Later that Night – DuskHaven Café, Backroom
Alric curled on the makeshift bed Ivan offered. The café was quiet, save for the hum of the fridge and the rain tapping the glass.
Ivan peeked in later and paused.
Alric was shivering, caught in a nightmare, whispering broken words under his breath.
"NO! Please, let me go! I beg you...Plea-" Ivan slowly knelt, wrapped an arm around him, and pulled him close.
The boy quieted instantly in his sleep. Frowns faded. He curled toward the warmth like a stray kitten. Ivan's embrace made him feel safe and it looked like his nightmare faded away.
Ivan whispered, "What the hell did they do to you...?"
The Next Morning-
The café was quiet the next morning. Soft jazz played in the background as Kyrell wiped the counter in silence. Ivan walked in with Alric trailing behind him—hair messy, eyes lowered, and cheeks pink with embarrassment.
"Morning, buddy!" Ivan greeted. "Ky, we've got a guest."
Kyrell gave Alric a glance. His eyes flicked to the bandaged bruises, then back to the counter.
"He looks like trouble."
"You're one to talk," Ivan teased."Hmph," Kyrell muttered.
Kyrell glanced at the newcomer as Ivan introduced Alric.
"He'll be staying with us for now. And maybe work part-time."
Kyrell looked Alric up and down, noting the hesitation and shadows beneath his eyes. "I see."
He silently handed Alric a cup of hot chocolate.
"I'll...work hard. I promise," Alric said softly.
Ivan gently asked, "Who were those guys last night?"
Alric lowered his gaze. "My mother's boyfriend's men."
He began to shake again.
Ivan knelt beside him. "Hey, you're safe here."
Alric warned, "If I stay, you could get hurt..."
Kyrell and Ivan exchanged a knowing smirk.
"You've clearly underestimated just how dangerous we are,"Kyrell said, finally speaking up.
"You'll be safe here, Honeydrop. Stick with me." Ivan said, patting Alric's soft hair.
Alric gave a small nod, heart thudding. He didn't know what he was feeling—but it felt like safety, like the first breath after drowning.
SYLVENIA CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE-Special Investigations Unit
The fluorescent lights of Sylvenia's Criminal Intelligence Headquarters buzzed overhead, a cold mechanical hum that mirrored the atmosphere inside. The special unit room—normally stiff with silence—crackled with tension today.
Mackiah stood in the center, stiff as stone, his gaze focused ahead. On the monitor behind him flickered footage of a failed operation from the night before. A surveillance breach. Information leaked. A minor error—but someone had to pay for it.
Head Officer Garron paced slowly, like a wolf circling his prey. He was a tall, aging man with silver in his temples and venom in his voice. The room was full—his peers, his so-called colleagues, all standing around, eyes avoiding Mackiah's, the silence of betrayal hanging between them.
Garron's voice was razor-sharp. "Tell me, Mackiah, since you seem to be such a prodigy, maybe you can explain how the files got extracted from our internal grid under your watch."
Mackiah opened his mouth to respond. "Sir, I was ordered to—"
"Ordered to breathe too?" Garron snapped, cutting him off. "You were stationed for cyber-monitoring. Those files were accessed under your login. And don't you dare try to weasel your way out."
A younger officer spoke up timidly, "Sir, with all due respect, Mackiah did log the report about system latency earlier. There might have been—"
"Shut your mouth." Garron's voice roared across the room. The younger officer flinched and fell silent immediately.
Everyone looked away when Garron stepped up to Mackiah. His voice dropped to a venomous whisper. "You think you're better than us because you're the youngest recruit to enter Criminal Intelligence? That you can climb into our ranks just because you've got a fancy badge and sharp memory?"
Mackiah stood his ground. But inside, he was crumbling. He was used to the looks. The snide remarks. The way others treated him like a child playing dress-up in a warzone. But this—this was different.
"I followed protocol," Mackiah said, jaw tight. "I even submitted a system flag report hours before the breach."
"And yet the breach happened under your nose, Agent Carwyn."
A slap cracked through the room like thunder.
Mackiah's head jerked sideways with the impact. He fell onto the desk nearby...his hand got a cut due to the sharp paper cutter that lied on top of the desk. Silence fell. No one moved. No one stopped it.
His lip, his hand- bled.
Garron leaned in, satisfied. "Clean up your mess. Or next time, I'll break more than your pride."
Mackiah didn't speak. He simply bowed, biting down the bitterness swelling in his throat.
He left the room with his head down, heart pounding, face flushed with pain—not from the blow, but from the shame of helplessness. No one stood for him. No one ever did.
His feet carried him out of the facility. The concrete felt heavier than usual beneath his boots. He didn't know where he was going—but a quiet image flashed in his mind.
The café. Warm light. Silent eyes. A man who didn't speak much—but whose presence calmed the storm.
Kyrell
Scene Insert: A Shadowed Warning
Encrypted Message — Source Unknown:"Not yet. Watch and wait. He's not your prey to touch. – J."
Caelon's eyes narrowed.
Aurek peered over his shoulder. "Something from our mutual ghost?"
Caelon pocketed the device with a click of his tongue. "He's watching us. Said not to make a move."
Nerik chuckled darkly, the icy glint in his eyes sharpening. "So the Joker thinks he's still in control?"
"Maybe he is," Caelon muttered, eyes darkening. "Or maybe he just wants the fun of watching us boil."
Aurek stepped closer, his voice low, "What will you do?"
Caelon exhaled thick into the night air. "For now… we wait. But next time he sends me a message, I'll make sure I leave a reply carved in blood."
Behind them, thunder rolled across the Virellan sky.