Nexora City – Sector 5 Underground Market – Midnight
The scent of rust, oil, and quiet death lingered in the air. A single hooded figure walked slowly past the shuttered vendor stalls, bootsteps silent. No footsteps echoed. No security noticed. He moved like fog, unwelcome yet unstoppable.
The cleaner was in the city.
At his side, an old briefcase dangled from gloved fingers. Inside it: a sterilizer code key, neural-pulse silencer, and a biochemical lockpick. But his deadliest weapon wasn't the tools — it was his silence.
He didn't speak. He didn't question.
He deleted.
He paused by a graffiti-stained wall where a child had drawn a face with violet eyes and wild curls. Below it, a word: Hope.
He stared for two seconds… then walked on.
Emerald Ridge Estate – 6:14 AM
Auron was already dressed, seated at his data terminal. Financial dashboards hovered mid-air.
Blackmarrow Holdings: Projected Monthly Passive: $515,000 New Acquisition: Oceanfront Logistics Park, Sector 3 Asset Masking: 97% Obfuscated
He sipped his coffee, voice flat. "CrowJaw, confirm secondary security net around Riva's school."
"Done. Added two off-grid contractors. Eyes only."
Patch's voice crackled in next. "Cleaner entered city last night. Facial scrubbed. Traveled by foot. Heading east."
Auron leaned back, fingers steepled. "Then we prepare her."
Riva's Room – 6:42 AM
Riva sat cross-legged on her bed, brushing her hair while watching a holo-vid about the moon's lost colonies. She was calm, unusually so.
Auron knocked once before entering.
"Morning, squirt."
She grinned. "Morning, overprotective dinosaur."
He smiled faintly and handed her a small black bracelet. "Time to start basic sync training."
She looked at it. "System training?"
"Yes. We go slow. No pressure. No unlocking powers. Just awareness."
She nodded, slipping it on. A soft hum vibrated against her wrist. The bracelet pulsed.
[Carrier Detected – Riva Riven]
System Sync Level: 0.4% Emotional Bond Anchor: Stable
Riva whispered, "It feels… warm."
"That's you."
Downtown Nexora – 10:34 AM
Kara strode into an old apartment block on the city's industrial edge. She kicked open a rusted door and found the man inside still snoring.
"Wake up, Gritz."
He blinked. "Kara? Shit. You look like—"
"Alive. And angry. Good guess."
"I told you I'm out of Omega."
"I believe you. That's why I need something else."
She tossed a tablet on his bed. "I want a face trace. This man. No name. No origin. Came into Nexora last night."
Gritz frowned. "You think the Cleaner's real?"
"I know he is. And I know he's here for a child."
Emerald Ridge Academy – Noon
Riva sat on the rooftop, away from the lunch crowd. She didn't eat today. She just watched clouds shift.
Another girl approached quietly. Blonde hair, polished nails, perfect posture.
"Hi. I'm Nerisa."
Riva nodded but didn't smile. "Riva."
"You don't like talking much, huh?"
"I like quiet. It lets me think."
Nerisa hesitated, then sat beside her. "Are you really as rich as everyone says?"
"I don't think money makes you rich," Riva said calmly. "I think safety does."
Nerisa blinked. "That's… kinda deep."
Riva finally smiled. "Don't get used to it."
[System Notification: Auron Riven]
New Passive Trigger: Threat Nearby Proximity match: 900 meters from Academy perimeter Identity: Unknown Class // Redacted Clearance // Tier-2 Agent Registered // Code: WRAITH**
Recommendation: Do Not Engage. Evacuate Carrier.
Estate War Room – 2:10 PM
Auron stared at the moving blip on the projected city grid. "That's him."
Kara entered, tossing Gritz's tablet on the table. "Confirmed. Facial algos reject all scans. Guy doesn't exist on any national or shadow net. Callsign: WRAITH."
Patch sighed. "Cleaner-grade. Ex-Index. Recruited by Omega after the Istanbul Burn."
Auron's jaw clenched. "Then we act now. Pull Riva. Deploy CrowJaw's secondary net. Kara, you run evac."
Kara's eyes narrowed. "And you?"
"I walk into his shadow."
Downtown Construction Site – 4:18 PM
The sun dipped behind steel skeletons of unfinished skyscrapers. Auron stood at the edge of the site, wind tugging at his coat.
Across from him, WRAITH stepped out from a pile of rebar.
Neither spoke.
WRAITH raised a single hand.
Auron did the same.
Silence.
Then:
[System Activation – Phantom Seed: Echo Reflex Mode]
WRAITH vanished.
Auron moved. Fast.
Concrete exploded as a silencer round missed his head by inches.
He dropped, rolled, pulled a charge-dagger, and slashed — only air.
WRAITH appeared behind him.
Kick to the ribs. Crack.
Auron flipped, landed on one knee.
"Not bad," he muttered.
WRAITH said nothing. But his hand opened — and revealed Riva's school badge.
Auron froze.
"She dropped it at lunch," a voice said from behind him.
Kara.
WRAITH turned — barely — and Kara struck with an electric blade. Sparks flew. WRAITH staggered.
"RUN!" she screamed.
But Auron didn't run.
He stepped forward.
"I don't care who sent you," he growled. "You touch my sister again, I won't just erase you. I'll unmake you."
WRAITH stared at him — for a long, long moment.
Then disappeared in a pulse of distortion.
Estate Rooftop – That Night
Riva lay in Auron's lap, curled under a blanket. Stars flickered above.
"You fought today," she whispered.
"Yes."
"Was it scary?"
He looked up at the stars. "Not until I thought he might've hurt you."
"I think I felt him," she said softly. "Like… a whisper. In my bones."
Auron closed his eyes.
"We'll train tomorrow. Properly."
"Promise?"
He hugged her tighter.
"Promise."
System Alert: Riva Riven Sync Level 0.9% Mission: Legacy of Wealth – Phase 2 Available Threat Level: Reduced (WRAITH Disengaged)
But only for now.