The First Move in the Dark
Victor had already erased the obvious traces.
The bodies were burned.The alley scrubbed clean with a simple flow of water-element mana.Even the faint residue of blood had been scattered into the night air and dispersed.
But Victor knew better than to believe that one sweep was enough.
Slave traders didn't operate like reckless street thugs. They were layered. Compartmentalized. Signals and fail-safes. If three men vanished, someone would notice. If they failed to report in, someone would investigate.
And investigation meant retaliation.
"We move," Victor said quietly.
His voice carried no panic—just decision.
Videl nodded immediately, Aria standing close to her side. Lane adjusted her grip on her bow without a word. The four of them began to step away from the alley, merging into the dimmer streets that stretched toward the quieter district of Fantom City.
They had barely taken five steps.
Then—
Heavy footsteps.
Not one pair.
Many.
