The apartment felt deeply peaceful in the soft glow of the deep blue before sunrise.

Dominic moved through the scene with calmness and ease, hardly giving a second glance to the bodies. He gently stepped past the two against the far wall, then made his way through the courtyard door to check on the third, before quietly returning inside. Dominic organized the mission kit on the table—two healing vials, some rope, her notes, and neatly folded, secured maps. As he packed, he softly opened the system, took the Aether Thread Bandage from the shop, and carefully added it to the ring. At least the attack was generous enough to provide the tokens. He checked each item carefully, making sure everything was in place.

The city outside was starting to wake up. Dew sparkled on the stones in the courtyard, capturing that peaceful stillness that lingers for about an hour each morning before life picks up again.

He heard the carriage approaching before he even saw it.

***

Theresa came through the gate first, Frank right behind her. He was dressed neatly for a morning appointment, a deliberate choice that Dominic understood.

Frank paused in the courtyard, taking his time to look at what was before him. He observed three items, arranged with a thoughtful neatness, as if space had been a practical concern. He bent down briefly by the first, then the second, and finally the last one, moving with calm assurance. His careful checking clearly demonstrated his years of experience.

Then he straightened, and his eyes found Dominic.

"They don’t look like amateurs," Frank said.

"Theresa would know better than me; I didn’t see the whole thing go down."

Frank looked at Theresa.

"They weren’t amateurs," she said. "But they didn’t really get the chance to show off their skills."

Frank nodded, a thoughtful flicker passing behind his eyes that he didn’t quite put into words.

Dominic chose his words thoughtfully, not asking, but making an observation about how information like this usually spreads. Three professional operatives sent to a man’s home in the dark, such a move spoke volumes about who had given the order. It was the kind of thing that called for a clear reaction, something that would move the same way the information did.

Dominic chose not to name Harwick, and that was perfectly fine. Frank listened quietly, his steady face signaling a deep grasp of the subtext without him speaking a single word.

"Focus on your mission," Frank said. "I’ll handle this."

He meant more than the bodies, and both of them knew it.

Frank’s team arrived through the gate, getting right to work with quiet efficiency. Frank then accompanied them to the gate, keeping things brief and straightforward.

"I hope to get news from you before sundown," Frank said.

"Of course," Dominic said.

They left in opposite directions.

***

The south road was calm and peaceful early in the morning, as the city began to wake up. Behind them, the market quarter was still finding its rhythm, and the dungeon district was quiet for now. The south gate opened slowly, with only a watchman on duty holding a tin mug and paying little attention to the two travellers and the shimmering, glowing entity heading toward the trees.

The grass beyond the gate shimmered with dew, inviting gentle mornings. The road stretched straight ahead before gracefully curving into the trees, creating a scenic path. The cool air carried a refreshing scent of morning earth and the bounty of the fields on either side, full of seasonal life.

Wobbly was on Theresa’s shoulder.

The fog lingered softly before the graveyard appeared, its thick and welcoming embrace low against the gentle morning light. It sat in an oddly familiar way, dense in a manner that had nothing to do with the weather or the time of day, adding an intriguing mystery. The treeline gently closed in around the road, leading to the moment when the boundary wall revealed itself through the trees, inviting curiosity and a sense of quiet anticipation.

They paused at the edge of the treeline, and Theresa skillfully cast the concealment spell. The familiar seconds of layering enveloped them; the compression squeezed inward, gently drawing them both under. As they disappeared, the world around them grew eerily quiet, a quiet that happens when you stop existing in its view.

Dominic experienced a profound change from within. It wasn’t something you could ignore or dismiss; it felt like a quiet absence. As he gazed at the graveyard, the fog drifted through gently, forming slow-moving shapes. These figures, reminiscent of the shambolic patrol he’d heard about, were the first time he truly saw them. Moving steadily, guided by an unknown force—something that wasn’t quite intelligence, yet not absent either.

"Same as before?" he said quietly.

"Mostly." Theresa was already counting. "Fifteen now."

More had joined since her survey.

They moved into the graveyard.

***

Mid-morning at the Harwick estate, nestled in the noble quarter of Caldmore, the place had that look of deliberate and costly placement that many estates boast of. The architecture clearly conveyed a sense of distance, and the gate reinforced that impression.

They opened the gate regardless.

He was greeted warmly in a formal room. The house itself served as neutral ground, which was also a piece of information. Hector arrived after a comfortable pause, calm and unhurried, and greeted Frank with the confident air of someone who had taken the time to understand precisely who he was talking to before starting the conversation.

Frank exuded warmth and friendliness, almost to the point of conviviality. He inquired about the estate and admired the room’s quality. He also mentioned the season and how the noble quarter tends to look especially well-maintained this time of year. Hector responded politely, and both of them spoke in a reserved manner, each keeping his own cards close to his chest, neither wanting to be the first to reveal too much.

The tense undertone lingered quietly in the background, though neither of them mentioned it out loud.

Frank carefully brought out the box during a natural pause in their chat. He gently placed it on the table between them without making a fuss, simply saying it was from his protege, Dominic Kane, which threw Hector off, but he quickly suppressed his surprise. Frank made sure it was clear that the boy had put a lot of care into it, and Frank had offered to deliver it himself since he was nearby. He genuinely hoped Hector would enjoy the thoughtful gesture.

Then Frank made his excuses. Thanked Hector for his time. Said they should do this again.

Then left.

His people were already in the carriage. He didn’t look back at the gate.

***

The room still carried a certain aura after Frank left. Hector glanced at the box, already understanding what it represented. Frank Castle didn’t make social calls, and the timing wasn’t just a coincidence. He studied it for a moment, showing the patience of someone who knew that rushing to face uncomfortable truths only made them harder to bear.

He opened it, revealing three faces, each his own. They all had a spotless record before this, and their appearance suggested a quick, deliberate end, with the person behind it knowing exactly what they were doing. He studied the contents of the box for a lingering moment before gently closing it.

Hector set it aside carefully. He calmly turned back to the desk and the papers spread out before him, picking up where he left off before Frank came in.

The calculation was only noticeable in the gentle steadiness of his hands. The presence of Frank Castle’s name behind the Kane boy brought about a significant change. Now, every move had a cost that Victor hadn’t anticipated when he first began. The bounty sitting in the lower city had become a risk, a thread that could be pulled the wrong way by the wrong person.

He made his decision quietly, without calling anyone, feeling it was the final one. By the end of the day, the bounty would just no longer be active, no announcements, no explanations. Victor would discover it when he reached for it and found nothing. Hector gently picked up his pen, ready to move forward.

***

The mausoleum looked just as Theresa had described. The floor section had collapsed, cracking from beneath rather than above, revealing a darkness that seemed to rise from within, filled with the heavy presence of deep, enclosed spaces. Even here on the surface, a faint miasma could be felt, gently pressing against the concealment spell, as if it were testing the boundary between what was hidden and what was exposed.

Theresa looked at the descent. Then at him.

He nodded.

She went first. He followed, staying close enough that the concealment field covered him completely, matching her exact line through the dark the way she’d told him to.

The structure immediately caught his attention. The ceiling felt a bit off in height. The stone’s color and grain didn’t quite match his expectations. He observed the carvings along both walls at eye level—reproduced in Theresa’s notes—yet, in person, they appeared larger than he had imagined, with a more deliberate density that added to their impact.

The miasma pressed against the concealment field. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

They stood at the top of the descent for a moment.

The system activated quietly.

[ENTERING UNKNOWN TERRITORY]

[QUEST ACTIVE: INTO THE HOLLOW]

[BOND STATUS: ACTIVE]

[NOTE: WHATEVER IS DOWN THERE KNOWS THIS PLACE BETTER THAN YOU DO. ACT ACCORDINGLY.]

He closed it.

They went down.