Jake walked back to the village.
Almost there.
The sun was beginning to dip beneath the jagged treetops, spilling golden blood across the sky. But Jake didn't take the path home.
He veered off the road.
The detour took him through underbrush, along uneven trails only game and ghosts used. He moved swiftly, barely disturbing the leaves. After several minutes of silent running, he found what he was looking for.
'Aveline.'
She was there, exactly as described. Towering plate armor, a lion's mane of golden hair tied back, a greatsword slung across her back like it weighed nothing.
And she wasn't alone.
Two others flanked her—a lithe woman with cropped black hair and a staff strapped to her back, and a man with a longbow and a scar that split his jawline.
All three stood around a clearing, tense and alert. They were tracking something.
'The bandits.'
Jake crouched low behind a thick trunk, still as stone. He watched.
If Jake has any chance to catch someone as powerful as her… it had to be the way he always did it before.
You make them trust you.
You deceive them.
A quiet chime echoed in his skull. His system responded, cold and clinical:
[Godly Eye of the Killer Activated]
[Target: Female – Age 33 – Potential Victim
Emotional State: Angry, Frustrated, Confused]
Jake's eyes narrowed slightly.
Confused?
Why would the hero be confused?
Then he listened. Really listened.
The black-haired woman pointed ahead. "Their tracks led this far. Then—nothing. They just… stop."
Aveline's expression darkened. Her fingers clenched around the hilt of her dagger. "They don't just stop. That's not it."
Jake understood then. They'd reached the edge of the massacre—the place where he'd erased the bandits, every last one. But he hadn't left evidence.
Confusion was inevitable.
A second later, a blur of silver arced through the air.
Jake didn't even flinch.
The dagger embedded itself in the bark beside his head, humming from the impact.
Aveline's voice was clear, commanding. "Come out."
Jake paused for only a breath.
He wasn't ready to fight—not like this. He wasn't stupid.
So he stepped out, slow and calm, hands raised.
Just a hooded figure with sharp eyes and a patient smile.
"My name's Jake," he said evenly. "Jake Whisper."
The man with the bow was already nocking an arrow. The woman's fingers hovered near her staff.
Aveline didn't move. Her eyes pierced him, studying, weighing.
"You were watching us," she said.
Jake nodded. "I heard voices. Curiosity got the better of me."
Aveline tilted her head. "People tend to avoid this part of the forest."
Jake offered a soft shrug. "I've been living in the village nearby. Just returned from a trip to town. Heard rumors."
The black-haired woman stepped forward, skeptical. "What kind of rumors?"
Jake smiled faintly. "That a hero had arrived."
That earned a flicker from Aveline. A twitch of her brow. "And so you followed me?"
"I wanted to see if the stories were true."
The man with the bow scoffed. "You expect us to believe you were just… sightseeing?"
Jake let his smile fade slightly. Just enough.
"My father went missing three days ago." he said, voice low. "He was taken by those same bandits. Forgive me if I was curious to see the woman who said she'd put them to justice."
Silence.
Aveline's jaw tightened. Her dagger hadn't moved from its sheath.
The system flickered again.
"I don't want trouble," he said. "I just want to help."
Aveline's eyes bored into his. "We don't need help."
Jake dipped his head slightly. "Of course."
And then, slowly, he turned.
He didn't walk away fast. He didn't twitch. Just calm, steady steps.
He could feel their eyes on his back.
He counted five steps.
Then six.
Then—
"Wait."
He stopped. Didn't turn around.
Aveline's voice came again, lower this time.
"You said you live nearby. How well do you know this forest?"
Jake kept his face neutral as he turned.
"Well enough to know there's only one path that leads north without turning into a dead end."
She looked at the others. Then back at him.
"Show us."
And just like that, Jake smiled.
Not wide. Not smug.
Just a curl at the edges.
Step one: infiltration.
The hero was letting the killer walk beside her.
And she didn't even know it!