A quiet night.

A lone car passed an alleyway, headlights cutting through the dark before fading again. Silence returned.

Until—splash.

A man stumbled into a puddle, chest heaving, gasping for air. His footsteps slapped against the wet pavement as he made a sharp right turn, panic driving him forward.

What the fuck was that…? His mind raced. They said he was just a kid… but he tore through Mike like it was nothing.

Ronjn’s unconscious body bounced over his shoulder, a rough sack pulled over his head. The man adjusted his grip, teeth clenched. And we barely got this one…

That’s when he felt it.

An aura. A scent. Something monstrous.

“Shit… shit… shit…” he muttered, forcing his legs faster.

The footsteps came behind him. Rapid. Relentless. Closing in.

He burst through the back door of an old apartment, shoulder slamming into the wood. Adrenaline spiked as he stumbled inside, eyes scanning for anything to throw back.

Then he froze.

Yellow eyes glowed at the doorway. Bright. Unblinking.

Ja.

No emotion. No words. Just a predator locked on its prey.

This fucking kid… the man thought, panic swelling as he bolted for the stairs. I still have time—

He pulled a phone from his pocket, dialing fast. Someone picked up almost instantly.

“Yes?”

“TAKE THE SHOT!” he screamed, feet pounding up the stairwell.

A low chuckle answered.
“You’re doing just fine. Just keep going.”

Miles away, on a rooftop under the night sky, Arkham lowered the phone. He took a slow drag from his cigar, smoke curling into the air as his right eye flickered—then burned a deep, glowing red.

“This kid… he’s something else,” Arkham muttered with a smirk.

Back in the stairwell, the man’s panic grew. He shoved the phone away, running harder, faster. But when he glanced back—

Those yellow eyes were still there. Steady. Closing in.

He crashed through another door and into a long hallway. His boots thundered, his lungs clawed for air. But Ja was right behind him, reaching, fingers just inches away—

Whoosh!

A sharp gust ripped through the corridor. At the far end stood a woman, silver hair catching the light, white eyes fixed on Ja.

She blew once, and the wind struck like a hammer. Ja’s body slammed against the wall, hurled to the far end of the hallway.

The man staggered, eyes wide. Relief crashed through him.

“Diag! Thank you so much!” he shouted, nearly laughing.

But the silver-haired woman only looked at him with disgust.
“Shut up. Get out of here, you pathetic man.”

His smile broke. He stumbled forward, clutching Ronjn tighter, and ran deeper into the building.

Ja pushed himself up from the cracked floor, blood dripping from his lip. His eyes burned yellow as he locked onto the figures at the end of the hall.

Three silhouettes stepped from the shadows beside Diag, their presence heavy and suffocating.

The corridor fell silent.

Ja stood at one end, fists clenched, chest heaving.
Diag and her shadows stood at the other.

The hunt wasn’t over.