"what are you doing out here, Ren?" Aegon went straight to the point.

"..."

Ren didn't reply immediately, letting the silence marinate between them for a while. "Are you two the new vigilante in town?"

"What?!" Zara tried to deny but in the end she really didn't care if he knew. "So, what? She rolled her eyes. "You wanna take us in?"

"Nope." He answered simply, still leaning against the pole. "Just figured basically."

"How?" Aegon cut in. "... You spying on us?"

"Ha." He laughed. "Don't falter yourself. I was just curious, we got out of the Airdone, the prison, and suddenly heroes were dropping like flies."

Zara hit Aegon across the arm. "Told you we were going too much."

"How many heroes have you killed?"

Ren asked.

"... Six." Aegon answered flatly. "For now."

Ren whistled. "And you going again tonight, huh? Alright, let's go." He pushed off to move down the road.

"Stop." Aegon halted them. "Why do you even want to go?"

With his back turned to them. "Let's just say I want a front row seat to this."

Still sceptical, Zara leaned in. "Aegon, we really don't have time for this."

Taking a minute to mull over the situation, he reluctantly agreed.

---

It took about thirty minutes to get to the club's location. They climbed the rooftop of the building a couple blocks away.

They still didn't know the range of Mind-Forge's hypnosis so this was the safest option. Aegon unzipped the duffle bag and shared the Aetheric Null Patch.

Flat. Dark. Almost forgettable—until it wasn't.

It was no bigger than two fingers laid side by side, its surface smooth and matte, drinking in the light instead of reflecting it.

Faint lines ran beneath the casing, thin as veins under skin, etched so shallow they only showed when the angle was right.

At its center rested a tiny crystalline node. Dead-looking. Cold.

But when it powered on, it bled a dim blue glow that pulsed once, syncing itself to his heartbeat.

He felt it then.

Not pain. Pressure.

He then shared the binoculars in the bag. Looking through them at the club to see the line moving.

"Alright, let's go."

They made their way to the club's vicinity, the closer they got the louder the sounds resonated around them and when they finally reached the club's line.

The light of the patch switched from blue to amber. He was here.

The line was silent and heteronomous—they stepped forward like robots being commanded to move. The bouncer too—he didn't check the list in his hands. He just took there as they moved in.

It was like they all followed a script they didn't understand. The trio filed into the line with the rest of the crowd.

One step at a time, the line dwindled forward until it was their turn too. As soon as they reached the front of the line, a mild headache pounded against their skulls.

It was mild but noticeable. They walked into the club and the lights dimmed.

Inside the club, the air is thick—perfume, sweat, bass vibrations pressing against your ribs like a second heartbeat.

Lights don't just shine, they attack: strobes slicing the dark, neon veins crawling across walls, laser lines sketching bodies in fragments.

The floor pulses underfoot, synced to the beat, like the building itself is alive and barely holding it together.

Music hits hard and close. Not sound—impact. Every drop rattles teeth, turns conversations into shouted confessions inches from someone's ear.

People move like gravity forgot them. Bodies packed tight, dancing without choreography, limbs brushing, heat rising. Eyes glow under the lights—hungry, bored, curious, dangerous.

The bar is chaos with purpose. Bartenders flick bottles like weapons, drinks sliding across the counter, neon liquids glowing radioactive.

Bouncers stand like statues—thick necks, dead eyes—deciding who belongs and who gets erased from the night.

It was very other nightclub in the world—except for one jarring detail.

They were all naked.

Everyone.

The bouncers, the DJ, the bartenders, the crowds rubbing bodies like private space was a figment of the imagination.

They froze at the entrance, their faces twisted in disgust. Turning to the side to see the full-on orgies.

Naked dancers on elevated platforms having sex like it was the most natural thing, below them was where the people who just entered were gathered—taking off their clothes.

So in short, they stuck out like a sore thumb. Their eyes, including Ren, darted all over the place unsure of what to do.

But the party didn't seem to mind them. In fact, they were too engulfed in what they were doing to care about anyone.

Hesitantly, they moved forward and tried to scout the area. None of them spoke a word, or maybe they did and the music drowned them out.

"..."

They moved in circles for quite a few minutes, the entire place spun like another world entirely. This continued like clockwork until a snap of someone's fingers reverberated across the club.

"Tchk!"

The snap somehow drowned the sounds from the speakers and shut everyone up instantly.

They didn't see the person who'd made the sound but from the way everyone froze in place like statues it was obvious.

Mind-Forge.

"Next!" He screamed from the upstairs as a naked girl stumbled down and another was proceeding up. "Tchk!" He snapped his fingers once more and the party resumed.

'What the fuck is that creep doing?!' Aegon screamed internally as he looked at Zara and Ren who were just as confused as he was.

The girl who'd just been sent away entered the crowd and danced like nothing had happened.

Zara split into the crowd to talk to her. She squeezed through bodies until she was finally in front of the girl.

She grabbed hold of the girl's shoulders and shook her vigorously. "What happened?!"

The girl's body went limp, just swaying with Zara's force, her head tilted back and her face remained expressionless.

Zara continued to ask, but realising her efforts were in vain—she slapped her across the face.

Stop.

The entire place froze. Mind-Forge finally came into view, he peeked over from the rail.

Curly brown hair, glasses on and his eyes widened with surprise. He clutched his red cheek like it was him Zara had just slapped.

Then he let his eyes sweep across the room. Three figures, wearing clothes and something on their temples that glowed with a dim ember light.

They weren't being controlled.

How was that possible?

"G— Get them!" He pointed and screamed. Then disappeared from view.

And all eyes fell on the three of them. They couldn't use their affinities as these were just civilians—so this was going to be difficult.

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