The trade center kept its crowded, bustling streets alive. The air was full of overlapping voices and footsteps, with customers from all kinds of races moving between the shops and stalls. Some cafes and seating areas were packed with people worn out by the crowd, sitting down to rest and refill their empty stomachs and drained energy.

Among these cafes, one in particular stood out. It looked more eye-catching than the rest and constantly drew the stares and curiosity of everyone passing by.

It wasn't because of how excellent their cakes were or how carefully designed the garden of the shop was, even though both were decent. The real reason was the group of people sitting together at one of the outdoor tables.

Vivienne and Marielle were two second-generation mutants with flawless skin and a refined, mature charm. They sat with effortless grace, chatting in a restrained yet alluring way. That composed elegance alone was enough to earn them second and third looks from many men who happened to pass.

Vesha and Niva were an entirely different scene. With their cute and adorable appearances, shoulders leaning toward each other, they were exchanging jokes and laughing, their voices light and bright. It was heart-melting, peaceful, and genuinely pleasant to watch.

The two who drew the most attention, however, were Thalira and Selina. In the eyes of mortals, the only words that fit them were 'beautiful in a deadly way,' like weapons hidden under silk.

Anyone who looked at them would instinctively glance away a moment later, unwilling to risk a second look. The sharp, dangerous aura they were unconsciously radiating at that moment made sure of it.

From a distance, they seemed to be chatting casually and warmly, just friends enjoying a quiet afternoon. Up close, though, the intent in their eyes and the quiet calculation behind their gazes told a different story.

That silent tension was slowly emptying the entire cafe. Even the current customers were cutting their visits short, paying quickly, and leaving, like people stepping away from a storm they could feel building.

"If you girls keep doing that, you will make the shop go bankrupt," Victor said in Human language with a sigh, leaning slightly back as he looked at the two women.

He could see the logic behind Selina's choice to invite her. Having the danger seated in front of them, where it could be watched and measured, was safer than having it appear from some unexpected corner.

On top of that, the Lunari were now formally accepted as confirmed allies of the Humans, so closing the distance between them was a sensible long-term strategy.

Still, while he was watching the air between the two women tighten until it felt like a spark could start a fight at any moment, the decision was beginning to feel questionable in practice.

"Hm?" Selina turned to Victor, her smile not fading. "And what exactly do you think we're doing?"

The way she asked that question—calm and smiling, yet with an underlying warning—caused Victor to swallow his response and let it die there.

This woman is scary.

The thought moved through his mind, heavy and clear, but stayed unspoken. Instead, he kept his eyes on the surroundings, his attention returning to his role as a guard.

His blood-colored eyes swept over the street. He was taking in each movement and every face passing in front of the cafe when, suddenly, his gaze snagged on a figure standing still in the middle of the crowd for a heartbeat, like a fixed point in a flowing river.

When he blinked and opened his eyes again, the figure was gone.

If anyone else had noticed, they would likely have brushed it off as a trick of light and movement. But Victor didn't. He knew exactly what, or who, he had seen, and the realization made his expression tighten slightly.

When Selina caught the subtle shift in his expression and the brief hardening in his eyes, she asked in a low voice, "What happened?" Her tone was soft enough not to disturb the flow of the others' conversation.

Victor let out a quiet breath, as if he had already decided not to pursue what he'd seen. "Nothing, just saw a familiar face," he answered in a whisper.

"A familiar face?" Selina frowned slightly. She heard the evasive note in his answer but chose not to push him, the reason behind it coming to her naturally.

She followed his earlier line of sight, scanning the crowd beyond the cafe's fence. Nothing looked out of place, only unfamiliar faces moving in and out of shops.

After a moment, she turned back to Marielle and Niva, who were eating their cake and talking with bright smiles, clearly enjoying the moment.

The scene in front of her looked strangely normal and peaceful, almost like something out of an advertisement. Yet in her chest, it felt as if something important was missing, leaving a small hollow space behind.

She reached for her cake and picked up the spoon from the table. Dipping it into the sweet, red, fragrant coating on top, she scooped up a small piece of the soft cream and sponge cake, then gently put it in her mouth.

The sweet, strange, fruity aroma spread through her mouth and coated her tongue. She let the taste linger, as if that sweetness might settle deeper and soften the empty feeling slowly growing in her chest.

—

Among the street crowd, a lone man walked at an unhurried pace, moving with the flow of people.

His black boots didn't make a sound with each light touch of the stone, yet his stride was steady and quick enough to pass every figure in front of him without lingering behind anyone.

Among all the races in the area, this man should have stood out the most. His messy dark gray hair, crimson eyes burning like two active volcanoes, and ash-gray skin were anything but ordinary.

Yet no one's gaze settled on him, not even for a second. It was as if they couldn't register his presence, or as if their eyes simply refused to hold his outline.

Looks like this Nihil has some beneficial passive traits.

Adyr kept his steady walk and relaxed posture while he was testing the reach of his new bloodline talent, gauging how the crowd reacted—or failed to.

Victor had spotted him earlier, but Victor was a Rank 3 Practitioner with an evolution chain focused on his eyes; his perception sharpened far past normal limits.

The people in this crowd were all simple mortals. They had no way to notice Adyr unless he allowed it.

He moved like a shadow untouched by daylight. He slipped between bodies without brushing them and passed shoulders without a single head turning his way. He stayed that way until he left the crowded square and stepped into a shabby alley tucked between tall buildings, half-forgotten by the main street.

He had come here to spend time with his family and to steady himself before his next rank up. But when he saw them around that cafe table, relaxed and smiling, he decided the best choice was to leave them to it.

He was used to seeing people as tools for his own needs, pieces to be placed and moved. This time, however, he refused to drag his family into that role.

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