A few days passed.
Across the country, a storm was brewing — the people had begun to rise up against the government.
Corruption in the Philippines had spiraled beyond control. Those in power were either relatives of former officials, friends of the current ones, or just another piece in the endless cycle of favoritism and greed.
Nothing ever changed.
Nothing ever improved.
And the people had finally reached their breaking point.
Hearings were held again and again.
Even with mountains of evidence laid out in plain sight, the police and those in authority pretended to be blind — acting as though they neither saw nor understood the corruption staring them in the face. Officials who deserved to be jailed walked freely, protected by their connections and influence.
The citizens knew the truth:
No matter how loud they shouted,
no matter how much they suffered,
they would never be heard.
So a violent uprising erupted.
The people could no longer stay silent.
Chaos ignited like wildfire.
Groups began burning buildings, destroying facilities known to house government officials. Anger turned into action — reckless, desperate, uncontrollable.
And in response, the government finally made its move.
They issued a single, chilling order:
Shoot to kill.
That command only poured gasoline onto the already raging flames,
turning the chaos into something far darker…
far more unstoppable.
Damon sat alone in his living room, the glow of the television washing over his face as he watched the news.
He had been busy these past few days — hunting down rapists, drug dealers, and criminals who had slipped through the cracks of the justice system.
People the law refused to punish… so he punished them instead.
Now, on the screen, he saw the chaos engulfing the country. Fires. Riots. Violence.
This wasn't what he wanted.
He never intended for innocent people to be caught in the crossfire.
Yet he couldn't ignore the truth:
the uprising was fueled by the same rage he carried — the desire for real change.
Some protesters even held up posters showing the symbol of a crow mask, with the words "The Fool" beneath it.
Groups who believed that The Fool's actions, no matter how brutal, were justified.
Then his phone rang.
The name flashing on the screen: Phoebe.
Her voice trembled the moment he answered.
She said someone had been circling around her house — watching, waiting.
She could feel it.
She recognized them.
They were Senator Julius's men.
Phoebe had gone into hiding these past days, knowing Damon had also been occupied with his own bloody mission.
But now she was scared.
Day after day, the same shadows lurked near her home.
She couldn't take it anymore — she needed his help.
Damon didn't hesitate for a second.
"I'm on my way," he said, already on his feet.
On his way to Phoebe's place, Damon sat quietly inside the bus — until something caught his attention.
A man.
Someone he had already noticed earlier.
From the moment Damon stepped out of his apartment, all the way to the bus stop, and now here inside the bus…
that same man lingered behind him.
Always just a few steps away.
Always within sight.
Damon didn't panic.
He never did.
But he became extremely cautious.
He couldn't jump to conclusions — not yet.
He had to move naturally, think clearly, and avoid giving away the fact that he was aware.
So he reached into his pocket, pulled out his earphones, and placed them in his ears as if everything was normal.
He hit play.
"Ignorance" by Paramore started blasting through the tiny speakers.
A faint smirk tugged at Damon's lips.
"Ignorance… fitting," he thought bitterly.
"Just like the people running the government — completely ignorant."
A few minutes later, Damon stepped off the bus and immediately walked faster, trying to put as much distance as he could between himself and the man he suspected was following him.
He slipped into a narrow alley where he could hide while still having a clear view of the street he had taken. He waited… watching… listening to his own heartbeat steady into silence.
And then — confirmation.
The same man stepped off the bus shortly after.
He tried to make it look natural, even adjusting where he got off so it wouldn't be obvious, but Damon could see right through it.
The man was following him.
No doubt about it now.
Damon narrowed his eyes, studying the stranger from the shadows.
He didn't know who this man was…
He didn't know what he wanted…
But one thing was clear:
This wasn't a coincidence.
Someone had sent him —
and Damon intended to find out exactly who, and why.
Damon came up with an idea.
He would use his ability on the man following him — enter his mind, control his thoughts, and extract every detail about who he was and why he was tailing him.
As the stranger drew closer, Damon prepared himself.
His ability was ready.
His nerves were tight, his focus locked solely on the man's approaching footsteps.
But before the stranger could get close enough, Damon suddenly sensed something behind him — a shadow sliding across the ground.
He snapped his head around—
And froze.
It was Phoebe.
And standing beside her… Claire.
"Damon! Whatever you're about to do — don't." Claire warned, her voice sharp and urgent.
Damon's eyes widened in confusion.
Phoebe and Claire? Together?
How? Why?
But when he looked at Phoebe, she gave him a firm nod — a silent signal telling him to trust Claire's warning.
Against his instinct, Damon lowered his guard…
because if Claire was here, and Phoebe confirmed it…
Something far bigger was happening than a simple tail.
The three of them — Damon, Phoebe, and Claire — walked quickly away.
Phoebe pointed out a narrow path behind the buildings where they could slip through unnoticed.
A place hidden from the view of the man tailing Damon.
A place where they could speak freely, without watching eyes.
"Hold on. What's going on?
Why are the two of you together?" Damon demanded, unable to hide the tension in his voice.
He wanted answers — all of them.
Claire took a deep breath… then finally began to speak.
"Damon… I'm sorry.
I went to Phoebe first before telling you anything because I wasn't sure if what I heard last night was real.
And I didn't go to your apartment because I didn't want to raise suspicion around you."
Phoebe listened quietly, surprise flickering across her face as Claire continued.
"I'm also sorry, Phoebe…
It's my fault there are so many people watching your place.
I kept appearing near your house… over and over… and they probably noticed. Since I'm one of the victim from the VIP incident that happened before"
Then Claire revealed something that stunned both Damon and Phoebe —
a truth neither of them ever expected.
"I saw it," Claire said, her voice trembling.
"My cousin… Kevin… he's an Arcana. The one that you mentioned on your diary that's been hunting other Arcana's"
Damon's eyes widened.
Phoebe stopped breathing for a moment.
Claire continued, guilt weighing down every word.
"To me, Kevin has always been kind. Protective. The cousin who raised me like a real sister."
She swallowed hard.
"I never knew he was hiding something so terrifying. A power… and a side of him I never imagined."
Then came the part that shattered the last piece of safety between them:
"Kevin works for Senator Julius," she said softly.
"He's one of the people hunting The Fool."
Her eyes shifted toward Damon.