Killer's Intent

《 Chapter 17 》

Valerie knew something was off the moment they managed to infiltrate the City of Light.

Like, seriously. Did they take her as an idiot?

The first sign was way too apparent. There were way too many guards stationed at the checkpoint, an unnecessary amount of people that made sneaking in much harder than it should have.

As she pondered about the situation, the second red flag was quick hit her in the face not a moment later.

The streets were completely empty.

Sure, it getting rather close to midnight, but the Sun Organizations was home to many luxurious nightclubs and entertainment facilities that operated deep into the night. Even if business was low, there still should've been some people lingering around on the streets, drinking, partying, and showing off their lavish lifestyles.

But no. Every building or shop they had come across had been closed off, securely locked and with their lights shut off.

And now, if that wasn't enough to keep her on edge, she was met by the third red flag. Guards had been around every other block, patrolling the streets in groups of four, armed heavily with weapons in hand. Every once in a while, they switched their posts, sneaking glances into the shadows as if waiting for something to appear.

What the actual fuck was going on?

She exchanged a glance at Aria and Mattias who looked equally baffled.

They had been doing a good job keeping hidden so far, but it was too dangerous to go on like this without knowing of the situation.

"Stay here, I'll scout out the area," she told them. She was the best out of the three of them at doing stealth work, light on her feet and decisive with her actions. Not to mention, her knowledge of the city's layout offered her a safe escape from dangerous situations.

"Be careful," Mattias warned, his expression troubled.

"Stay safe," Aria whispered, worry evident in her eyes.

Despite the situation, Valerie felt her heart skip a beat.

Although Aria had fixed her hair during their car ride, some loose strands still lingered, the wavy curls delicately framing her face. Her two-colored pupils gazed at her worriedly as she furrowed her eyebrows in an adorable manner, biting her bottom lip and coloring it a soft shade of pink.

Valerie's heart melted into a soft puddle.

God, she was beautiful.

Was it too late to ask Mattias to do the task?

But alas, what was said could not be taken back. Giving an affirmative nod, Valerie reluctantly parted, climbing up a drainpipe of a small shop and scanning the area. Although she wasn't able to accompany her, she felt assured knowing that the Aria and Mattias would be there to cover each other in case of danger.

It was a heavily guarded secret between the four of them, but Aria's Skill also allowed her to sense the presence of nearby life forms. If she were to find anything out of the ordinary, she would inform Mattias, who would then use his Skill to defend them.

But her smile quickly dropped as she took in the sheer number of guards stationed on the streets. The Sun Organization couldn't have found out about their fight at the restaurant so soon. Even if people had reported it, the news couldn't have travelled that fast.

Speaking of what happened in the restaurant...

She scowled, muttering her misgivings in her head.

Those stupid thugs. Couldn't they have arrived a bit later? She didn't even get to finish her dessert.

Mourning the loss of her sacrificed sweet treat, she ran across the rooftop to build up momentum and leapt onto the roof of the next building, irritated.

She hated this damned city. Hated everything that happened in the past, hated how she had tried so hard to flee from this place so many years ago, only to waltz back here, delivering herself to the clutches of this godforsaken hellhole once more.

And most importantly, she hated how she still wasn't able to confront her, that fucking traitor, even after so many years.

Just being here brought up so many memories of her younger days. Memories had she cherished so gently, memories she wanted to lock up and erase forever.

As she crouched low on the rooftop, voices of the guards below drifted into her ears, carried by the gentle night breeze.

"Don't you think this is too excessive? I mean, what kind of animal attacks warrant this much security?" A guard complained.

"Animals? Are you really stupid enough to believe that mere animals could break in to the glorious City of Light?" His partner scoffed disdainfully. "Of course that's just an excuse the higher ups gave to prevent mass panic. I heard that the real culprits are a group Skill users with body modifying Skills."

"A group?" the first guard exclaimed, incredulous. "But all Skills are different. You know that. Even if some abilities are alike in certain ways, how the hell did they manage to gather a group of people with similar Skills under our very noses? It's gotta be the animals, I tell you."

"You got proof of your claim?" Another guard joined in.

"Well, no, but I heard—"

"You can't believe everything you hear, you fool."

"No, listen to me—"

As the conversation dissolved into a heated argument, Valerie decided that she had heard enough. Returning to the spot where she left her two teammates, she was surprised to find that they had moved from their original location and were now standing vigilantly, in preparation of a battle.

"What's wrong?" she asked, quickly making her way over as she placed a hand on the hilt of her sword.

"Ari sensed a presence nearby," Mattias explained, filling her in. "We're preparing ourselves in case a fight breaks out. Did you find out any information?"

"Apparently, it isn't only the Shadow. Animal attacks have been happening in the City of Light as well. Some guards are even arguing that the attacks had been done by Skill users with body modifying abilities instead," Valerie informed them. "Not sure if the information's reliable, though."

"Skill users with body modifying abilities?" Aria repeated, her eyes widening in surprise. Cute. "Now that you mention it, the presence I felt was definitely bigger than a regular human's. It might not be that far from the truth."

"Then that's all the reason we shouldn't stick around," Mattias decided, urging them along. "Now that you're here, Val, we should hurry."

But just as they were about to leave, she felt a chilling gaze staring at her from the distance.

A grave sense of danger overwhelmed her and she and immediately unsheathed her sword, pulling Aria behind her protectively. Her blade's sharp edge glinted from the streetlight as Mattias took his stance beside her, his hands flickering with electricity.

Behind the shadows, a figure emerged, over nine feet tall with long, lanky arms and razor sharp claws, dripping with a dark red liquid.

Blood, she realized.

The creature stalked towards them, hunched back, revealing a pair of dark, jagged wings. Two long horns extruded from its head as its red, predatory eyes glinted with a murderous bloodlust.

Valerie felt her blood run cold as she took in a sharp inhale, her heartbeat pounding wildly in her ears.

Fuck, Kieran really wasn't lying when he said that demons were real.

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Author's note:

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