The night air was heavy, still carrying the scent of the last rain. The streets glistened faintly under the cold light of the moon, neon signs flickering like dying stars in the distance. Daniel walked at the front of the trio, his steps measured, steady, yet filled with the kind of anticipation only he understood.
Behind him trailed Odin, hands in his pockets, whistling faintly as though the night was nothing more than entertainment. Beside Odin was Leviathan, sharp and unreadable, his silver eyes reflecting the neon glow like polished steel behind his dark frames. Though his expression was calm, the bruises and cuts on his cheek still burned from the fight earlier—yet he carried himself as if none of it mattered.
Leviathan broke the silence first.
"You said three more… so where is this next one? And don't tell me we're going to waste time fighting another stubborn bastard like me."
Daniel smirked faintly. "Relax. He won't resist. This one's different."
Odin raised a brow, his usual grin forming. "Different how? The last guy damn near spat in your face before agreeing. You telling me the next one's just gonna sign up without a scratch?"
Daniel's golden eyes flickered with a memory, his voice dropping into something colder, heavier.
"No. He won't bow. He'll stand beside us because he already understands what we're walking into."
They turned down a long, empty alley where the silence thickened. The walls were covered in old graffiti, whispers of forgotten gangs, now nothing but ghosts. At the far end, beneath a rusted lamppost that still flickered faintly, stood a figure.
He wasn't moving. He wasn't even leaning, or shifting, or adjusting his stance. He stood perfectly still, as though carved from the night itself.
His black hair fell across his sharp face, and his yellow eyes glowed faintly in the shadows, predatory yet calm.
The second Daniel laid eyes on him, he smirked.
"Kai."
The figure finally moved, stepping out of the shadows. His boots clicked against the cracked concrete with a measured rhythm. He stopped a few feet in front of them, his golden gaze locking with Daniel's.
"I was wondering when you'd come," Kai said, his voice low, steady, almost unnervingly calm.
Leviathan's silver eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "…You two know each other?"
Daniel nodded once. "Yeah. From a long time ago."
Odin tilted his head, curious. "And you're saying he'll join just like that?"
Kai's lips curved into the faintest of smirks. "You've got it backwards, Odin. I've been waiting for him to ask."
The words hung heavy in the air, silencing even Odin's playful grin for a moment. Kai's presence wasn't loud like Odin's or dismissive like Leviathan's. It was sharper, quieter—like a blade resting in its sheath, always one second away from cutting through anything.
Daniel's smirk deepened. "Then I won't waste time. I'm forming a crew… a crew that's going to tear open the underworld, rip Niflheimr apart, and send Valhalla crashing down with it. The Celestial Phantoms."
Kai's yellow eyes burned brighter at the name. His expression didn't change, but the air around him grew heavier, charged.
"Good," he said simply. "Because I already decided. If you were the one asking… my answer was always going to be yes."
Odin gave a sharp whistle. "Damn. Didn't even have to swing a punch this time."
Leviathan scoffed. "Convenient. Almost too convenient."
Daniel just smiled, stepping forward and placing a hand briefly on Kai's shoulder.
"Then it's settled. Welcome to the Celestial Phantoms, Kai."
For a brief moment, the four stood together beneath the flickering lamppost. The silence was suffocating, but there was something else in it too—an unspoken promise. A storm was gathering, and for the first time, Daniel could feel the shape of his revenge taking form.
The Celestial Phantoms weren't just an idea anymore. They were real. And their shadows were beginning to spread.