Aiden was leaning against the wall that separated the parking structure from the open drop. The cold concrete pressed against his chest as one hand dangled into the air, swaying slowly, as if the abyss in front of him didn't exist.

  A few meters away, Kael stood beside the car, the phone pressed to his ear. He didn't move. Didn't blink.

  "You need to understand that you can't just go in," Foreman's voice said from the other end of the line. "There are protocols. And we don't have enough evidence."

  Kael closed his eyes for a second.

  "In the best-case scenario," Foreman continued, "the prosecutor's office would take three days to authorize a warrant. On an emergency request… twelve hours. And that would only be if your case were completely airtight."

  Kael frowned.

  "We don't have that time," he replied. "Do you really think someone capable of making entire trucks disappear on restricted routes doesn't have contacts? Even if it were just hours… by the time we get there, he'll be gone. You know that as well as I do. If he finds out, we lose him forever."

  There was a brief, heavy silence on the other end.

  "Kael, listen to me carefully," Foreman said, more serious now. "This isn't the Palace. There are laws. If you go in there without backup and they catch you… I won't be able to get you out."

  Kael clenched his jaw.

  "And tell me where the laws have gotten us so far."

  Without waiting for a reply, he ended the call.

  On the other side of the line, Foreman slowly lowered the phone.

  "Damn it…" he muttered.

  He sighed, running a hand down his face.

  "But you're not entirely wrong."

  Kael slipped the phone back into his pocket and looked up at the gray sky covering the tower. His shoulders relaxed slightly, as if ending the call had also released something heavier.

  He thought in silence.

  The truth is right in front of us.

  And if we wait for the law to move… nothing will happen. Like always.

  Kael reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He calmly took one out and, lifting his gaze, saw Aiden leaning against the wall. He said nothing. He lit the cigarette as he walked toward him.

  They stood there for a few moments in silence.

  The city stretched before them like a motionless board. Lights, windows, distant movement. Everything seemed to continue its course, unaware of what they were about to do.

  Aiden straightened slightly and broke the silence.

  "Kael… why do you fight?"

  Kael exhaled smoke to the side, avoiding the wind blowing it back into his face. He thought for a second before answering.

  "For two reasons," he finally said.

  "The first… because I love puzzles. I guess that's selfish, but I'm better at understanding patterns than understanding people."

  He paused briefly.

  "And the second," he continued, "because I've seen firsthand what's left when everything fails. Families crying for people who never came back. People accused of crimes they didn't commit just to close a file."

  He frowned slightly.

  "It makes me angry. Really angry. And it doesn't go away."

  Aiden watched him for a few seconds without speaking. Then he looked back at the city.

  "And you?" Kael asked. "Why do you fight?"

  Aiden took his time answering.

  He sighed, as if the air weighed more than usual.

  "I'm still trying to figure that out," he said at last. "I thought I knew… but reality always ends up slamming me into the ground right when I think I've understood."

  Kael took one last drag of his cigarette before crushing it against the concrete. He didn't look at him immediately when he spoke.

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  "You don't have to know right now," he said. "Or tomorrow."

  He let the smoke out slowly and continued in a lower voice.

  "I've noticed you try to fit in. You imitate."

  He paused briefly.

  "And that's not wrong. Learning never is. But if you keep looking for the answer in others… you'll always arrive late."

  Aiden frowned.

  "So what am I supposed to do?"

  Kael gave a faint, almost tired smile.

  "Stop trying to prove something," he replied. "When you stop forcing yourself to fit into an idea… when you figure out who you really are, the path will clear on its own."

  He shrugged slightly.

  "And no one else can give you that. Only you."

  Aiden leaned back against the wall again, staring into the void.

  "I guess we're all tied to something," he said. "Right?"

  Kael nodded.

  "That's right."

  He looked at the tower in front of them.

  "Look at us now. Knowing what's in there… and not being able to do anything. Everything stays the same."

  Aiden turned and looked at him firmly.

  "You know we can't just stay like this."

  Kael didn't respond immediately. He leaned back against the wall as well.

  Kael rested his elbow on the wall and fixed his gaze on the tower. For a few seconds, his eyes seemed to empty of everything in front of him.

  The memory came without warning.

  Not clear images. The smell.

  Burned flesh mixed with metal.

  Heavy air.

  And above all, the laments. Not screams. Low, broken laments from those searching for someone who would never answer again.

  Kael closed his eyes for just an instant.

  That time, he had also stood watching.

  Waiting.

  Trusting someone else would do something.

  He never made that mistake again.

  He straightened up, posture firm again, as if the weight of the memory had settled something inside him.

  "We're going in," he said quietly.

  Without drawing attention.

  Aiden looked at him. "You really think it'll work that way?"

  Kael nodded once.

  "We just observe. Low profile."

  He paused briefly before adding:

  "We're not going to fight. Not yet."

  They positioned themselves across the street and stared at the tower a few seconds longer than necessary.

  Aiden pulled the hood of his blue sweatshirt up over his cap.

  "What's that for?" Kael asked without taking his eyes off the building.

  "Low profile," Aiden replied naturally.

  Kael thought he was achieving the exact opposite.

  "You didn't bring your moth suit?" Kael asked quietly.

  "No," Aiden said. "Didn't think it was necessary."

  Good, Kael thought.

  Without another word, they crossed the street and headed toward the entrance. Before going in, Kael made one last quick scan of the surroundings. Everything looked normal. Too normal. Well-dressed people talking on phones, checking watches, walking with calculated urgency.

  They passed through the revolving door.

  The interior was immaculate. Polished floors reflecting every movement, every shadow. The air was cold, controlled. From the lobby, upper structures were visible: glass bridges connecting different sections of the building, suspended several floors up as if floating.

  Kael began analyzing immediately. Not consciously. It was automatic.

  Then he saw them.

  The guards.

  His mind started counting.

  One at the entrance.

  Two near the elevators.

  Another leaning against a column, pretending to check his phone.

  Kael kept counting without meaning to.

  Seven.

  His gaze shifted slightly.

  Eight.

  Maybe nine.

  He stopped.

  The exact number stopped mattering.

  With the ones he couldn't see… there were too many.

  And it wasn't just that.

  All of them had their weight evenly distributed. No one fully relaxed. Hands near the torso, never hanging loose. Firm, contained postures.

  Not regular guards, he thought.

  Amid his assessment, one of the men on a glass bridge locked eyes with him.

  Kael immediately looked away.

  Without rushing, he changed direction and headed toward one of the receptionists in the middle of the lobby, as if that had been his goal all along.

  But behind him, the guard made a nearly imperceptible gesture to another man a few meters away.

  The man nodded and raised his hand to his radio.

  Meanwhile, at the top of the tower, in a dark room illuminated only by the blue glow of dozens of monitors, several people watched every corner of the building in silence. Lobby cameras. Hallways. Elevators. Glass bridges. Nothing escaped their surveillance.

  At the center of the room stood Victor Rourke.

  He didn't speak. Didn't gesture. He only watched.

  An operator leaned slightly toward him upon receiving a notification through the radio. Victor raised his hand.

  "Zone A1," he ordered calmly.

  The monitor changed immediately.

  Aiden and Kael appeared on screen.

  Victor studied them for a few seconds. Analytical. Cold. Then he picked up the communicator.

  "Bring them in," he said. "Alive."

  He paused almost imperceptibly.

  "I'll take care of eliminating them."

  Back in the lobby, Kael approached the reception desk calmly.

  "Good morning," he said. "Are the international shipping offices located here?"

  The receptionist maintained her professional smile, but something in her gaze tightened.

  "I'm sorry," she replied. "No company of that type operates in this building."

  Kael nodded politely.

  Beside him, Aiden noticed the shift before anyone else.

  Subtle movements. Soundless steps. Shadows closing gaps.

  The guards were getting closer. Unhurried. No visible weapons. Forming an almost perfect perimeter.

  "Kael…" Aiden whispered.

  "I know," he replied without turning.

  Kael hadn't expected it to be this fast.

  If they moved like that, closing ranks without explanation, then their suspicions weren't just correct… they were inevitable.

  He was there.

  "Should I handle it?"

  "No," Kael said. "No violence."

  The men completed the circle.

  One stepped forward.

  "You're going to have to come with us," he said firmly. "We have a few questions."

  Kael turned slowly.

  "Is there a problem? We're just asking about a business."

  "You need to come upstairs with us," the guard replied. "Now."

  Kael frowned.

  "You can't force us without cause."

  He tried to step aside.

  It was a mistake.

  The movement was fast and precise. A guard grabbed his arm, twisted his body, and slammed him to the ground. In an instant, a knee pressed his face against the marble.

  At the same time, another man grabbed Aiden tightly, squeezing his arm until it cracked.

  Aiden struggled, holding back the instinct to react.

  Not yet.

  He turned his head.

  Looked at Kael.

  Their eyes met.

  Kael barely moved his head.

  A tiny gesture. A yes.

  That was enough.

  Aiden smiled.

  Not from joy.

  From certainty.

  He twisted his body and drove his fist straight into the guard's stomach. The impact was brutal. The man was thrown several meters, crashing onto the floor with a heavy sound.

  At the same time, Kael freed himself from the weight on top of him and knocked out the man restraining him with a clean, direct motion.

  Everything shattered in that instant.

  The guards began drawing their weapons. Radios crackled throughout the building. From the upper floors, more men began to move.

  Some office workers dropped their briefcases.

  And pulled out guns.

  From the control room, Victor watched every screen without blinking.

  Aiden and Kael stood back to back.

  The silence was over.

  So were the courtesies.

  And the ascent to the tower had just begun.