The skyline of the city sprawled beneath him, silver towers glowing faintly in the moonlight, the streets veined with flickering lights like a still-beating heart. Reiden Vale stood tall, not in front of the live broadcast, but turned deliberately away from it, as if the carnage unfolding on-screen was already old news.
His eyes were fixed beyond the glass, a king gazing out over his kingdom, wine glass balanced effortlessly in his fingers.
"Hahahahahahahaha…"
The laughter started low, almost inaudible, but slowly built until it filled the entire office, bouncing off the marble walls like a hymn of corruption.
"Marvellous, Velza. Truly… Magnificent. Not only did you retrieve the Siren, but that boy, Kentaro Takamiya…"
He let the name linger, rolling it on his tongue like a bitter treat.
"Dead. And by your hand no less. Though his powers would have been useful but not essential, his death just means one less thing to worry about."
