"Come back next week to pay what is due to you."

Lady Light's voice was calm, as if she were stating a simple fact.

Hearing this, Seth felt a quiet sense of relief.

At the very least, the payment was not something immediate or tangible.

She was asking for information... things that required time to investigate.

That alone made the request far more reasonable, and far less dangerous, than having to offer something personal on the spot.

"This ends today's gathering," Lady Light continued.

"To today's newcomers, and as a reminder to everyone else..."

"The existence of this place is a secret. I will know if anyone utters this secret with harmful intent. Do not attempt to do anything foolish."

Seth pondered her warning as he analyzed her words.

'She said she will know if someone "utters this secret with harm." That must be tied directly to her power over the word "secrets."...'

'Since this whole gathering is held under the influence of her ability, it makes sense she'd be able to monitor how the secret is shared.'

He also noted the key phrase: "with harm..."

That explained how Danica had been able to tell him about the gathering without consequence.

Danica hadn't intended to bring harm to anyone here; she was simply giving Seth a helpful lead.

Seth, too, had no intention of causing harm, so he wasn't worried about triggering Lady Light's warning.

"You may now disperse, with five minutes between departures," Lady Light said.

"The order of release will be decided by me."

She gestured first toward Seth and the naive girl.

"Newcomers will leave first. It is simpler this way—you have less history here, fewer connections, and it reduces the chance of anyone following you out. Please exit quietly and do not linger near the building."

It made sense. Letting newcomers leave first minimized risk.

They didn't know each other well, so they were less likely to collaborate or be tracked by more established members.

It also allowed Lady Light to control the flow and ensure no large group left together, which could draw unwanted attention.

Seth rose from his seat, giving a slight nod to Miss Brown and Lady Light.

The naive girl followed, still looking a bit overwhelmed but grateful.

Together, they were led to the door by the bull-masked guard, who opened it just enough for them to slip out one at a time.

As they left, Seth felt several gazes linger on his back.

...

Before the Black Lantern gathering ended, Miss Brown quietly handed Seth a sealed letter containing details about the man she wanted him to investigate.

Inside, the note provided information on the target: Darius Velon.

The first part explained why Miss Brown was after him.

Apparently, she had been hired by a certain family to gather intelligence on Darius before he was to be "dealt with" permanently.

According to her sources, Darius served as a communication waypoint—a middleman—between two demonic weapon traders.

She needed to map his movements, contacts, and routines to locate the traders themselves before swiftly eliminating Darius himself.

If he disappeared, their entire operation would become unstable.

That alone made him a priority target.

Miss Brown also explained why she needed help.

Her sin was best suited for direct combat.

Once she found her target, she could eliminate him efficiently.

However, following someone unnoticed for long periods was not her strength.

Surveillance, tracking patterns, and quiet observation were outside her specialty.

Because of that, she needed someone who could gather information first.

Someone who could stalk without being seen.

Someone like Seth.

Seth folded the letter slightly as he thought.

'She can't possibly be the only one on this job,' Seth reasoned.

'There are probably other witches or operatives working with her. But she's the only one who came to the Black Lantern to find an expert in stalking. That means her team lacks someone with that specific skill set. The others are likely busy with different parts of the mission—maybe gathering supplies, planning the attack, or watching other suspects.'

Seth eventually came to a conclusion.

Her companions were likely powerful in their own ways, but none of them excelled at trailing a target without being detected.

That was why she took the risk of seeking help here...

As for the others, they were probably busy with preparations that required strength, not subtlety.

Seth continued reading.

The letter contained a detailed description of Darius Velon.

He was described as a man in his late thirties, tall but slightly hunched, as if he was always trying to make himself smaller.

His hair was dark brown, kept short but messy, and his beard was uneven, suggesting he trimmed it himself without much care.

His eyes were sharp and restless.

According to Miss Brown's notes, he rarely made direct eye contact and constantly scanned his surroundings, even during casual conversations.

This suggested paranoia—or experience...

Darius often dressed plainly. Long coats, dark hooded jackets, and worn boots were his usual choices.

Nothing flashy and nothing memorable.

His clothes blended easily into crowds, especially at night.

He favored gloves, even indoors. That detail stood out to Seth...

Either he's hiding something, Seth thought, or he's careful not to leave traces.

The letter also described his temperament.

Darius Velon was cautious, impatient, and deeply distrustful.

He avoided prolonged conversations and never stayed in one place for too long.

Meetings were brief and usually ended without warning...

He preferred indirect routes, doubled back often, and was known to suddenly change destinations if he sensed something was off.

That alone told Seth that trailing him would not be easy.

The list also noted the general areas where Darius had been frequently spotted: abandoned buildings in the industrial sector, narrow alleyways in the old market district, and the sprawling, mist-shrouded cemetery district on the city's eastern edge.

However, the information was frustratingly vague—

Which abandoned building, which alley, which part of the cemetery district?

There were no specific addresses, times, or patterns...

Seth understood why.

Miss Brown and her team clearly had no talent for covert surveillance...

They might have caught glimpses of him but failed to track him systematically.

Without someone skilled in stalking, their intelligence gathering was inefficient—like trying to follow a ghost with clumsy footsteps.

They could fight and they could gather surface-level intelligence... But following someone like Darius Velon without alerting him required patience, timing, and restraint.

For the first time, Seth felt his unusual ability was not just a defensive tool or a skill meant for stealing, but a professional asset that many would appreciate...

Seth paused as he folded the letter and tucked it away

...

Seth did not immediately go out to find the man.

Instead, he sat on a bench and thought deeply.

A growing suspicion took root in his mind.

After having his fate manipulated once—a manipulation that led to his first death—he had become extremely cautious.

Even though he had tried to avoid Phoebe and her problems by running to another district, his simple contact with Phoebe's mentor, Danica, had now looped him back in.

The payment Lady Light wanted was information on Fredero Tangen...

Phoebe's uncle, the very target of her revenge.

Seth could not shake the feeling that this was not a coincidence.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he processed the information.

One event could be chance.

Two could still be ignored.

But three related events forming a straight line toward the same person?

That was no longer random.

Was my fate altered again? he wondered.

If that was the case, then this meant something far worse.

It meant that someone—or something—was guiding him into Phoebe's affairs whether he wanted to be involved or not.

That was how it started last time.

If he followed this path without understanding it, he might end up as a pawn again, pushed forward for someone else's purpose.

Seth clenched his hand.

Even with [Meaningful Resurrection], death was not something he could treat lightly.

The ability had strict conditions and limits.

It did not guarantee revival every time...

To test his suspicion, he decided to use [Fate Consumption] on himself.

He would not actually consume his own fate, but he wanted to use the ability to look at the "lines" of his own past and future.

If his fate was being manipulated again, there might be signs—unnatural bends, forced branches, or threads that seemed controlled...

Seth focused inward, turning the gaze of [Fate Consumption] upon himself.

In his mind's eye, his own life appeared as threads of light—

A single, solid line for the past, and a web of branching possibilities for the future.

He concentrated on the present— the point where the straight line of his past met the spreading branches of his future.

And there, he saw it.

The line was not clean at all...

Near the present moment, it showed slight, shimmering distortions... like heat haze over a road.

Sections of it seemed… pressed, as if an invisible finger had gently nudged its course.

Other parts looked faintly braided with threads of a different color, a pale gold that was not his own.

These were not natural variations....

They were signs of external tampering!

Seth was correct!

His fate had been manipulated and tampered with once again!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.