The rain started without warning.
Light at first.
Almost invisible.
But enough to change the city.
Darker.
Quieter.
More… alive.
Max felt it the moment he stepped out of the car.
The air was heavy again.
Like the other nights.
As if something was always ahead of him.
Waiting.
"You feel that?" Daniel asked, closing the door behind him.
Max didn't answer right away.
He just stared into the alley ahead.
Narrow.
Dark.
Wrong.
"I do."
And he started walking.
This time, the call came from somewhere different.
Not the police.
Not a report.
But a pattern.
Another body.
Another symbol.
But with a difference.
"This isn't the same guy's work…" Daniel muttered.
Max crouched slowly.
The body was… destroyed.
Not arranged.
Not ritualistic.
It was brutal.
Instinctive.
"No," Max said. "But it's connected."
Daniel frowned.
"How do you know?"
Max pointed.
Amid the scattered blood…
there was a symbol.
Incomplete.
Torn.
As if it had been interrupted.
"He didn't finish," Max said.
"Or someone didn't let him."
Silence fell heavy.
The sound came first.
Low.
Deep.
A growl.
Daniel drew his gun instantly.
"You hear that?"
Max was already on his feet.
Eyes locked into the darkness of the alley.
"That's not him…"
"Then who—"
The growl came again.
Closer.
Clearer.
More… human.
Or almost.
A shadow moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Daniel spun.
"Who's there?!"
No answer.
Just movement.
And then—
It appeared.
Not fully.
But enough.
Large.
Far larger than a normal man.
Its body hunched.
Its eyes reflecting the faint light.
Yellow.
Alive.
Predatory.
Daniel froze for a second.
Just one.
But it was enough.
Because the thing moved.
Max reacted first.
"NO!"
The shout echoed through the alley.
And for some reason…
the creature stopped.
Just a few meters away.
Breathing heavily.
Watching.
Max didn't move.
But he didn't step back either.
"You're not the enemy," he said.
The creature tilted its head slightly.
As if it understood.
As if… it recognized him.
"Max… what the hell is that…" Daniel whispered.
But Max didn't answer.
Because in that moment…
something happened.
The creature's eyes…
changed.
For a second.
They became normal.
Human.
And then—
The transformation began.
Not fast.
Not instant.
But visible.
Painful.
Bones shifting.
Breath breaking.
The body shrinking.
Until—
He was there.
A man.
On his knees.
Gasping.
Soaked in rain.
"Damn…" he muttered, running a hand over his face.
Daniel didn't lower the gun.
"I'm gonna need a very good explanation…"
The man looked up.
Tired.
But alert.
"Then lower the gun."
A pause.
"Because if I wanted you dead…"
He held Daniel's gaze.
"You'd already be."
Silence.
Heavy.
"Who are you?" Max asked.
The man gave a humorless chuckle.
"Depends on the day."
Max didn't react.
Just waited.
Then he answered:
"Rick."
The name lingered.
"Rick what?" Daniel pressed.
"Just Rick is enough."
Max studied him.
Analyzing.
"You've been tracking this," he said.
Rick nodded slightly.
"Longer than you think."
"Then why didn't you finish it?"
Rick looked at the body.
Then answered:
"Because I'm not the only one hunting."
Silence.
"What do you mean?"
Rick stood slowly.
His body still tense.
As if the transformation hadn't fully settled.
"This guy…" he pointed to the incomplete symbol, "he's not an amateur."
"We know that," Max said.
"You don't know enough."
Rick looked straight at him.
"He doesn't just kill."
A beat.
"He builds."
The air grew heavier.
"Builds what?" Daniel asked.
Rick took his time.
Then said:
"A path."
Max felt his stomach tighten.
"For what?"
Rick hesitated.
Then answered, low:
"For something that shouldn't come back."
Silence.
"You've seen him?" Max asked.
Rick nodded.
"Once."
"And?"
Rick froze.
For a second.
As if remembering hurt.
"He doesn't look human."
Daniel glanced at Max.
"Well… that's comforting," he muttered.
The rain kept falling.
But now…
no one cared.
"So let me get this straight," Daniel said. "We've got a ritual killer—"
"A witch," Elena cut in, stepping into the alley.
Everyone turned.
Rick tensed immediately.
"Who's she?"
"Someone who knows more than you," Max said.
Elena ignored Rick—for a moment.
Her eyes fixed on the symbol.
"He's accelerating."
"I noticed," Max replied.
Then she looked at Rick.
And something shifted.
Recognition.
But not a good one.
"You…"
Rick narrowed his eyes.
"Do we know each other?"
She gave a faint smile.
"More than you think."
The air thickened.
"Great…" Daniel muttered. "Now it's a meeting."
Max ignored it.
"He tried to finish the ritual here," he said, pointing. "But something stopped him."
Rick crossed his arms.
"I did."
Silence.
"You interrupted it?" Max asked.
Rick nodded.
"Wasn't about to let another person die like that."
Elena watched him closely.
"That means he knows you exist," she said.
Rick let out a short laugh.
"He already did."
Max felt it.
That wasn't good.
"Then we've got a bigger problem," Daniel said.
"No," Elena corrected.
Her gaze moved across all of them.
One by one.
"Now we have a common enemy."
Silence.
But this time…
different.
Because something was forming.
Not trust.
Not yet.
But necessity.
And sometimes…
that was enough.
Later…
far from there.
Max was alone again.
But something had changed.
He wasn't chasing answers alone anymore.
Now…
there were others.
And that made everything more dangerous.
He looked at the board.
Added another piece.
Rick.
Another line.
Another connection.
And then—
The voice returned.
Stronger than ever.
"Now they're coming…"
Max closed his eyes.
"Who?"
Silence.
Then—
"All of them."
He opened his eyes.
And for the first time…
he was sure.
This wasn't going to stop.
It was going to grow.
And he…
was at the center of it.