Rain staggered backward, one hand pressed to his chest where the shadow had entered. His breath came in short, panicked gasps, and his eyes—wide, glassy, utterly terrified—fixed on Julian with the expression of a man who had just realized he was already dead and simply hadn’t stopped moving yet.

"I... I understand," he whispered. "I won’t... I won’t do anything. I swear it."

Julian regarded him for a moment longer, then nodded once—satisfied, or at least willing to pretend satisfaction for the sake of moving forward.

"Good. Then we understand each other."

He turned away from Rain as though the man had already ceased to exist, his attention shifting to Emma, who approached with the rolled map held triumphantly aloft. She tossed it to him without ceremony; he caught it one-handed, unrolled a portion, and scanned its contents with rapid, practiced efficiency.

"Detailed," he murmured. "Accurate. This will serve."

Fey ambled closer, peering at the map over his shoulder. "So we’ve got four targets now. Greenday, Neo, Xlomoph, and..." She glanced back at Rain, who still stood frozen in place, hand pressed to his chest. "Well, I guess technically five if you count this guy, but he’s probably off the table for now."

"Leave him," Julian agreed. "The shadow will ensure compliance. If he breaks, I’ll know. If he doesn’t, he’s irrelevant."

Emma stretched her arms above her head, a satisfied grin spreading across her face. "So what’s the play, Juli~an? Hit them one by one? All at once? Divide and conquer?"

Julian rolled the map carefully, tucking it into his coat. "One by one. Simultaneous strikes would divide our forces too thinly. We dismantle Eclipse’s support network piece by piece. Greenday first—they control manpower. Without fresh recruits and workers, Eclipse’s operations stagnate."

Zoe spoke for the first time, her voice flat and practical. "Neo after. No minerals, no weapons. No weapons, no power."

"Then Xlomoph," Fey picked up, a glint of interest in her tired eyes. "No energy means their fancy mutation chambers go dark. No more super-soldiers."

Emma nodded, catching on. "And by the time we get to them, they’ll be scrambling. Desperate. Easy pickings."

Dori, who had been quietly observing from behind a crate, finally spoke up. Her voice was soft, hesitant, but carried a genuine concern that cut through the tactical discussion. "Um... what about the people in those factions? The ones who aren’t evil? The workers, the families... they’re just following orders, right? Do we have to... to hurt them too?"

The question hung in the air.

Julian turned to look at her—really look at her, those dark blue eyes considering the gentle girl who somehow remained gentle despite everything they’d been through. For a long moment, he didn’t speak.

Then, quietly: "We target leadership. Infrastructure. Not civilians. If they surrender, we don’t kill them. If they run, we don’t pursue. Our war is with Eclipse, not with everyone unfortunate enough to live under their shadow."

Dori’s worried expression softened slightly. She nodded, clutching her weapon a little tighter. "Okay. That’s... that’s good."

Julian paused at the threshold of the shattered entrance, one foot already raised to step into the darkness beyond. He turned his head slightly, enough to catch Rain’s terrified profile in the corner of his vision.

"One more thing."

Rain flinched as though struck. His hand pressed tighter against his chest, over the place where the shadow had entered. "Y-yes?"

"The Arbiters." Julian’s voice was flat, clinical. "What do you know about them?"

Rain blinked. The fear in his eyes flickered, shifting—confusion replacing terror. "The... Arbiters? I... I don’t..."

He trailed off, clearly searching his memory, his expression genuine in its bewilderment. "I’ve heard the name, maybe. Whispers. But nothing concrete. They’re not... they’re not part of Eclipse’s network. We don’t deal with them. Don’t know anyone who does."

Julian studied him in silence.

Rain’s pulse hammered visibly in his throat. Sweat beaded on his forehead. But beneath the fear, there was no deception—only the blank confusion of someone being asked about a subject he genuinely knew nothing about.

He’s telling the truth, Julian concluded. Either ignorant or well-trained enough to fool even my assessment. Given his current state, ignorance is more likely.

He turned away.

"If you hear anything, the shadow will let me know."

Rain opened his mouth—to protest, to promise, to beg—but Julian was already moving, stepping through the shattered entrance and into the smoke-shrouded street beyond.

Emma fell into step beside him, her earlier brightness dimmed slightly by the weight of the encounter. "Arbiters again, huh? You really think they’re connected to all this?"

"I think they’re connected to everything," Julian replied quietly. "Whether Eclipse knows it or not."

Fey ambled behind them, hands in her pockets. "So Rain’s a dead end on that front. Shame. Would’ve been nice to get a lead without having to tear apart another faction."

Zoe said nothing, but her golden eyes swept the darkness around them—ever watchful, ever alert.

Dori hurried to keep up, clutching her paper like a talisman. "At least he seemed honest? That’s... that’s good, right? That he didn’t know?"

"Honesty and ignorance aren’t the same thing," Julian replied. "But in this case, they align."

They moved deeper into the ruins, leaving Rain and his shattered operation behind. Behind them, the fires continued to crackle, consuming the last evidence of Eclipse’s western supply line.

Julian slowed his pace, allowing the others to fall into a loose formation around him. The adrenaline of the raid had faded, leaving behind the familiar weight of exhaustion settling into muscles and minds alike.

Fey stretched her arms above her head with an exaggerated groan, her blue ponytail swaying with the motion. "So, uh, not to be the voice of reason here, but can we maybe take a break? Like, a real one? I’ve been holding liquid restraints on like eight people for the past hour and my brain feels like soup."

Emma nodded vigorously, wiping a streak of soot from her cheek with the back of her hand. "Ugh, yes. I need a bath so bad. I can feel the sweat crusting on my skin and it’s disgusting. Like, I could probably shower for three days straight and still smell like burnt mutant."

Julian glanced at them—really looked, not just the tactical assessment but the human one. Dark circles under Fey’s eyes. The way Emma kept rolling her shoulders, working out the tension of extended combat. Zoe’s usual silence, but with a slight droop to her posture that spoke of genuine fatigue. Even Dori, clutching her paper, had a worn quality to her gentle features.

"We’ll rest," he said quietly. There was something in his voice—not soft, exactly, but lacking its usual cold edge. "We’re not on a timer that requires immediate action. Recovery is part of efficiency."

Emma blinked, then grinned. "Wow, Julian being reasonable about self-care."

He didn’t respond, but the slight tilt of his head might have been acknowledgment.

Dori, however, still had worry etched across her features. She bit her lower lip, glancing back toward the direction of Rain’s ruined headquarters. "Um... but what about Eclipse? Won’t they get suspicious when Rain’s shipment doesn’t arrive on time? They’ll send someone to check, right? And then they’ll find out what happened and—"

"Probably," Fey interrupted, not unkindly. She yawned, covering her mouth with one hand. "They’ll definitely notice eventually. Question is when, and what Rain does about it." She shrugged, the gesture lazy but her eyes sharp. "Now we get to play the waiting game. See if our new friend keeps his promise or folds the second Eclipse comes knocking."

She glanced at Julian with something almost like approval. "Worst case, he breaks, we find out through your shadow thingy, and we come back to finish the job properly." A smirk tugged at her lips. "Speaking of which—Dori, you did plant those little surprises around their compound, right? The ones we talked about?"

Dori’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she nodded. "Y-yes. In the generator room, the supply depot, and under the main support beams in the lobby. Just like you showed me. They’re... they’re for emergencies only, though, right? Only if we really need them?"

Emma reached over and ruffled Dori’s hair affectionately. "Relax, Dori. Rain’s gonna behave. Did you see his face when Julian did the shadow thing? Guy looked like he’d seen a ghost—and then the ghost stabbed him and moved in permanently." She grinned, all teeth. "He’s not gonna risk that. Trust me."

Dori bit her lip but nodded again, clearly trying to convince herself.

Julian said nothing. His gaze had drifted eastward again, toward the distant territory of the Crimson Sovereign.

But beneath his calm exterior, calculations ran continuous.

Rain will comply—for now. Fear is a reliable motivator, and I gave him ample reason to be afraid. The question is how long that fear outweighs his terror of Eclipse. When they come asking questions, will he fold?

If he does, Dori’s bombs buy us time. If he doesn’t, we’ve successfully severed one of four supply lines.

Either way, we learn something.