The city shimmered like a living constellation.
Starland did not sleep—it watched. Towers of glass and steel reflected fractured light across the horizon, their brilliance masking the quiet unease crawling beneath the surface. Something had shifted. Not loudly, not violently… but enough. Inside the cab, Seth Williams leaned slightly against the window, his gaze drifting over the endless sea of artificial stars. It felt detached and measured.
"…too slow."
The driver glanced at him through the mirror, confused.
"Sorry?"
Seth didn't bother turning.
"The response time. Acceleration's inconsistent." He blurted out.
The driver blinked.
"…it's just a cab, kid."
"…exactly."
Silence followed. The driver decided his passenger wasn't worth the conversation. Seth's fingers tapped lightly against his thigh. A rhythm but not random. Never random! Thoughts about the assassin, the decomposition, Roy, and Willow flashed through his mind. Pieces moving across a board he couldn't yet fully see.
"…someone's trying to clean the board," he murmured faintly.
It was not chaos nor revenge but precision and selection. That bothered him more than anything. The cab slowed to a stop.
"We're here."
Seth stepped out without a word, his eyes scanning the district. Duskwell street, not quite lawless but not controlled either. The air carried weight here—voices louder, movements sharper, intentions less hidden. It was a place where information slipped through cracks that polished cities sealed shut. 'Perfect.' He thought to himself as he unhurriedly walked and unnoticed, until he wasn't.
"…you again."
The voice came from a shadowed corner. Seth didn't turn immediately. Instead—
"I need information."
He was as direct as always. A man leaned against the wall, arms folded, eyes sharp with suspicion. They had known each other for quite a while given that Seth was investigating something related to his past. He had just one promise to fulfill. A promise he made to himself.
"You always do." The man said in a low voice.
"Then give it." Seth ruthlessly commanded.
The man exhaled slowly. He had been just a low worker back then and knew nothing much but his life mattered more given that the kid before him was simply a monster if need be. Still though, to him Seth was just a child who had been victimized to say the least. He didn't want to see him get into any danger.
"…you're digging into something messy, kid." He warned.
"Good."
A pause lingered between them. The man looked at Seth sadly and gave in after seeing the cold glint in Seth's eyes.
"…those deaths," the man said, lowering his voice, "they're not just nobles. Some of them were tied to old programs. Experimental stuff."
Seth's gaze sharpened slightly. He knew the weight of this information.
"…define 'old.'"
"Before current registry systems. Before public Awakening classifications."
That was new. Seth was bewildered to say the least. He knew well that the experiments had gone on for a while before his birth but didn't expect things to be this direction. They had been conducted for almost two centuries!? That threw him off.
"…unauthorized?" He inquired, curiosity at its peak.
The man smirked faintly.
"Depends who you ask."
Silence lingered.
Then—
"Some families weren't just preserving bloodlines," the man added. "They were trying to refine them."
That word landed hard. Refine! That word, he had heard countless times back then in that place. Seth's mind moved quick and efficient.
"Enhancement trials," he muttered.
The man neither confirmed nor denied it but his silence said enough.
"…you didn't hear that from me."
"I already forgot."
Seth turned and walked away with heavy steps, his back a bit bent. Behind him, the man watched. Uneasy. 'No matter what you went through, you're still human at heart and a child at that.' The man thought to himself but knew better than to spout much.
"…what the hell are you chasing…?"
Seth didn't answer.
Because he wasn't chasing anymore.
He was… aligning.
The words "bloodline refinement" echoed in his head. He couldn't let it go. The man in the alley had said too much, or maybe too little. Seth wasn't sure, but every fragment of his investigation pointed to a nexus, a place where all these aristocratic deaths converged. Not just a killer, but a blueprint.
The streets narrowed as he moved deeper into the district. He didn't realize he'd walked all the way to Emerald street until the buildings began to slope upward, toward a low-rise apartment complex where the neon sign buzzed with a tired flicker. Inside, a small café hummed with local chatter. Seth slid into a booth at the back, just another shadow in place.
The lights dimmed and the noise faded until his mind stopped for a moment. Seth didn't notice how long he stayed in that booth, just running lines and possibilities, until the quiet café grew still, and a waitress gave him a curious glance. He shook his head, paid, and slipped back into the night. While he walked, his perception picked on an anomaly within the space in the surroundings hence moving to a secluded area.
"…you've been following me for a while."
There was silence at first but then movement and space distortion, as three figures emerged from the darkness. These weren't amateurs nor were they careless. From the way they positioned and spaced themselves around him, Seth knew they were on a far higher level than the one earlier.
"Hand it over," one of them said.
Seth tilted his head slightly.
"…what?"
"Whatever you took from the alley contact."
Ah! So that's how it was. Information had value and value attracted vultures.
"…you're late," Seth replied calmly.
The man frowned.
"What?"
"I don't have anything."
A lie but not entirely since the information wasn't physical and that made it worse for them.
"Don't play games."
Seth sighed softly.
"…annoying." He then added, as if remembering something, "You didn't kill him, did you!?"
"We're here just for you." One of them said before the calm broke apart. Seth was secretly relieved that nothing had happened to that man, he still needed him after all but he couldn't count on the words of an assassin.
The first one moved so fast that even the ground where he stood moments ago collapsed only soon after his body was before his target. A direct strike aimed at Seth's torso, clean, efficient and trained. Seth stepped aside just slightly. The attack missed. Barely but enough for him though. The second followed immediately, aiming higher.
'A group attack, huh. Predictable.' Seth silently analysed before he leaned back, the strike grazing past his face by a fraction. Still calm and composed.
"…too linear."
The third hesitated but hesitation cost him. Because now Seth moved. He was not fast, not flashy but precise. His hand shot forward, gripping the attacker's wrist and twisting—
~Kacha~
A crisp, sharp crack echoed while the man collapsed with a choked scream. The first attacker lunged again—Anger replacing control. A very big mistake. To think that such a puny little high schooler was this proficient in combat... Seth stepped in this time, engaging closer inside the strike. His elbow drove into the man's ribs with a dull, crushing impact. Air left the attacker's lungs instantly.
The second tried to recover but he was too slow. Seth turned, his movement smooth, almost lazy, as his foot swept the man's legs out from under him. Three unawakened assassins down. Silence returned, broken only by ragged breathing. Seth looked at them, unimpressed.
"…you shouldn't chase things you don't understand," he paused before adding. "Also...stop coming at me with your pathetic gifts unless you have awakened."
No reply came. Only pain. He adjusted his sleeve slightly then walked past them, leaving the men behind like discarded thoughts.
Elsewhere, a screen flickered to life with incomplete grainy footage but enough.
"…there."
A figure leaned forward, watching and analyzing.
"That's him."
Another voice responded.
"…movement efficiency… reaction timing…"
A moment of silence engulfed them as they contemplated the footage.
"…he hasn't awakened."
"Not officially."
Silence followed. Heavy and slightly cold. Then—
"…keep watching."
Far from the city—
Far from noise—
A different hunt unfolded.
The team moved through dense terrain, their presence barely disturbing the environment.They were dead set on making their way back to a safe zone but that proved quite difficult. The area was infested with beasts of all tiers but they were after all, a group of tier three Advanced Humans with their captain the only tier four. Throughout the journey back, they remained silent, focused and professional.
"Contact ahead."
A middle tier beast emerged. Its form was like that of a dog but twisted, yet… contained a higher deviation. This was dangerous but most dangerous, they had already encountered countless times.
"Formation."
They spread as their energy shifted, not visibly but undeniably. The leader, James stepped forward.
"…Aim alignment confirmed."
A faint glow traced along his arm. It was subtle and controlled. The beast roared and charged fast towards them with violent energy rocking thee surroundings. So unpredictable it was but that did not intimidate the group of five. They were more intelligent after all.
~BANG~
The clash erupted. One agent moved first, intercepting with a force that bent the ground beneath them. Another followed, energy condensing into a precise strike that carved through the air like a blade.
~Slashhh~
The beast adapted quickly, just too quickly and it countered its limb twisting unnaturally, striking with devastating force.
~Clang~
One agent was sent crashing into the trees. Splitting them into smithereens. Everyone became alert at that. The beast's limb then twisted back into position.
"…regeneration type," someone called out.
"Adjust!"
The leader moved faster than before with his presence sharpened, compressed and directed. He struck once. The impact didn't look powerful but the result was absolute. The beast froze and then collapsed, dead on spot.
Silence prevailed but was then disrupted by heavy breathing. The big guy who had been blasted away into the trees emerged but other than a few scratches here and there, nothing else had happened to him.
"…that's new," the loli muttered.
The leader frowned slightly.
"…they're evolving."
That wasn't good at all. They had to get back as soon as possible but had to make an urgent report first.
Back in Starland, the Viremont mansion remained still and unchanged yet not untouched. Willow stood by the balcony now, where her father once stood watching and thinking.
"…you're hiding something."
Her voice was soft but certain. Behind her, Roy remained silent. He knew something was unfolding beneath layers of old alliances, but he kept his focus. The Order's threads were tightening, but every move came with a risk. Something in Seth—something sharp—was pulling him forward faster than anyone expected
Austin Viremont stood elsewhere alone, his gaze fixed on nothing...and everything.
"…it's beginning sooner than expected."
No one heard him but the weight of those words lingered.
Meanwhile, Seth walked alone but not unaware. His mind continued to move threads connecting and patterns forming. He was starting to get worried about the real agenda behind these assassins coming after him all of the sudden. It all started after he met Willow and he was definitely at a disadvantage since he was the one in the light. Whoever was after him, was gauging his potential.
'I have to get stronger quickly.' He deduced before his mind drifted back to the man's information.
"Refinement…"
"Selection…"
"Aristocrats…"
His eyes lifted slightly.
"…so that's the game."
A faint smile touched his lips. Not warm. Not kind but something sharper. It was about thirty minutes to midnight when he reached a gadget marketplace. The place was busy, crowded and despite it being late. Rows of machines lined the stalls—vehicles, parts, modifications.
His attention shifted immediately, focused on something.
"…this one."
He stopped in front of a sleek, dark-frame bike. Compact, efficient and fast. The sales person smiled.
"Good eye. That one's not cheap."
Seth crouched slightly, inspecting it.
"…it doesn't need to be."
The vendor blinked.
"…you buying or admiring?"
Seth stood calmly.
"I'll take it."
Minutes later, the engine roared to life.
Smooth, responsive and perfect. Seth mounted it and adjusted slightly before accelerating. The bike surged forward, cutting through the city like a blade through silence. Wind rushed past him while the world blurred but his mind remained clear. Behind the calm. Behind the silence. Behind the smile—Something was moving, growing and becoming.