Everything was quiet. The fight was over.

  Nero stood watching his kill hang frozen in the air.

  A faint burst of static crackled from somewhere beyond the mist. His head turned toward it — toward the scout team.

  Rhea leaned toward Vinn, whispering, “What are you talking about? We’re well hidden. We’re far from him. How can he know our exact location?”

  Vinn’s voice was low, but tight. “I don’t know how… but he’s looking right at us.”

  Kato’s eyes stayed fixed on the figure through the fog. “He’s right. That guy is staring this way. What do we do now? Run… or stay still?”

  Nero began walking toward them.

  With every step, the ground around his feet froze solid, frost spidering outward in jagged lines. The sound of brittle grass snapping under ice filled the dead silence.

  Through the radio, General Mordane’s voice cut in — sharp, edged with something close to panic.

  “Do not engage Angelo. I repeat — do not engage Angelo.”

  Then, lower, almost under his breath:

  “You will not survive.”

  Kato snatched the radio from Rhea. “With all due respect, General — we know we stand no chance. But what exactly do we do now that he’s coming right for us?”

  Rhea stared at him, stunned. “What are you doing? You’ll get punished for talking to the General like that.”

  Nero kept closing the distance.

  He stopped suddenly, opened his right hand. The frost at his feet rippled — an ice spike grew up from the ground into his palm. He gripped it, and the shard twisted, reshaping into a jagged blade.

  Vinn’s hands shook. “Mmm… guys… he just made a sword. And he’s bringing it here.”

  Nero’s voice finally rang out, cold but even.

  “I know you’re there. Come out and show yourselves. If you’re not another monster… or an enemy… I won’t hurt you.”

  Vinn muttered under his breath, “Like hell you won’t. Then why the sword?”

  Kato’s nerves snapped. His voice came out louder than he meant. “General, what do we do? Do we fall back or negotiate?”

  Kato’s voice cut through the mist.

  People.

  The General’s reply was firm. “I already told you. Fall back.”

  The three began to retreat, slow and careful. But Nero heard movement. The sword in his hand reshaped into a spear, and without hesitation he hurled it toward the sound.

  The weapon spun through the air, trailing cold mist, and slammed into the ground inches from Kato.

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  Kato yelped, falling onto his back.

  Vinn and Rhea instantly raised their rifles — two laser dots painting Nero’s forehead.

  Nero took them in — their uniforms, their weapons — and slowly raised both hands. A gesture of surrender.

  Vinn didn’t lower his aim. “Is he messing with us? Or trying to get us to drop our guard?”

  Kato, still rattled, glanced at the spear embedded in the ground. Thick mist poured from it. The earth at the impact point had frozen solid.

  “Holy… shit.”

  He leveled his rifle at Nero, joining the others.

  Nero stood there, still as ice — hands raised, mist drifting from his bare skin. His hair hung in wet, frozen clumps, yet somehow didn’t break. The cracks across his body were pure black, like fractures in reality itself.

  Nero’s voice was calm, almost casual.

  “Why don’t you three lower those guns—before anyone gets injured. And by anyone, I mean you three.”

  Kato’s face went pale. “Fuck! He’s gonna kill us all.”

  “Shut up, Kato,” Rhea snapped. “He won’t. If he wanted to, we’d already be popsicles.”

  Nero gave a faint nod. “She’s right, Kato. If I wanted to kill you, you’d be lying between that ice spear and the ground.”

  Kato’s gaze flicked back to the spear jutting from the frozen earth. His imagination filled in the missing detail—his body skewered in its place. A chill ran down his spine.

  “Don’t lose focus,” Rhea warned.

  “No need to be afraid,” Nero continued, tone steady. “I told you I won’t hurt anyone. The monster’s dealt with. We can just talk—like normal people.”

  Rhea scoffed. “Normal people? You call that normal?” She gestured toward the carnage behind him.

  Kato chimed in, still shaken. “Yeah. No sane person throws his own arm like a spear.”

  “I had to,” Nero said simply. “Or Thom and the others would be dead. And… I was angry.”

  Silence hung between them for a long moment. Then Kato spoke. “What are you? And what’s with all this ice?”

  Nero lowered his hands and scratched the back of his head. “Here’s the thing—Dr. Grant once told me, ‘Information is power.’ So I can’t just hand it over. I need something equally valuable.”

  At the name, Rhea’s eyes sharpened. “Dr. Grant? You mean Dr. Elias Grant?”

  The change in Nero was instant. Calm and faintly amused one second, his expression shifted to something sharper—shock, and then intent curiosity. He stepped toward them.

  “Don’t move,” Rhea warned, weapon steady. “We will shoot.”

  But Nero didn’t stop.

  Vinn fired first—a warning shot that sliced past Nero’s ear. Still, he advanced. Then came the stifled cracks of suppressed fire from all three.

  The bullets struck his body in rapid succession, clinking off his ice-flesh with the metallic ring of steel on steel. Gunpowder stung the air. Suppressed shots and ricochets echoed in the fog-draped forest, their rhythm carrying all the way to the silent houses in town.

  In one of them, Jaren and Calla pulled Nico and Mira closer. Jaren whispered to himself, “What the hell is going on out there?”

  Inside another, Tobin clung to Ilana. “Mommy, I’m scared.”

  “It’s alright, baby,” she whispered, hugging him tighter. “I’ve got you.”

  Back in the clearing, Nero closed the distance. Kato, desperate, swung his rifle stock at him. Nero caught it mid-swing, ice crawling over the weapon. Frost spread across Kato's hands too, but they weren’t frozen solid. With a snap, the rifle shattered, leaving a jagged shard.

  In one motion, Nero slipped behind Kato, gripping his forehead with his right hand—light frost crawling across Kato’s skin—and bringing the jagged shard up in his left. He held it just a centimeter from Kato’s left eye, frost hissing from the weapon’s edge. Thin tendrils of mist curled around the shard, making Kato flinch at the cold bite.

  Rhea and Vinn froze, guns locked on Nero’s head.

  His stare held no warmth. His gaze met Rhea’s—unblinking. His tone flat, controlled:

  “Tell me everything you know about Grant.”