"Ashes of the Unseen."

The night air was thick with tension as Riven and his team regrouped outside the warehouse. The distant hum of the city's neon lights cast long shadows over them, but none of them spoke for a while. The masked man's presence still lingered in their minds—his movements, his voice, the way he had been watching them.

Seren let out a sharp exhale, running a hand through her hair. "Whoever that was, he knew we were coming."

Lirian kicked a broken crate, frustration evident in his posture. "And he was toying with us."

Riven remained silent. The masked man's precision and control—it wasn't just skill. It was something else. Something personal. Riven had spent years being underestimated, overshadowed by his allies, but this was different. This time, he had felt like a piece on someone else's board.

"We need to track him down," Riven finally said, his voice calm but firm.

Seren gave him a dry look. "And how exactly do we do that? He vanished like smoke."

Riven reached into his pocket, holding up a small metallic chip. The faint glow of its edges flickered under the streetlights. "He left this behind."

Seren's expression shifted. She stepped forward, carefully taking the chip from his hand. "That's an encrypted tracker," she murmured, inspecting it closely.

Lirian raised an eyebrow. "You lifted that off him during the fight?"

Riven gave a slight nod. "If he wanted us to follow him, he wouldn't have left anything behind. Which means this was a mistake on his part."

Seren turned the chip over, pressing against the tiny ridges that ran along its side. "Maybe," she muttered. "Or maybe he wants us to think it was a mistake."

Lirian crossed his arms. "Great. Another mind game."

"We don't have a choice," Riven said. "Decode it. See where it leads."

Seren sighed, slipping the chip into a small device strapped to her wrist. A soft beep sounded as the decryption process began. "This could take a few hours," she warned. "It's not standard encryption."

Riven wasn't surprised. Whoever that man was, he wasn't ordinary.

Lirian leaned against a wall, arms still crossed. "And in the meantime?"

Riven turned his gaze toward the city skyline. He could feel the weight of everything building. The past, the enemies, the unknown truths waiting just beyond his reach.

"We prepare for whatever comes next," he said.

The team dispersed for the night, but Riven couldn't bring himself to rest. He wandered the dimly lit streets alone, his thoughts heavy. There was something about the masked man's voice—something unsettling.

And then it hit him.

It wasn't just the way he spoke. It was what he had said.

"You'll find out soon enough."

The words echoed in his mind. They weren't a threat. They were a promise.

The masked man knew him.

Somewhere, in the tangled mess of his past, there was a connection.

And Riven wasn't going to stop until he found it.