CHAPTER 3: ECHOES BEYOND THE WINDOW

Within a grand hotel known for its modern interiors and lively atmosphere, sitting on a velvet couch, Hanna was looking toward the entrance of the floor. The party floor buzzed with soft music, glowing under warm, ambient lighting. A sleek bar stretched along one side, where bartenders prepared vibrant drinks with flair. At the centre, a polished wooden dancing stage stood ready, framed by delicate spotlights. Balloons and birthday decorations adorned the tables, completing the festive scene. The setup promised a perfect evening of music, dance, and celebration.

Hanna’s face held a small frown, dissatisfied. Twenty minutes had passed since Anna was supposed to arrive, but there was still no sign of her. With a sigh, Hanna stood up from the couch and went to the bar as she got ready to enjoy the party instead of waiting for Anna.

"Hanna!" Being called out, Hanna stopped in her tracks and turned her head toward the voice and saw a woman with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a mature build walking towards her with a smile.

"Lilya!" Hanna replied as she stepped forward for a hug.

"Why the long face?" Lilya questioned with a raised eyebrow as she hugged Hanna.

"Umm... It’s nothing." Hanna tried to drop the topic, but

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Hearing Lilya, Hanna couldn’t help but shake her head inwardly. Lilya had invited all of her friends and acquaintances to her engagement party, and everyone had attended...

Well, everyone except Anna. Yes, it’s not a big deal, but she could have informed others about it. After all, Lilya wanted her friends and fiancé to meet Anna, and knowing the past between them, Hanna could only curse her luck.

"Well... I was waiting for Anna," Hanna replied with a small pause as she looked at the entrance of the floor.

"Hmm? Anna? Oh, you mean Anieal Starborne," Lilya said while nodding. "Well, it’s not that surprising that she isn’t here, is it? Haha!"

Hanna could only smile wryly at her sharp remark.

"I mean, it won’t be the first time she didn’t come to an event she had promised—" Lilya abruptly stopped after she saw a small smile creep up on the lips of Hanna.

"Anna...!! Here!!" Hanna said with an excited look. Lilya followed her gaze, and soon her eyes fell on Anna. She wore a red and black checkered long skirt, a red T-shirt that fit her perfectly, black boots with red soles, a black jacket with red and white stripes; her ears were adorned with golden square earrings.

"She came, huh?" Lilya said with a dejected look as she shook her head.

’Maybe she just doesn’t like me?’ Lilya thought as a self-deprecating smile crept up on her lips.

At one of the corners, two friends collapsed on a velvet couch, seemingly tired after having danced for the past fifteen minutes.

"Oi, where is Neo?" one of them asked with a tilt of his head.

"Ugh... I don’t know. I don’t think he came," replied another.

"Nothing new about that... haha!"

"True... haha!"

Both of them began chuckling to themselves as they continued to drink and enjoy the party.

***

Meanwhile, a hooded figure could be seen entering a two-story, unremarkable house. The hooded figure moved swiftly like a phantom, hidden from all, through the shadows, seemingly looking for something or someone.

Moments later, his eyes landed on a sleeping figure. The hooded figure moved forward and checked her breathing. After ensuring the person was truly asleep, he began looking through all the containers placed around the room swiftly.

After being unable to find anything, the hooded figure searched the room for any suspicious compartments or secluded spots.

’Nothing... hmm...’

Having found nothing out of the ordinary, the hooded figure walked toward the window. He placed his hand on the window, seemingly getting ready to exit through it. Just as he was about to jump out, his eyes landed on a carving of a clawed five-pointed star at the corner of the window.

’Claw of night?! Interesting...’ The hooded figure’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he looked at the carving.

’Young master’s guess was correct,’ the hooded figure thought as he jumped out of the window without making a noise. He came like a ghost and left like one.

***

The Starborne Emporium—

"We should stop working with the Turners due to the current rumours regarding them."

"What rumours?"

"There are rumours of them actively using unorthodox means for their—"

*beep* *beep*

Soon, a beeping sound could be heard within the meeting room.

"It’s important. We shall start the meeting from here next time. Good night," Damien said.

"Good night, Emporium head," the other members said as they stood up from their chairs and slowly left the meeting room.

Soon, Damien was alone in the room. He dialled a number on his smartphone, which was answered instantly.

"Young master," an excited voice came from the other side.

"How did it go?"

"Your guess was correct, young master."

Damien clenched his fist as he heard that. He continued.

"What did you find?"

"I didn’t find anything concrete, but I did see a Claw of Night near the window of her room."

"It’s a midnighter then... huh... any clue about who it can be?"

"None."

"Keep an eye on her and try to find clues about that midnighter."

"As you say."

Damien’s lips left a sigh as he placed his smartphone on the table and walked towards the windows.

"I was right... huh... I hoped to be proven wrong," Damien mumbled while looking toward the bustling Necron city through the window.

"As they say, one should always be more cautious of what’s within the dark."

Footnotes:

Claw of Night - A Runic carving that allows a midnighter to transmit or record their voice from a radius of 100 meters for a specific amount of time. Recorded voice doesn’t play out loud; instead, a person has to touch it to hear it ( The voice plays in their head )