Kage’s POV

  Zara stormed out of Elias Varn’s apartment, her footsteps hard against the pavement as she marched ahead of me. I could see the tension in her shoulders, the barely contained fury simmering beneath her surface. I wasn’t surprised. What we had just learned wasn’t easy to accept—there were people out there who didn’t just hate magicals; they admired the person who was killing them.

  The Cleansing. That’s what they called him. Not a monster. Not a murderer. A hero.

  I clenched my fists as I caught up to her. “Zara, wait.”

  She didn’t stop. “We don’t have time to wait. He’s still out there.”

  I reached out, catching her wrist gently. She tensed but didn’t pull away. “Rushing into this without a plan won’t bring justice. It’ll just get you hurt.”

  Her green eyes, still glowing faintly with magic, met mine. “I’m not going to sit back and let him kill another magical.”

  I softened my grip but didn’t let go. “And I’m not going to let you go in blind. We need more information before we act. We barely know anything about him.”

  She exhaled sharply and shook her head. “We know he has bright blue eyes. We know he sees us as abominations. We know he enjoys what he’s doing.”

  I could hear the tremble in her voice, the pain laced beneath the anger. I knew this wasn’t just about stopping a killer for her—this was about Naja. About the magicals that society feared, that no one had protected. But rage wouldn’t keep her safe.

  I stepped in closer, lowering my voice. “I know you’re angry. I am too. But I need you to trust me on this.”

  She looked away, her jaw tight. “You don’t get it.”

  I did. More than she thought. “I do. I grew up as the only magical in my town. There was no one to teach me, no one to guide me. The people there… they feared me, especially when I was young and couldn’t control it. Even my own parents looked at me like I was something unnatural. I spent years feeling like a monster in my own home, knowing that if I slipped up—if I let my magic get out of hand—it would only make their fear worse. ”

  Her gaze snapped back to mine. She studied me for a long moment, searching for something in my face. I let her. Finally, she sighed, her expression shifting slightly. “I know that pain too,” she murmured. “Everyone feared me when my magic surfaced. But I had my father. He was a magical too—a telepath. He taught me how to control my abilities, how to live with being so connected to death. Without him… I don’t know who I’d be.”

  Her voice softened, but there was still steel beneath her words. “That’s why I can’t just sit back. He always told me to use what I’ve been given to help others. And right now, that means stopping The Cleansing.”

  She sighed and pulled her wrist from my grasp—not in defiance, but in reluctant agreement.

  “Fine,” she said. “We do it your way. But if we find another body—”

  “We’ll be ready,” I finished for her. “Together.”

  Her lips parted slightly, and for a brief second, the fire in her eyes softened. Then she nodded, shoving her hands into her coat pockets. “Let’s go find some answers.”

  I fell into step beside her, the space between us smaller than before.

  The precinct was quiet when we arrived. Night shifts always made the place feel colder, more sterile. Zara had been here before, often assisting in magical-related murders, but this time, it was different. This time, it was personal.

  Detective Hall sat behind his cluttered desk, his sharp eyes narrowing as we approached. “You two again? What now?”

  “We need access to the case files on all seven magicals that have been murdered,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “We think we’ve found a connection.”

  Hall sighed, rubbing his temple. “Zara, I get that this is personal, but you know I can’t just hand over—”

  “I’m not just some outsider,” Zara interrupted, her voice firm but controlled. “I’ve helped you before. You know I can offer insight that no one else can. And this time, I have Kage backing me up. We need to see those files.”

  Hall exhaled sharply and looked at me. I nodded. “We need her on this, Detective.”

  After a long pause, Hall relented. “Fine. But you don’t take them out of this room.”

  He retrieved the files and spread them across the table. Zara and I leaned over them, scanning for patterns. Each victim had different magical abilities—elementalists, mentalists, even a rare illusionist. No obvious connections. Different backgrounds, different jobs.

  But one thing stood out.

  “Look at this,” Zara muttered, pointing to the dates of death. “They’re getting closer together.”

  I frowned, tracing my fingers over the reports. “The first murder was two months ago, then another three weeks later, then two weeks, and now… they’re only days apart.”

  Hall leaned back in his chair. “So the killer is getting bolder.”

  “More confident,” I corrected. “And faster. He’s not just choosing random magicals—there’s a reason behind these killings, even if we don’t see it yet.”

  Zara’s hand clenched into a fist. “That means we don’t have much time before he kills again.”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  I looked at her, noting the tension in her frame, the quiet desperation she tried to mask. I reached out, letting my fingers graze her wrist, grounding her. “We’ll stop him.”

  Her green eyes met mine, softer now. “Then let’s figure out how.”

  A thought struck me like a punch to the gut. “Zara… you realize you’re likely a target too, right?”

  She blinked, confusion flickering across her face. “What do you mean?”

  I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair. “The Cleansing has been targeting magicals, but not just any magicals—ones who could be threats to him. You bring back the dead, Zara. You could expose him. Every time he kills, he counts on his victims staying silent. But you… you can take that power away from him.”

  Her lips parted slightly, realization sinking in. “You think he knows about me?”

  I nodded. “If he doesn’t yet, he will soon. There have been rumors circulating that someone raise Naja from the dead. And that puts you in serious danger.”

  Zara straightened, her jaw tightening. “Then we stop him before he ever gets the chance.”

  Detective Hall crossed his arms. “Zara, if Kage’s right—and I think he is—you need protection. We can assign officers to keep an eye on you.”

  Zara scoffed. “I don’t need babysitting. I need to stop him.”

  Kage stepped in before Hall could argue. “He’s not wrong, Zara. You’re a threat to him, and that makes you a target. We don’t know how much he already knows about you, but if he finds out what you can do, you’ll be at the top of his list.”

  Zara hesitated, her fingers tightening into fists. “I won’t hide.”

  Kage exhaled. “Then at least let me be the one watching your back. We do this together.”

  Zara studied him for a moment before nodding, her expression softer but still determined. “Fine.”

  Hall hesitated, then sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “There’s something else. A survivor.”

  Zara and I both tensed.

  “A survivor?” I asked sharply.

  Hall nodded, his expression grim. “Yeah. Name’s Dain Whitlock. He was attacked weeks ago, left for dead, but he made it. The thing is—he didn’t stick around. Went into hiding the moment he was able to walk again.”

  Zara leaned forward, her fingers tightening against the table. “Why would he run?”

  “You tell me,” Hall said. “Guy was attacked, barely survived, and then vanished. Maybe he’s scared, maybe he knows something he shouldn’t, but I think I found an address for him.” He tapped his fingers against his desk. “I was planning to send someone to check it out, but if you two want to take a crack at it first…”

  I glanced at Zara. A survivor could be the missing piece of the puzzle—the one person who had seen The Cleansing and lived to tell about it.

  I turned back to Hall. “Give us the address. We’ll find him.”

  The drive to Dain’s last-known address was quiet. Zara stared out the window, lost in thought, her jaw clenched. I stole a glance at her before focusing back on the road.

  “You’re thinking too much again,” I said.

  She scoffed. “And you’re not thinking enough.”

  I smirked. “I think plenty. But right now, we need to focus on getting to Dain before The Cleansing does.”

  She sighed, rubbing her temples. “I just… I don’t know what’s worse. That this murderer is hunting magicals or that there are people cheering him on.”

  My grip tightened on the wheel. “I know the feeling. But we focus on what we can do. We stop him. That’s all that matters.”

  The address led us to a run-down apartment complex on the outskirts of the city. The building had seen better days—cracked windows, peeling paint, and an overall air of neglect.

  “Looks promising,” Zara muttered, stepping out of the car.

  I scanned the area before nodding. “Let’s be careful. If Dain’s hiding, he won’t trust us easily.”

  We made our way inside, the creaky stairs groaning under our weight. Apartment 3C. I knocked firmly.

  Silence.

  Then, a soft shuffle from the other side of the door.

  “Dain?” Zara called. “We’re here to help. We just want to talk.”

  More silence.

  I exchanged a glance with Zara before reaching for my badge. “Dain, we’re with the police. We know what happened to you. We know you were attacked. We think the same person might be hunting magicals. We need to know what you remember.”

  The door opened just a crack. A pair of wary, golden eyes peered out at us. “You can’t help me. He’s still watching. He won’t stop.”

  Zara’s breath hitched. “Then let us stop him first.”

  I exchanged a glance with Zara, her expression hardening. She stepped closer, her voice softer but no less determined. “Dain, we know what happened to you. We know you survived. We need to stop him before he hurts anyone else.”

  Another silence. Then the door cracked open just enough for golden eyes like a cat to peer out at us. The fear in them was unmistakable. “You need to leave.”

  I pressed my palm against the door. “Not until you tell us what you know.”

  Dain hesitated, then slowly unlatched the chain and stepped aside. The place inside was as worn down as the outside. Furniture covered in dust, stacks of old newspapers, and a mattress pushed against the far wall. This wasn’t a home—it was a hiding place.

  Dain’s hands trembled as he pulled his hood lower over his face. “I don’t know who he is,” he whispered. “But I remember his eyes.”

  Zara tensed beside me. “Bright blue?”

  Dain nodded. “Cold. Emotionless. He never said a word—until the end.”

  I stepped forward. “What did he say?”

  Dain swallowed hard, his throat working. “He called me an ‘abomination’ before he stabbed me. He didn’t kill me right away. He wanted me to suffer first.”

  Zara’s hands clenched into fists. I could feel the energy around her shift, her emotions barely contained. I placed a steadying hand on her shoulder, grounding her.

  “We’re going to stop him,” I told Dain firmly. “But we need your help. Anything else you can remember, any detail, no matter how small—”

  Dain shuddered, rubbing his arms. “He was methodical. Precise. It wasn’t random. He knew exactly what he was doing. And… I think he’s done this before.”

  Zara and I exchanged a grim look. We already knew that much, but hearing it confirmed sent a fresh wave of urgency through me.

  Dain pulled back slightly, his voice barely a whisper. “You don’t understand. He’s not just killing us. He’s hunting us.”

  A chill ran down my spine. Zara exhaled sharply, turning to me. “We need to find him. Now.”

  I nodded. “Then we start hunting him.”

  Armed with more details, Zara and I realized this wasn’t random—the killer wasn’t just attacking magicals at random. He believed he was cleansing the world of us. This wasn’t just murder; it was ideology. The weight of that realization settled over us as we drove back to her house, the hum of the car engine filling the silence. The glow of the passing streetlights flickered across her face, highlighting the tension in her jaw and the fire in her green eyes.

  I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white. “If he’s targeting magicals systematically, we need to make ourselves unavoidable.”

  Zara folded her arms, her jaw tight. “You mean set a trap.”

  I nodded. “There’s a magical hotspot in the city—the marketplace on the east side. It’s one of the few places where magicals gather openly. If he’s hunting, that’s where he’ll be.”

  Zara’s expression darkened. “And if he shows up, I want to be the one to stop him.”

  I exhaled sharply, watching the tension in her stance, the fire in her green eyes. “Zara… you can’t make this personal.”

  She snapped her gaze to me. “It is personal. He killed my best friend. He’s killed six other magicals already. How do you expect me to stay detached?”

  I kept my hands tight on the steering wheel, my voice low but firm. “You’re not thinking straight. I know you want justice, but revenge is a different beast. It clouds your judgment. We need to be smart about this.”

  She clenched her fists, but after a long moment, she sighed and looked away. “Fine. But when we catch him, I’m not standing back.”

  I nodded, knowing she wouldn’t. “Then let’s make sure we catch him first.”