1 — THE COLD CELL
Rain drips from the ceiling in Ashfall's oldest precinct basement.
A single bulb swings above a reinforced glass partition — on one side, Selene stands, hood up, shadow pooled around her boots. On the other side sits Milo Griggs — once the Chisel Street Strangler, now a shell on meds and cold cement.
Ward stands behind Selene — arms crossed, jaw wired shut by old memories.
Milo leans forward — greasy hair clinging to his face, cracked grin wide as a coffin.
Milo Griggs (soft, singsong):
"Tick tock tick, the Fog waits. The Fog sees. You can't kill Fog, pretty bird. Ward tried — didn't ya, Ward?"
Ward doesn't flinch — but his fists tighten behind his back.
Selene taps the glass with a feather blade — the metallic tick snaps Milo's eyes to her.
Selene (flat, cold):
"What is Umbra? Who runs it? Who do you see when the Fog waits?"
Milo giggles — a wet sound like choking on spit.
Milo Griggs:
"No one. Everyone. They wear no face, but their teeth are gold. They breathe through other mouths. They used me. They use Crow. They'll use you too, birdie."
Selene's eyes flick to Ward — he stares at the killer like he's looking at an old scar that never healed.
Ward (rough whisper):
"He killed seven. Then one day he walked into my office, turned himself in — said 'The Fog forgives me.' We buried the files. They still find him. Through guards, through walls. Nothing sticks to them — except the bodies."
Milo leans closer — breath fogs the glass.
Milo Griggs:
"Run, little Raven. Or fly into the Fog. Either way… the Fog waits."
Selene flips the blade in her palm — the glass trembles under her stare.
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2 — WARD'S QUIET WARNING
Outside the cell — Ward leans against a rusted locker. Selene wipes rain off her mask with a rag.
Ward:
"He's a dead end. But he knows. So do I. Greer and Mendoza are brushing it — you want the next breadcrumb, talk to them."
Selene narrows her eyes — voice like dry ice.
Selene:
"You put me on this — now you're pushing me to your bloodhounds?"
Ward sighs — pulls a dented lighter from his pocket, flicks it open, closed, open again.
Ward:
"I'm pushing you to the place the Fog's about to swallow. I tried to tear its mask off. They buried my family for it. You think your wings make you untouchable? They don't."
Selene pockets the blade — her eyes soft for half a second.
Selene:
"You let them kill you, Ward. I won't."
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3 — MICAH HITS STATIC
Back at The Nest — Micah chews on a pencil, eyes red from hours at the screens.
He scrubs through hospital files, charity trusts, psychiatric records. Every lead hits a black wall.
He curses, slams his fist on the desk.
A lone line flickers up: UMBRA GROUP — patient transcript redacted.
He tries to crack it open — the file shreds itself line by line, digital static turning it to a smear.
Micah (to himself):
"They're eating their own trails. Who the hell are you freaks?"
He keys Ward's burner — static answers him back.
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4 — THE HUNT BEGINS
Greer huddles under a flickering streetlamp — files shoved in a battered leather satchel. Mendoza paces nearby, gun tucked in her coat, eyes flicking down alleys.
They argue like stray dogs under neon.
Dr. Greer (fierce, afraid):
"Ward's hiding something bigger than Crow. It's Umbra. These suicides, these dead men in cells — this is the Fog."
Mendoza (bitter laugh):
"And what? We write a warrant for ghosts? Ward's dirty — you see it too. He's feeding her, Greer. The Raven's just the city's next lie."
A figure stirs behind the trash bins — filthy coat, a hood pulled tight. Greer senses it — flinches.
Selene watches from a rooftop ledge — mask drawn down tight. She spots the glint — a blade under the man's sleeve.
Selene (whispers into comm):
"Not tonight, Fog."
She drops — feather blades drawn.
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5 — FIGHT IN THE RAIN
The Umbra killer lunges at Greer — Mendoza shoves her back, gun drawn.
Selene crashes down — steel and feathers collide in the rain. The man is fast, almost trained. She catches his wrist, spins — he headbutts her hard enough to blur her vision.
He hisses, lips cracked:
Umbra Killer (through his teeth):
"It never dies. The Fog never dies."
Selene rams her knee into his ribs — he drops his blade, but twists out, elbow slamming her jaw.
They hit the wet pavement — rolling, fists cracking bone. Greer screams — Mendoza fires once, the bullet sparks off metal.
Selene pins the killer — feather blade at his eye.
Selene (spits):
"Who runs it? Who's the Fog?!"
His eyes flicker — resolve like snapping glass. He smiles.
His thumb flicks up to his teeth — crunch.
A hiss — his pupils dilate, foam spills down his chin. Dead.
Selene shoves off him, breathing ragged.
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6 — FEATHERS IN THE GUTTER
Greer kneels, hand trembling as she checks the pulse. Gone.
Mendoza holsters her gun — glares at Selene's shadow.
Mendoza (low, venomous):
"One day you won't be there to clean it up, ghost. And I'll put you down for real."
Selene turns — rain washing blood off her gauntlets.
Selene:
"Then chase me harder, detective. Maybe you'll find the Fog first."
She fades into the alley shadows — Greer watches her vanish, a ghost bleeding into darker ghosts.
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7 — THE LAST ECHO
Ward sits on his bed — old case files spread across cheap blankets. His family's photo in his palm. Milo's words rattle in his skull.
Ward (low, broken prayer):
"Rowan, I failed you. Now she's in the Fog too. Let me keep her wings from burning."
Outside, The Fog waits — and the Raven flies into it.
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END OF CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE