The city never slept, but neither did she. Perched on the rooftop of a rusting fire escape, Ace surveyed the neon-lit streets below, her sharp eyes flicking between the moving figures in the alleyway. She was a phantom, a whisper in the dark, a legend to those who knew her by name—but only a few had ever gotten close enough to dare calling her that.
Ace was small in stature, standing at barely four feet tall, but her presence was anything but diminutive. Draped in a sleek black outfit that moved with her like a second skin, she seemed to blend into the night itself. Her long, luxurious black hair cascaded behind her, an obsidian waterfall catching the faintest glimmer of city lights—electric pinks and blues shimmering faintly against the strands like captured stars. Her face, slightly Asian in feature, bore a sharp yet undeniably alluring quality—eyes dark and unreadable as the depths of a moonless sea, lips perpetually curled in a smirk that promised danger as much as it teased.
She carried two katana swords, both sealed, resting in an 'X' across her back. Their sheaths were lacquered black, etched with faint silver runes that pulsed subtly, as if alive with a quiet, ancient power. To the untrained eye, she looked no more dangerous than an ornamental statue—a delicate figure carved from shadow. Those who knew her knew better. She was an expert swordsman, her blades an extension of her will, but her true power—her curse, as some might whisper in hushed tones—was something far more unnatural, something that defied the laws of the world she walked.
When she willed it, her body became something not entirely of this reality. A semi-shadow, her form pulsating with a black aura that writhed like smoke caught in a storm, flickering at the edges as if she existed between the tangible and the void. In this state, her speed, strength, and reflexes tripled, her movements a blur of ethereal grace. She could weave through the air like a specter, her presence a shiver down the spine of anyone unfortunate enough to cross her path. Most importantly, she could sustain this form for as long as she wished—an ability unheard of even among the mystics and hunters who trafficked in the supernatural, a gift that marked her as both predator and enigma.
Tonight, however, she was not on the hunt for the usual kind of trouble—the petty thieves or reckless gangs that skittered through the city's underbelly like roaches. She was looking for someone.
A friend—perhaps the only one she had.
The last time she'd heard from Mai, it was through a panicked phone call, the sound of screeching tires and heavy, ragged breathing crackling through the static. "Demons! They're trying to topple my car!" Mai's voice had been a jagged edge of terror, sharp enough to cut through Ace's usual calm.
Then the line went dead, swallowed by silence.
Ace had tracked her last known signal to this part of the city—a forgotten corner where neon flickered like dying embers, casting jagged pools of light across streets slick with rain. Shadows stretched too long here, curling around corners and pooling in doorways as if alive. This was a place where things that shouldn't exist thrived—where the veil between worlds wore thin, and the air tasted of rust and secrets.
Her feet barely made a sound as she landed in the alleyway, the soles of her boots kissing the wet pavement with the lightest whisper. Her senses sharpened, tuned to every shift in the night—the distant wail of a siren, the drip of water from a broken gutter, the faint hum of electricity buzzing through the flickering signs overhead. The stench of rain-soaked garbage filled her nose, thick and sour, but beneath it lingered something else—something metallic, dark, and unmistakably alive.
Blood.
Ace narrowed her eyes, her pupils dilating as she followed the faint, smeared trail along the cracked pavement. It glistened under the stuttering glow of a streetlamp, a ribbon of crimson threading through the grime. The trail led her to an overturned car, its chassis crumpled like a discarded toy, its headlights flickering erratically, casting wild beams across the wet asphalt. It looked like a desperate, dying animal, gasping its last breaths in the gloom. No signs of a body. No signs of Mai.
But there were signs of something else.
Claw marks—deep, unnatural gouges running along the sides of the car, jagged and precise. The metal was peeled back in places, curling like paper under the force of something with fingers the size of daggers, something that had tried to rip the vehicle open like a tin can. The edges of the wounds glistened with a faint, oily sheen, as if the thing that left them oozed corruption.
Ace exhaled, her breath a faint plume in the cold air, feeling her pulse slow as her mind sharpened into focus. Whatever had taken Mai wasn't human—not even close.
She reached behind her, fingers brushing the handles of her twin swords. The seals on them thrummed beneath her touch, a low vibration that sang of imminent violence, eager to be unleashed.
"Demons, huh?" she muttered, her voice a low murmur against the night. "Guess it's gonna be one of those nights."
Then, the shadows around her began to ripple, a subtle distortion that made the air feel heavier, thicker. She knew she was no longer alone.
A low, guttural growl echoed through the alleyway, reverberating against the damp, graffiti-streaked walls. It was a sound that clawed at the edges of sanity, primal and wrong. Ace didn't flinch. Instead, she let her instincts take over, shifting her weight slightly into a battle stance, her fingers tightening around the hilts of her swords until the leather creaked.
A shape detached itself from the darkness—long-limbed and hunched, its skin an unnatural shade of obsidian that seemed to drink in the light, leaving only a void in its wake. Its eyes glowed an eerie, hungry yellow, twin lanterns floating in the abyss of its face, and its jagged claws flexed as if testing the air, each talon glinting with a sickly sheen. Its presence was a stain on the world, a wound that bled malice.
Ace smirked, her lips curling with a dangerous edge. "Well, aren't you ugly?"
The demon lunged, a blur of shadow and fury.
In an instant, Ace erupted into motion, her form flickering between light and shadow like a flame caught in a gale. She twisted mid-air, vaulting over the creature with an agility that defied physics, her body a streak of black against the neon glow. Landing behind it, she drew one of her katanas in a single fluid motion, the blade singing as it sliced through the damp night—a high, clear note that cut through the growl of the beast.
The demon howled as her sword found flesh—or whatever passed for it in its corrupted form. Black ichor sprayed, sizzling as it hit the pavement, eating into the concrete with a hiss like acid rain. But the creature didn't fall. Instead, it turned, a wicked grin splitting its grotesque face, revealing rows of needle-sharp teeth that gleamed wetly. It swiped at her with claws that crackled with dark energy, arcs of shadow sparking in their wake.
Ace barely avoided the strike, flipping backward onto a rusted dumpster with a clang that echoed through the alley. Her eyes narrowed, glinting with a mix of amusement and appraisal.
"You're tougher than you look," she admitted, her tone light but laced with steel. "Good. I was hoping for a challenge."
She took a deep breath, the air tasting of ozone and blood, and let the darkness take her.
Her body pulsed, shifting into her semi-shadow form. The black aura surrounding her flared like a living thing, tendrils of shadow curling outward, licking at the edges of the world. The air grew cold, the neon flickering as if intimidated by her presence, and the world slowed as her power surged, time itself bending to her will.
The demon hesitated, its yellow eyes widening a fraction. It had expected prey—soft, fragile, breakable. Instead, it had found a hunter, a force of nature cloaked in shadow.
Ace grinned, her teeth a flash of white against the dark. "Your move."
With a burst of impossible speed, she closed the distance, her katana flashing like a streak of moonlight cutting through the night. The demon barely had time to react before her blade slashed through its arm, severing it with an otherworldly hiss. It screamed, a sound that tore at the fabric of reality, stumbling back as its wound leaked a thick, black mist that dissipated into the air like smoke from a dying fire.
More movement in the shadows. Ace's senses flared, a prickling at the base of her skull. The first was not alone.
Two more creatures emerged from the darkness, their forms shifting unnaturally as if they were more nightmare than flesh. One snarled, its maw splitting wide to reveal rows of jagged, gleaming teeth that dripped with a viscous, tar-like saliva. The other brandished claws that glowed faintly, crackling with the same dark energy as the first, arcs of shadow dancing between its fingers like miniature storms.
Ace licked her lips, excitement flashing in her dark eyes, a wildfire igniting behind her smirk. "Now we're talking."
The first demon lunged again despite its missing limb, moving with unnatural speed, driven by rage or desperation. Ace pivoted, dodging the swipe with a dancer's grace, and slashed low, her katana carving deep into its side. The blade bit through its form like a hot knife through wax, and it wailed, staggering backward as its body flickered, barely holding together, tendrils of mist leaking from the wound.
The second demon struck, aiming for her exposed back with a speed that matched her own. Ace twisted in a fluid motion, her second katana flashing free from its sheath with a metallic ring, intercepting the attack in a violent clash of steel and shadow. Sparks flew as their energies met, crackling with raw force, illuminating the alley in brief, blinding bursts of light and dark.
The third circled her, its jagged teeth glinting as it sought an opening, its movements deliberate, predatory. But Ace was faster. She disengaged from the second demon, flipping backward and landing lightly on a nearby ledge, her boots barely disturbing the dust. Her swords hummed in her hands, their seals flickering with a silver glow as they fed off the chaos, eager for more.
The demons hesitated, their growls faltering as they sensed the shift. Ace was no ordinary opponent—no fragile human to be torn apart and discarded. They had made a grave mistake targeting her, and the realization hung heavy in the air.
She smiled, the thrill of battle singing through her veins, a melody only she could hear. "You should have stayed in the dark."
With that, she launched herself forward, a whirlwind of shadow and steel, ready to carve through the abyss itself.
The air thickened with tension as the three demons regrouped, their guttural snarls blending into a cacophony that rattled the alleyway—a sound like bones grinding against stone. Ace stood her ground, her semi-shadow form pulsating with an energy that made the very air tremble, distorting the neon reflections on the wet pavement into jagged fractures of light. The seals on her katanas glowed faintly, their intricate designs shimmering as if alive, drinking in the supernatural malice that saturated the night.
The second demon—the one with the glowing claws—moved first this time, its form blurring as it charged, a streak of shadow and fury. Ace sidestepped effortlessly, her body a flicker of darkness, and brought both swords down in a scissor-like motion. The blades bit deep, severing the creature's torso from its legs with a wet, tearing sound. It collapsed in a heap, its dark essence pooling beneath it like spilled ink, bubbling and steaming before evaporating into nothingness, leaving only a faint scorch mark on the pavement.
The third demon roared, its jagged teeth gleaming as it leapt from the side, aiming to catch her off guard. Its maw gaped wide, a cavern of dripping fangs that reeked of decay and despair. Ace anticipated the move, ducking low and rolling beneath its outstretched claws, the tips grazing the air where she'd been a heartbeat before. As she came up behind it, she thrust one katana upward, piercing its core with a sickening crunch. The creature shrieked—a sound that echoed unnaturally, as if torn from some distant, hellish realm—its body convulsing before disintegrating into a cloud of black ash that swirled briefly in the air, then settled like dust on the wind.
The first demon, now limping and leaking mist from its wounds, glared at her with those sickly yellow eyes, its hatred a palpable force. It was weaker now, its movements sluggish, its form fraying at the edges like a tapestry unraveling thread by thread. Ace tilted her head, studying it with a mix of curiosity and disdain, her smirk softening into something almost pitying.
"You're not worth the effort," she said, her voice low and cutting, a blade of sound in the silence. With a flick of her wrist, she sent her katana spinning through the air, a silver crescent arcing toward its target. It struck true, embedding itself in the demon's skull with a dull thunk. The creature froze, its eyes dimming, then dissolved into a pile of sizzling sludge, the sword clattering to the pavement with a ringing chime.
Ace retrieved her weapon, wiping the blade clean on a scrap of cloth she tore from the wreckage of Mai's car—a jagged strip of upholstery stained with oil and blood. She sheathed both katanas with a practiced motion, the seals dimming as they settled, and took a moment to catch her breath. Her semi-shadow form faded, the black aura retreating into her skin like ink sinking into parchment, leaving her solid once more. The alleyway grew still, the oppressive weight of the demons' presence lifting like a storm passing, the air tasting faintly of ozone and ash.
But she wasn't done. Not yet.
Mai was still out there, and these creatures—pathetic as they were—hadn't been the ones to take her. They were foot soldiers, grunts sent to slow her down or test her strength, their crude brutality a mere shadow of something greater. Something bigger was at play, something cunning enough to orchestrate an ambush and leave no trace of her friend beyond a wrecked car and a trail of blood.
Ace's gaze drifted back to the overturned vehicle, its twisted frame glinting faintly under the stuttering headlights. She crouched beside it, running her fingers along the claw marks, feeling the cold metal beneath her touch. They weren't random; there was a pattern to them, a deliberate rhythm that spoke of intent—short, sharp slashes followed by deeper, dragging gouges, like a signature written in violence. She closed her eyes, letting her senses stretch beyond the physical, reaching into the faint echoes of energy that lingered in the air—fragments of fear, desperation, and a voice she knew all too well.
"Mai," Ace whispered, her eyes snapping open, dark pools glinting with determination.
The trail wasn't gone. It was faint, buried beneath layers of supernatural interference, a whisper beneath a scream, but it was there. She stood, her smirk returning as she adjusted the swords on her back, their weight a familiar comfort. Whatever had taken Mai had made one fatal error: it had left Ace alive to hunt it down.
She followed the invisible thread of energy, her steps silent as she moved deeper into the labyrinth of alleys, the city's underbelly unfolding around her like a map of shadows. The pulse of the urban sprawl thrummed in the distance—distant sirens wailing like mourners, the hum of neon buzzing like a swarm of insects, the murmur of restless souls drifting through the night—but her focus was singular, a blade cutting through the noise. The trail grew stronger as she approached an abandoned warehouse, its silhouette looming against the bruise-purple sky. Its windows were shattered, jagged teeth in a gaping maw, and its walls were tagged with graffiti that glowed faintly in the dark—symbols and runes that pulsed with a sickly light, as if the building itself were alive and watching.
The air here was wrong, heavy with a malice that pressed against her skin like damp cloth, thick with the scent of rust and something sweeter, fouler—decay masked by honeysuckle. Ace paused at the entrance, her hand resting on one of her katanas, the seal beneath her fingers flickering faintly. She could feel it now—something ancient, something powerful, waiting inside, its presence a weight that bent the world around it.
A trap, most likely. She didn't care.
With a quiet breath, she stepped through the threshold, the shadows swallowing her whole, the transition from alley to warehouse like stepping into a different plane. The air inside was colder, sharper, biting at her lungs with every inhale.
The warehouse stretched before her, a cavern of rusted beams and broken machinery, its floor littered with debris—shattered glass that crunched underfoot, coils of wire that snaked across the concrete like veins, and puddles of stagnant water that reflected the occasional spill of moonlight filtering through the cracked roof. The air buzzed with static, a low hum that set her teeth on edge, vibrating in her bones like a warning. Ace moved cautiously, her senses attuned to every shift in the darkness—the creak of settling metal, the drip of water echoing in the vast space, the faint rustle of something moving just beyond sight.
Then she saw it—a figure slumped against a pillar, bound in chains that shimmered with a sickly green light, their links pulsing with an unnatural rhythm. Mai. Her silver hair was matted with blood, strands clinging to her pale face like wet silk, and her breathing was shallow, each exhale a faint wheeze that barely stirred the air. Her jacket—once a vibrant red—was torn, stained with dirt and crimson, but she was alive, her chest rising and falling in defiance of the odds.
Ace's relief was a fleeting spark, snuffed out by a deep, resonant laugh that echoed through the space, vibrating the very floor beneath her feet. The sound was a physical thing, rolling through the warehouse like a tidal wave, rattling the rusted beams and sending dust cascading from the ceiling. The shadows twisted, coalescing into a towering form—humanoid but wrong, its proportions stretched and distorted. Its limbs were too long, bending at angles that defied anatomy, and its skin—if it could be called that—was a shifting mass of darkness, rippling like oil on water. Its eyes burned with a crimson fire that pierced the gloom, twin infernos that seemed to see straight through her, and its mouth split into a grin that revealed teeth like shards of obsidian, jagged and glistening.
"Welcome, little shadow," it rumbled, its voice like gravel dragged across stone, each word a bruise against the air. "I've been expecting you."
Ace drew both katanas, their seals flaring with a brilliant silver light as she stepped forward, the blades humming in her grasp. Her smirk widened into a feral grin, her eyes glinting with a wild, untamed fire.
"Good," she said, her voice steady, cutting through the oppressive weight of the creature's presence. "I'd hate to disappoint."
The warehouse erupted into chaos as the entity lunged, its massive claws tearing through the air with a force that shattered the concrete where she'd stood a heartbeat before. Dust exploded outward, a choking cloud that glittered in the moonlight, and the sound of rending metal screeched through the space as its talons gouged the floor. Ace met it head-on, her blades flashing like twin streaks of lightning, her body a storm of shadow and steel weaving through the chaos.
She ducked beneath a sweeping claw, the air whistling above her head, and slashed upward, her katana carving a deep gash across the entity's arm. Black ichor sprayed, thick and viscous, splattering against the rusted beams with a hiss that filled the air with the stench of sulfur and decay. The creature roared, a sound that shook the warehouse to its foundations, and swung again, faster this time, its movements a blur of rage and power.
Ace flipped backward, landing lightly on a pile of debris, her boots crunching glass as she balanced effortlessly. She shifted into her semi-shadow form, the black aura flaring around her like a corona, distorting the light into jagged fractals. Time slowed, her senses sharpening until she could hear the entity's heartbeat—a thunderous, erratic rhythm that pulsed with ancient malice.
It charged again, the floor cracking beneath its weight, and Ace leapt to meet it, her katanas spinning in her hands like extensions of her soul. She slashed at its chest, the blades biting deep, and twisted mid-air to avoid a counterstrike that shattered a nearby pillar into rubble. The air was thick with dust and the coppery tang of blood—hers or its, she couldn't tell—and the thrill of the fight surged through her, a wildfire that burned away doubt.
The entity staggered, its form flickering as if struggling to hold itself together, but it laughed again, a sound that burrowed into her skull. "You cannot kill what was never born," it taunted, its crimson eyes blazing brighter.
Ace landed in a crouch, her breath steady despite the chaos, her swords dripping with ichor. "Then I'll just have to cut you into pieces small enough to forget," she shot back, her voice a blade of its own.
The fight had only just begun, and she intended to end it with blood—hers, its, or both. The warehouse became their battlefield, a clash of shadow and steel against an ancient darkness that refused to yield, and Ace reveled in every moment of it. Mai's life hung in the balance, and Ace would carve through hell itself to bring her back.
The warehouse shuddered under the weight of their clash, a symphony of destruction echoing through its hollow shell. Ace danced through the chaos, her semi-shadow form a blur of black and silver, her katanas weaving a deadly tapestry of light against the entity's oppressive darkness. The air was thick with the acrid stench of sulfur and the metallic bite of blood, a miasma that clung to her lungs with every sharp breath. Dust swirled in violent eddies, kicked up by the entity's thunderous movements, glittering in the fractured moonlight like a storm of tiny, jagged stars.
The towering figure loomed before her, its oil-slick skin rippling with every motion, its crimson eyes burning with a fury older than the city itself. Its claws—each as long as her forearm and sharp enough to rend steel—slashed through the air, leaving trails of shadow that lingered like afterimages of a nightmare. Ace twisted mid-leap, her body bending impossibly as she avoided a strike that obliterated a rusted beam behind her, sending shards of metal raining down in a cacophony of screeches and clangs. The debris clattered against the concrete, a jagged percussion to their deadly duet.
She landed in a skid, her boots scraping the floor as she slid beneath another sweeping claw, the tips grazing her hair and sending a few obsidian strands fluttering to the ground. Her smirk never faltered, a defiant curve against the chaos. With a flick of her wrists, she brought both katanas upward in a vicious arc, their seals flaring with a blinding silver light that cut through the gloom. The blades sank deep into the entity's thigh—or what passed for one in its warped anatomy—drawing a guttural roar that shook the warehouse to its bones. Black ichor gushed forth, a torrent of liquid midnight that splashed across her arms and sizzled against the concrete, leaving smoking pits in its wake.
The entity staggered, its massive form swaying as if the weight of its own malice threatened to topple it. But it didn't fall. Instead, it reared back, its chest heaving with a sound that was equal parts laughter and rage—a deep, resonant bellow that vibrated through Ace's ribs and set her teeth on edge. "Foolish child," it rumbled, its voice a landslide of gravel and venom. "You think your blades can unmake me? I am eternal—beyond flesh, beyond steel!"
Ace pushed herself upright, her dark eyes glinting with a wild, unyielding fire. "Eternal's overrated," she shot back, her voice steady despite the tremor in the air. "Let's see how you like being forgotten instead."
She launched herself forward, her semi-shadow form pulsing with renewed intensity. The black aura around her flared, tendrils of darkness snapping outward like whips, lashing at the entity's limbs as she closed the distance. Her katanas sang as she swung them in a relentless flurry—slash after slash, each strike precise, each cut deeper than the last. The blades carved through the entity's form, severing chunks of its shifting mass that fell to the ground with wet, heavy thuds, dissolving into wisps of black mist that curled upward like dying embers.
The entity retaliated with a ferocity that matched her own, its claws slashing in wide, arcing swipes that tore through the warehouse walls, leaving gaping wounds of splintered metal and crumbling brick. Ace ducked and rolled, her movements a fluid dance of instinct and muscle memory, her senses honed to a razor's edge. She could feel the heat of its rage, taste the bitterness of its ancient hatred on the air, but she pressed on, undeterred. Every near miss fueled her, every glancing blow a spark to the wildfire raging in her veins.
She vaulted onto a pile of twisted machinery, using it as a springboard to leap high above the entity, her silhouette framed briefly against the cracked roof and the sliver of moon beyond. Time seemed to slow as she hung in the air, her katanas raised, their seals glowing with an intensity that rivaled the entity's crimson gaze. Then she descended, a meteor of shadow and steel, plunging both blades into its chest—or the grotesque approximation of one.
The impact drove the entity to its knees, the floor cracking beneath it in a spiderweb of fissures. A deafening scream tore from its maw, a sound so raw and primal it seemed to claw at the fabric of reality itself, distorting the air into shimmering waves. Ace twisted the blades, grinding them deeper, her smirk widening as she felt the resistance give way. Ichor sprayed in all directions, coating her face and arms in a slick, burning sheen, but she didn't flinch. She leaned in close, her voice a low, dangerous whisper over the entity's anguished cries.
"Say hi to the void for me."
With a final, wrenching twist, she yanked the katanas free, leaping back as the entity convulsed. Its form began to unravel, threads of darkness peeling away like burning paper, revealing glimpses of something beneath—something impossibly vast, a swirling abyss that pulsed with a hunger older than time. Its crimson eyes dimmed, flickering like candles in a storm, and then—with a sound like a thousand voices gasping at once—it collapsed inward, imploding into a singularity of shadow that sucked the air from the room before winking out entirely.
The warehouse fell silent, the oppressive weight lifting as if the world exhaled. Dust settled slowly, a fine gray veil over the wreckage, and the moonlight streamed through the broken roof in soft, silver shafts, untouched by the chaos that had raged moments before. Ace stood amidst the debris, her chest heaving, her katanas dripping with the last traces of ichor. She flicked the blades clean with a sharp motion, the seals dimming as she sheathed them, their song fading into the stillness.
She turned toward Mai, her friend still slumped against the pillar, the green-glowing chains now dull and lifeless, their power snuffed out with the entity's demise. Ace crouched beside her, brushing a strand of blood-matted silver hair from Mai's face. Her friend's eyes fluttered open, hazy with pain but alive, a faint spark of recognition flickering within them.
"Ace…" Mai's voice was a hoarse whisper, barely audible over the drip of water echoing in the distance. "You… you came."
"Always do," Ace replied, her smirk softening into something almost tender as she worked to free Mai from the chains. They fell away with a dull clatter, brittle and cold now that their master was gone. She helped Mai to her feet, steadying her as they moved toward the exit, the warehouse's shadows retreating like a receding tide.
But as they stepped into the alleyway, something shifted—a ripple in the air, a whisper at the edge of Ace's senses. She froze, her hand snapping to one of her katanas, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the darkness. The fight wasn't over. Not yet.
A figure emerged from the shadows, small and unassuming, cloaked in a tattered hood that obscured their face. Ace tensed, her grip tightening, but the figure raised a hand—pale, delicate, trembling—and spoke in a voice that was soft, almost childlike, yet carried a weight that made the night itself seem to lean in and listen.
"You killed it," the stranger said, their tone a mix of awe and something darker, something unreadable. "You killed him."
Ace tilted her head, her smirk returning, though her eyes remained wary. "Yeah, well, he was asking for it. Who are you?"
The figure stepped closer, the hood falling back to reveal a young girl—no older than twelve—her face pale and gaunt, her eyes a startling shade of violet that glowed faintly in the dim light. Her hair was a tangled mess of white, streaked with dirt, and her hands clutched a small, cracked pendant that pulsed faintly with a light of its own.
"I'm the one who summoned him," the girl said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her frame. "And now… I'm free."
Ace's smirk faltered, her mind racing as the implications sank in. Before she could respond, the girl's pendant flared, a brilliant burst of light that swallowed the alley in a blinding wave. When it faded, the girl was gone, leaving only the echo of her words and a faint, lingering warmth in the air.
Mai swayed against Ace, her breathing ragged. "What… what was that?"
Ace stared at the spot where the girl had stood, her expression unreadable for once. "Trouble," she muttered, then slung Mai's arm over her shoulder, guiding her friend toward the neon-lit streets beyond. "Come on. Let's get you patched up. Something tells me this isn't over."
The city pulsed around them, oblivious to the battle that had raged in its shadows, and Ace's smirk returned—sharper now, edged with a new kind of curiosity. A demon was dead, her friend was safe, but a new mystery had taken root, one that promised more nights of shadow and steel. And Ace, ever the hunter, was ready for the chase.