Rain poured over the city like shattered glass, reflecting neon lights on the slick asphalt. At the precinct, Arata's office was a war zone of maps, reports, and computer screens, each displaying timelines, crime locations, and digital footprints. His mind raced.
The Ribbon Reaper isn't random… he's always one step ahead… but everyone has a weakness.
Arata's intuition screamed that tonight, he could finally corner the vigilante—or at least catch a trace of him.
He called a small, trusted team to his side. "We're setting up surveillance on the next likely target. Cameras, patrols, and GPS trackers. Every alley, every rooftop, every possible escape route—cover it. If the Ribbon Reaper moves, we'll know."
Officer Raghav nodded, eyes wide with tension. "Sir… what if it's someone inside the precinct?"
Arata clenched his jaw. "Then we have to be ready for anything. This is personal now."
He didn't yet know that the Reaper shared a body with someone he knew intimately, someone he had trained with.
Meanwhile, Lucian wandered the rain-soaked streets, golden hair plastered to his forehead. His playful mask barely held—Kane's voice was growing louder inside his mind:
"It's time. Act. The weak cannot decide."
Lucian froze mid-step, feeling the cold, calculating presence take over. His hands moved involuntarily, gadgets and tools that he didn't consciously know how to use were at his fingertips.
A corrupt businessman, secretly trafficking and laundering money for politicians, appeared under the dim light of an alley. Kane smiled coldly from within Lucian's mind.
"Justice waits for no one."
The crimson ribbon appeared almost instantly on the man's wrist, signaling judgment delivered.
Sera watched from a nearby rooftop, umbrella shielding her trembling form. She had followed Lucian for weeks, trying to understand the shifts in his behavior. Tonight, it was undeniable—something dangerous lived inside him.
"Lucian… stop…" she whispered, voice breaking. Her heart pounded, fearing for him and for the innocent bystanders.
Lucian forced a laugh that didn't reach his eyes. "I… I'm fine…"
Kane's dominance lingered, cold and unstoppable. Lucian's mind felt like a battlefield.
Back at the precinct, Arata's team monitored live feeds. Cameras captured shadows moving in alleyways, neon reflections glinting on a figure crouched low, scanning his targets with surgical precision.
"Freeze!" Arata shouted into his radio, as patrol units surrounded one exit.
Kane sensed the net closing in. Every instinct screamed escape. Inside Lucian's mind, the playful mask struggled, whispering: "Don't… they're here… don't get caught!"
But Kane's voice roared louder: "Do not fail. Finish them."
The Ribbon Reaper vanished into the shadows, leaving only chaos, confusion, and terror behind. The trap had almost worked—but Kane had anticipated it perfectly, slipping through Arata's grasp once more.
The city remained unaware of how close the law had come to exposing the Ribbon Reaper. Citizens whispered of his godlike precision, his ability to punish the wicked while leaving innocents untouched.
Lucian returned to a rooftop, drenched and exhausted. Sera approached cautiously, her eyes wide with fear.
"You can't keep doing this… it's going to destroy you," she said softly.
He forced a weak smile, hiding the truth. "I… I'm fine…"
But deep inside, he knew the balance between his personalities was slipping, the collision with Arata's investigation inevitable, and the city teetering on the edge of chaos.