The glass of the study window shattered inward, sending a shower of jagged shards to the polished wooden floor.
Caius Astrea, my older brother, braced himself against the sudden chaos. In the dim light, his Synaptical Trigger flickered to life, a fiery halo enveloping his clenched fists.
A son of the prestigious Astrea family, a skilled Synapse user. His eyes, with conviction, subconsciously flickering, his body preparing for combat.
Internally reciting the mental steps: Isolate oxygen... Raise thermal intensity... Apply flame-resistant coating...
The air around his hands shimmered, then burst into bright red. Flames wrapped and twisted, looking like fiery gloves the "Crimson Mantle," a sign of his Astrea name and the strong power he got from their family deity. Waves of heat rolled off him, making the air wavy and carrying the sharp smell of burning air. "Whoever you are," Caius growled, his voice tight with fear and burning anger, "you picked the worst house to break into tonight."
"Astrea Household, you will pay for the injustices you have caused us common people."
I, Gabi Astrea, his younger brother, stood by the heavy wooden desk, watching in silence.
"Injustices..? What does he mean?!"
Unlike Caius, I had no Synapse power, a Null. But my mind.
The Wolf didn't just break in, he turned the window to dust. Path shows he landed just outside the window. Caius's stance looks like he's ready to fight, but maybe he's surprised.
"Brother," I called out, my voice calm compared to his angry words, "watch his feet! He's not fighting your heat; he seems to be... soaking it up."
The intruder remained perfectly still. Clad in dark blue armor that seemed to absorb the light, he had a convicting presence. "Astrea," a flat, emotionless voice finally came, "your borrowed sparks are bright, and annoying."
"Borrowed?" Caius roared, "This is earned! Apoy's power flows through my very veins!" He launched himself forward with unnatural speed. His right fist, wrapped in crackling red flames, aimed not for the emotionless helmet, but for the Wolf's solid chest.
The Wolf, with smooth movement, his armored body shifted. An armored forearm, the plates subtly moving as he did, met Caius's flaming fist. It wasn't a clumsy block, but a precise, almost graceful move that sent Caius's force away.
Sparks flew onto the ground, leaving smoking burn marks. The Wolf barely flinched, his stance steady. "Not enough," he said.
My mind, even as my body trembled, kept analyzing. The Wolf is incredibly stable. Caius's hit barely moved him. Means he's either incredibly strong or the armor has a complex system to absorb hits.
I saw it coming again the tiny shift in the Wolf's weight, the slight tensing of his broad shoulders under the dark armor. Attack building. Vector power is faint, almost hidden. Pure physical force, amplified.
"Caius," I warned, my voice sharper now, feeling the urgency, "attack coming! Low angle, hit his"
"Quiet, Null!" the Wolf snapped, turning his helmet slightly toward me. Then, his attention went back to Caius. "Forward. Impulse."
This time, Caius was a little more ready. The red glow around him grew stronger, and a faint, distortion appeared across his chest, a layer of flame against physical hits. He met the incoming blow, with his forearms crossed, trying to spread out the force of the hit.
It wasn't enough. The Wolf's strike, a focused burst of what I knew was an incredibly high amount of kinetic energy, slammed into Caius with brutal power.
Then came the wet, sharp cracks the clear sound of bones breaking under huge pressure. Caius was thrown backward as if by a battering ram. The solid wood groaned under the force, sending papers and books flying across the blood-soaked surface.
Synapse Shield: Broken. Bone Damage: Ribs four, five, and six broken, sticking out. Blood Vessel Damage: Lung artery confirmed. Heavy bleeding in chest very likely. Chance of Survival: eight percent and dropping fast at about four point one percent per second.
Caius gasped, a ragged breath mixed with blood. The bright Crimson Mantle disappeared completely. "G-Gabi..." he choked out, his eyes wide with shock, the fiery light usually in them replaced by the dull look of death.
The Wolf walked forward, his heavy armor crunching over the broken glass and wood. His featureless helmet looked at my dying brother, before finally looking at me. "The extra. Your brother's fire is out. What exactly will you do to stop me?"
Dodge? The small room gives me nowhere to go. Block? Completely insane against that power. Fight back? My lack of Synapse makes any direct attack useless. My eyes darted around the room, looking for anything I could use, any weakness. ...Plan seven. Exploit Kinematic Weakness..
The Wolf seemed to almost ignore me, his attention already going back to Caius, maybe to make sure he was dead. That split second of not paying attention was his deadly mistake. His right arm, the one that had delivered the bone-shattering blow, was starting to relax, the elbow settling into a momentarily weak spot exactly one hundred and twelve degrees.
My hand shot out, grabbing the heavy silver letter opener from the blood-stained desk. Use as a lever, not a knife. Gain advantage. "FORWARD IMPULSE!" I said, my voice surprisingly steady despite my heart pounding, hoping to get his full attention for the fraction of a second I needed.
It worked. Successfully distracted, for a split second I surprised and bluffed enough to waste precious milliseconds. The dark helmet snapped back toward me, the faceless look unsettling. Sign number fourteen: Tiny eyelid twitch. Means surprise. The Wolf started his next strike, a slower, more careful move this time, maybe expecting me to fight back.
I moved, stepping inside the path of his planned blow, a desperate dance with death. The heavy letter opener, held tight in my right hand, found the small gap in the armor near the elbow joint, aiming for the sensitive nerve cluster. I turned on my heel, using my body weight and the angle of the makeshift weapon.
Thunk. The letter opener dug into the armor's seam there, the nerve. The Wolf's arm twitched wildly, fingers spreading out like a broken puppet's. One point eight seconds of not seeing. Go. The armored hand spasmed hard, the intended blow becoming a useless twitch. I've successfully messed up how he moves. In my left hand, a jagged piece of glass, picked up without thinking during the chaos, found its target, plunged into the attacker's armored hand. Another, sharper grunt of pain.
"Clever, Null," the Wolf grated, surprise briefly cutting through his flat voice.
I didn't look back at my brother's cooling body. I didn't look at the briefly stunned, hurting, enraged assailant. I spun around, my fingers finding the hidden latch of the servants' passage hidden behind, and disappeared into the narrow darkness.
Caius was gone. My older brother. The fiery, arrogant, powerful one who was supposed to be invincible. Gone, because I wasn't strong enough, fast enough, powerful enough to stop it.
"Caius!" I screamed, the sound raw and broken, punching the rough cobblestones of the alleyway floor until pain shot up my arm. "No! DAMN IT!" Tears, hot and sudden, streamed down my face, mixing with the cold sweat. "I thought you were stronger. You said you were stronger.."
...........
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I stumbled into the narrow alleyway, the cool night air a sharp change from the heat of the study. My lungs burned, and my hands shook, still wet with my brother's blood. For a brief moment, a tiny bit of desperate hope flickered maybe I had actually gotten away.
"What did He mean by injustices..? Did my family do something to anger them?"
Then, a harsh voice shattered that hope. "Hey! You there!" A uniformed officer stepped out of the shadows, his eyes widening as he saw how messy I looked, the blood on my hands and clothes, the piece of glass still in my left hand. "Gabi Astrea! You are under arrest for suspicion of killing your relative. You are to come with me."
One Week Later
The Grand Hall of Justice was an amazing sight, showing off Exyllum's power and art. Tall arches of white marble reached up to a ceiling where stained-glass windows showed famous people from the Empire's past often Synapse users using their powers in glorious ways.
Sunlight streamed through these colorful windows, casting rainbow patterns across the polished stone floor.
But despite the beauty, all I could really focus on were the faces in the packed crowd a sea of looks from curious and slightly disgusted to openly angry and eager for quick justice.
The Astrea family, sitting near the front, looked deeply sad and barely hiding their anger. Lady Elara Astrea, Caius's mother, dabbed at her eyes with a lace handkerchief, while Lord Theron, his jaw tight, stared at me with clear hatred.
My hands, held by heavy iron shackles. I studied each face, my only tool in this place of power was my lifetime of observing how people show feelings. I noticed the almost hidden look of wanting blood in the eyes of Caius's friends who probably saw his death as an insult to their kind, a disruption of how things should be.
The barely hidden look of contempt on the faces of some nobles, for whom a Null from such a family was just an annoying problem. And here and there, a quick flash of something like interest in the eyes of a few observers, maybe those who found the idea of a powerless man accused of such a thing... unusual.
A human court. It thrived on show, on the raw, unpredictable power of emotion, on deep-seated prejudices that often mattered more than simple facts. My only chance was to figure out these feelings and somehow use them against themselves.
Judge Valerius, a man whose presence felt heavy, cleared his throat, the sound amplified by the hall. His voice demanded everyone's attention. "Gabi Astrea," he said, his gaze sharp and steady as he looked at me in the prisoner's box,
"you are accused of the terrible crime of murdering your own brother, Caius Astrea.", heavy with silent accusation, a sense of loss and anger spreading through the crowd. Caius an important Harmonizer from a famous family, a hero to the Empire praised for his fiery skill, a man who seemed built from the very heart of Apoy's flame. Now cold, dead, his bright power gone.
Murdered, the prosecution strongly claimed, by a Vector technique, a method needing a Synapse skill that I, a Null, supposedly couldn't use. And the damning evidence, which was indirect and conveniently fit their story, pointed directly at me the brother with no Synapse, the anomaly, the outsider.
The prosecutor, whose ring on his finger pulsed with a faint light, stood up. He waited, his gaze sweeping the crowd, finally speaking to the court. "The evidence, Your Honor," he declared, his voice full of angry righteousness, "is not just strong; it is undeniable. The accused was at the scene of the crime. His clothes were covered in the blood of the dead man. And a weapon, clearly from the Astrea house, was found in his very hand."
He held the gaze of several prominent family members in the crowd, their faces showing grief and a demand for punishment. "To suggest anything other than the accused's guilt is not only illogical but a deep insult to the memory of a brilliant Knight of the Empire, a shining light of Apoy extinguished far too soon!" A murmur of agreement spread through the crowd.
"It wasn't me, it was another person. He tried to kill me too," I said, my voice, surprisingly clear and steady as it cut through the prosecutor's heated speech. A collective gasp, a wave of shock. Lady Elara visibly flinched, her eyes widening in disbelief.
The prosecutor scoffed, waving his hand and giving a chuckle. "A Null outsmarting a Synapse user, let alone one skilled in using Vector Synapse precisely? Ridiculous! It goes against all logic, all known facts about Synapse abilities! It's a desperate lie, a pathetic attempt to escape the consequences of his horrible act." He turned back to the judge, his ring flashing with more intensity. "The court should not believe such an absurd claim."
"Your Honor," I continued, my gaze fixed on Judge Valerius, ignoring the prosecutor's anger, before presenting my argument, "the prosecution's story, while understandable given their grief and desire for quick justice, conveniently leaves out important details that the evidence will surely prove. The killer of my brother, as the Synapse analysis will confirm, used Forward Impulse a very specific Vector Synapse move requiring not just raw power, but a complex and exact body alignment, a skill at transferring energy that even many experienced Vector Synapse users find hard to do consistently. Yet,"
I deliberately raised my left hand, the raw, red scars from the glass shard still visible, the shaking of my shackles a clear sign of my current danger, letting the visual evidence speak for itself, "I managed to... stop him. For a moment, perhaps, but I did. I did this not with any power of my own, but by using a basic rule of how bodies move, by precisely disrupting the chain of movement in his attack at a weak point in his body. I beg the court to thoroughly review the upcoming autopsy reports, and the analysis of the attacker's physical state right after the fight. You will find evidence of nerve damage in the attacker's main arm damage matching the use of focused force against a specific spot, exactly how someone like me would have to fight."
A more significant murmur spread through the courtroom now, a clear change in the atmosphere as the initial shock turned into a growing understanding that my claims, however unlikely, might have some truth. Several heads turned toward the prosecution, a subtle question in their eyes. Even Lord Theron's stiff posture seemed to loosen slightly.
Then, a figure moved in the shadows near the prosecution's table, stepping forward with grace. It was Seraphina of the Royal Guard. The subtle golden halo that shimmered behind her head, a visible sign of her connection and sworn Oath with the Seraph deity. Her gaze, stayed on me, a silent assessment before she spoke to the court.
"Interesting, Sir Astrea, Your theory is made out of desperation. The Overwatch hunts wolves, not moths. Prove you're not both." she said.
"However, with all due respect, the Exyllum Overwatch works based on set rules and proven knowledge. Giving complex murder investigations, especially one involving a notable Synapse user and a suspect currently facing charges for the same crime, to... untrained detectives, regardless of their family connection to the victim, is not standard procedure." She paused, her gaze sweeping across the courtroom, acknowledging how serious the situation was. "This investigation must be handled properly."
"My offer," I countered, meeting her gaze, with determination in my eyes, "The real killer is still free, and the usual methods of investigation, focused on Synapse signs as they are, have led to only one, though mistaken, conclusion. I offer a different way, a way to bring the real attacker into the light. The person who so brutally murdered my brother, a Synapse user of high status and clear pride, will not let the shame of being briefly stopped outsmarted, even by a Null go unanswered. His sense of being better, his very identity, will force him to seek revenge against the one who dared to challenge him when he was winning. He will come for the man who, against all odds, managed to briefly stop his deadly purpose. I offer myself as bait, Your Honor."
Judge Valerius usually emotionless showed a flicker of something like... interest. He put his fingertips together, considering the idea. He closed his eyes briefly, his decision seemingly made. The courtroom held its breath. Finally, after a long moment, he spoke. "One month," he declared, the heavy gavel resting threateningly on the polished wood before him. "One month, Gabi Astrea. During this time, you will be closely watched by the Exyllum Overwatch. If you fail to provide clear evidence leading to your brother's killer within this time, then the court's sentence will be carried out without any more appeals." The heavy clang of the gavel echoed through the hall. Lady Elara gasped, while Lord Theron's face remained a mask of cold anger.
As the guards moved to take me away, their grip surprisingly loose, Seraphina approached. Her sharp, intelligent gaze still judged me. "Gabi Astrea," she began, her voice now practical and calm, "you are, as of this moment, temporarily assigned to the Exyllum Overwatch, specifically within the Detective Branch. Your main and only goal remains the investigation into the death of your brother, Caius Astrea. You will be assigned to a squad in the Detective Branch, and you will report directly to me. Your lack of Synapse will no doubt cause... difficulties. However," she paused subtly, her gaze steady, a hint of something like unwilling respect in her eyes, "your... unusual methods have, for now, earned you a temporary chance. Do not confuse this with going easy on you. Do you understand the exact details of this... arrangement?"
I met her steady gaze, a flicker of grim determination hardening my own. "Perfectly. I have a badge now, even if it's temporary. Let us see just how useful a tool it can be in finding the truth."
Even as the guards led me through the echoing hallways of the Grand Hall, my mind was already replaying the Crimson Wolf's movements, analyzing every subtle shift. Next time, I thought, armed with the authority of the Overwatch, however brief, I will have much better variables.