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Chapter 2: A Ghost with Golden Eyes

The alley stank of blood, oil, and broken promises.

The three boys knelt in the dirt, hands bound.

A dull rain still dripped from the rooftops above.

The man with the grey scarf crouched in front of them, expression unreadable.

> “You didn’t plan it,” he said. “You don’t have the brains.”

The oldest boy, bleeding from his temple, spat near his boots.

> “We ain’t saying nothin’.”

The man just nodded once.

> “Good. Then I’ll speak.”

He pulled a photograph from his coat — a grainy still from a museum security camera.

It showed the back of a figure on a rooftop.

Small frame.

Loose cloak.

Long black hair.

And one strange detail:

Eyes glowing faint gold under the motion sensors.

> “Who is she?”

None of them answered — but one of them flinched.

The man folded the photo away.

> “She’s the one who mapped the guards’ rotations.

She timed the alarm reset.

She even picked the exit — the one I blocked.”

He stood.

> “She’s not just a thief. She’s watching. Calculating.”

He started walking away.

Then stopped.

> “You three are dismissed. You'll be released by morning.”

They blinked.

> “W-what?”

> “You were never the target.”

---

Later That Night – His Office

The man stood in front of a map pinned with black thread and red chalk.

Dozens of thefts over two years — all thought unrelated.

Until now.

> “Same style. Same pattern,” he muttered.

And all of them?

All those jobs?

Too perfect for amateurs.

Too quiet to leave fingerprints.

> “But she’s only a child.”

He lit a cigarette, not to smoke — just to think.

> Who taught you?

Who hurt you?

---

He picked up a tape recorder and clicked it on.

> “Subject Codename: Rook.

Estimated Age: Eight to Nine.

Alias on the street: Bastard, Rat, Ghost-Girl.”

> “No name.

No known family.

A scar over the lower abdomen. Possibly surgical.

Golden eyes. Hates sweets. Doesn’t speak unless forced.

A born tactician.”

He leaned back in the chair.

> “I’ve seen monsters. I’ve seen broken men.

But I’ve never seen a child hide this well… from a world that wanted her dead.”

He looked out the window at the sprawling, sleeping city.

> “Rook.

You’re already being hunted.

But I’m not here to destroy you.”

He paused.

> “I’m here to recruit you.”

---

End of Chapter 2