Levi and Lily boarded a train bound for the capital, their destination steeped in uncertainty. Levi stared out the window, the rhythmic clatter of the tracks doing little to quiet the storm of emotions in his chest. He was grateful for the chance to reconnect with his sister, Silvia—but guilt gnawed at him. He'd neglected her for too long.
Silence hung in the compartment until Lily, ever perceptive, broke it gently.
"I know this is personal for you, Levi," she said, her voice soft. "But remember, we're a team. I'm with you—every step of the way."
Levi turned to her, a flicker of gratitude breaking through his steely resolve.
"Thanks, Lily. I mean that. I couldn't ask for a better partner. I'm going to keep Silvia safe. No matter what."
"And we'll make those bastards pay," Lily replied. "No one should have to go through what she did."
As the train carried them closer to the capital, the pair went over their plan: gather intel, infiltrate the operation discreetly, and free the victims. It was dangerous work, but they were ready.
At the local law enforcement station, they were greeted by a sharp-looking officer.
"Excuse me," Lily began. "My name is Lily, former lieutenant of the Capital First Lawmen Division. This is Commander Levi, my captain. We'd like to speak with your commander regarding rumors of a slave trade ring in this city."
"Sergeant Reed," the man replied with a salute. "Unfortunately, our higher-ups are at a summit in the capital. Discussing the recent surge of high-value targets, if you can believe it. But any info I have of any suspected slave trade is at your full disposal but might I add that I can guarantee nothing of the sort happens under our watch."
Lily glanced at Levi with a subtle smirk, vindicated.
"Good. We don't have time to waste. This is a time-sensitive matter."
To their surprise, the officers were cooperative. Files were handed over, assistance was offered, and yet… Levi felt something was off.
"Tail them," Reed ordered quietly as they left.
"Yes, Sergeant."
Later that night, in a modest inn, Levi and Lily sat reviewing what they'd learned.
"We should start with the shelter Silvia mentioned," Levi said. "If anything feels off, we'll stake it out from a distance."
"Makes sense," Lily agreed. "And worst case, we can call on the sergeant and his men."
Levi frowned.
"I'm not so sure. Something about that guy didn't sit right with me."
"You're paranoid. That's just what professionalism looks like in the capital."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means the difference between you and them is night and day."
Levi crossed his arms. "I didn't bring you on this mission to get lectured."
"Maybe not, but someone has to hold you to a standard."
Before Levi could respond, a faint sound caught their attention—just outside the door.
Their eyes met.
Then, in one fluid motion, Lily launched an ice shard, blasting through the wood. A cry of pain followed.
They burst from the room, but the injured eavesdropper vanished into the bustling streets.
The following days were tense. Levi and Lily staked out the shelter from a distance and eventually tracked the operation to a run-down warehouse. From a skylight, they watched a horrifying scene unfold.
On stage stood a man in a pristine suit, cane in hand, controlling the auction with chilling charisma. Collared individuals moved like puppets under his command.
"Next up—a spirited young lady," the man announced. "Feisty. Beautiful. Perfect servant or concubine. Starting at five thousand dollars!"
A girl—no older than eighteen—kicked and screamed as she was dragged on stage. With a snap of the man's fingers, a black collar-shaped tattoo materialized on her neck. It tightened slowly, silencing her defiance.
"I've seen enough," Levi growled, rising.
With a crash, he dropped through the skylight, Lily close behind.
"This a private party, or can anyone join?" Levi shouted.
"By the order of Captain Levi, you are all under arrest for slave trading. Resist, and we will use force."
"Like hell we are!" someone shouted, and chaos erupted.
Weapons were drawn. Collared slaves attacked. But Levi and Lily fought with precision—ice and lightning weaving through the air. They avoided harming the innocents, slowly breaking the enemy's control.
The well-dressed man made a break for the exit—but Levi intercepted him, lifting him with one hand and pressing an electrified dagger to his throat.
"I wouldn't if I were you."
The man smirked—and Levi noticed one bare hand.
"One touch, and I can collar anyone. Miss Frosty over there isn't as quick as you. One wrong move—and her head pops right off."
Lily dropped to her knees, tattoos beginning to snake across her body.
"She's strong," the man mused. "But everyone breaks eventually."
"You bastard."
"So, Captain... what's it going to be? Let me go, and she lives. Bring me in, and she dies."
Levi's face hardened. Then, without warning, he dropped the man, formed a lightning spear, and hurled it—impaling the slave trader and sending him crashing through the warehouse doors.
The tattoos on Lily vanished. She gasped for air, slowly recovering.
"How'd you know that would work?" she asked.
"He said letting him go would save you. That meant his power only worked within range—as long as the collar wasn't fully formed."
They headed outside—only to find the wounded trader surrounded by lawmen.
Lily narrowed her eyes. "Give it up. You're surrounded."
Levi furrowed his brow, a realization dawning on him.
"Think again, We never told the division our location or called for backup. These must be the corrupt lawmen working with the slave traders."
A man stepped forward, clapping.
"Bravo, Commander. Took you long enough."
Sergeant Reed.
"I should've known," Levi growled.
"My my you have my praise commander and here I thought i'd get to keep up this charade a while longer."
"I should have known you were behind this it seemed too easy to have that much assistance, especially under the assumption that it was a rumor."
"Well I couldn't have any old punk off the street discrediting our division now could I and to my surprise what do I find a nosy captain and his soon-to-be-dead lieutenant, You should know Lieutenant I hate you preppy types the most so stuck up and squared away looking down on those who don't meet your fancy capitals high standards it's disgusting, and while I may not be as strong as a captain or lieutenant I've brought more than enough men to take care of you two."
He gestured around him.
Without warning, the corrupted lawmen attacked.
Despite their injuries, Levi and Lily fought with everything they had.
Lily, weakened, struggled to maintain her ice defences. The burden of attack fell to Levi, who moved like lightning—blurs of speed and crackling energy cutting through the traitors.
He drew on every lesson Captain Stone had taught him—discipline, ruthlessness, control.
Even surrounded, Levi held back just enough to avoid killing, still honouring his code despite their betrayal.
"You should've stayed in your lane, Captain," Reed spat, charging forward.
"And let filth like you hide behind a badge?" Levi shot back, eyes glowing.
With one final surge of power, he blasted through Reed's men, standing victorious as Lily leaned on him for support.
"Your chance to surrender has passed," she said, cold and unwavering.
The last of the corrupted lawmen hit the ground with a groan, Levi stood over him, chest heaving, crackling with residual lightning. Lily at his side, one hand clutching her ribs.
"You alright?" Levi asked, glancing at her with concern.
"I'll live," she said through gritted teeth. "But we need to find that bastard before he disappears for good."
Levi nodded grimly. "Agreed."
Suddenly, a voice echoed from above.
"Looking for me?"
They both looked up. Standing atop a collapsed shipping container was Sergeant Reed, blood trickling from a gash above his brow, a twisted smile on his face. His arm was wrapped around the slave trader's neck—using him as a hostage.
"Looks like things didn't go as you expected, Captain," Reed sneered. "But don't worry. I won't leave you empty-handed."
He pulled a strange device from his pocket—round, metallic, with a glowing red center. The trader's eyes widened in terror.
"You idiot! That's not—"
Before he could finish, Reed slammed the device into the trader's chest. A pulse of dark energy burst out, consuming them both in a swirling sphere of black and red light. The slave trader screamed, his body convulsing, contorting—until it was no longer his own.
When the light faded, something else stood in their place. Taller. Broader. Its skin had turned jet black, marked by glowing crimson veins. The cane was gone, replaced by long, clawed fingers. Around its neck, a fully-formed collar pulsed like a living organ.
"What the hell is that?" Lily gasped, taking a step back.
Reed laughed madly, now fused into the creature's back like a grotesque parasite.
"My gift to the Five Points' finest—a glimpse of true power. The collars were just fragments. This is the source. The Heart of Subjugation."
The creature roared, and waves of oppressive energy flooded the warehouse. Levi dropped to one knee, gritting his teeth as his lightning flickered. Lily cried out, clutching her head.
The corrupted fusion took a step forward—and with every step, the floor beneath it cracked.
"You won't stop me," Reed's voice echoed from the beast. "Not now. Not when I'm this close to breaking the chains on this city."
Levi forced himself to stand, veins sparking. "I've heard enough."
He turned to Lily. "Can you still fight?"
"I'll crawl if I have to."
"Good. Then let's end this."
They launched forward, Lily creating a flurry of ice to slow the beast's movements while Levi struck with precise lightning jabs. But the creature adapted quickly—collars erupted from its chest like tendrils, trying to ensnare them.
Lily was nearly caught, a collar curling around her ankle, but she shattered it with a spike of ice.
"No more of this," Levi growled.
He gathered lightning into his palms, "You want to see real power? Then you're going to feel it!"
With shallow breath Levi speaks.
"Direct current"
Levi surged forward in a blur of motion, lightning trailing in his wake. As he launched himself, he hurled a crackling spear of pure electricity. The sheer velocity of his charge amplified the weapon's speed, pushing it to near light-speed—its mass and force magnified to devastating levels.
Before the echo of the impact faded, Levi closed the gap with a thunderous follow-up—his fist cloaked in raw voltage. He drove it forward with a war cry, unleashing what he called his signature move: Riding the Lightning.
With a roar, he slammed his fist into the beast's core. The explosion rocked the warehouse, sending shockwaves through the district.
As the dust settled, the creature writhed, cracks forming across its body.
"You… think this is over?" it croaked, its voice now distorted, multiple tones echoing at once. "There are more… more like me… more collars..."
Levi running on fumes, eyes white on the border of losing himself.
"Let them come."
The fusion of Reed and the slave trader let out one last guttural scream before disintegrating into ashes.
Silence returned to the warehouse.
Lily collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily. "Tell me… that was the worst of it."
Levi looked down at the pile of ash, then out toward the city skyline.
"I doubt it. But it's a start."
The following morning
Levi and Lily, both wrapped in bandages and still sore from the previous night's chaos, stood in the lobby of the local station, reluctantly reporting in.
"Why am I the one stuck filing paperwork?" Levi muttered, wincing as he shifted in his seat. "This isn't even my division."
"Their commander gets back tonight," Lily replied, flipping through a report. "Pretty sure he'll want a full explanation for why half his unit is in jail."
"Not my fault he hired garbage."
"That may be true," she said, not looking up, "but it is your fault 53 of them are in the hospital with broken bones."
"If they trained harder that wouldn't be an issue."
"Not everyone is as much of a training freak as you are you know now quit your whining and finish the report so we can get something to eat."
Levi stared at her for a moment, then sighed, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He turned back to the paperwork, secretly relieved she was okay. As his pen scratched across the page, his mind drifted to the battles still ahead—and the strange feeling that this was only the beginning.