Elias dropped onto his worn-out couch, yanking off the black mask and throwing it across the room.
His hands were still shaking — not from fear, but adrenaline.
He had danced with devils and lived to tell the tale.
Glitch handed him a bottle of water, eyes wary.
"You sure you're okay?" she asked, flopping down beside him, her messy bun now completely undone, strands of silver hair falling into her face.
Elias took a long sip, then leaned back.
"I'm fine," he said, though the ache in his chest said otherwise.
His watch vibrated softly on his wrist.
Task Completed:
Reward: Emotional Control (Advanced)
New Ability Unlocked: Stay outwardly calm under extreme pressure, fake emotions convincingly.
He gave a bitter laugh.
"Great," he muttered. "Now I can lie better too."
Glitch nudged him. "Hey. You're surviving. That's something."
But was surviving enough?
---
A black SUV waited under the dim lights, tinted windows hiding its occupants.
Elias approached carefully, his footsteps echoing.
The back window rolled down.
Inside sat Vex — or rather, Victor Kane himself — smirking like a man who owned the city.
Character Spotlight: Victor Kane
Name: Victor Kane
Age: 42
Profession: Business tycoon (public), criminal mastermind (secret)
Appearance: Bronze skin, dark sharp eyes, strong jawline dusted with stubble, always impeccably dressed in black suits with blood-red ties
Flaws: Narcissistic, paranoid, cruel to weakness
Attitude: Commands every room without raising his voice; pure power veiled in civility
---
"Get in," Kane said casually.
Elias obeyed.
Inside the SUV, the smell of leather and expensive cigars filled the air.
Kane tossed him a file.
"You want to move up? I have a test for you."
Elias flipped open the folder.
Inside were photos.
Names.
Addresses.
Ordinary people.
Teachers.
Journalists.
Activists.
People Kane wanted removed — quietly or violently.
Elias felt his stomach churn.
"They're obstacles," Kane said smoothly. "Dead weight. I need loyalty. Results. Not excuses."
Elias clenched the folder so hard it nearly crumpled.
He couldn't actually kill innocents.
But if he refused...
His cover would be blown.
His life would be over.
Real Life Thread: Moral Dilemmas
In the real world, the lines were never clean.
There were no easy choices.
Only survival... and the cost of survival.
---
Glitch's voice buzzed faintly in his hidden earpiece:
> Glitch: Don't panic. We can fake some deaths. Stage it. Make it look real without actually hurting anyone.
Elias breathed out slowly.
For now, he had an escape plan.
For now.
---
As he stepped out of the SUV, Kane's chauffeur — a beefy guy with a permanent scowl — slipped Elias a tiny pink business card without a word.
On it was written:
> "Need a fake death? Call Tony."
(Free coffee included.)
Elias stared at it, then laughed quietly.
"God help me," he muttered.
Even criminals had their own twisted Yelp services.
---
Elias walked into the dark, cold night.
Behind him, Kane's SUV disappeared into the mist.
Ahead of him was a task that would test everything he believed about himself.
Could he fake being a monster... without becoming one?
Only time would tell.
---