Inside the polished glass tower of Aegis Corporation, the air was thick with the hum of computers and the quiet tension of analysts tapping at keyboards. On one of the upper floors, Sophia burst through a sliding door, her sharp heels clicking against the marble floor. Her short auburn hair was tucked behind her ears, eyes blazing with urgency.
"Liam!" she shouted. "Let's go. Reports just came in. Two supernaturals are about to clash near the old mansion on the outskirts."
A tall man with a short beard, dressed casually in a gray shirt and slacks, looked up from his desk. Liam's gaze sharpened instantly. "An actual confrontation? At night?"
Sophia nodded briskly. "Yes. If we move fast, we can secure the aftermath, best if we capture both of the supernaturals. We're not letting the other corporations get ahead of us."
Liam smirked faintly. "Alright then. Let's go."
The two made their way quickly to the elevator and down into the underground garage. Sophia slid into the driver's seat of a sleek black car while Liam strapped himself in on the passenger side. The car's engine roared to life and they shot out into the night streets.
As they weaved through traffic, Liam leaned an elbow on the door and asked, "Do you really think we'll find anything intact? Fights between supernaturals don't exactly leave behind much and will probably flee the moment those supernatural saw a third party."
Sophia's knuckles tightened on the wheel. "Doesn't matter. If we don't show up, we lose territory. Aegis needs to be visible."
The car sped through the neon-lit avenues and then cut into the darker outskirts where the city's wealth thinned into crumbling walls and cracked pavement. Ahead, the looming silhouette of the abandoned mansion came into view.
When they pulled up, the headlights illuminated rows of black cars already parked along the dirt road. Men and women in suits, all wearing pins of other corporations, milled about the gates. Their expressions were hard, their movements precise, and several carried scanning devices and containment crates.
Sophia slammed her hand on the wheel. "Fuck."
Liam's smirk turned into a grin. "Looks like we're late to the party."
They stepped out of the car, their polished shoes crunching on gravel. The crowd turned to glance at them, a mix of suspicion and veiled hostility, before resuming their tasks. The gate to the mansion hung broken, stone walls bearing fresh cracks. Black slime stains and scattered rubble hinted at something savage.
Liam crouched by a scorched patch of cobblestone, touching the brittle surface. "Clearly a fight," he muttered. "But we're only seeing aftermath."
Sophia paced slowly, scanning the courtyard. "No corpses, no resonance. Whoever fought here is either long gone or cleaned up perfectly."
Her teeth ground together. "Damn it."
Then a sudden gust of wind swept across the courtyard. Both Sophia and Liam looked up.
A man descended from the night sky, feathered wings stretched wide. His landing was graceful, effortless. Once his feet touched the ground, the wings folded inward and vanished as though absorbed into his body. His suit was pristine, and his sharp eyes scanned the scene with cold authority.
"Helios Corp," Sophia muttered bitterly under her breath.
The winged man raised a hand and his subordinates moved with mechanical precision, spreading out across the grounds. "Secure the perimeter. Sweep the mansion. Nothing leaves without my authorization."
Liam glanced sideways at Sophia. "He looks like he owns the place."
Sophia crossed her arms tightly. "We are too late. Let's go back."
"Are you depressed that we gain nothing tonight?" Liam asked, standing to his full height.
"Absolutely not." Her voice was flat, clipped, like she refused to admit any weakness. She turned sharply. "Let's move."
They returned to the car, ignoring the other corporations' representatives watching them with smug eyes. Soon the black vehicle pulled out of the dirt road and back onto the cracked city streets. Sophia's hands gripped the wheel so tightly her knuckles whitened. Liam leaned back, one leg crossed casually.
"Don't sulk," Liam teased. "It's not like we were guaranteed anything."
"I'm not sulking," Sophia shot back. "I just don't like losing ground."
For fifteen minutes they drove in silence, cutting through a quieter district of the city. The night was heavy with neon glows and the occasional hum of street lamps.
Then Liam frowned. He leaned forward, pointing. "Sophia. There."
A lone woman staggered down the street ahead of them. Her clothes were in tatters, little more than rags. She moved like someone who had just crawled out of a battlefield, her posture too stiff, her steps oddly mechanical. Her long hair hid most of her face, and her bare arms looked pale under the streetlight.
Sophia slowed the car, her eyes narrowing. "She looks like she's been through hell."
She pulled the car to the side and rolled down her window. "Hey! Are you alright?"
The woman stopped. Slowly, her head turned toward them. The face that emerged from behind the curtain of hair was unsettlingly perfect. Porcelain skin, symmetrical features, and yet… something inhuman about the expression. The woman's eyes flicked to Sophia, then Liam, then away again. She simply gave a small nod before continuing to walk.
Sophia blinked. "What the…? She didn't say a word."
Nash, within Hina's body, swallowed nervously as he walked past. His mind raced. Her voice is too creepy. If I open my mouth, they'll know instantly something's wrong. Even if I said that I could be a transcender, just by using their device they will instantly know. I just know that me and Hina should be considered supernatural... Just keep walking. Don't look back.
Inside the car, Liam frowned. "Sophia. Look at her. Her movements. Doesn't she seem… unnatural to you?"
Sophia's brow furrowed. The way the woman's arms swung, the stiffness in her gait, the faint hesitation before each step. It didn't look like exhaustion. It looked… wrong. "You're right," Sophia muttered. "Something about her is off."
Nash felt their gaze burning into his back as he walked away. He tried to appear casual, but every second was agony. Don't notice me. Please just leave me alone.
But Sophia's instincts snapped into place. Her hands tightened on the wheel. She accelerated, pulling the car up beside the woman again. She leaned out the window. "Hey! Stop!"
Nash froze. His heart thudded painfully. Slowly, he turned his puppet's head toward her.
Sophia's eyes narrowed. "Let me see your arms."
For a split second Nash's thoughts went blank. His arms. If she sees them, the puppet joints will be obvious. She'll know instantly I'm not human. He stared at her, searching for a way out.
The silence stretched on. Sophia and Liam both felt the weight of it pressing down on them. The longer the woman stared, the more unsettled they became. Her eyes weren't just staring. They were boring into their souls.
Sophia's hand slid subtly toward the holster at her side. Her voice dropped. "You're the one from the stream, aren't you?"
Nash's lips curled into a smile. A laugh bubbled up, but it came out wrong. The sound echoed like dozens of voices overlapping in a chamber, a horrifying chorus that didn't belong to a human throat.
Liam stiffened, his eyes widening. Sophia's breath caught in her chest, her stomach twisting. The laugh scraped against their ears, cold and alien. Every instinct screamed danger.
Sophia yanked her gun from its holster, leveling it at the woman. "Don't move!"
But Nash, trapped in panic, spun Hina's body and sprinted away at impossible speed. The inhuman grace of the puppet carried him straight into a nearby alley.
"Shit!" Sophia slammed her hand on the car horn. "After her!"
Liam flung the door open, already reaching for the wristband on his arm. The artifact pulsed faintly with light. He pressed it against his skin and snarled, "Merge."
The air shimmered. The band flared as runes crawled across his arm. His body convulsed, bones shifting, muscles tightening. His jaw elongated slightly, serrated fangs glinting under the streetlight. His nails grew into hooked claws. Amber-red light burned in his eyes, predatory and hungry. Along his back, faint bony ridges rose, and for a moment ghostly outlines of wolves flickered around him.
His breath came heavier, more primal. He was no longer just Liam. He was the Gnash Wolf.
With a savage grin, he dropped to all fours and launched himself forward, sprinting into the alley after Nash. His claws dug into the pavement with every step, leaving faint trails. His eyes glowed, locked onto the fleeing figure.
"Run all you want," Liam growled. "I'll hunt you down."
Behind them, Sophia gripped the steering wheel with cold sweat dripping down her back. "Whatever she is… she's no ordinary supernatural."