— Ambush in the Alley —
Midnight draped the city in shadow. The streets were empty, silent—except for the uneven footsteps of a drunkard staggering down the alley, bottle in hand.
He took a final swig, hurled the bottle aside. Clink! Glass scattered. He belched, swayed toward a dark corner.
Then—
A figure surfaced from the mist behind him, silent as smoke, white fangs gleaming.
It lunged.
"Been waiting for you."
Golden light flared in the drunkard's eyes. A blade, traced with ancient sigils, appeared in his hand. He drove it backward, straight into the creature's chest.
"ROAR—!"
The thing shrieked, black mist bursting from the wound. Its claw slashed with a foul gust—but the "drunkard" twisted aside, fluid and fast.
Two more shadows dropped from the rooftops. Steel flashed. Three hunters closed in, forming a deadly triangle around their prey.
The wounded creature hissed, leaking mist like a torn shroud.
And the disguise fell away—this was no drunkard, but Ethan, GVA's field leader, eyes hard and cold.
Over the past month, desiccated corpses had begun appearing across Novalis Sector. Acting on intel Aveline had extracted from the captured drug lord Harry, they had set this trap—for the "Shadow in the Mist."
"Hmph! So the Vigil-Wyrm hunts in the dark now?"
The creature's voice grated like metal. Its crimson eyes darted wildly through the haze, searching for escape.
"Finish it!" a young agent snapped, sword flashing.
But the shadow vanished—reappearing right before Aveline.
A razor claw cut through the air toward her face.
"Look out!" Ethan's shout came too late.
Aveline reacted on instinct. Frost surged over her arm, encasing it in ice as she met the claw head-on.
She knew: if she dodged, the formation would break.
Crack!
The ice shattered. Pain exploded up her arm.
Before the claw could tear deeper—
Two blades struck from both flanks.
"SCREECH—!"
The shadow reeled back, shredded mist spraying into the night. It didn't counterattack—only melted into the darkness and was gone.
— The Corrosion Within —
"Aveline, are you okay?" Ethan, forgoing pursuit, rushed to check on his teammate.
Fortunately, thanks to the timely rescue, only four shallow marks remained on Aveline's arm, but an eerie black mist steadily seeped from the wounds.
He quickly gathered frost energy, sealing the wound in a sheath of ice to slow the spread.
"Leader, I'm fine. It's a pity it got away, all because of me..." Aveline's pretty face was pale, etched with guilt. If she hadn't been so outmatched, the creature wouldn't have escaped so easily.
"Don't blame yourself. No one anticipated it being this powerful." Ethan gazed into the distant night, weighing whether to request additional squad support.
"Ah—!" Aveline suddenly screamed, clutching her wound as her body convulsed violently.
Black bBlack blood gushed between her fingers as the skin around the wounds darkened to a sickly blue-black... lood gushed from between her fingers. The skin around the wounds rapidly turned a sinister blue-black, spreading outwards at a visible pace, as if something alive was corroding her arm!
"Damn it!" Ethan's heart sank. The monster's mist was like a maggot burrowing into bone, possessing a terrifying corrosive property!
"Aveline, try to use your energy to force the mist out!"
"I can't... My whole arm is numb, I can't focus my energy!"
"Hold on! I'm contacting Director Arden right now to get you to the hospital!"
— Cleansing the Soul —
Just then, Eren's phone rang. The caller was Director Arden himself.
Calling this late? Had new clues been found?
He answered, and Arden's voice, thick with urgency and gravity, came through: "Eren! I need your help—urgent! You might be the only one who can fix this!"
Eren was momentarily taken aback but quickly responded, "Director Arden, there's no need for formalities. Please, speak freely. If it's within my power, I won't hesitate."
"The situation is complex, hard to explain over the phone, and there's no time to lose! Please come to Novalis General Hospital immediately! You need to see this for yourself!"
"Understood, I'm on my way." Eren realized the severity.
"No need! Time's critical—I've already dispatched a helicopter for you!"
"A helicopter?" Eren was stunned. Deploying a helicopter meant this was no ordinary matter!
Thump-thump-thump-thump—!
Right on cue, the distinct thrum of helicopter rotors echoed from the night sky. Eren looked up, his gaze sharp as a honed blade.
"Director Arden, the helicopter's here. We'll talk in person."
In the hospital's intensive care unit, Ethan looked at Aveline on the bed, his face a mask of guilt.
"It's all my fault for being so careless. You just returned to the team, and now this..."
Aveline's skin was now a grotesque, uniform black, only her eyeballs remaining a stark, bloodshot red—a terrifying sight. She trembled slightly, her teeth chattering, clearly enduring immense agony.
"Squad... Leader, don't blame yourself... We're not omniscient... This wasn't your fault." The sinister black energy had invaded her entire body. Her life hung by a thread. An overwhelming drowsiness assaulted her, her eyelids feeling as heavy as mountains.
"Aveline! You must hold on! Eren is on his way. He will save you!" Arden boomed, his voice firm. He knew if Aveline succumbed to sleep now, she might never wake again. She was a member of the Vigil-Wyrm, each one an elite among ten thousand!
"Director Arden... There's no need to comfort me." Aveline managed a weak, strained smile, full of despair. She knew this was a fatal invasion of 'Spectral Malice.' Even if Eren came, she feared it was beyond help.
"Aveline, stay with us! As long as there's a sliver of hope, we won't give up!" Ethan knew full well that Aveline could have dodged. She had chosen to stand her ground to prevent the monster's escape, leading to this desperate situation.
Right then, Eren arrived. Hope instantly lit up the faces in the room.
"You're finally here! Please, look at Aveline. She's on the brink... You're our only hope!" Ethan hurried to meet him, bypassing any pleasantries. They were all acquainted, and the situation demanded directness.
Eren frowned. This Spectral Malice was incredibly potent, capable of corroding the human body so fiercely. It bore some resemblance to the 'Demonic Energy' described in his inherited memories.
Enduring such corrosion was excruciating. That Aveline had held on this long was a testament to her astonishing willpower.
He didn't hesitate. The Obsidian Sigil in his mind began to rotate steadily, rapidly drawing the Spectral Malice from Aveline's body.
As the energy passed through the Sigil, the lethal mist was refined into pure, fundamental essence, which Eren's dantian quietly absorbed.
Aveline's eyes flew open wide, dull pupils suddenly blazing with astonished delight.
She could feel it clearly—the black energy devouring her life was rapidly dissipating!
She hadn't held much hope initially, just a last, desperate attempt. She never imagined that Eren truly possessed the power to snatch her back from death's door!
Soon, the Spectral Malice within Aveline was completely drained. The inky blackness receded from her skin at a visible pace, returning to normal.
Though her complexion was still pale, anyone could see she was out of danger.
"Eren, thank you so much... You not only helped me get clues about who's behind my father's death, you've made me... presentable again. Twice now." Aveline regained her usual spirit, her lovely face alight with excitement and gratitude.
— Unfinished Clues —
"Yes, Eren," Ethan stepped forward, clapping a hand on Eren's shoulder. "You accomplished what none of us could. Hypnosis was useless against that thing, yet you handled it. The intel it revealed is invaluable. We will bring these demons to justice."
"Eradicating evil is its own reward. No thanks needed."
Eren waved off their gratitude, then asked, "Did you get a clear look at the shadow's face?"
He recalled the drug lord Harry's testimony—the shadowy figure sometimes used a vehicle with license plate NA68688. It might be connected to the Veyne family's fate.
"No, it was constantly shrouded in that black mist," Ethan shrugged helplessly, then changed the subject. "Eren, can you join us in the next phase of the operation?"
Eren didn't answer directly. Instead, he turned his gaze to Arden.
Arden pondered for a moment, his expression troubled. "That..." Arden hesitated, frowning.
"I'm afraid... it may still take a few more days."