The monitor lit up the dark room.
Security footage scrolled across Steven’s screen, one file after another.
Streets.
Intersections.
Alleyways.
His fingers tapped slowly against the desk.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Then one of the images changed.
Steven froze.
A figure appeared on the monitor.
A tall man, standing still in the middle of the road.
His dark green coat barely moved in the wind.
Around him, imperial soldiers positioned themselves like silent shadows.
Steven narrowed his eyes.
“…Damn.”
A short breath.
“This is bad.”
His fingers moved quickly across the keyboard.
Zoom.
The camera focused on the man’s face.
The lit cigar.
The hardened gaze.
Captain Sharlok.
Steven leaned back against his chair.
“He’s here way earlier than expected.”
He activated the earpiece.
“Don’t stop.”
His fingers resumed, faster now.
A new window opened on the screen: the underground map of the city.
Two glowing dots were moving slowly through the tunnels.
“…He’s right above you.”
His voice remained cold.
Calculated.
“If you stop… they’ll find you.”
Sky clenched his fists.
He turned toward the others, his voice barely above a whisper.
“We do what Steven says.
He’ll get us out of here.”
Shark stared at him for a moment, then nodded.
Without another word, they moved again through the tunnel, stepping lightly to avoid making noise.
Above them, soldiers were gathering in force.
The site of the clash was in chaos.
Hellington’s imperial patrols had already sealed off the area, pushing back journalists and onlookers trying to get closer.
Captain Sharlok and Commander Surez crossed the security line.
Sharlok snapped the moment he saw the scene.
“Idiots.
Why wasn’t I informed?” he growled.
“You were supposed to report, not act.”
Surez followed him quickly.
“Orders were clear.
But since they thought it was just two runaway recruits… they assumed they could handle it.”
Sharlok stopped in front of a crater in the asphalt.
His gaze slid over the cracks, the burn marks, the scattered debris.
“Handle it, my ass.
Look at this mess.”
He grabbed a Hellington soldier by the uniform.
“Talk.
What happened here?”
The soldier swallowed, still shaken.
“Two Level Ups, sir.
Castel Rock soldiers surrounded them… the fight started immediately.
One of them was thrown into that building.”
He pointed at a structure with a massive hole in its facade.
“The rescue team is pulling him out now.
Luckily the apartments were empty.
No civilian casualties.”
He hesitated.
“The others were hospitalized with severe burns.
They’re alive only because they’re Level Ups.
Silence fell for a moment.
Sharlok clenched his jaw.
“Damn it.”
He turned to Surez.
“Search every alley.
I want them found.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Surez moved into the alleys at once.
His eyes scanned the signs of the battle: cracked asphalt, scorched walls, debris everywhere.
He stopped a guard.
“Soldier.
Report.”
“Commander!” The soldier snapped to attention.
“Two individuals took down three Castel Rock soldiers.
The rescue team already transported them.
They were found embedded in a wall.”
Surez’s jaw tightened.
“Where did it happen?”
The soldier pointed ahead.
“At the intersection, sir.”
Surez immediately activated his communicator.
“Captain, I found something.”
Sharlok arrived moments later.
“Surez…” his voice faltered for a fraction of a second, then sharpened.
“This is a disaster.”
The roar of an engine cut through the noise.
An imperial vehicle braked sharply at the alley entrance.
Doors opened, soldiers jumped out, spreading through the area to secure it and assist the wounded.
For a moment, the entire alley seemed to reorganize around that arrival.
Commander Rione stepped out.
His gaze was controlled.
Cold as ice.
“Captain Sharlok.” His voice was a warning.
“I believe I deserve an explanation.
What kind of operation ends with your men tearing each other apart in the middle of my city?”
Sharlok met his gaze without hesitation.
“It’s no longer an operation.
Two fugitives are on the run.
I brought my men here to capture them… but we underestimated the enemy.”
Rione stiffened.
“You brought two deserters into my city?
And tried to cover it up?”
Surez answered, his tone low.
“They came here on their own.
We were tracking them… only later did we discover they were in Hellington.”
Tension settled between the three men, while around them the crowd shouted and journalists pushed forward.
Rione took a slow breath, holding back his anger.
“Captain Sharlok.
What you’ve done is serious.
These recruits are dangerous.
You should have informed us and reported to headquarters.”
Sharlok didn’t answer immediately.
The wind lifted dust between them, thickening the air.
“I don’t see why you’re making such a fuss,” he said at last, his voice low, carrying a threat.
“I came here to solve the problem.
Headquarters doesn’t care about two worthless recruits.
And I don’t see why I should inform your base.
From what I can tell, it’s run by incompetents.”
Rione remained calm.
Surgical.
“Really?
The soldier thrown into that building is Jolly Back.
A veteran under your command.
Neutralized by two recruits.
And you still call my men incompetent?”
He shifted his gaze slightly.
“Commander Surez.
Following this man will get you in trouble as well.”
Surez lowered his eyes, saying nothing.
Sharlok stepped in, irritated.
“I follow what I deem necessary.
I don’t take orders from a subordinate.” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Rione held his stare.
“We’ll see.”
His calm cut like a blade.
“Captain Sharlok, I will file a report and include everything that happened.
Which means—”
Sharlok cut him off.
“It means I don’t care what you intend to do.”
His tone carried no fear.
“I admit those two aren’t to be taken lightly.
But I won’t rest until I have them in my hands.”
A flicker of anger crossed Rione’s eyes.
Then his voice steadied.
“Some witnesses told my men they saw two recruits speaking with the fugitives.”
Sharlok’s jaw tightened.
“Speaking?
My soldiers don’t chat.”
He cut it short.
“Right now, I care about one thing: finding those two brats.”
Surez nodded sharply.
“Yes, sir!”
As soldiers spread through the streets of Grey Wall, the silence between Sharlok and Rione remained tense.
Sharlok clenched his fists, promising himself that this hunt would end in blood.
Rione moved toward the scene to coordinate his men.
The captain reached the street where the fugitives had last been seen.
The sharp smell of smoke and dust still hung in the air, while the sounds of the city felt muted—as if Hellington itself was holding its breath.
He stopped in the middle of the road, studying the ground.
Traces of sand, debris, trash, and small stones formed a perfect circle cutting through the scene.
Not random.
Sharlok crouched, brushing the shifted dust with his fingers.
This isn’t Sky or Shark.
Wind and fire wouldn’t leave an edge this clean.
A precise force.
Controlled.
His eyes narrowed.
“Three soldiers neutralized… but not by the fugitives.”
The geometry was too perfect.
Sky and Shark were powerful, but chaotic—impulsive like their elements.
This… was something else.
He stood, scanning the buildings.
Witnesses hadn’t helped much.
Most had fled in panic.
Those who stayed couldn’t say where they went.
“Damn it,” Sharlok muttered.
He had a description: a girl with black hair and a brown-haired boy.
Too vague.
It could match dozens of recruits.
Surez ran up, slightly out of breath.
“Captain, we searched the surrounding alleys.
No trace.
Not north, not toward the port.”
Sharlok looked at him with cold calm.
“Keep searching.
Spread out.
No alley left unchecked.”
“Yes, sir!
What will you do?”
Surez gestured to the soldiers, who quickly dispersed.
Sharlok remained a moment longer, staring at the perfect circle.
Whoever it was… helped them.
That complicates everything.
He turned sharply.
Decision made.
“I’m going to the hospital.
I’ll talk to Jolly Back.
I want the truth from him.”
Surez nodded as the captain walked away with decisive steps.
In the meantime, he would lead the search, sweeping Hellington street by street.
That night, the city would not sleep.
And Sharlok would not stop until he uncovered who was helping the fugitives.
Next Episode — Winds of War