Within a grand hotel known for its modern interiors and lively atmosphere, sitting on a velvet couch, Hanna was looking toward the entrance of the floor. The party floor buzzed with soft music, glowing under warm, ambient lighting. A sleek bar stretched along one side, where bartenders prepared vibrant drinks with flair. At the center, a polished wooden dancing stage stood ready, framed by delicate spotlights. Balloons and birthday decorations adorned the tables, completing the festive scene. The setup promised a perfect evening of music, dance, and celebration.
Hanna's face held a small frown, dissatisfied. Twenty minutes had passed since Anna was supposed to arrive, but there was still no sign of her. With a sigh, Hanna stood up from the couch and went to the bar.
"Hanna!" Being called out, Hanna turned her head toward the sound and saw a woman with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a mature build—Lilya—walking toward her.
"Lilya!" Hanna called out while moving forward for a hug.
"Why the long face?" Lilya questioned as she hugged Hanna.
"Umm... It's nothing."
"You know you can tell me anything, right?"
Hearing Lilya, Hanna couldn't help but shake her head inwardly. Lilya had invited all of her friends and acquaintances to her engagement party, and everyone had attended...
Well, everyone except Anna. Knowing the past between them, Hanna could only curse her luck.
"Well... I was waiting for Anna," Hanna replied with a small pause.
"Hmm? Anna? Oh, you mean Anieal Starborne," Lilya said while nodding. "Well, it's not that surprising that she isn't here, is it? Haha!"
Hanna could only smile wryly at her sharp remark.
"I mean, it won't be the first time she didn't come to an event she had promised—" Lilya abruptly stopped when she saw a small smile creep up on the lips of Hanna.
"Anna...!! Here!!" Hanna said with an excited look. Lilya followed her gaze, and soon her eyes fell on Anna. She wore a red and black checkered long skirt, a red T-shirt that fit her perfectly, black boots with red soles, a black jacket with red and white stripes; her ears were adorned with golden square earrings.
"She came, huh?" Lilya said with a dejected look on her face.
At one of the corners, two friends collapsed on a velvet couch, seemingly tired after having danced for the past fifteen minutes.
"Oi, where is Neo?" asked one of them.
"Ugh... I don't know. I don't think he came," replied another.
"Nothing new about that... haha!"
"True... haha!"
Both of them started chuckling to themselves.
***
Meanwhile, a hooded figure could be seen entering a two-story, unremarkable house. The hooded figure swiftly moved through the shadows, seemingly looking for something or someone.
Soon, his eyes landed on a sleeping figure. The hooded figure moved forward and checked her breathing. After making sure that the person was truly asleep, he started looking through all of the containers placed around the room. After being unable to find anything, the hooded figure started searching throughout the room for any suspicious compartments or secluded spots.
Having found nothing out of the ordinary, the hooded figure walked toward the window. He placed his hand on the window, seemingly getting ready to exit through it. Just as he was about to jump out, his eyes landed on a carving of a clawed five-pointed star at the corner of the window.
'Claw of night?! Interesting...' The hooded figure's eyes gleamed with excitement. 'Young master's guess was correct,' thought the hooded figure as he jumped out of the window.
***
The Starborne Emporium—
"We should stop working with the Turners due to the current rumors regarding them."
"What rumors?"
"There are rumors of them actively using unorthodox means for their—"
*beep* *beep*
Soon, a beeping sound could be heard within the meeting room.
"It's important. We shall start the meeting from here next time. Good night," Damien said.
"Good night, Emporium head," the other members said as they slowly made their way out of the meeting room.
Soon, Damien was alone in the room. He dialed a number on his smartphone, which was answered instantly.
"Young master."
"How did it go?"
"You guessed correctly, young master."
"What did you find?"
"I didn't find anything concrete, but I did see a Claw of Night near the window of Amaya's room."
"It's a midnighter then... huh... any clue about who it can be?"
"None."
"Keep an eye on her and try to find clues about that midnighter."
"As you command."
Damien's lips left a sigh after placing his smartphone on the table and walked towards the windows.
"I was right... huh... I hoped to be proven wrong," said Damien while looking toward the bustling Necron city through the window.
"As they say, one should always be more cautious of what's within the dark."
Footnotes:
Claw of Night - A Runic carving that allows a midnighter to transmit or record their voice from a radius of 100 meters for a specific amount of time. Recorded voice doesn't play out loud; instead, a person has to touch it to hear it ( The voice plays in their head )