Kato lingered near Nero and Thom as they spoke. Vinn had already gone into the Strider to file his report to HQ.
Kato's eyes kept drifting across the town, studying it with a strange familiarity. Nero noticed but said nothing. Then, without warning, Kato muttered:
"Holy shit!"
Nero and Thom turned. "What now?" Nero asked flatly.
Kato stepped forward, gaze fixed on the worn buildings. "I know this place."
Nero raised a brow. "Yeah? So what? It's just an old, run-down town."
Kato shook his head. "No. This place has history."
"Then get to the point, Kato." Nero said, impatience slipping into his voice.
But Kato's eyes narrowed instead. "Why do you always say my name? I don't hear you calling Vinn or Rhea by theirs."
"What else am I supposed to call you?" Nero replied, almost amused. "I heard the soldier woman use it, so I started too. Unless you want me to call you something else?"
Kato sighed, waving it off. "Fine. Keep it."
He drew a long breath. "My father was a cop before I was born. Sheriff, really. This was his sector."
Thom frowned. "So?"
Kato cut him a look. "Let me finish."
He pressed on. "My old man didn't talk about work much. After he died from illness, I was cleaning his study. Dropped a file by accident. Inside… I found something horrifying."
Kato's tone grew heavier. "There was a report. A massacre. An entire town butchered. Bodies torn apart — blood, guts, flesh everywhere. They called it an animal attack, but no evidence ever backed that up."
Nero's expression hardened. "Go on."
Kato swallowed. "There was one survivor. A ten-year-old girl. My father questioned her. She said it was a monster — six eyes, scaly body, tail like a whip. She swore it killed everyone. Her mother hid her in a room. When she finally came out, she found her mother's corpse… clutching a decorative spear. They didn't believe her. How could they? It sounded absurd."
"That's…" Nero murmured, voice low, "truly horrifying."
"Yeah," Kato said, jaw tight. "She lost everything. Everyone she loved."
He glanced at Thom. "And you people chose to live here, of all places? You didn't know about this?"
Thom shook his head quickly. "No. We had no idea."
Kato's gaze shifted to the frozen beast still suspended in its icy grave. "She was right all along. Poor girl. She even had a beautiful name."
"What was her name? If we can find her, we should tell her the monster that ruined her life is dead." Nero asked, tone still steady.
Kato's voice softened. "Sophia. Sophia Hawthorne."
The name hit Nero like a blade. His expression darkened instantly. Kato caught it. "What? Why do you look like that?"
Rage bled into Nero's eyes. His fists trembled. He turned sharply and began striding toward the frozen monster, its body still held aloft by the ice.
"Where are you going?" Kato demanded, following.
Nero's gaze pierced through him. His voice was low, dangerous. "Stay back. If you come closer—if you try to stop me—I can't guarantee I won't kill you."
Kato froze. The weight of Nero's fury was suffocating.
Nero reached the frozen carcass. Without hesitation, he slammed his fist into one of the ice spikes. It shattered instantly, shards glittering in the air. Another blow — another shatter. Each strike echoed like thunder, scattering chunks of ice across the ground.
The final spike broke, and the beast crashed to the earth with a dull thud. Nero dropped to his knees, staring at it for a heartbeat. Then a guttural scream tore out of him — rage and grief blended into one raw sound.
He began pounding the frozen monster. Blow after blow, the earth shook beneath his fists. The air cracked with each strike, until the ground itself began to cave in. Ice and dirt flew in all directions.
People poured out of their homes, drawn by the roar of destruction.
Vinn rushed from the Strider. "What the hell happened? What is he doing?"
Kato's face was pale. "I don't know. He told me not to get close, or he'd kill me."
Vinn tried to move forward, but Kato caught his arm. "Don't. Let him be. He's… hurting."
"Hurt?" Vinn snapped. "No shit. Look at him! He's punching that thing so hard the ground's collapsing. He should be hurting."
"That's not what I meant," Kato muttered. His eyes stayed fixed on Nero. "He looks… sad."
The crowd could only watch as Nero pounded the monster into dust. Finally, he let out one last scream — a sound so raw it seemed like his very soul was being torn apart.
And then, silence.
Where the monster had been, there was nothing but a crater.
Nero turned, face pale, eyes still burning faintly with silver fire. He walked past Kato and Vinn, his voice low and controlled:
"I'm going inside Dorne's house. I need to cool down. Don't bother me for a while."
Nero started walking toward Dorne's house, the crowd's eyes following him—half in awe, half in confusion.
Vinn let out a sigh and turned to Kato.
"Give the report. I'm going with him."
Kato raised a brow. "You haven't contacted HQ? What were you even doing in there?"
"I tried," Vinn said, his voice edged with frustration. "Transmission wouldn't go through. I was about to call the backup team when I heard Angelo screaming outside."
"Just contact them now and send the report to the Colonel," Vinn added before heading after Nero, muttering under his breath, irritation bleeding into his tone.
Kato exhaled sharply. "That dumbass couldn't even submit a report. I knew it."
His gaze fell on Thom, still standing stiffly nearby.
"What are you still doing here? Go back to your house. Your kid is looking for you."
Thom gave a stiff nod before walking off. One by one, the rest of the townsfolk scattered back into their homes.
Kato climbed into Strider and opened comms. The line clicked, and Colonel Veltin herself answered.
"This is Colonel Veltin, Iron Veil. Private Drex, what's the situation?"
Kato straightened instinctively. "We managed to save the injured man from the town. Specialist Tannis is with him, along with a local doctor. Angelo is currently under Corporal Seras's watch. Corporal Seras tried to reach HQ, but transmissions aren't getting through."
"Understood," Veltin replied. "I'll relay the report to HQ myself and check why the channel's down."
The call cut abruptly.
Kato climbed out of Strider, letting his eyes drift across the battered town. His gaze caught on the ragged hole in the ground—where Nero had fired a bullet. He crouched, tracing the scorched edges with his fingers.
Digging around the impact point, he unearthed the round. His brows knit. The bullet was heavier than it had any right to be, unmarred by dents or chips. Worse, it wasn't lead. Its surface gleamed with something unfamiliar, and the sharp sting of chemicals clung to it.
He sealed it in a plastic bag, then tucked it away inside a reinforced box in Strider.
After that, his eyes swept toward another detail—the spot where the monster's right arm should have been. He scanned the area, frowning.
No blood trail.
No fragments.
No sign of where it had gone.
Just…
missing.