The dust from the impact had barely settled when the figure materialized in the center of the courtyard, standing as a bulwark between the poisoned Jasper Sterling and the four predators of the The Five Venoms Assassin Syndicate. He was a silhouette of absolute shadow, dressed in form-fitting black tactical gear that seemed to swallow the moonlight. A sleek, obsidian mask covered his face, leaving only his eyes visible—eyes that burned with a cold, stellar light, sharp enough to cut through the humid night air. He stood with a posture that was both relaxed and terrifyingly poised, radiating an aura of such overwhelming power that the very atmosphere of Kingsley Village seemed to freeze in his presence.
Jasper Sterling, slumped against the stone base of the fountain, stared up with wide, g
