Good Thursday.
Early in the morning, before the sun rises, I find a good time to tell Ashlynn what happened last night. Well, partially.
"That's what happened," I say.
She watches me for a moment longer than usual.
"Len, you—we should lay low for now... pretend as if nothing happened."
I nod. "I know."
She doesn't press. That's what I appreciate about her. No panic. No useless questions. Just adjustment.
Thankfully, Ashlynn is very understanding. We spend our morning drinking tea in quiet. Steam curls between us. The world hasn't woken yet. It feels almost normal.
After that, I go through the rest of my day like usual. Work. Paperwork. Faces. Routine.
Nothing unusual.
Except for a few times I catch Miriam staring at me.
Or the fact she's unusually closer to me.
"Len, wanna have lunch together?"
"Len, let's go home together."
Her tone is light. Casual. Everything she says sounds normal.
However, one thing catches my attention.
She paints a mole under her left eye.
The same spot where Ashlynn has a mole.
I don't react. I play along with everything she says and does. I laugh when appropriate. I answer normally. I even accompany her to her home, which is close to the Hearthlight Building—just outside the plaza.
She slows near her door.
Just before I turn away, she grabs my hand and kisses me on the cheek.
Her lips are warm. The way she moves feel rehearsed.
"What was that for?" I ask.
"Nothing..." she giggles, then slips back into her house.
I stand there a second longer than necessary.
Imitation is rarely accidental.
I walk away and find myself a carriage.
"East of Hearthlight Building," I tell the jarvy.
He flicks the reins. The carriage rolls, moving away from where I worked, cutting straight through the major cross section. Wheels grind against stone. Hooves strike in steady rhythm.
After a while, it slows. Then stops.
I step out in front of the alley between the florist shops. The alley leads back to my warehouse. I don't linger here. I spend the time crafting more Umbral Vial—the tentacle one—enough to fill two syringes.
The substance settles thicker this time. Responsive. Obedient.
I pack the syringes into my bag beside my revolver and the Twilight Wraith mask. Then I hire another carriage and tell the jarvy to take me home.
Time passes.
When we reach the street outside Eldenmere, long lines of carriages choke the entrance. Wheels creak. Horses snort. Drivers curse under their breath.
The line crawls. A carriage enters every few minutes. Or leaves.
Too slow.
I step down and pay the jarvy. Walk the rest of the way.
A checkpoint has been set up between the massive vaporgates. Neighborhood guards stand shoulder to shoulder with police officers. More eyes. They're armed with baton.
I spot Arjuna among them.
"Good Thursday," I say as I approach.
"Good Thursday." He smiles and extends his hand. "How are you doing?"
I take it. Firm grip. "What is this?" I gesture toward the line.
"Oh, that?" He clicks his tongue once. "You know how it is. Someone important making my job harder. Nothing new."
"Really?"
He glances around before leaning closer. "I'm not supposed to tell you this but…" His voice lowers. "Xandar thinks the Twilight Wraith lives in this neighborhood."
I lean back slightly. Furrow my brows. Let confusion show. "You believe that?"
"To be honest? No." He shrugs. "But the logic holds. His sons died. His fiancé died last night."
"What?" I let the surprise rise in my voice.
"It's normal to be shocked." He snorts. "Can't he die fast enough?" He chuckles at his own joke.
"Shh," I say quietly. "There might be ears."
"Don't worry." He grins. "I can shut them up."
Of course you can.
"What are you here for?" he asks.
"Hearthlight business."
He frowns. "Hearthlight business? Here? In Custodian sphere of influence?"
I nod.
"How come I'm not aware of it?"
"I can't tell you what. But I need to get in."
He exhales through his nose. Weighing it. Then: "I'll send a letter to Gary. Next time, bring an official one. No matter how secretive your mission is."
I smile. "Right. After all, Hearthlight Order and Custodian Order are the only good Orders in the Republic."
He laughs and taps my shoulder. "You got it right, friend. Eliminate our rivals when we can."
He uses his authority as Captain to escort me through the vaporgates, past the checkpoint, past the suspicion.
Right before he turns to leave, our eyes meet again. In that instant my Abyssal Eye activates. I mark Arjuna.
We will meet again soon.
"Thanks for your help, Arjuna."
He steps back toward the mist beyond the gates. "You would've done the same."
Would I?
He walks through the veil of mist and disappears out of the neighborhood.
I head to my manor.
In the courtyard, I notice footprints pressed into the flowerbeds beside the stone path. Not frantic. Not deep.
Measured.
One step off the path. A pause. Another shift in angle. Whoever it was stood there and scanned the house before stepping back onto the stone.
My heart kicks hard against my ribs.
I rush inside.
"Ash?" I call out.
Silence.
I'm already moving toward the staircase. "Ash?" Louder this time.
"Yes?" Ashlynn answers.
The breath leaves me all at once.
"Where are you?"
"Coming." I hear the soft thud of the attic hatch, then her steps descending. She appears at the end of the corridor.
"Did something happen?" she asks.
She doesn't wait for my answer. She pulls me into the master bedroom and shuts the door. We sit on the edge of the bed.
"When you were gone, guards visited our neighbors," she says. "They forced their way in."
My jaw tightens. "And then?"
"The neighbors yelled while they searched. But…" Her gaze lingers on me. "I was sure it had something to do with Twilight Wraith. With you."
I hold her gaze. Say nothing.
"I moved our alchemical tools and ingredients," she continues. "Spread them out. Shardfangs hidden with the kitchen knives. Notes tucked between recipe books. Containers stored with cleaning supplies."
"What happened after?"
"When it was our turn, I didn't resist. I let them in." She shrugs lightly. "They found nothing. It's not like the guards know anything about alchemy."
Of course they don't. Knowledge is currency. And they're broke.
Relief settles slowly, but the image of those footprints stays with me.
I lean in and kiss her cheek.
She giggles softly. "What was that for?"
"For being smart." I smile at her.
We move downstairs and continue talking in the dining room while we eat. The conversation drifts to smaller things. Ordinary things. The kind that make a house feel untouched.
After dinner, I help her tidy up. We lock the doors. Check the windows.
When we return to bed, I lie beside her and stare at the ceiling a little longer than usual.
Someone stood in my courtyard and measured my house.
They will come again.
But not unprepared.
Eventually, I close my eyes and fall asleep.
—
The Abyss.
My Abyss welcomes me not with noise, but silence.
I settle into my Abyssal Throne, resting in a comfort that does not exist anywhere else. No weight. No breath. No pulse. Only depth.
I concentrate.
My Abyssal Eye pulses.
The water before me trembles. Ripples widen in slow circles. The surface twists inward, then spills upward—shaping itself into a man.
Arjuna crashes onto the dark water and scrambles to his feet. His gaze snaps to me.
"You again?"
"Arjuna." I raise my palm toward him.
He takes a step back slowly as he swallows. Then another.
"Don't be shy."
He turns and runs.
The Abyss answers before I do.
Water surges beneath his feet. I flick a finger once.
It rises instantly, wrapping around his ankles. He crashes onto his back. The surface swallows his scream and drags him toward my throne. Close enough to my feet.
He understands his position immediately.
He forces himself upright and bows, forehead nearly touching the black water. His body trembles.
"Great Monsieur Abyss… what is your command?"
"You will not write, notify, or report any out-of-line activities within your jurisdiction."
"I will not. I will not." His voice fractures.
"You will forget this conversation. You will forget what you did today."
For a moment, fear flickers in his eyes.
Then it dissolves. His face smooths. His expression now is calm and empty.
"Understood," he says.
Good.
The water rises again, gently this time. It pulls him downward. Swallows him whole.
The surface stills.
The Abyss solves my immediate problem.
—