Rain still fell in silvery sheets, casting long reflections on the neon-lit streets. The city breathed uneasily, rumors of the Ribbon Reaper spreading like wildfire.
Arata Kurogane stared at his board of crime reports, timelines, and notes. Every case connected in a way that made his gut tighten.
"Someone's feeding him information… someone I know," he muttered, rubbing his temple.
Officer Raghav cleared his throat. "Sir… maybe we should set traps? Lure the Reaper out?"
Arata's eyes narrowed. "Yes… but carefully. One wrong move and it could be catastrophic. I need to know who he is, and I need to catch him before he strikes again."
On a darkened rooftop nearby, a young woman crouched, notebook and medical kit in hand.
Sera Hoshino, underground doctor and secret observer of the Ribbon Reaper, had been tracking the vigilante for weeks. She had seen the golden-haired young man, laughing and charming, transform into a deadly predator with ribbons marking his victims.
"He's… not just a criminal," she whispered to herself, eyes scanning the streets below. "He's… someone broken, fighting something inside himself."
Her hand tightened around her kit. She had helped victims before, hidden them, patched wounds that official hospitals wouldn't touch. But now, the person she was watching was both the savior and the terror.
She saw Lucian shift mid-step—his playful charm dissolving as Kane surged to control. Sera's heart raced, knowing that if anyone got in his way now, they wouldn't survive.
Lucian's mind screamed from inside, his golden-haired charm flickering. "Not here… don't let him take over…"
But Kane's presence was overwhelming. Every motion precise, every strike calculated, every criminal punished without mercy. The crimson ribbons glimmered in the rain-soaked streets.
Lucian's voice cracked inside him: "This isn't what I wanted… not like this…"
Kane replied in thought, cold and unyielding: "Weakness costs lives. Stop thinking. Execute justice."
Back at the precinct, Arata's mind worked overtime. He plotted schedules, monitored patrols, and cross-referenced every crime scene. Something clicked—every Ribbon Reaper attack aligned with gaps only someone inside could know.
"Raghav… I think he's closer than I imagined. Someone I know… someone I work with," Arata muttered, feeling the gravity of the thought.
Raghav swallowed. "Closer… you mean, like… one of us?"
Arata nodded grimly. "Exactly. And if I don't catch him soon, it'll get worse."
Sera watched Kane retreat into the shadows after his latest execution. She wanted to approach him, to warn him, to ask the impossible: Why does he do this? Who are you really?
But she knew the moment she stepped into his world, the danger would be immediate.
Lucian's laughter returned, faint and shaky, as Kane withdrew. A flicker of his old self resurfaced.
"Safe… for now," Lucian whispered. But deep down, he knew the balance wouldn't last.
Above, Arata continued tracing patterns, unaware of the truth: the man he was hunting, the Ribbon Reaper, shared a soul with three faces… and one of them was already slipping through his fingers.