As we arrived on the second floor, I watched as the coroner wheeled a black body bag out into the elevator. My eyes tracked the two figures pushing the gurney until the door closed behind them. We stepped back into unit 205, Chief stood near the doorway with a pink wallet resting in his hand. Forensic techs moved slowly around him, working through the blood-soaked apartment with careful, practiced steps. Camera flashes reflected off the wet streaks on the wall, and the steady beeping of a scanner filled the otherwise quiet room.

  “Got an ID? Or trying out a new fashion statement?” I asked.

  Chief lifted the driver’s license. “Name’s Rachel Moore. Local. Twenty-nine.” Her smiling photo looked painfully out of place surrounded by blood and numbered evidence markers. “What did you two get from the neighbors?”

  “Most people heard something around midnight,” Kira said. “Some thumps. Nothing during daylight.” She passed a list of units to the nearest officer. “These ones have something worth documenting.”

  “Alright, I will put people on it.” Chief nodded at the officer near the door speaking quietly into his radio.

  I scanned the living room again. Forensics were bent over the smear Kira had pointed out earlier, scraping tissue samples into a tube. Another was taking photographs of each blood stain. A third tech worked around the carpet where her body had landed after the tether snapped.

  “You find her cellphone yet?” I asked.

  Chief shook his head. “Nothing. If she had it, it’s not here.”

  “Could’ve been taken,” I said. “Could be tossed outside or taken as a souvenir.”

  Chief let out a slow breath. “Forensics will go top to bottom, but I’m not hopeful.”

  We walked the room once more, pointing out smaller details. Dust displacement. A smear near the doorway that didn’t match the others. The unnatural stillness in the air now that the mana rope wasn’t guiding her body anymore. Everything was logged quietly, efficiently.

  Chief finally motioned toward the door. “You two check outside. See if there is anything useful there, while forensics work the interior.”

  “We’ll be back shortly,” I said.

  We headed down the stairwell, our footsteps echoing against the concrete. The building felt heavier on the way out, like the walls were holding onto the last moments of what happened.

  When we stepped outside, the shift in atmosphere was immediate.

  A large group of civilians waited behind the perimeter tape. They weren’t yelling or pushing their way forward. Instead, they stood in a tight cluster, talking quietly among themselves and watching the building with uneasy attention. Some held their phones raised but kept the recordings silent. Parents rested their hands on their children’s shoulders, guiding them a little closer. The air had that tense, unsettled stillness you only saw on scenes where people sensed something was wrong but couldn’t grasp it yet.

  Kira moved slightly closer to me, voice low. “They’re scared.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “They don’t know what to expect.”

  Deputy Chief Howard approached from the far side of the street. His walk was too sharp for the situation, like he’d been waiting for a moment to step into a spotlight. He stopped in front of us, lowering his voice just enough to make it appear private, though he clearly wasn’t trying to keep it from the gathering crowd.

  “Stormson,” he said, “we need to talk about what you found upstairs.”

  I kept my stance neutral. “We’re still working the scene.”

  He angled his body, facing me while keeping his head slightly turned toward the civilians. Anyone paying attention would hear every word.

  “I’m concerned,” he said, “that early signs point to a potential player connection.”

  Kira stiffened. “There’s no evidence of that.”

  Howard continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “Given how close you are with players, I imagine that’s difficult to hear.”

  A few civilians near the tape shifted, glancing at the players standing further back on the sidewalk. One man held his phone lower, no longer filming but listening.

  I kept my tone low. “Howard, don’t start.”

  He glanced toward the crowd again, like the thought pained him. “If the suspect turns out to be someone you know… maybe someone you trust…” His voice softened in a way that carried easily, “people will worry you overlooked something.”

  A woman near the tape whispered to the man beside her.

  Another parent pulled their child behind them, eyes darting between us and the building.

  The tension around us tightened, quiet and cold.

  Howard offered a practiced sigh. “These abilities… they’re unpredictable right now. No one fully understands them. And if a player was involved in something like this, the entire city will feel it.”

  I stepped in closer so only he and Kira could see the shift in my posture. “You’re feeding them conclusions we don’t have.”

  He blinked slowly, almost in sympathy. “I’m giving the public transparency. People need someone steady to rely on right now.”

  He turned slightly toward the civilians again. The change in angle was subtle, but I caught it immediately.

  “A woman died upstairs in horrible pain, such brutality.” He said in a calm, steady voice, “and the possibility of a player being involved can’t be dismissed.”

  Another ripple moved through the crowd. A growing unease that settled into people’s expressions as they processed the idea.

  Kira shifted beside me, whispering, “He’s planting seeds.”

  “Yeah,” I said, watching the way the civilians leaned in to hear him. “And he knows exactly where he wants them to take root.”

  Howard stepped back with a look of concern as he faced the crowd. “I am sorry you had to overhear that.” He said apologetically. “It is true that a player is suspected in this heinous crime, but I promise as one of you. As one of the naturals, I will get to the bottom of this and ensure nothing is overlooked…” He paused as he looked back at me, a hint of a smile on his lips. “Or covered up in favor of the players.”

  The crowd began thanking and praising Howard as he walked away.

  Kira exhaled. “What now?”

  “We keep working,” I said. “We need to find the culprit before this turns into a witch hunt.”

  We moved around the building as the crowd continued to watch, each face carrying the same quiet accusation.

  Howard had given them something to fear.

  He knew exactly what he was doing but I had bigger problems to deal with.

  A player had murdered the woman inside and I needed to find out who.

  I checked my phone, the bright lock screen illuminating the digital clock, it was ten o’clock. I glanced up at the building surrounded by darkness and artificial light in equal measure. Streetlamps cast hard cones of yellow across the pavement, while patrol cars washed the fa?ade in slow pulses of red and blue. The crowd behind the tape had thinned slightly, but the ones who stayed were committed. Quiet. Watching.

  We moved around the side of the building toward the rear, keeping our pace even, our eyes flickering between the ground and the building for evidence. I could feel the fatigue dragging at me now, settling into my shoulders and behind my eyes, but I didn’t let it distract me. Time was of the essence, but I was in my element, investigating a crime. A supernatural crime but familiar ground nonetheless.

  The back of the complex was quieter than the street, lit only by a single security light that hummed faintly above the dumpsters. The concrete along the foundation was clean, mostly untouched, the kind of space people passed through without lingering.

  I scanned upward as much as the ground.

  Third floor. Rear-facing units. One window stood open a few inches. The curtain inside was pulled aside just enough to leave a narrow view of the interior. A man stood there, partially silhouetted, his face lit by the pale glow of a screen somewhere behind him. He wasn’t moving. He wasn’t hiding.

  He was watching, our eyes meeting. There was no surprise in his expression. Just focus. Like he was taking inventory.

  I kept walking, forcing myself to maintain pace.

  “Kira,” I said quietly. “Third floor. Rear window.”

  “I see him,” she replied without turning her head.

  We moved beneath the window, and that was when Kira slowed.

  “Hold up.”

  She crouched near the base of the wall and pointed. Several cigarette butts lay scattered against the concrete, clustered close to the foundation. Same brand. Similar burn length. Fresh enough that the filters hadn’t darkened.

  Her gaze flicked up toward the open window.

  “Those didn’t get dropped here,” she said softly. “They were tossed.”

  I nodded. The spread matched it. Gravity, not footsteps.

  “Probably from our friend on the third floor.” I confirmed.

  Kira pulled on gloves. “I’ll bag them.”

  As she worked, I kept my eyes on the window. Daniel hadn’t moved. His attention stayed locked on us, tracking every motion as she sealed the evidence bag and marked the location.

  “We can compare it to the DNA under her nails,” I added quietly. “Forensics pulled tissue and skin cells.”

  Kira paused for half a second, then continued sealing the bag. “If it does then your instincts were right and we could officially label him as a suspect.”

  A soft sound cut through the night. Metal sliding against metal.

  I looked up as the window closed, the glass reflecting the interior light for a moment before the curtain was pulled tight behind it.

  “He heard that,” Kira said.

  “And he saw you bag them.”

  She straightened, holding the evidence bag at her side. “Good.”

  We finished documenting the rear of the building, noting the open window’s location and the cigarette drop zone beneath it. No other signs of disturbance. No reason for anyone to linger here unless they had something to watch.

  As we turned back toward the front, my thoughts circled the same image.

  Daniel in the window.

  The calm in his eyes had unnerved me.

  We returned to the front, updating Chief Dobson who ordered us to return to the detachment to consolidate our findings.

  As we walked to our vehicle a chorus of whispers followed us, harsh warnings and speculation. We ignored it and drove to the detachment in silence.

  The detachment had settled into its nighttime rhythm by the time we got back. Fewer voices. Dimmer lights. The steady background hum of a building that never truly slept.

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  We took the small conference room off Homicide. Kira set the evidence bag on the table between us, then opened her notebook and started writing immediately. The cigarette butts stayed sealed inside, unassuming and dangerous in their own way.

  I didn’t sit right away. My legs still felt keyed up, tension slow to drain. I stood near the whiteboard, staring at it without really seeing it.

  “Forensics send anything new?” I asked.

  Kira shook her head. “They’re still processing. The tissue recovered from under her nails is logged and moving through the system. Blood volume remains inconsistent with cause of death.”

  I exhaled and finally sat. “It should’ve killed her. Any one of those wounds.”

  “But there was nothing left behind,” she said. “No damage. No scarring. No trauma consistent with the blood loss.”

  “Because it didn’t stay,” I said.

  She stopped writing and looked up. “Walk me through your thinking.”

  I leaned forward, forearms on the table.

  “No forced entry,” I said. “No signs of a struggle until after the tether was active. And she didn’t try to flee.”

  “Which doesn’t track unless she couldn’t,” Kira said.

  “Or didn’t know she needed to,” I replied. “A stealth skill would explain it. Close distance without triggering fear. No noise. No break-in.”

  Kira nodded slowly. “That would also explain why neighbors heard very little until later.”

  “He restrains her with the tether,” I continued. “Not to move her. To keep her where he wants her.”

  “And then he starts cutting,” she said. “Carefully.”

  “Enough to bleed,” I added. “Enough to hurt.”

  “And then he heals it,” Kira finished.

  She closed her notebook slowly. “That’s calculated. Malicious. Whoever did this took control and stayed in it. They weren’t improvising.”

  “That doesn’t sound like anyone we know who unlocked the system,” I said.

  Kira met my eyes. “Then we have to consider the possibility that someone else found a way to unlock it.”

  The room felt quieter after that.

  “Someone outside the known player pool,” I said.

  “And someone who kept it quiet,” she replied.

  I glanced at the evidence bag again. “And it’s not someone experimenting with their abilities.”

  “No,” she agreed. “There’s familiarity here. Repetition.”

  She stood and moved to the whiteboard, sketching the building layout from memory. Documenting evidence locations, building residents and the conjecture we just discussed.

  “The second floor isn’t that high. Someone could have used a window to enter the apartment with their strength alone or they could have used a skill to enter the unit unnoticed.” Kira said tapping the whiteboard with her marker.

  “I didn’t notice any open windows in the apartment, did you?” I asked trying to remember.

  “No but maybe ask Chief to have the techs do a check just to be sure.”

  I texted Chief immediately at her suggestion. “Good idea. I’m still leaning towards a stealth skill. That guy on the third floor still feels wrong.”

  “Yeah, that’s why I bagged the cigarette butts.” Kira said as she returned to her seat.

  “Yeah, I don’t believe his statement that the smell was from a previous tenant, it was too fresh, but why would he lie about something so stupid.” Daniel’s face flashed through my mind. “Unless… unless he is so used to lying that it was instinctual.”

  “That would make sense, but this is all based on your gut. We need supporting evidence.” Kira added.

  “I know…” I said softly. “That’s why I am hoping the cigarette butts will be the link we need.”

  Kira reached a hand to my closed fist on the table. Her gentle touch sending warmth through my body and I felt some of the tension ease in my chest. I looked into her eyes and the moment grew, the memory of our evening flashing through my mind. My heart skipped a beat.

  A knock came at the door shattering the moment and Kira ‘s hand quickly left mine.

  Dr. Hargreeve stepped in, still wearing her face shield she hadn’t bothered to remove yet. There was a faint smell of antiseptic clinging to her lab coat.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” she said. “I wanted to brief you before I file the preliminary report.”

  Kira turned toward her immediately. “What do you have?”

  “Cause of death is strangulation,” Hargreeve said. “Confirmed. There’s no structural damage to the trachea, no crushed cartilage.”

  “No strangulation marks?” I asked.

  “No,” she confirmed. “No bruising pattern consistent with manual strangulation. No fibers. No foreign material around the neck at all.”

  Kira frowned slightly. “Then how—”

  “Vascular compression,” Hargreeve said. “Likely via an external force that didn’t require direct contact. Whatever was used didn’t leave a physical trace.”

  I felt that settle in my chest.

  “The blood loss?” I asked.

  “Significant,” she replied. “Severely depleted volume. Enough that she would have been incredibly weak or unconscious, but there’s no single wound that explains it.”

  “Healed,” Kira said quietly.

  “Probably.” I confirmed.

  “So, it was probably a player” Hargreeve said, her voice soft and sad. “We’re waiting on blood analysis to confirm anomalies, but the equipment’s tied up. It may take time to get a tech cleared to run it.”

  “How long,” I asked.

  She hesitated. “With things the way they are. Longer than I’d like.”

  I nodded. “Understood.”

  Hargreeve glanced between us. “One more thing. There were defensive indicators. Not extensive, but present. Skin cells were recovered from under her fingernails.”

  “Yeah, we are hoping it brings us to her killer.” Kira said.

  “Then I’ll keep you updated,” Hargreeve replied. “I wanted you to hear it from me first.”

  “Thanks, Doc,” I said.

  She gave a brief nod and stepped back out, the door closing softly behind her.

  The room felt heavier once she was gone.

  Kira gathered her notebook, slower this time. “So, we have restraint without contact. Blood loss without lasting injury. And strangulation without hands.”

  “Which keeps the tether front and center, for control and murder weapon.”

  Kira let out a long sigh. “So, what do we do now?”

  “We collect more evidence, see what the forensic teams came up with and move from there. In the meantime, why don’t you head home and rest.” I gave Kira a warm smile.

  “Like hell, I know you aren’t going anywhere, and neither am I.” She said stubbornly.

  I laughed. “Then why don’t you go lie down in the first aid room and I will come get you if there is an update.”

  She looked like she was about to argue but I could see the exhaustion in her eyes.

  “Fine, but if you get tired come wake me and I will switch.” She leaned over and her lips met mine and she melted into me. I felt the familiar desire rage through me and the kiss deepened.

  Kira broke away breathing heavy. “Careful Elias or I will drag you into that first aid room and no one will get any sleep.” She gave me a lustful wink sending my heart rate through the roof, but I let her walk to the door alone.

  She stopped, turning back slightly. “Elias.”

  “Yeah?”

  “We stay clean,” she said. “No leaps. No pressure guesses.”

  “Always,” I replied.

  She left, the door clicking shut behind her.

  I leaned back into my seat staring at the whiteboard.

  Strangulation without touch. Blood without wounds. Control without chaos.

  Someone had been very careful.

  And patience like that didn’t come from a fresh killer.

  I rose from my seat and began pacing the floor, my mind racing over the facts like the answer was hidden somewhere in my memories.

  The door opening shook me from my fruitless fretting as Chief Dobson entered. Chief Dobson’s face was haggard that was a stark contrast to the youthfulness he had obtained from the system.

  “Chief!” I said alarmed. “Are you okay? Let me go grab Kira.”

  “I’m fine Elias, where is Kira?” Chief asked looking around the room.

  “She went to lie down in the first aid room.”

  “Let her rest, I’ll be fine until she gets up.” Chief said before placing a brief case on the table and collapsing in a chair, his hand resting on his forehead.

  “Find anything new after we left?” I asked, sitting in the chair beside the Chief.

  “No cellphone, scene was a disaster with all the blood so unlikely any fingerprints. The forensic guys were able to determine that some of the blood splatters were several hours older than others.” Chief let it hang in the air.

  “So, he tortured her.” I closed my eyes and placed my head in my hands as I imagined Rachel’s fear, being cut and healed repeatedly.

  “Yeah.” Chief said softly. “We are dealing with a sadistic fuck, that’s for sure.”

  “How have we never heard of someone like this?” I looked up at Chief who met my gaze.

  “I’m not sure, I have Zack grabbing every missing person file and unsolved murder cases as we speak. We can review it and see if we can find a similar MO.” Chief said using the acronym for modus operandi.

  “Yeah, I’m not getting the feeling that this was done by someone new to killing.”

  “Me neither.” Chief agreed.

  There was a silence that followed as I debated whether to tell the Chief about Daniel.

  Fuck it, his insight might be useful. “There was this guy on the third floor of the building that set me on edge.”

  “What about him set you off?” Chief asked curiously.

  “I’m not sure, it felt like when I was facing the monsters from the gate. Like my body was warning me of potential danger.” I let out a frustrated breath.

  “Any evidence to back it up?”

  “No, he was perfectly normal. His responses were perfect; his apartment was immaculately clean considering it was low-income housing.”

  “I hate to ask this, but could it be a prejudice thing?” Chief asked. “Could he have reminded you of a past suspect? Giving you that feeling.”

  Chief always asked the hard questions, no matter how awkward they may be.

  “I don’t think so.” I answered honestly. “I had the feeling before he even answered the door.”

  “Hmmm.” Chief lifted his hands to his lips deep in thought. “Close your eyes, replay the interaction. What stands out to you?”

  I did he asked and closed my eyes, the scene replaying in my mind. After a minute I opened my eyes frustrated. “Nothing.”

  “Okay. Let’s try this again, this time use that skill you used against the Anklyosaurus to find its weakness.”

  Synaptic Overdrive. Of Course. How did I not think of this.

  I summoned the mana, pushing it into my brain. A sharp pressure began to build but a screen appeared before me.

  Synaptic Overdrive Activated

  I closed my eyes and the scene replayed before me, this time I could slow it down and rewind it.

  I approached the door once again, that feeling of danger washing over me once more. I rewound it again looking for anything that did not fit. The pressure in my mind grew into a splitting headache, I continued pushing forward. On the third rewind I saw it. Just a flicker but it was there under the door. A shadow that was out of place and scurried under the door as we approached.

  My eyes snapped open and Chief gave me a questioning look as the skill deactivated.

  “Shadow powers.” I said breathlessly as sweat dripped down my face.

  “You sure?” Chief said as he leaned forward.

  “I think so, there was a shadow out of place as we approached the door and that’s when I felt that feeling of danger. It slipped under the door before we reached it.”

  “Okay, then we have a starting point. We still don’t know the full extent of his powers but at least we know he has a form of mana tether and some type of shadow ability.” Chief said thoughtfully. “We need-” a coughing fit suddenly seized Chief Dobson.

  “Chief!” I jumped to my feet.

  Chief Dobson lifted his hand as he finally stopped coughing whipping a hand across his mouth. “I’m fine.” Chief said sweating profusely.

  “I’m getting Kira. Just a tickle in your throat my ass.” I rushed out of the room before Chief could say anything further.

  I opened the first aid room door and froze at the sight of Kira sleeping peacefully in the bed. She hugged a pillow as she slept, nestling into it tightly. Her auburn hair cascading across the second pillow.

  I knelt next to the bed and placed a hand gently on her shoulder, waking her. Her eyes fluttered open, locking onto me instant. A mischievous smile appeared on her face as she spoke, her eyes still half closed. “Decided to join me after all eh.” She lifted the blanket invitingly.

  When I didn’t join her the sleep faded from her eyes and she scanned my face more closely. “What’s wrong?” She said as she threw her legs over the bed and began putting on her boots.

  “It’s the Chief. I don’t think it’s just a cough. He needs your healing.”

  Kira summoned her staff as she followed me out of the first aid room and headed for the conference room.

  Chief was still sitting in his chair, his head in his hands as he took deep breaths. Before I could say anything, Kira was already beside him channeling healing magic into him.

  Mana Sight Activated

  I watched as her hands and eyes glowed with mana; she pushed it into the Chief’d body.

  After a moment Kira’s face creased and the mana flow increased in her hands. “Something is fighting me.” Kira said through gritted teeth, beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.

  A minute later Kira collapsed in her chair. “Great now I need another nap.” Chief’s complexion looked significantly better.

  “Thank you, Kira.” Chief said with relief.

  “What was it, Kira? I’ve seen you heal broken bones with ease. How can a cough give you trouble?” I asked stunned.

  “It definitely wasn’t just a cough.” Kira said still sweating. “Something was fighting my healing magic. It was dark and malicious.” Kira shuddered at the memory.

  I exchanged a concerned look with Chief.

  “What the hell were you exposed to?” I asked.

  “I have no idea. I thought it was just a cough. A cold, that’s all.” Chief shook his head in disbelief. “Thanks again Kira.”

  “No problem.” Kira said as she leaned her head back to take a few more steadying breaths. “What did we learn while I was sleeping?”

  “I think I saw a out of place shadow slink back under the door as we approached Daniel Hurst’s apartment. I think he is our murderer and has some form of shadow power like Flynn.”

  Kira sat up immediately with rapt attention. “So do we go get him?”

  “Not yet.” Chief said, “We need more evidence. Right now, it’s only speculation. If we are wrong it won’t be good for us. For now, we wait for the DNA samples to come back. You guys go home and rest. We will check on the lab tomorrow to see how long it will take.”

  “But Chief-” I began to argue but he cut me off.

  “No buts Elias. Get some rest, it is an order. We don’t know when the next monster will show up on our doorstep or if a gate will open. Now we have a player murderer running around. I will need you rested. I will assign some of the other players to patrol around tonight. You get some rest.” Chief stated once more.

  I nodded and Kira joined me to walk back to our cruiser.

  Jamie was walking in as we approached the exit. “Hey Elias! Kira! I fueled up your rig for you.”

  “Thanks Jamie. How are you doing?” I asked as I sized him up. Jamie carried himself with a new confidence after the recent dungeon.

  “Great, Chief has been instructing me in combat, I feel like I have grown by leaps and bounds.” Jamie beamed.

  “That’s amazing. We should spar some time. I want to see how much you have grown.” I smiled as Jamie’s smile faltered.

  “I haven’t grown that much Elias. You will still kick my butt.” Jamie said sheepishly, suddenly looking like the rookie he once was.

  “Have more confidence in yourself Jamie. It will be fine. Besides Kira can heal you up if you get too hurt.” I winked at Kira as Jamie looked uncertain.

  “It will just be training, I promise.” I laughed.

  Jamie’s shoulders relaxed and he nodded. “That does sound like fun.” The confident grin spreading across his face once more.

  “You on night patrol?” Kira asked as the three of us walked towards our vehicle.

  “Yeah, I heard about the murder. I want to be out on the streets in case the murderer shows himself.” Jamie said proudly.

  “Good man.” I said approvingly. “I will join you after some rest.”

  “Me too,” Kira agreed.

  “Thanks, but you guys have been working so hard. Rest tonight, we got this. Logan is already out there patrolling around.” Jamie said nodding towards the city.

  “Be safe.” I said as I climbed in the driver’s seat.

  “Always.” Jamie gave me a nod and I started the engine.

  When we arrived home, Michelle and Jeff were in the living room waiting. They rose to their feet as we walked through the door.

  “You guys okay?” Michelle asked as she gave Kira a hug.

  “We heard there was a murder involving a player? Is that true?” Jeff asked from beside Michelle.

  “Wow, bad news travels fast.” I grimaced.

  “So, it’s true.” Jeff said softly as I nodded.

  He let out a heavy breath. “Do you know who it was.”

  “We have a suspect but nothing concrete yet.” I said as I took off my shoes. “We are going to rest up before heading back to check on some evidence we are waiting to have processed. Don’t worry the suspect isn’t anyone we know.”

  Jeff visibly relaxed.

  “That’s good. Get some rest, it is already late. We were worried when we came home and found you guys gone. Then we heard about the murder and became worried.” Michelle said as she held Kira’s hand.

  “Yeah, we are okay mom.” Kira said gently.

  “Alright I am heading to bed. Goodnight.” I said as I began walking down the hall.

  “Goodnight.” All three called.

  “Sooooo how did the date go?” Michelle asked in a conspiring tone.

  “Moooom.” Kira whined.

  I laughed to myself as their voices faded and I entered my room. The bed still lay disheveled from the night’s activities. The memory of the intimate moment flashed through my mind and a smile spread across my face despite the long day.

  I didn’t bother undressing as I flopped onto the mattress, sleep overtook me as Kira’s aroma enveloped me from the bed.