The Frozen Hour

A sleek black and white luxury sedan with a bold, modern design. The glossy black hood and roof contrast sharply with the clean white body, creating a striking two-tone aesthetic. Its aerodynamic curves, chrome accents, and alloy wheels enhance its refined, high-performance appearance, was moving through the streets of the Necron city.

It was being driven by a female of long dark green hair, black eyes, mature yet youthful figure, she wore a sleek, oversized beige sweater, high‑waisted black leather pants, black combat boots with golden star shaped earrings adorning her ears.

Henna stopped her ride at a safe corner as she felt dizzy for some unknown reasons. She started taking big breaths and closed her eyes for a few minutes. When she opened them again, ten minutes had already passed, with a slight headache she continued to drive her car.

'Why do I feel like this? Am I sick or something?' she thought.

***

Anna was running through her room as she was getting ready to meet Zora and her mother with Henna.

Anna was wearing a sleeveless emerald-green halter top, tailored high-waisted grey trousers, green heels, golden hoop earrings, A matching long teal trench coat draped over her shoulders.

Soon her smartphone started ringing.

*Brr* *Brr*

Anna hurriedly answered the call.

"Coming!" Anna said as soon as she picked up the call, the caller was obviously Henna, who was waiting outside the gates of The Starborne Mansion.

"Okay.." Henna replied as she hung up the call.

Anna, who was about to leave the room, saw Veylor sitting at the front of her room's door.

"Meow..!" Veylor called out seemingly asking her to take him with her.

Anna who saw this blossomed a small smile as she walked towards Veylor and picked him up into her arms.

"Oh.. my cute little vey" Anna said as she rubbed her cheek on Veylor's cheek as she left the room while holding Veylor in her arms.

Henna who was waiting in her car outside the mansion raised her eyebrow when she Anna holding a cat.

"Who is that?" Henna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Henna meet Vey, Vey meet Henna." Anna introduced both of them to each other.

Henna smiled and reached out to pat Veylor's head. However, Veylor moved his head as he growled at Henna.

"Grr.."

Seeing that Henna stopped her head and gave a betrayed look to Anna Who just smiled wryly at her friend.

Anna climbed into the car with Veylor curled up in her lap.

"Let's go."

"Okay!"

While Anna and Henna were moving through the busy streets of The Necron city a black and red bike could be seen following them from a distance— not too close, not too far — making sure to keep an eye on them and ready to move whenever the need arises.

Meanwhile, Damien who was sitting at his office chair reading through some documents or other important files heard his smartwatch beep.

*Beep* *Beep*

Indicating that someone was trying to connect to him, He took out his phone and answered the call.

"My lord" Came from other side of the call.

"One.. Did you find anything about that midnighter?" Damien inquired.

"Yes, My lord"

"Hmm.. send me everything you found out about him."

"As you command, My lord!"

Damien hung up the call and waited for few moments after which

*bloop*

A white owl suddenly came into his room and stood at his table, a blue cloth tied to its left leg.. Damien moved forward and patted the owl as he untied the blue cloth from its leg. As soon as Damien untied the blue cloth from his leg the owl started to move its wing as it took flight towards the wall but when the owl was about to hit the wall… The owl disappeared.

Damien unfolded the blue cloth A claw of night was carved on the cloth. However, it was different from the one used by Vincent instead of three claws it had five of them showcasing that it was above the one used by Vincent.

Damien put his palm on the claw of night carved on the blue cloth and as soon as he did so, His gaze went distant for a few moments, Images started to flood his head giving him all the information stored within the claw of night.

"Hah.." Damien left out a sigh after he finished organizing the information in his head.

"Vincent Bolten... Mind Control... Tyro-Adept rank... An exile of Azor."

Damien's eyes glinted with ruthlessness.

"An exile.. Huh.. I wonder."

( An exile is the midnighter who is not allowed to enter Azor. Mainly exiles are those who break the main laws of Azor)

Damien closed his eyes as he leaned back on his chair..

'I feel like I'll be meeting them soon.'

A hooded figure— Blake —was currently following behind Amaya as she was moving through a dark alley, soon she stopped before an under construction building and started walking inside it.

As soon as Amaya reached the rooftop of the building her eyes fell on a lean male of short black and few white hairs, a diagonal scar was etched on his right eye. Yes, Vincent was standing there looking at her with a small smile.

"You came"- Vincent's smile turned into a grin when he finished his words -"O' follower"

As soon as Blake heard Vincent his eyes widened.

'H-how?' Blake thought in confusion and doubt, Blake was taught the art of assassination and spying from a young age, so he obviously had confidence in hiding from the senses of a midnighter even if he is one major rank above him, Blake himself being an Apex-Ignited rank couldn't make sense out of this.

'Is he bluffing?' Blake thought that maybe Vincent is just trying to play psychological games to find out if someone is following Amaya.

"Hoh.. no one is following you today" Vincent said as he turned towards Amaya and shrugged

Hearing that Blake sighed inwardly and thought.

'I nearly fell for it.'

*woosh*

Suddenly a gust of wind hit Blake causing him to turn his head towards the location the gust of wind came from, There he saw Vincent standing with wide open arms, a wide grin plastered on his face, however his eyes were cold like a winter moon.

"Found you" Vincent said, his voice gentle yet haunting, cold yet calming.

Before Blake could even understand what was going on Vincent moved forward with a speed far beyond the level of normal humans and landed a kick to the chest of Blake

Blake was sent flying as he crashed into a nearby pillar, few drops of blood dripped from his mouth.

Vincent moved again, Blake moved his head right before a kick was about to land on his head, Seeing that he missed, Vincent's grin turned into a small frown.

"Why do you have to make this…" Vincent said as he threw a punch to Blake's side.

Blake blocked his punch however was still sent skidding backwards for few meters.

".. So annoying" Vincent moved again and grabbed one of Blake's wrist as he threw him towards a nearby pillar, as he was about to land on the pillar, Blake's body liquefied into black goo and slipped into the shadows.

Blake came out of the shadow of Vincent and landed an uppercut to his chin but to his dismay his uppercut didn't do anything to Vincent as he stood staring him with cold and indifferent eyes.

"Do you really believe you can defeat me? Someone who is one major rank above you?" Vincent sneered at Blake's attempt of hurting him.

"I believe we had enough of these games.." Vincent said as his ocean like blue eyes started to emit a faint glow.

Seeing Vincent's eyes glow, Blake hurriedly moved away. However, that didn't change anything as Vincent's eyes started to glow more brightly.

Suddenly Blake eyes turned white and he bent down on his knee.

"M.y l..o.rd..!" Blake called out.

"What's your name?" Vincent asked with an authoritative tone.

"B..a.ron H.am-es"

"Baron Hames.. Hmm."

"Who sent you?"

"Y.ou..ng Ma..s.ter sent me."

"Young master? Who is your young master?"

"Dam-"

Suddenly Vincent's body shivered, the hair behind him stood back as he turned backwards.

Before his very eyes the space started to ripple and started to glow in a faint purple hue which soon formed a small portal.

A hourglass made up of dark green wood filled with golden sand, intricate runes carved all around it landed before him, as soon as Vincent's eyes fell on the hourglass his eyes opened wide, A ripple of blue energy left the hourglass and transformed into a dome filled with runes of multiple size and colour and an ethereal hourglass of similar shape floated up above. However, it was much bigger in size.

*Wrr* *Wrr*

The small portal started to widen and a man with white hair reaching his shoulders, blue sapphire like eyes, handsome face, muscular yet lean build of 6.5 feet, he was donning a black shirt with a white leather jacket having black embroidery, black pants and black boots walked out from the portal.

As soon as Vincent recognized Damien he couldn't help but mutter out loud.

"Damien Starborne… no wonder."

"Vincent Bolten" Damien called out, his eyes and voice both cold.

"Yours truly" Vincent said as he bowed dramatically like he was in some kind of play, well why wouldn't he Afterall.

"It's truly an honour to be in the presence of The maestro of space, Mars Kinten"

"Why?" Damien asked seemingly uninterested with his theatrics.

"I am deeply sorry but I can't say."

"Then you will die."

"You really underestimate me." Vincent said with a small smile on his face.

As soon as Vincent said so he took out a black disc that had multiple delicate golden runes enclosed within a purple circle carved on its surface, he placed it on his palm and soon the disc started to emit a purple glow.

"Another time" Vincent said with a wide grin because he was sure of his escape however-

5 Seconds

10 Seconds

15 Seconds

Nothing happened...

Vincent's grin quickly faded into a deep frown.

"Huh? Why didn't it work?"

"I didn't think you would be stupid enough to use a return disc in front of its very creator."

As soon as Vincent heard that he realized how stupid his actions were, with a terrified look he looked at Damien while he… just waved his hand sideways.

[Space Crescent]

A purple crescent was generated from the wave of his hand and it moved towards Vincent at terrifying speed.

Vincent sidestepped to dodge however he still couldn't dodge it completely.

"AarrrghHh" Vincent screamed in agony as his hand was separated from his body.

However the purple crescent continued its movement cutting through everything before it and only died out after few moments.

Damien walked towards Vincent and asked once again.

"Why?"

Even though Vincent wanted nothing more than to kill the hateful man standing in front of him he could only bow his hand and beg for his life.

"I-i was t-told to kidnap Anieal Starborne and in r-return they would h-help me breakthrough to next major rank" Vincent answered fear evident in his tone.

"Who told you to kidnap Anieal?" Vincent asked his eyes turning colder than before.

"I a-am not s-sure but it must be T-the Cr-"

*boom*

Vincent's head exploded and his blood, brain matter, and pieces of flesh flew nearby.

Damien stood silently before the now-headless corpse, his eyes having a ruthless glint, He clenched his fists.

*Snap*

Damien snapped his fingers and the dome produced by the battleglass started to crack and soon it dissipated, everything returned back as it was before Damien came here, The pillars mended themselves. All of the gore dissipated together with the headless body of Vincent.

In place of his body there were his clothes and a black envelope slipping from his pocket, Damien waved his hand and the envelope vanished and appeared in his hand, he opened the envelope and read the letter inside which had the same words as Vincent had told him, He flipped the envelope and when he saw the symbol at the back of the envelope… his eyes turned dark.

*Brr* *Beep* *Brr* *Beep*

'Hmm?'

Footnotes:

Battleglass: A hourglass made up of dark green wood filled with golden sand, intricate runes carved all around it, It produces a doom shaped barrier using star essence present within the environment

 - Nothing of inside can go out of it, living beings can teleport though

 - From outside the affected area will look normal with no living beings

 - Once the dome is removed the non-living objects within affected area return to the state they were during the initial 

Return Disc: Once star essence is feed to it, It allows the user to return to a set location