I sat at the dining table, eyeing the food suspiciously before glancing at Eve.
"Are you sure this is safe?" I asked, lifting a brow.
"If it wasn't, Calvin would be dead by now," she said, nodding toward Calvin, who was stuffing his face like he hadn't eaten in three days.
"Good point," I murmured, nodding slightly. "So... how did it come to this?"
Just moments ago, they'd been in a burning house. Now, they were sharing a meal at the same table as Will.
I shifted my gaze to him. Sitting casually at the head of the table, he ate with an ease that set my nerves even further on edge.
"He found us after we escaped the fire," Eve explained, scooping up a spoonful of fried rice. "Said he knew something we didn't. Then he offered us dinner, and... here we are."
"You don't find that suspicious at all?" I asked, confusion flickering in my voice. Eve was normally cautious — too cautious to accept a stranger's invitation so easily.
She swallowed before answering. "What's there to be cautious about? Don't you remember what my powers are?"
I fell silent, conceding her point internally. Her ability would sniff out any immediate danger.
"What did you find in Igor's house? Any clue who torched it?" I asked.
"First off, 'he' is an 'it,'" Eve said, pointing at Calvin. I frowned, tempted to say something, but decided against it and let her continue.
"Second," she added, flicking her spoon toward Will, "he's the one who burned it down."
"Him?" I turned slowly to Will. "Why?"
"Exactly what we're about to discuss," Eve said, stuffing another bite into her mouth. "After dinner."
I stared at her a moment longer, then sighed. Pushing my plate away, I decided I'd lost my appetite.
"Not going to eat, Mr. Sunny?" asked Yin Hee, who sat across from me, her eager eyes locked on my plate.
"You can have it," I said, nudging it toward her. She accepted with a bright smile.
Turning to Will, I said, "We don't have time to wait for dessert. Pardon my rudeness — why did you burn the house?"
Will acted as if he hadn't heard me, continuing to eat with maddening calm. I counted the seconds. Fifteen passed, and just as I was about to chuck a plate at him, he finally spoke.
"I didn't know Igor's son was inside," he said, sipping from a glass of wine. "I burned it down to keep any information about Igor from leaking to the wrong people."
I frowned. "What could he possibly have that's worth hiding? Igor was smart — too smart to leave sensitive info lying around."
Given Igor's enemies, it made sense he'd be careful. In an age where Honors with unpredictable abilities roamed free, breaking into a normal man's house and stealing secrets was child's play.
Will's fork hovered in midair. "Would his enemies still bother if he was dead?" he asked, his gaze sharp and condescending.
I didn't react to the look, but I had to admit — his logic held. A dead man's house made a safer vault. And if something was ever discovered... well, there was no better way to erase it than fire.
"Would you be willing to tell us what you know?" I asked.
"I can't," Will said, shaking his head regretfully.
"Why not?" I pressed, my brow furrowing.
"Because it would cause me trouble."
"Trouble?" I echoed.
"Yeah. Do you even know my position at Synth?" he asked between bites.
"No clue," I said flatly.
He chuckled dryly. "Kids these days... Listen. Synth isn't just a company. It's a government, a military, and a corporation rolled into one.
"As massive as it is, it needs brilliant people to maintain it. I'm one of those people. I can't risk everything just because a few curious kids want answers."
I narrowed my eyes. "Then what do you want?"
"You," he said, pointing at Eve.
Eve blinked and pointed at herself. "Me?"
"Yes. You're the only Honor in the city with an unranked ability. Do you realize what that means?"
"I'm the chosen one?" she said uncertainly.
"You're more than that," Will said, voice rising with excitement. "Your power could lead humanity to greater heights!"
"What?" Eve blurted out.
"Haven't you noticed?" he continued. "Your power makes death itself back down!"
"But it doesn't make me immortal," she said, waving her hands dismissively. "If I'm careless, a bullet can still kill me."
Will pulled a gun from beneath his apron and fired.
It happened so fast, I barely registered it — the shot already fired before I could react.
I snapped my head toward Eve. She was fine. Frowning, I asked, "What happened?"
Eve pointed to a dented ball on the ground, a hole clean through it.
"A ball came flying in through the window and hit the bullet," she explained. "It only grazed me."
"A ball?" I echoed, glancing at the object.
"There's an empty field nearby," Will said nonchalantly, setting the gun down on the table. "Do you see now, Eve?"
"I get your point," Eve said, folding her arms. "But what do you actually want me to do?"
She glanced at me briefly before adding, "Relax, Sunny. I'm just hearing him out."
Will leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "Kill every last one of the shadows."
"My power's not lethal," Eve said firmly.
"Maybe not," he said, "but we have a device that can make it happen. With your ability, we could wipe them out completely." His hands clenched tightly in excitement.
"Let me guess," I said without thinking, "the Neuro something?"
The second the words left my mouth, Will froze.
'How did you know?' he whispered — too quiet for ordinary ears, but not for us.
Eve and I shot to our feet.