The room was tense, the air heavy with the weight of fear. The flames from the torches lining the council chambers cast flickering shadows on the walls, making the space feel smaller, suffocating. Eliot sat at the head of the long, cold stone table, his fingers drumming a steady rhythm that echoed through the silence. Kaito and Lara stood across from him, their faces grim but determined.
Another body. Another signature. The cross carved into the victim's face, their arms taken as trophies. A challenge. A threat that was slipping through their fingers.
"We're running out of time," Eliot said, his voice barely above a whisper, but it carried the force of thunder. The divine aura within him pulsed, a dark energy pressing against his mind, demanding release. His power, though immense, was useless against a shadow that refused to show itself.
Kaito's eyes flashed with frustration. "We've increased patrols, stationed guards everywhere. The killer still manages to evade us. We're chasing a phantom."
Eliot's gaze shifted to Lara, who remained eerily calm despite the chaos. "And yet the village is gripped by panic," Eliot said, his voice cold. "Our people are losing faith in us."
Lara met his gaze, her eyes hard as steel. "Panic can be useful, Eliot. It flushes out the desperate. If the killer thrives in the shadows, perhaps it's time we draw them into the light."
"And how do you propose we do that?" Kaito's voice was sharp, his fire barely contained beneath the surface.
Lara smiled, a smile devoid of warmth. "We make them think they've won. We play their game."
Eliot's hand stilled, his eyes narrowing. "Explain."
Lara stepped forward, her fingers tapping lightly against the hilt of the dagger at her side. "The killer targets those on the outskirts, those they can isolate. They've been cautious, avoiding direct conflict with anyone significant. We give them a target too tempting to resist."
Eliot's gaze darkened. He could see where this was going. "You're suggesting we use bait."
Lara nodded. "Someone important. Someone who would be an irresistible prize."
Kaito's face hardened. "Absolutely not. If we put any of our key members out there, we're risking~"
"We're already risking lives!" Eliot's voice thundered through the room, the divine aura swelling in response to his anger. The flames in the torches flared, casting long, dancing shadows against the walls. Kaito and Lara felt the pressure, a suffocating weight that forced the air from their lungs. Eliot reined in the aura with effort, his eyes burning with the fire of a man who had lost too much. "We've lost control. This killer is mocking us. They need to be stopped, now."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Kaito took a step back, his fists clenched at his sides. "I'll station more guards. Increase patrols in every corner of the village."
"It won't be enough," Lara said, her voice quiet but firm. "We need to be smarter than this."
Eliot stood, his long coat sweeping the ground as he moved away from the table. His back was to them, his eyes fixed on the small window at the far end of the room. Beyond it, the village lay in uneasy slumber, unaware that another nightmare could be lurking just outside their doors. He could feel the divine aura stirring, the whispers crawling through his mind, urging him to act.
"You are weak… you are losing them… losing everything…"
He had sacrificed everything to build The Tenjo. He had turned a peaceful village into a fortress, made soldiers of his people, all to ensure they would never suffer as he had. To ensure no one would ever take from him again. But the killer was a stain on his rule. A reminder that even gods could bleed.
Eliot turned, his expression colder than ice. "You want to use yourself as bait."
Lara nodded, her eyes unwavering. "The killer will come for me. They'll see me as a threat—an opportunity to weaken you, Eliot. They can't resist."
Kaito's voice was tight with barely restrained anger. "And if they take the bait? What then? We lose Lara, and the village falls deeper into fear."
Eliot's lips curled into a dark smile, his aura wrapping around him like a second skin. "They won't get the chance."
That night, the village was eerily quiet, the wind whispering through the trees like a thousand voices carrying secrets. Lara walked alone through the dimly lit streets, her posture relaxed, but her every sense was alert. She was the bait, and she knew it. But she was also the trap.
Above her, hidden in the shadows, Kaito watched from the rooftops, his keen eyes scanning every corner, every shadow for signs of movement. He didn't like this plan—didn't trust it—but he trusted Lara. He trusted Eliot. That had to be enough.
And then, a sound. A soft rustle, barely audible against the wind. Kaito's eyes snapped to the far end of the street, where the darkness seemed to move unnaturally, like a living thing. He tensed, his hand hovering over the hilt of his blade.
Lara slowed her steps, her instincts screaming that she was no longer alone. The air felt heavier, colder. And then she saw it—a flicker of movement, the gleam of steel.
The killer emerged from the shadows, cloaked in darkness, their face hidden beneath a hood. But there was no mistaking the intent in their movements—the deadly precision of a predator who had stalked its prey for too long.
Lara's heart raced, but she stood her ground. The killer was fast, impossibly fast, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat. But Lara was ready.
The moment the killer struck, Lara moved, spinning out of reach with a dancer's grace, her dagger flashing in the dim light. Steel met steel, and the sound of their clash echoed through the empty streets.
From above, Kaito moved, leaping from the rooftop with a roar, his blade igniting in a burst of flame. The killer barely had time to react before Kaito's sword came crashing down, a firestorm of fury and vengeance.
But the killer was no ordinary foe. They moved like a shadow, slipping through Kaito's strike and disappearing into the night, leaving behind only a faint echo of their presence.
Eliot appeared at the far end of the street, his divine aura surging like a tidal wave. His eyes glowed with an unnatural light, the power within him barely contained. The killer was close. He could feel it. The aura pulsed, reaching out, searching for the mind behind the mask.
And then, it found them.
The killer froze, their body stiffening as Eliot's power wrapped around them like a vice. For the first time, the hunter had become the hunted.
Eliot's voice was low, menacing. "You've caused enough pain. No more."
With a flick of his hand, the killer's mask fell away, revealing a familiar face beneath. Kaito and Lara gasped in unison.
It was one of their own.
Eliot's heart thundered in his chest as he stared at the traitor before him. The divine aura roared within him, hungry, demanding retribution. The whispers grew louder, more insistent, telling him to end this, to crush the life from the traitor's body and erase their existence.
But something held him back.
He stared into the killer's eyes and saw something he hadn't expected.
Fear.
Not fear of Eliot. Not fear of death.
But fear of something greater. Something beyond Eliot. The whispers in his mind quieted for a moment, replaced by a single, chilling thought.
"There's more to this…"
Eliot stepped forward, his gaze never leaving the traitor's face. "Who are you working for?" he demanded, his voice sharp as a blade.
The killer's lips trembled, but they said nothing. Only their eyes, wide with terror, spoke volumes.
Eliot felt a chill run down his spine. He had thought he was the one playing the game. But now, as the pieces fell into place, he realized he had been a pawn all along.
The true enemy was still in the shadows, watching, waiting.
And the game was far from over.