Lance wasn't happy.
"Let me get this straight." He rubbed his temples, his jaw clenched tight. "You died. Came back. And now you're planning to walk into Victor's stronghold and take him out?"
"Pretty much," I said, tightening the bandages around my hands.
"And your grand plan is… what? Walk up and say 'Surprise, I'm not dead'?"
I gave him a look. "Something like that."
Lance let out a long sigh. "You're insane."
"Maybe," I muttered. "But I don't have a choice."
I stood up, stretching my arms. The apartment was quiet, save for the distant hum of the city beyond the cracked window.
"Victor's got Damien," I said, my voice colder now. "If he's still alive, I'm not leaving him there."
Lance was silent for a moment, then grabbed his jacket.
"Well, if you're going to get yourself killed… someone's gotta be there to drag your dumb ass out."
I smirked. "Glad to see you haven't changed."
The Steel Mill – Midnight
The mill loomed ahead, a rusted monument to a forgotten era. Its skeletal frame stretched into the night sky, the air thick with the scent of oil and metal.
But beneath that—blood.
I could smell it.
Victor's men were everywhere, patrolling the perimeter with military precision.
"Same plan?" Lance whispered beside me, crouched in the shadows.
"Yeah," I murmured. "We slip in through the maintenance tunnel. Quietly."
"And if it goes loud?"
I glanced at him, a grin tugging at the corner of my lips.
"Then we improvise."
Inside the Mill
The tunnel led us into the belly of the beast. Dim lights flickered overhead, casting long shadows against the steel walls.
We moved silently, my senses sharp. Ghost Step thrummed beneath my skin, ready to activate at a moment's notice.
But then I felt it.
A pulse.
His pulse.
Victor was close.
I signaled to Lance, and we pressed forward, moving like shadows.
We stopped at a large open space—an old assembly floor. Chains hung from the ceiling, swaying gently in the stale air.
And in the center of the room…
Damien.
He was bound to a chair, blood dripping from cuts across his face. His breathing was shallow, but he was alive.
Barely.
"Damien…" I whispered.
That's when I heard the slow, deliberate clap echoing through the mill.
"Well, well," a voice drawled from the shadows.
My blood turned to ice.
Victor Reyes.
He stepped into the dim light, his eyes gleaming with predatory amusement.
"Never thought I'd see a ghost," Victor said, a cruel smile tugging at his lips. "But here you are. Back from the dead."
"Let him go, Victor," I said, my voice steady.
Victor tilted his head, twirling a thin blade between his fingers. The crimson glow along the edge pulsed—his blood.
"You always had guts, Leon," he murmured. "But guts won't save you this time."
The blade twisted in his hand, and I felt the air thicken.
Sanguine Tracker.
The blood on the floor began to shift, slithering toward me like serpents, hungry for violence.
> [Warning: Hostile Ability Detected.]
I clenched my fists, feeling Ghost Step hum beneath my skin.
But I didn't move.
Not yet.
Because sometimes…
You have to get closer to the enemy to strike.
"Lance," I whispered, barely moving my lips.
"Yeah?"
"Plan B."
"Plan B?"
"Yeah." I grinned.
"Run."
Without another word, I activated Ghost Step—but not toward Victor.
I reappeared right behind one of his men, driving my fist into the guy's throat. He went down without a sound.
Lance? He was already moving, slipping through the chaos, working his way toward Damien.
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"Cute," he muttered. "But it won't be enough."
Blood shot out from his fingertips, forming razor-sharp spikes that streaked toward me.
But I was already gone.
Ghost Step.
I moved again—this time to the opposite side of the room.
Victor's spikes slammed into the wall where I had been standing a moment ago.
"You'll have to do better than that," I said, my voice echoing through the mill.
Victor's lips curled into a grin.
"Fine," he murmured. "Let's see how long you can run, Leon."
A Hidden Edge
I could feel it.
The power surging through my veins.
Ghost Step was only the beginning.
I wasn't just absorbing powers from the dead.
I was learning.
"You thought it was over…"
Victor's blood spikes shot toward me again, but this time—I didn't dodge.
I moved through them.
And when I reappeared…
I was right behind him.
"But it's just the beginning."
I drove my knee into Victor's spine, sending him crashing to the ground.
He coughed, blood splattering onto the floor.
"Impossible…" he muttered.
I crouched down beside him, my voice low.
"Not impossible, Victor." I clenched my fist. "I just refuse to die."
Victor tried to push himself up, but I was already moving.
I didn't give him a chance.
My fist slammed into his jaw, sending him sprawling.
"Stay down," I growled.
As Victor struggled to his feet, blood dripping from his mouth, he muttered something under his breath.
"...So, you're approaching me?"
I froze.
That line.
No way.
I smirked.
"Well, I can't beat your ass if I don't get closer."
Victor didn't get the reference.
But I did.
And that was all that mattered.
To be continued...