The air in the Night Owl Café thickened, silence stretching tight as Agent Solène Vael's polite question – "May we come in?" – hung unanswered. Her partner, Lucan Krail, stood impassively beside her, his silver-grey coat seeming to absorb the warm, amber light of the café, leaving only chill behind. Varric and Lorian shifted behind the counter, hands instinctively moving towards unseen comforts—a rag, a heavy mug—anything but the weapons they didn't keep here.
Elora finally broke the standoff, gesturing vaguely towards the booth where her children sat frozen. "You're already in, Agent Vael."
Vael's faint smile didn't waver as she stepped further inside, her movements fluid and economical. Krail followed, his eyes sweeping the room, cataloging exits, threats, weaknesses.
"Thank you, Representative Amaranthe," Vael said, her voice smooth, almost gentle. "We understand this is… difficult timing." She glanced towards the shuttered windows, beyond which the distant chaos of Abranta still echoed faintly. "The Council requires a resolution. Someone must be held accountable for the attack at the Showcase."
Krail cut in, his tone devoid of Vael's attempted finesse. "Accountability means arrests. The descriptions match your children. We need to take them in for questioning."
Before Elora could retort, the café's back room door swung open. Silas stepped out, wiping grease from his hands onto a cloth, his brow furrowed. "Elora, Varric said—" He stopped dead, his eyes locking onto Agent Vael. The easy-going air vanished, replaced instantly by a thunderous anger that tightened his jaw and turned his knuckles white. "Solène? What the hell are you doing here?"
Vael's composure flickered for the briefest instant, a flicker of surprise – or perhaps something older, more complex – crossing her features before smoothing back into professionalism. "Silas. It's… been a long time."
"Not long enough," Silas growled, stepping fully into the room, placing himself between Vael and Elora. "Arbitrum Corps now? Figures. Always chasing the power."
Vael ignored the barb, turning back to Elora. "Representative," she began again, her voice regaining its persuasive rhythm, "I understand your position. More than you know." She paused, letting the words settle. "I grew up in Nexuria. Not far from here, actually. I remember hearing stories about you, even back then. A rising force, someone fighting for our city when no one else would. I admired that."
Elora watched her, wary. She'd heard the name Solène Vael whispered in connection with Arbitrum promotions, a Nexurian who'd clawed her way up, but they'd never met, never moved in the same circles.
"That admiration doesn't change why you're here," Elora stated flatly.
"No," Vael conceded. "But perhaps it helps you understand. The Council needs a scapegoat. Right now, all eyes are turning towards Nexuria, towards… your family. If they aren't given someone, they will take someone. And the fallout for Nexuria could be devastating."
"She's right," Krail interjected, stepping forward. His gaze swept over the children huddled in the booth – Amelia bristling, Nola pale but composed, Gavin scowling, Ronan and Leo trying to be invisible, Nachtan still staring blankly at the table. "Hand over the children, Amaranthe. A brief detainment, questioning… it satisfies the Council, protects Nexuria's fragile reputation. Your reputation." He leaned in slightly. "Think of what you've built. Are you willing to see it all crumble because you won't make the necessary sacrifice?"
"My children are not sacrifices," Elora bit out, her voice dangerously low.
"Elora, don't—" Silas started, reaching for her arm.
Vael silenced him with a look. "Your partner misunderstands, Representative. This isn't about destroying anything. It's about control. Strategy." Her eyes gleamed. "Deliver those responsible—or those perceived as responsible—and the Council sees strength. Compliance. They reward that. Imagine the influence you could wield, the resources you could secure for Nexuria, if you played this correctly. Showing you prioritize order over sentiment… especially when the sentiment involves your own children."
The manipulative twist made Elora's stomach churn. "You want me to sell out my children for political favor?"
"I want you to survive," Vael corrected smoothly. "And thrive."
"No." Elora's voice was final. "If the Council needs someone, they can have me. I was at the event. I am the Representative of this city. I will take responsibility."
"Elora, that's insane!" Silas exploded. "You can't just—"
"It's my decision, Silas."
"No!" Nola suddenly stood up from the booth, her voice trembling but clear. "If someone has to go, it should be me. I'm the oldest. I was supposed to be watching them."
"Sit down, Nola," Amelia snapped, shoving her sister lightly. "This isn't your fault. It was my idea to follow those figures, my fault we were even there—"
"Stop it, both of you!" Elora commanded.
"Kids, please," Varric pleaded from behind the counter, Lorian beside him looking grim. "This isn't helping."
"We don't have time for this," Krail stated impatiently. "The Council expects results. Representative Amaranthe, your offer is… noted. But insufficient. The public saw figures matching your children fleeing the scene. It must be them."
"Then it's me," Elora repeated, stepping towards the agents, away from Silas's restraining hand. "Take me. Now."
Silas looked utterly defeated, running a hand through his hair. "Elora…" He trailed off, knowing the argument was lost. Lorian placed a hand on his shoulder.
Krail smirked faintly, producing a pair of sleek, metallic handcuffs. "As you wish. These cuffs will inhibit anomalyte use and dampen physical resistance. Standard procedure."
Elora held out her wrists, her face a mask of stone. The cuffs clicked shut, emitting a faint, neutralizing hum.
"Let's go," Krail ordered, nudging her towards the main door. Vael gave Silas a brief, unreadable look before following.
Just as Krail pushed the front door open and they stepped onto the threshold, the air outside tore.
A swirling vortex of blue, firelike energy erupted in the narrow street before them, spitting sparks and casting chaotic light onto the damp cobblestones. From its depths emerged two figures. One was cloaked and masked, indistinct in the flickering portal light. The other… the other was monstrous. A hulking brute of grey, mutated flesh and metal, easily eight feet tall, its eyes burning with feral, corrupted light. It let out a guttural roar that shook the very foundations of the café.
"What in the—" Krail began, fumbling for his sidearm.
"Get back!" Silas yelled, shoving past Lorian and Varric, rushing towards the doorway. Lorian was right behind him.
Agent Vael reacted instantly, drawing a compact energy weapon. Its blue charge whined as she fired at the monster. The blast struck its chest, causing it to stagger momentarily, but it seemed more annoyed than harmed. With terrifying speed, the creature swiped, a massive clawed hand catching Vael across the torso. She crumpled without a sound, her weapon skittering across the stones, her life extinguished in an instant.
The monster ignored Krail, its glowing eyes fixed on Elora. It lunged.
Silas met the charge head-on, slamming his shoulder into its bulk, trying to divert it. Lorian joined him, grabbing at its arm. For a moment, they held it back, a desperate, straining tableau under the portal's eerie light. Then the monster roared again, twisting violently. Silas was thrown back, landing hard against the café wall with a sickening crunch, blood blooming on his chest. Lorian, caught in the creature's grip, was lifted and then slammed down onto the unforgiving street. Varric cried out in anguish, rushing forward, but it was too late. Lorian lay still.
The masked figure stepped fully from the portal, which pulsed erratically behind him. He looked directly at Elora, his voice distorted but filled with a chilling, familiar venom. "I will have my revenge on you "
Elora stared, numb with shock, Lorian's broken form and Silas's ragged breathing filling her senses. Two of the people closest to her, gone or dying in seconds. She tried to lash out, to summon the power simmering beneath her skin, but the handcuffs pulsed, draining her strength, leaving her helpless. The monster lumbered towards her. Before she could even brace herself, its massive fist swung, connecting with her head. Darkness exploded behind her eyes, and she knew no more as the masked man directed the beast to lift her limp form.
Inside the café, hidden in the shadows, the children watched it all. Amelia's hands were clamped over her mouth, stifling a scream. Nola held Nachtan tightly, his small body trembling, his eyes wide with a horror that mirrored her own. Gavin stared, frozen, while Ronan pulled Leo behind him, shielding him from the worst of the carnage. They watched as the masked man and the monster carried their unconscious mother back towards the unstable, flickering portal, the blue flames licking at the edges of the world they knew, threatening to consume everything.
The portal snapped shut, leaving only the dead, the dying, and the
sudden, suffocating silence of the night.