Unbeknownst to Kai and his group, Anton's 'magic trick' had rippled far beyond their reach. A wave of unstable energy had surged through five city blocks, plunging homes, offices, and entire districts into chaos. But of all the unintended victims, it had reached the doorstep of perhaps the most dangerous man in the region.
---
"Leonardo Vacinni" and he was not a man to be crossed.
The air in his towering office was thick with tension, a suffocating weight pressing down as the enraged businessman slammed his fists against his desk. His voice, raw with fury, roared through the room.
"That fool! Does she have any idea who I am?! How DARE she?!"
His steel-gray eyes blazed with uncontained wrath, the veins in his forehead pulsing beneath his pristine skin. He was a man used to control, to unwavering dominance. The unexpected power surge had shattered his carefully constructed world, and that was unacceptable.
Straightening his tie, Leonardo inhaled sharply, forcing his anger into a slow, simmering rage. He tapped the sleek device in his ear. "Matilda. My office. Now."
Before the silence could settle, the flickering lights in his office pulsed violently once more, casting his angular features into fractured shadows. The door burst open as a suited man rushed in, tablet in hand.
"Boss! We have a critical situation—our systems are failing, devices overheating. Some are already in flames!"
Leonardo's gaze darkened as the woman he summoned, Matilda, stepped into the room. Her sharp heels barely made a sound against the marble floor, but she knew better than to announce herself.
His attention snapped back to the trembling man. "Then FIX IT! Isn't that what you're PAID for?!"
The man swallowed hard and fled, leaving only the sound of frenzied chaos beyond the heavy doors.
Leonardo exhaled, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. Then, as if struck by a thought, his eyes flickered toward Matilda. "Tell me. What power source are we running on today?"
Her breath hitched.
"Boss... I-It's the new 4th Gen Crystal Power Machine. We began the test run today per your orders."
A muscle twitched in Leonardo's jaw. His grip tightened on the back of Matilda's neck as he slowly lifted her gaze to meet his. His voice was deathly calm.
"And you failed to foresee this, why?"
Terror laced her expression as she stammered, "P-please, I—I didn't know—"
Leonardo threw her aside, his patience snapping like brittle glass. His long strides carried him toward the control room, where red warning lights painted the engineers' panicked faces in a hellish glow.
"Shut it down! NOW!" he barked.
One of the lead engineers whirled to face him, sweat beading on his brow. "Sir, we can't! The surge is destabilizing the core—it's going to—"
A blinding explosion tore through the lower half of the building.
The ground split open, metal beams screeched as they twisted and collapsed into the abyss, and the once-mighty Vacinni Tower trembled like a dying beast.
---
**Elsewhere...**
Sydney sat in her dimly lit office, the ice in her untouched drink melting into a watery swirl. Her fingers drummed against the desk, her lips pressed into a thin line.
She'd known Leonardo would react violently. But what she hadn't anticipated was just how personal he would take it.
"That bastard..." she muttered under her breath. "Does he really think this is **my** fault? I already agreed to treat his daughter privately. For free, even."
Her teeth clenched. The more she replayed the events, the more her anger burned beneath the surface, threatening to spill over.
Leonardo was a problem. A dangerous one. And she needed to find a way to neutralize him—without letting it stain her hands.
---
Back at the disaster site...
The wreckage smoldered, bodies scattered beneath the remains of what was once a towering empire.
Sirens wailed as the Justice Corps, fire brigades, and med teams arrived, scrambling to contain the carnage.
Among the debris, something shifted. A groan of metal, a hand pushing through the wreckage. Paul emerged first, bloodied and battered, dragging his boss from beneath the ruins.
Leonardo stumbled free, the weight of dust and destruction settling upon his suit. He clutched Paul's shoulder, breathing heavily.
"You did well," he murmured.
Paul bowed, despite his injuries. "It is my greatest honor to serve you, sir."
Leonardo barely heard him. His gaze was locked on the devastation around him—charred corpses, severed limbs, forty million MPs worth of technology reduced to ruin.
His chest heaved. His fists clenched. His empire was bleeding.
His roar of anguish and fury echoed through the ruins.
"WHY!? WHY ME!?"
The sound of approaching footsteps drew his attention. A rescue worker.
"Sir! Are you alright?!" The man, clad in Burg Fire & Logistics Department gear, knelt beside them. His comm buzzed as he radioed his team. "I found two survivors! Bring medics, now!"
But Leonardo... was already past his grief.
He was thinking. Calculating.
This wasn't an accident.
Someone had done this to him.
And someone was going to pay.
---
**Meanwhile, across the city...**
Kai lay on his worn-out couch, staring at the cracked ceiling, the day's madness still weighing on his mind.
"What was that...?" he muttered, reliving the unnatural energy, the way the flames had obeyed his will.
The apartment was quiet—Henry and Lily had long since fallen asleep. Outside, the rain began to fall, cool air slipping through the broken window.
"At least the cold helps," Kai whispered, allowing a rare smile to tug at his lips.
**Drip.**
A droplet of water landed on his eyelid.
Irritation flared as he sat up, rubbing his eye. His gaze drifted to the leaking ceiling.
His jaw tightened. "Really? Of all nights?"
He sighed, dragging a bucket beneath the leak.
Somewhere deep inside him, frustration boiled. The weight of everything crashed down upon him—the debt, the fear, the mystery of his powers, and now, even his goddamn ceiling betraying him.
Tonight, there would be no sleep.
---
Across the city, Leonardo's office remained bathed in shadow.
A man knelt before him, his voice trembling. "Sir, the surge came from... here."
The map glowed against the screen, pinpointing the exact origin of the event.
Leonardo leaned back, his expression unreadable. "So, we have a location."
He exhaled slowly, a dark smile creeping across his face. "Good."
From the far end of the room, a figure in a black oni mask stepped forward. His voice was low, guttural. "What do we do with the suspects?"
Leonardo's smirk deepened. "Calm down, Kaiser. We'll handle this legally on the outside..."
His eyes gleamed. "And brutally in the shadows."
---
TO BE CONTINUED.