The window at the end of the hall opened without resistance.
He slipped through it and climbed the cracked stone wall hand over hand until he pulled himself onto the rooftop.
The city spread out from there.
Helicopter cut paths across the skyline. Military units moved in coordinated grids between districts, their patterns tightening like a net slowly being drawn closed.
Francis crouched and watched.
Three days of doing nothing but training had done more damage to his patience than any fight.
He came back ready to hunt, and the city had answered with checkpoints, curfews, and paranoid military presence.
The Defense Force was busy while Dark Chain stayed silent. Even the beasts stopped showing themselves.
'If there's no beast, then I'll make one.'
A smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
His skin began to change.
It started at the hands. Grey spread beneath the skin like ink soaking through wet paper.
