An hour after Olivia vanished into the night, the gates of the Shadow Clan mansion opened silently.
A black car rolled in beneath the gray sky of pre-dawn, its engine low and smooth. From it stepped Julius, dust and exhaustion clinging to his coat. Behind him emerged Jet—taller, sharper, and more composed than she had ever been.
Her once-ragged black hair was now trimmed and swept to the side, a dark streak of blue woven into it. Her posture radiated something… more. Power. Purpose.
She had returned not as a Sleeper, but an Awakened warrior.
⸻
Jet didn't pause to admire the home or its memories. She sprinted forward.
Straight to the hallway.
Then up the stairs.
And to the door she remembered by heart.
She banged once, then twice. "Sunny! Wake up! It's me!"
Inside, the room stirred with soft groans as Sunny, Nephis, and Rain blinked their eyes open, startled from their sleep. Rain sat up, yawning as she rubbed her eyes. Nephis was the first to understand.
Jet?
Sunny blinked again. "…Jet?"
He scrambled to the door, swinging it open—
And before Jet could say a word, Rain barreled into her with a squeal, arms thrown around her waist.
"You're back!!" she cried.
Jet laughed softly, hugging her tightly. "I told you I'd come back, didn't I?"
Sunny's eyes locked with hers—deep, searching. The hug he gave her next said everything he couldn't. He had missed her. So much.
Even Nephis, quiet and wary lately, gave a small nod and murmured, "You made it out…"
Jet pulled them all to the living room, adrenaline still surging through her veins, her eyes burning with fire, "I Awakened."
Sunny's brows rose. Nephis narrowed her gaze. Rain clapped her hands.
Jet smiled, then spoke slowly:
"My Awakened Ability… lets me bypass all forms of physical defense. I can strike directly at a person's soul."
Silence followed.
Sunny leaned back, stunned. "That's… terrifying."
Rain added, "That's also cool!"
Nephis's eyes narrowed further. "That's not just rare. That's dangerous."
"I know," Jet said, voice softening. "But I'll use it to protect you all."
Her eyes went to Sunny—and lingered.
"You three… and Olivia. I promised her I'd come back stronger."
A beat.
Rain's face dimmed. "Speaking of Mom… where is she?"
Jet looked around the living room, then the hallway.
There were no breakfast smells.
No humming.
No warm voice.
Her smile faded. "She… she's not here?"
Nephis slowly shook her head. "We haven't seen her since last night."
Jet's eyes darkened.
That was when Julius stepped into the room, his tall figure casting a long shadow across the doorway.
"I assumed she'd be here," he said gravely. "She didn't contact me since yesterday. I came to report Jet's successful return. But now you're telling me…"
He looked from Sunny to Jet to Nephis.
"…you don't know where Olivia is?"
Everyone fell silent.
The air grew still. Even Rain seemed to sense something was wrong.
Jet's voice was barely a whisper:
"…Then where is she?"
The atmosphere in the mansion had shifted.
The joy of Jet's return had evaporated into the cold morning air. Rain sat quietly beside Jet, while Sunny paced the room, biting the inside of his cheek.
Julius remained still.
Something was off.
And that something had a name.
Olivia.
She had vanished without a trace. No note. No orders. No trail.
Then Nephis stood up.
The silence was unbearable. And the weight in her chest had turned to stone.
"She left," Nephis finally said. "Because of me."
Everyone turned to her.
Jet's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
Nephis looked directly at Julius, her voice steady despite the quake inside.
"My father… Broken Sword… he's dead."
Julius's breath caught.
Nephis continued, her tone eerily calm—too calm.
"He was killed. Anvil… Asterion… and Ki Song. They betrayed him. I was the target. They invaded our estate. Olivia came… and saved me. She brought me back here."
Jet's jaw clenched.
Rain's small hand found Sunny's.
And Julius… Julius took a step back, as if he had been physically struck.
"…No," he whispered.
Nephis nodded.
Julius's hands tightened into fists.
Sunny stepped forward, eyes wide. "Then… Mom—?"
"She went after them," Nephis said quietly. "To Bastion."
Julius turned so quickly it startled everyone. His cloak flared behind him as he stormed toward the exit, fury and fear etched into every line of his face.
"I should have known," he muttered. "She wouldn't sit still. Not after knowing Broken Sword was killed by those three."
Sunny called after him. "Where are you going!?"
Julius paused at the door.
"To the Shadow Clan's Base.
He looked back at the children, his voice thick with emotion:
"Stay here. Don't leave the mansion. If Olivia… if your mother doesn't come back…"
He swallowed hard.
"…Then I'll bring her home. No matter what it takes."
And with that, Julius vanished into the mist of the morning.
—-
Julius POV
Ash floated in the air like mournful snow.
The once-mighty bastion of the Shadow Clan—its elegant towers and quiet, imposing walls—was now rubble. Crimson stained the flagstones. Bodies of warriors and couriers, assassins and sentries, lay still beneath the rising sun. The scent of blood and char clung to every breath.
Julius stood at the threshold of the ruin, heart thundering in his chest.
His pale eyes scanned the carnage.
And at the center of the massacre, standing alone atop the stone steps, was a woman with a smile like frost and eyes like empty wells.
Ki Song.
She turned her head slightly, sensing him even before he made a sound.
Their eyes met.
No words were exchanged.
Julius… didn't need to fight her. He was wise enough to know. This was not a battle he could win.
So he did what he had always done best.
He vanished.
—-
The city above was peaceful, untouched. Elegant spires kissed the sky, and noble laughter echoed from velvet cafes. But Julius had no time for its illusions.
His boots hit the marble path leading to the moonlit pond, silver ripples glowing under the full moon.
Without hesitation, he stepped in.
The shift was immediate.
From one breath to the next, light turned to shadow, warmth to cold, and sky to storm. The world inverted. He emerged on the underside of Bastion—the drowned echo, where Anvil's reign ruled like rot in a forgotten wound.
And what he saw broke him.
Bodies. Dozens. Maybe hundreds.
Slain soldiers with black bands—the mark of Olivia's Black Rings.
Julius knelt and touched the hilt of one fallen woman's blade. It had been shattered, melted by some cruel force. Olivia… she had been here. And she had fought like hell.
He lowered his hood and pulled out the black mask he never thought he'd wear again. It clung to his face like regret. There could be no identity here. Not in this war.
As he went forward and found the ruined throne room
From a concealed vantage in the shattered gallery, Julius found her.
Olivia.
Her coat was tattered. Her arms limp. Her hair loose, silver strands streaked with blood. But she still stood—torn and bleeding and burning—against Anvil, who sat lazily on his broken throne like a beast fed on betrayal.
The throne room was a cathedral of rot, warped by the man's growing Domain Skill. His will echoed through the walls like whispers through the abyss.
And she fought.
Gods, she fought.
Even when her strings were ripped. Even when her soul sea was being cleaved apart strike by strike. She kept going.
But Julius saw it.
She was dying.
Every move slower. Every breath weaker. Every thread of her being coming undone.
Anvil didn't even seem worried. He wasn't even using his full power.
He was toying with her.
"No."
The whisper left Julius's lips like a vow.
And then—
Olivia fell.
Her knees gave. Her soul flickered. Her body, graceful even in collapse, began to tip toward the ground—
And in that instant—
BOOM.
The air shattered.
The sound barrier exploded like thunder as Julius moved.
A white streak tore through the darkness.
Acceleration Domain
His limbs blurred. The world slowed around him. Every limb of his body obeyed his command. Even the wind screamed to catch up.
Anvil's eyes widened, sensing something—but too late.
Julius passed the enemy like light through fog. He appeared beside Olivia, his cloak flaring like wings of vengeance, and caught her before she could fall.
His Legs burning as every fiber of his muscle screaming in pain.
Her blood soaked into his coat.
He didn't stop.
He didn't hesitate.
One hand wrapped tightly around her waist, the other drawing a runic blade from his belt in warning, and then— he vanished again.
BOOM.
Another sonic blast rippled through the ruined chamber as Julius disappeared into motion.
Behind him, Anvil stood from the throne at last, eyes glinting with dark amusement. His voice echoed after them.
"Run as fast as you like, Shadow's Hound. You can't outrun fate."
But Julius was already gone.
And Olivia… Olivia was in his arms.
Unconscious.
But alive.
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