In a remote forest.
I exhale slowly.
Silvio.
Damn it.
This is the first time I've done full training since the fight.
Taekwondo.
Boxing.
Karate.
Muay Thai.
It doesn't matter which one… everything hurts.
My body isn't fully healed yet, but I can't wait any longer.
I start stretching.
Then warming up.
My muscles protest. My ribs burn.
—Tch…
After this, I have to keep watch over the seven girls.
And infiltrate their houses, see what I can find.
Trained magic.
Trained body.
Both are necessary.
My body creaks with every movement.
Good.
First, Ana.
The girl from the neighboring county.
Then Vivian.
And so on, one by one.
I teleport.
"""
Near Ana's house.
I see her leaving with an older woman. Her grandmother, probably.
I scan the surroundings carefully.
Nothing.
I don't sense any strange presences.
It seems the fight with the skinless one put them on alert.
I sigh inwardly.
I watch her for a long time.
But nothing happens.
Too calm.
I teleport to the next target.
"""
Vivian.
And here's the problem.
I don't know where she lives.
—Click—
Another mistake.
But it's fine. She can always be found.
As I move through the area, I spot her.
Vivian is with her friends.
I follow them from a distance.
I look for signs, shadows, presences… but nothing. Same as with Ana.
I listen to their conversation without much interest.
Until one of her friends says:
—Vivian, did you hear about the girls who disappeared in the other county?
Vivian stops.
—Yeah… but why? Have there been disappearances here too? —she asks, worried.
The girl with Asian features shakes her head.
—No. Not yet. And I hope it never happens.
—It's just strange… one of the friends of a missing girl is still looking for her, but the police haven't been able to do anything.
Another friend joins in:
—By the way, have you heard the rumors about the clown? They say he had something to do with Tairon's gang… the guy who was following you and Madison.
Vivian frowns.
—Don't talk to me about that idiot —she says, clenching her fist.
Disgust is clear on her face.
—That jerk followed me, then slept with some of the cheerleaders, and after that started following Madison. Who does he think he is?
—Come on, Vivian —another girl says—. Tairon is an idiot, yeah, but he was better positioned than most of the guys.
Vivian sighs.
—What did you say? Clown?
—Yeah. They say he left a mark at yesterday's fire. And that he also left a signature at the warehouse incident.
—What bad taste… dressing up as a killer clown.
I watch her in silence.
Yes. It's bad taste.
But I'm forced to do it.
I can only obey.
—The warehouse massacre was real —one of them continues—. The police were shocked by the amount of blood and sadism.
Hm.
Maybe I went too far.
But they were a gang.
Who knows how many crimes they had already committed?
What I did was right.
Anyway…
—And the missing girls? —someone says—. Maybe it's a kidnapping ring.
I lose interest.
There's nothing here.
I give Vivian and the surroundings one last look.
Nothing.
I teleport.
"""
Madison.
She lives in the rich areas.
That means resources. Contacts. Information.
It'll be easy to infiltrate.
I find her with Chloe, at a gathering with other wealthy youths from the community.
—Did you hear about yesterday's fire? —someone asks—. And the clown rumors.
—A clown? —a guy laughs—. Probably some poor loser burning down part of the forest.
I watch him try to get close to Madison.
She rejects him without hesitation.
These rich kids might know something.
—Yeah, I heard —Madison says—. So what?
—They say that clown had something to do with Tairon's gang —another one adds—. The bad boy who tried to win you over.
Madison raises her head.
—Oh… right. That loser used to follow me and other girls.
—Tairon was just a conceited jerk —the same guy continues—. He slept with a cheerleader, chased Vivian, their captain… he and Victor followed you, but our campus beauty would never fall for someone like that.
I scan the area.
And then I see them.
Away from the group.
Watching.
Six people.
Their eyes are fixed on Madison and Chloe.
There's the difference.
Madison and Chloe are a priority.
Ana and Vivian are not.
—Tsk…
I'm not at full strength.
I'll have to do this fast.
I teleport behind them.
I use dark magic.
Black tentacles burst from the ground, restraining them before they can react.
I can't interrogate them.
If they feel fear, they could turn into skinless ones.
So there's no choice.
I kill them.
One by one.
I store their bodies in my storage space.
I look around carefully.
Searching for witnesses.
Presences.
Nothing.
I release the breath I was holding.
This is only the beginning.
And I can't afford mistakes anymore.