The neon glow of Neoterra Prime painted the skyline like a restless fever dream. Beneath the towering skyscrapers, the streets were alive with whispers of corruption, and the pulse of something darker stirred beneath the surface.
Inside the Authority Tower of the Central Police Command, the city's tactical maps flickered dimly in a war room scarred by recent loss. Ronnie, still clad in his tactical uniform, stood in silence before a cracked holo-table. His once-mighty special ops team—the city's finest—had been obliterated in his last battle with Harlekin, the Soul Reaper given the number 7.
Now, with most of his trusted men gone, he was forced to rethink everything.
Henry entered the room first, calm but watchful. Behind him followed Jack, his arms folded; Emilia, with her sharp, assessing eyes; Lenny, with quiet focus; and Ichiro, who scanned the room like he was already preparing for another fight.
Ronnie turned to face them. His usually commanding presence was heavier today, burdened.
Ronnie: "You came. Good. I need you."
Jack raised an eyebrow.
Jack: "Didn't think a top cop of Neoterra Prime would need help from a bunch of outsiders."
Ronnie didn't flinch at the jab.
Ronnie (low, steady): "I had a team. The best in this city. Harlekin slaughtered them. Now, all that's left is me…"
He presses a button on a remote, activating screens behind them showing various pictures and camera footage.
Ronnie (raising his voice and posture): "The Black Halo is waiting to finish what they started, and I need your help preventing it."
The room fell quiet.
Ronnie turned back to the holo-map, expanding it to reveal multiple red zones scattered across the city.
Ronnie: "The Black Halo is the largest crime organization in Neoterra Prime. They're not street gangs, and they're not a syndicate. They're something else."
Emilia frowned slightly.
Emilia: "I heard that name before. But back then they were nothing but a small group. What do you mean with something else"?
Ronnie nodded grimly.
Ronnie: "It wasn't long ago when a mysterious man—Zorath Veil—a dog-human who had been the leader of a religious group, rebranded them and brought them to new heights. They're structured like a religion. Their leaders are called the Ascendants. They don't deal in drugs or weapons for profit—they control them to maintain order in the underworld. To them, Neoterra Prime is a temple."
He zoomed in on three key areas—the Neon District, the Magrail Tunnels, and the Lower Halo Market, all under their control.
Ronnie: "They own half this city. Politicians look the other way. Corporations pay tribute. Even the police department has moles. I can't touch them alone."
Ichiro's jaw tightened.
Ichiro: "If they're that big, what keeps them from just taking the whole city?"
Ronnie's expression darkened.
Ronnie: "Fear. The kind you can't erase. Zorath Veil wields the Gravity Awakening. When he moves, entire city blocks… collapse. No one wants to provoke that kind of power."
The name lingered in the air like a shadow.
Ronnie turned away for a moment, his gaze drifting to the city's skyline through the window. His voice softened slightly, but there was a crack in it—something deeper, personal.
Ronnie: "The Black Halo knows something about the Soul Reapers. They're connected in ways I don't fully understand yet. And somewhere in that connection… is my son."
Henry's eyes sharpened.
Henry: "I can't believe they're using him."
Ronnie hesitated, then nodded slowly, selling the lie he'd prepared.
Ronnie (voice heavy with false guilt): "Yes. They have him. They're using him in some way. I don't know how much longer he can survive in their hands…"
He couldn't bring himself to tell them the truth—that Elion was a Soul Reaper now, by his own will. So instead, he gave them the only story they could act on.
Ronnie turned back, his face hard again.
Ronnie: "I've already lost my team. I lost my son. But I can't lose this city or this country. I need you to go where I can't. Hit them in the tunnels, the markets, wherever they breathe. Break their grip on this city. With that we can maybe find out more about the Soul Reapers and the Syndicate."
Jack exchanged a glance with Henry.
Jack: "Sounds like you're asking us to declare war on the biggest power in Neoterra Prime."
Ronnie: "No. I'm asking you to take the first step. Find out who's leading their operations down there. Cut the Halo where it's weakest. I'll handle the fallout topside."
Emilia (chuckling): "I mean, it is not like we haven't been fighting great powers like them before."
Henry (serious): "And this time, we won't fall so easily."
Emilia (nods): "No more being the hunted."
Emilia stepped closer to the map, studying it with a strategist's eye.
Emilia: "Where do we start?"
Ronnie tapped a blinking zone deep in the tunnels beneath the Neon District.
Ronnie: "Here. The Magrail Tunnels. It's one of their main arteries. If we cut it, we disrupt their movement and their trade. But first, get some rest. My daughter will show where you will be resting."
Elara stood up from her chair.
Elara (silently): "Please, follow me."
As the group prepared to leave, Ronnie's voice dropped lower.
Ronnie: "Listen carefully. The Black Halo isn't just an organization. It's a belief. Everyone who serves them thinks they're part of something divine. They'll die for it. And their Ascendants?"
He paused, his expression cold.
Ronnie: "They don't just fight. They rewrite the rules of the battlefield."
Henry's expression didn't change, but his grip tightened slightly.
Henry: "Then we'll break their faith."
The group followed Elara and left the command center and descended into the neon-lit streets.
Ronnie stood still, letting himself fall on a chair.
Far above, the city pulsed with life. But deep below, in the shadows where the Black Halo ruled, Zorath Veil and the Ascendants waited like unseen gods, pulling the invisible strings.
And somewhere in that darkness… were the answers Ronnie was willing to risk everything for.