Night had fully claimed the Green Lake district by the time the investigation teams finished sealing off the warehouse perimeter.
Blue-and-red emergency lights washed over twisted metal, blackened monster carcasses, and the deep claw marks carved into concrete. The lake itself reflected the flashing lights like fractured stars.
Agents wearing dark tactical coats moved carefully between the remains, scanning, photographing, collecting.
French Intelligence Service (FIS)
The FIS specialists worked in silence, their efficiency honed by years of confronting phenomena the public would never hear about. One agent crouched beside a bisected monster corpse, sliding a metallic probe into its charred flesh.
"Cellular instability confirmed," he muttered. "Tissue degradation resembles prior enhanced specimens."
Another agent carefully scraped a sample of blackened blood into a sealed container.
A sharp voice cut through the hum of equipment.
"Secure that perimeter tighter. I don't want civilians wandering in."
A convoy of black vehicles rolled up, headlights cutting across the scene.
Doors opened in synchronized rhythm.
Captain Marc stepped out first.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, his coat collar turned up against the night wind. His eyes were sharp, scanning, assessing.
Behind him, his squad fanned out with disciplined precision.
An FIS field officer moved quickly to intercept them.
"This scene is under French Intelligence jurisdiction," the man said firmly. "Unauthorized personnel are not permitted."
Marc's gaze didn't waver.
"My man reported this site before your people even mobilized."
"That doesn't change protocol."
Before tension escalated, a composed female officer approached from the inner circle of investigators. Her presence shifted the atmosphere immediately.
High-ranking. Unmistakable.
"Stand down," she instructed calmly.
The FIS agent stiffened. "Ma'am....."
"I said stand down."
Her eyes briefly met Marc's.
A silent exchange.
Assessment.
"You may proceed, Captain," she said.
Marc inclined his head once. "Appreciated."
His boots crunched over debris as he stepped further into the scene.
He paused near the shattered truck container, examining the metal torn outward from within.
His gaze lowered to the monster remains.
Clean cuts.
Overwhelming force applied in controlled bursts.
"This people are getting bolder," Marc murmured quietly.
One of his subordinates approached.
"Sir, no sign of James. He contacted you before arrival."
Marc exhaled slowly.
"He likely tried trailing the suspect."
His eyes drifted toward the dark skyline beyond the warehouse.
"If he did, he's ahead of us."
He didn't like that.
Not one bit.
Several kilometers away, in a modest apartment building overlooking the older district....
James and his partner climbed the stairwell in controlled silence.
James moved like a trained swordsman even when unarmed. Balanced. Measured. Observant.
Valentine followed two steps behind, her expression unreadable. Her presence was subtle almost too subtle. Light seemed to bend slightly around her silhouette.
They stopped at the designated door.
James knocked twice.
Knock!
Knock!
Inside, Juno stood still.
He had sensed them minutes before they reached the building.
The blue-haired girl lay sprawled across the couch, chewing noisily.
"You have guests," she said with mock delight.
"I know."
Juno walked to the door and opened it.
James offered a polite smile.
"Good evening. My name is James."
He gestured to his companion.
"This is my partner, Valentine." Valentine gave a short nod.
Juno stepped aside.
"Come in."
They entered.
The apartment was minimalistic. Clean. Sparse.
James observed everything in a single glance.
No family photographs. No clutter. No unnecessary items.
He sat across from Juno at the small table.
"I'll be direct," James said. "Do you believe monsters exist?"
Juno leaned back slightly.
"That depends on the definition."
James held his gaze.
"And gods?"
A faint pause.
Juno nodded once.
"Yes."
Valentine's eyes sharpened subtly.
Before further probing could continue...
The blue-haired girl suddenly burst from the hallway.
"Juno!" she cried dramatically. "Where's the last chocolate bar?!"
Juno blinked.
"You finished an entire box in fifteen minutes."
She crossed her arms indignantly.
"You bought them for me."
"I bought them for rationing."
She gasped as though betrayed by fate itself.
James and Valentine watched silently.
James broke the silence.
"I wasn't aware you had family. Nothing in your records indicates relatives."
The air shifted, Subtle.
Cold.
Juno's expression hardened instantly.
Valentine's fingers twitched toward her concealed firearm.
James noticed.
Without turning his head, he slightly raised two fingers—a silent signal.
Stand down.
Valentine froze mid-motion.
Juno had noticed??!
Of course he had.
"She's my sister," Juno replied calmly.
James stared.
Then looked at the blue-haired girl.
Then back at Juno.
There was no resemblance.
None.
Different bone structure. Different eye color. Different presence entirely.
If anything, they felt like beings from entirely different evolutionary branches.
But James did not press further.
"I see." He shifted gears.
"Let's move to the purpose of this visit."
He placed a card on the table.
Firefox Squadron.
"We're forming an operational understanding," James said. "Monsters are increasing in frequency. A divine aura was detected. We suspect an emerging god agent. If you've encountered anything unusual, cooperation would be… beneficial."
Juno's eyes flicked to the card. "What do you mean?"
*Do you believe monsters walk among us?"
"Rumors have been going around lately I guess."
"Do you believe in god existence?"
Juno face hardened. "What is this all about of course God exist " he replied friendly,too friendly.
"You should also know gods choose there own people like agents or their chosen ones."
"You suspect me."
James did not deny it.
"We suspect proximity."
Silence lingered.
Juno stood up and said, "I'll consider it."
James nodded.
"That's all I ask."
He rose. Valentine followed.
At the doorway, James paused.
"Think carefully. Things are escalating."
The door closed behind them.
.
.
.
.
They had only walked a few alleys away when both their devices emitted a sharp synchronized beep.
James glanced at the screen.
Alert: anomalous biological signatures detected.
Valentine's device displayed identical readings.
From the shadows ahead....
A low growl.
Another.
Then movement.
Figures emerged from the darkness of the alley.
Three.
Five.
Seven.
Monsters!
Different from the warehouse specimens leaner, faster, but equally unnatural.
James immediately activated his communicator.
"Firefox Command, this is James. Hostile biologicals confirmed in Sector 14."
Captain Marc's voice crackled through.
"Standby. Backup en route."
James looked at the street beyond.
Pedestrians.
Shops.
Unaware.
He tightened his grip on the hilt of the sword concealed beneath his coat.
"Negative, Captain," he said quietly. "Civilians present."
"James," Marc warned. "You are not enhanced. Hold position."
James' jaw set.
He turned to Valentine.
"Get them out."
Valentine hesitated.
"You'll be alone."
"I've been alone before."
Another growl.
The monsters began advancing toward the main street.
James stepped forward.
"Go."
Valentine searched his face.
He spoke again, lower.
"If we wait, people die."
That settled it.
She vanished literally her form dissolving into refracted light as she sprinted invisibly toward the civilians.
James exhaled once.
Then drew his sword.
Steel whispered as it cleared the sheath.
He advanced.
The first monster lunged.
James pivoted sharply, blade arcing upward.
The strike severed its forearm cleanly.
He followed with a thrust to the throat.
Black blood sprayed across brick walls.
Another creature leapt from above.
James rolled forward, slashing at its legs mid-motion.
It collapsed, shrieking.
Three more circled him.
James' breathing remained steady.
He had no supernatural strength.
No divine aura.
Only skill.
Years of relentless discipline.
A monster charged head-on.
James met it directly.
Their clash shook the alley.
His blade slid along bone, carving through muscle with surgical precision.
But sheer power forced him backward.
Another monster slammed into his side.
Pain exploded across his ribs.
He staggered but did not fall.
Across the district...
Juno paused mid-step.
He felt it.
Disturbance.
Violence.
His gaze shifted toward the direction James had taken.
The blue-haired girl watched him curiously.
"You're going," she said softly.
"Yes."
Back in the alley....
James parried a savage claw strike, sparks flying as steel met hardened bone.
His movements were growing heavier.
Fatigue creeping in.
Captain Marc's voice came through the communicator again.
"James, respond!"
Static.
Signal interference.
Marc's expression darkened in the command vehicle.
He slammed a fist against the dashboard.
"Move faster!"
Back in the alley...
James drove his blade into a monster's skull.
It collapsed.
Two left.
He was bleeding now.
One eye swelling.
Breathing ragged.
The remaining monsters coordinated their attack.
One feinted high.
The other lunged low.
James blocked the high strike...
But the low attack pierced his thigh.
He gritted his teeth, slicing downward to sever the attacking limb.
He fell to one knee.
The final monster roared and prepared to crush his skull.
James raised his blade weakly.
A shadow fell over the alley.
The monster froze mid-motion.
An overwhelming presence flooded the space.
The creature trembled.
James felt it too.
He looked up.
Juno stood at the alley entrance.
Eyes faintly glowing.
The air around him heavy.
The monster turned.
And in that instant—..
It understood.
Predator. Higher predator.
Juno stepped forward once.
The monster disintegrated under invisible pressure.
Not struck.
Crushed by unseen force.
Silence fell.
James stared, breathing hard.
Juno walked toward him.
"You should have waited."
James gave a faint, strained smile.
"Not in my nature."
Juno crouched, examining his wounds.
"You're human."
"Yes."
"Foolish."
"Possibly."
Valentine reappeared from invisibility, rushing back.
Relief washed over her face when she saw James alive.
Sirens approached in the distance.
Backup finally arriving.
Captain Marc's vehicle screeched into view moments later.
He stepped out, eyes immediately locking onto Juno.
The tension was palpable.
Marc assessed the destroyed alley.
The crushed monster remains.
James wounded but alive.
And Juno standing untouched at the epicenter.
Marc understood instantly.
This was no coincidence.
He approached slowly.
"You keep appearing where things happen."
Juno met his gaze evenly.
"Things happen where I am."
Marc's eyes hardened.
"Are you the cause?"
Juno did not answer.
The blue-haired girl appeared at the alley entrance, watching silently.
Marc noticed her. Noted her presence.
Everything about this situation felt larger than jurisdiction.
Larger than intelligence agencies.
Larger than politics.
Something ancient was stirring.
And it was centered around this young man.
Marc spoke quietly.
"If you're not our enemy… then we need to understand what you are."
Juno stood.
Wind curled through the alley, lifting debris.
"I am someone who doesn't like chaos."
Marc gestured at the devastation.
"You call this controlled?"
Juno's gaze turned distant.
"This is restrained."
That answer chilled even the seasoned captain.
In the distance, thunder rumbled though the sky was clear.
James struggled to stand.
He looked at Juno with newfound clarity.
Not suspicion.
Recognition.
"You're not a chosen agent," James said slowly.
"You're something else."
Before Juno could reply the recently arrived squad vanished like they were never there. Juno scoffed at valentine he already figured out this mini-mi illusion.
Eight more monsters crouched out looked at the trio. Juno stepped forward to finish them off, "stay still mister god agent,no? Watch as I deal with them myself." James said.
Juno was wondering what more a wounded human could do against an group of monsters.