The rain hadn't stopped for two days. It turned alleys into rivers of filth, washed blood into gutters, and made the city smell like rust.
Jonas stood in the middle of it, hood low, arms crossed, every inch the wall he was meant to be. His presence was bait now, plain as a snare left open in the woods.
Mara crouched above on a rooftop, blade in her hand, eyes sharp as glass. I stayed further back, in shadow, watching threads shimmer faint around the edges of the street.
Helix was coming.
---
They arrived with quiet steps. Three men, coats plain, boots too clean for these streets. No Red Fang swagger. No hunger in their eyes. Just calculation.
One spoke into the comm on his wrist. "Target confirmed. Proceed."
They thought Jonas was alone.
The first moved fast, hand flashing as a relic shard flared blue. A shock baton crackled, lunging for Jonas' ribs.
Jonas didn't move until the strike landed. The baton spat sparks against his chest, but his body held firm. He shoved forward, fist like stone, and the agent flew back into the mud.
The second swung low. Jonas blocked, absorbed, twisted—another man fell.
The third drew steel. But Mara dropped from above, her blade pressing cold against his throat. "Wrong street," she whispered.
The agent froze.
---
From the shadows, I stepped forward, hood low. The Lexicon hummed in my chest, warm and steady. Their threads shimmered tight with tension—duty, fear, stubborn resolve.
I crouched before the first man, coughing in the mud. "Tell Helix," I said softly, "that shadows don't leave trails. They leave warnings."
He spat blood, glare steady.
I leaned closer, voice colder. "Keep following, and you'll never find what you're hunting. Because we'll already be inside your house."
The Lexicon pulsed, approving.
I stood, nodded to Jonas. He released the second. Mara pulled her blade back. The agents limped away, dragging each other, comms broken in the rain.
---
Back in the shop, candlelight replaced rain. Jonas sat silent, fists bruised but steady. Mara smirked faintly, blade drying on cloth.
"They'll be back," Jonas said simply.
"Of course," I said, writing in the ledger. "But next time, they'll look at the wall and forget the shadows behind it."
Mara tilted her head. "You're turning him into bait."
I met her eyes. "No. Into a mask. One they'll never see past."
The Lexicon hummed deep, a page turning.
Umbra had faced Helix once and walked away.
Now, the game had begun.