Now that we were halfway through clearing out the pests, I had to start thinking ahead. The rest of these guys weren’t going to take themselves out—unfortunately.

  Which meant I needed a plan.

  A menacing plan.

  A plan so deviously simple yet effective that even Sebastian raised an eyebrow when I explained it.

  “Sir, that is...certainly a strategy.”

  I grinned. “You doubt me?”

  “Always.”

  Fair.

  But before we get to the execution of said master plan, let’s set the scene, shall we?

  I made my way toward the Black Moon’s base—or what was left of it. The place looked like an overcooked lasagna. Crumbling walls, shattered windows, and what I think used to be a grand staircase, but now resembled a sad pile of rubble.

  Stealth was the name of the game. I crept up the stairs with all the grace of a seasoned assassin—which is to say, I tripped once but recovered so fast it didn’t count.

  And there they were.

  The two highest-ranking members left standing: The Boss and The Vice Boss.

  They hadn’t seen me yet, which was a very fortunate development.

  Time for the plan.

  I picked up a rock from the broken wall. Not just any rock—a strategic rock.

  I aimed. I threw.

  The rock tumbled down the stairs, making an oh-so-suspicious noise.

  Predictably, both of them snapped to attention. The Boss, in true boss fashion, immediately issued a command.

  “Go check it.”

  The Vice Boss grumbled but obeyed, making his way toward the stairs. I could see the skepticism on his face, but that didn’t matter.

  Phase One? Complete.

  Now, Phase Two.

  I picked up another rock, this time about the size of a cat. Not a particularly fat cat, but a solid medium-sized one. The kind that judges you from across the room.

  And then, without ceremony, I dropped it out of the nearest window.

  The Vice Boss, hearing the very deliberate thunk, narrowed his eyes and started heading that way.

  Perfect.

  I stealthily followed behind him, close enough to strike but not just yet.

  See, the plan wasn’t to attack him outright. That would be too predictable. Instead, I had a better idea.

  I led him—very subtly—to a dark alleyway.

  Because, let’s be honest, bad guys have terrible situational awareness.

  He walked right into my trap.

  I stopped at the dead-end wall, turned to face him, and gave him a friendly little wave. “Hey there.”

  His face went through the full cycle of human emotions: confusion, realization, panic.

  But before he could react, before he could even think about pulling a weapon—

  Sebastian and Raven descended upon him like a nightmare given wings.

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  Raven, the absolute menace, went straight for the face. Because of course he did.

  Sebastian, ever the professional, struck fast and clean.

  And just like that, the Vice Boss crumpled to the ground. Dead. Faster than even I expected.

  I blinked. “Huh. That was… efficient.”

  Sebastian dusted off his gloves. “You sound disappointed, sir.”

  I shrugged. “Well, you know. I was expecting a bit more screaming.”

  Raven cawed in agreement.

  But no time to dwell on the ease of victory—there was still work to do.

  One down.

  One to go.

  The Boss was still inside, waiting for his minion to report back. Which meant he had no idea he was already alone.

  This was going to be fun.

  I retraced my steps back into the building, creeping along the walls like some kind of budget ninja. The Boss stood at the far end of the room, pacing. He kept glancing toward the stairs, waiting.

  I decided to help him out.

  I cleared my throat.

  He turned sharply, eyes scanning the room. “Who’s there?”

  I stepped forward just enough for him to see my silhouette. “Hi. You seem lost.”

  His entire body tensed. “You—”

  “Me.”

  His eyes flickered toward the door. Calculating. Weighing his odds.

  I let him.

  Because it didn’t matter.

  “You’re the one causing all this trouble?” he finally asked.

  I placed a hand over my heart, mock offended. “Wow. Just me? You wound me. I had help, you know.”

  He sneered. “No matter. I’ll deal with you myself.”

  Bold words.

  I gestured dramatically. “By all means, give it your best shot.”

  And he did.

  He lunged, fast, aiming straight for my throat.

  But here’s the thing about fighting someone who wants you to attack them.

  You’re always going to lose.

  I sidestepped at the last second, twisting just enough for him to stumble past me.

  And that’s when I hit him.

  Not with a punch.

  Not with a kick.

  But with a chair.

  Yes, a full-sized wooden chair, straight to the back.

  The impact sent him sprawling. He hit the ground hard, gasping.

  I stood over him, tossing the broken chair leg aside. “Y’know, you should really invest in better furniture.”

  He groaned, rolling onto his side. “Bastard…”

  I crouched down next to him. “Listen, buddy. You’re not walking away from this. So, how about you make this easy and tell me something useful?”

  He spat blood onto the floor. “Go to hell.”

  I sighed. “See, that’s not the kind of attitude that gets you to live longer.”

  I glanced at Sebastian. “Any ideas?”

  Sebastian adjusted his gloves. “I find that people are far more cooperative when given proper motivation.”

  The Boss’s eyes darted toward him.

  Raven cawed.

  The Boss swallowed hard.

  I smirked. “So. Wanna try that again?”

  He hesitated.

  Then, slowly, he exhaled. “…The Black Moon isn’t the only group after the Limit Breaking Event.”

  That got my attention.

  I leaned in. “Go on.”

  His lips curled into a smirk, despite his injuries. “There are others. Much worse than us.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Names.”

  He laughed. “You think I’d tell you? If I do, I’m as good as dead.”

  I tilted my head. “Bold of you to assume you’re not already.”

  He flinched, but stayed quiet.

  Fine. If he didn’t want to talk…

  I stood up, stretching. “Alright. Sebastian, kill him.”

  Sebastian stepped forward immediately, because of course he did. Always the professional.

  And the Boss? He panicked.

  “W-wait! Wait! I can tell you—”

  Too late.

  One swift motion.

  A clean, efficient end.

  I sighed. “Man. Some people just love learning things the hard way.”

  Sebastian wiped his blade clean. “Shall we move on, sir?”

  I grinned. “Yep. We’ve still got a murder cow to steal.”

  Raven cawed in agreement.

  And just like that, another chapter of chaos concluded.

  Time for the next act.

  Now the only one left was the leader.

  He should have been as easy to deal with as the rest, but, of course, life never lets things go that smoothly.

  A surprise came not long after we decided to hunt him down—he came looking for his vice boss himself. Talk about initiative.

  So, this time, we were the ones caught off guard.

  We couldn’t afford to lose, but there was one small problem: we had no idea what he was capable of. Outnumbering him should work in theory, but I wasn’t willing to bet my life on it just yet.

  The boss entered the ruined base, scanning the area with a predator’s gaze. Raven struck first, diving from above and clawing at his back, but the guy reacted too quickly, twisting to avoid any critical damage. His movements were precise—too precise.

  “Okay, not a pushover,” I muttered.

  The close quarters weren’t helping us either. Less space meant fewer options to maneuver. Sebastian took his shot next, aiming a powerful strike at the boss’s ribs.

  Bad move.

  The boss countered instantly, slamming Sebastian into the wall like a ragdoll.

  I had to do something, fast.

  A brilliant idea struck me.

  Me. I would be the weapon.

  Specifically, my age. There was no way this guy would expect a teenager to be the real threat here. The underestimated factor. The wild card. The ace up our collective sleeves.

  I threw a punch, deliberately sloppy. He backed off, clearly expecting an amateur move. That’s when Raven struck again, this time sinking his talons into the boss’s shoulder. A low growl of frustration rumbled from the man’s throat as he stumbled.

  Sebastian recovered just in time to capitalize on the distraction. He dashed in, tackling the boss to the ground. The moment his back hit the floor, I moved in. No hesitation. I pulled out my knife and drove it straight into his heart.

  And just like that, he was gone.

  The air settled. The tension eased. And for the first time in a while, the voices decided to chime in.

  Solace, as always, was the first.

  “Was it necessary to kill him?” he asked, voice ever the calm, collected moral compass.

  “Yes,” I replied without missing a beat. “We had no idea what else he was hiding. If he had some last-ditch ace up his sleeve, we could’ve died. And second, no information from a dying enemy can ever be trusted.”

  Solace sighed but didn’t argue. That was as close to approval as I was going to get from him.

  I checked on Sebastian and Raven. They were both out of breath but thankfully not injured. Good. We weren’t done yet.

  Our next mission: locate our new family member.

  The bull.

  We made our way deeper into the base, moving with cautious steps. The basement was eerily quiet, wrapped in total darkness.

  Then, suddenly—

  A caw.

  I perked up instantly. “That’s Raven!”

  The excitement was short-lived, though, because the next sound was the unmistakable noise of a scuffle.

  A big one.

  We rushed forward and, to our utter disbelief, found Raven locked in combat with the bull. And by combat, I mean Raven was furiously flapping his wings, cawing insults, while the bull—who was the size of a short human, by the way—stood there looking murderous.

  Asher sighed. “Poor soul.”

  And just like that, I was out of my body.

  Asher had taken over.

  His presence was different from mine—softer, gentler. My usual sharp, calculating aura was replaced by something angelic, almost comforting.

  He stepped forward, raising a hand toward the bull. “You were hurt, right?” he said, voice warm. “It’s okay now. We won’t hurt you. Don’t worry, little soul.”

  The bull, who had been radiating unfiltered rage just moments ago, suddenly stilled. Its breathing steadied, and then—just like that—it collapsed into Asher’s arms. Like a child seeking comfort in a mother’s embrace.

  Even Raven, who had been squawking threats at the bull, fell silent.

  I let Asher have his moment.

  A minute later, his voice echoed in my mind.

  “Take over, Arthur.”

  He added one last thing before fading back into the depths of my consciousness.

  “He’s hurt. A lot. Be careful.”

  I returned to my body, blinking as the world snapped back into focus. The bull, still nestled against my chest, let out a low, tired grunt.

  Then I looked up.

  Two pairs of eyes were fixed on me.

  Sebastian and Raven.

  Their expressions were a mix of confusion, suspicion, and mild horror.

  “What?” I said.

  They didn’t answer immediately.

  Finally, Raven squawked.

  “What. The hell. Was THAT?”

  I scratched the back of my head. “Uh… that wasn’t me. Well—it was me, but, like, not really me.”

  Sebastian narrowed his eyes. “Do you expect us to just accept that?”

  “Yes.”

  They both kept staring.

  I sighed. “Look, you’re gonna see this happen a lot, so get used to it.”

  “…Hate that,” Raven muttered.

  “Yeah, well, I hate getting bitten by my own bird, but here we are.”

  Raven huffed but didn’t argue.

  With that settled,