Rain hammered the rooftops in heavy sheets, drowning the city in a dull roar.
Titanborn's fists tightened, muscles trembling with barely restrained fury.
Mindwright stood frozen, eyes flicking across invisible pathways.
Blinkstep slid off the damaged sign, eyes wide with curiosity.
Arc Modeus said nothing.
His puppet dangled at his side, dripping, trembling… afraid.
The silhouette on the roof was gone.
Elias had vanished as if the storm itself had swallowed him.
Titanborn snarled first.
"Who the hell was that kid?"
Mindwright swallowed hard, eyes narrowing.
"He moved before Blinkstep could track him," he muttered.
"Before I could calculate him."
Blinkstep landed lightly beside Arc.
"He didn't give off any Art signature. Nothing. Zero."
He whistled. "That's a big red flag."
Arc didn't respond.
He stared at the rooftop where Elias had been, puppet trembling.
Mindwright crouched, running a hand through the rain-drenched dust.
"He left one footprint," he whispered.
"Just one."
Titanborn scoffed. "So? Humans walk."
Mindwright's voice dropped.
"That's exactly why it's terrifying."
He lifted a small chunk of concrete from the crater.
It was cleaved cleanly—like a blade had sliced it in a single motion.
"No ability residue," Mindwright said.
"No elemental distortion. No cursed signature.
Just… force."
Blinkstep exhaled. "…A human did this? Seriously?"
Arc finally spoke.
"He's not normal."
Blinkstep raised a brow. "You know him?"
Arc's puppet twitched violently, strings tightening against his hand.
It hissed:
"He hunts."
Mindwright's jaw tightened.
Titanborn cracked his knuckles.
"If he's hunting, he'll come after one of us next."
Blinkstep grinned. "Better him than another Beastborn."
Arc shook his head slowly.
"You don't understand," he whispered.
"He looks at Art users… like prey."
The rain fell heavier.
Mindwright's face darkened.
"We need to leave. Now. The responders will arrive any minute."
Arc turned away from the crater.
But before he could take three steps—
A faint clink echoed.
A metal object rolled out from behind a collapsed wall and stopped at Arc's feet.
A knife.
The same one Elias had been holding.
Titanborn's eyes widened.
Mindwright froze mid-step.
Blinkstep's grin vanished.
Arc crouched, heart pounding.
The knife was old but sharpened with obsessive precision.
Clean.
Almost surgical.
One thing stood out:
Blood on the tip hadn't washed away in the rain.
Blinkstep swallowed. "That… that's not normal blood."
Mindwright knelt beside Arc.
"No. It's Art-infused. Someone strong."
Arc felt his puppet tug sharply.
"He left this for you," it whispered.
Arc looked up at the rooftops again.
Nothing but rain.
No silhouette.
No movement.
No breathing.
No presence.
But Arc felt it.
Elias had been watching the entire time.
And he had chosen to leave this knife behind.
Not as a threat.
Not as a challenge.
As a message.
A promise.
Without warning, a siren wailed across the district.
A mechanical voice echoed:
"CENTRAL FORCES INBOUND. ALL CIVILIANS EVACUATE.
UNKNOWN HOSTILE HUMAN CONFIRMED."
Mindwright's eyes sharpened. "They detected him."
Titanborn cursed. "Great. Now we're dealing with the military."
Blinkstep laughed nervously. "Hey, at least they're not after us—"
A second announcement cut him off.
"Suspects in vicinity:
— Titanborn
— Blinkstep
— Mindwright
— Unidentified Marionettics user"
Arc's eyes narrowed.
Titanborn yelled, "They think WE caused the crater?!"
Mindwright adjusted his glasses, voice steadying.
"It's logical. They can't detect Elias. They sense only us."
Blinkstep grabbed Arc's shoulder.
"We run. NOW."
Arc didn't move.
He stared at the knife in his hand, puppet trembling with anticipation.
"He wanted us to find this."
Mindwright frowned. "Why?"
Arc answered softly, voice almost shaking:
"Because he's not done."