"Ashes of the Unseen."

Riven sat on the rooftop of a rundown building, staring at the distant city skyline. His fingers tapped lightly on the hilt of his dagger, the weight of the encounter with the masked man still lingering in his mind.

The way the man moved, the way he spoke—it wasn't just skill. It was familiarity.

"You'll find out soon enough."

Those words repeated in his mind like a haunting melody.

Below, the streets were alive with the usual chaos—neon signs flickered, gangs prowled in the shadows, and the scent of burnt metal filled the air. But Riven barely noticed any of it. He was thinking about what came next.

A soft beep from his communicator snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Riven," Seren's voice came through. "Get back to the hideout. I cracked the chip."

Riven didn't hesitate. He leaped from the rooftop, landing smoothly in a narrow alley, and disappeared into the night.

---

Back at the hideout, Seren sat at her workstation, fingers moving rapidly over her keyboard. Lirian stood nearby, arms crossed. He had been pacing earlier, clearly restless.

"Finally," Lirian said as Riven walked in. "We've been waiting."

Riven ignored him and focused on Seren. "What did you find?"

Seren's screen displayed a detailed map with red markers blinking in several locations. "The chip contained a heavily encrypted data log. Took me hours to break it, but once I did… well, let's just say things got interesting."

She tapped the screen, zooming in on a specific point.

"This location—an underground facility on the east side of the city. The data log suggests that the masked man was tracking movements there."

Riven frowned. "His movements, or someone else's?"

"That's the thing," Seren replied. "It's not clear. But I did find one name linked to the facility."

She turned to look at him, her expression unreadable.

"Torsen."

Silence filled the room.

Torsen—the man who had been orchestrating weapon deals, the man they had been chasing for weeks.

Lirian let out a low whistle. "So, what? The masked guy was after Torsen too?"

"Maybe," Seren said. "Or maybe Torsen is working with him."

Riven clenched his fists. The masked man had clearly been toying with them, but if he was connected to Torsen, this was no coincidence.

"This could be a trap," Lirian pointed out. "We go to that facility, and we might be walking straight into their hands."

"We don't have a choice," Riven said, his voice firm. "If this leads to Torsen, we have to take the risk."

Seren sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Then we move at dawn."

Riven nodded. They had their next target. Now, all that was left was to be ready for whatever waited in the dark.