurt Raven and me.
The traitors were about to learn something important.
Crossing the Asura Prince was a mistake.
A fatal one.
Author's Note:
This chapter establishes Riyan's infiltration and confirms the traitors' connection to Nexus, raising the personal stakes. The hotel layout and his strategic thinking are being established for the action sequences to come.
Reader Discussion:
How should Riyan handle the traitors—eliminate them quietly or wait for more evidence? What do you think Sia's reaction will be when she learns about the betrayal? Should Riyan reveal his identity to Sia or maintain anonymity?
130 Power Stones = Bonus chapter from Sia's perspective 30 Golden Tickets = Side story about Sirus's founding 40 Reviews = Detailed tactical breakdown of the hotel
Thanks for reading! Power stones and comments appreciated!
- Your Author