Jayden lowered the glass, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I was at home. In my room."

"Harleen said you left the house yesterday evening," Jacob pressed, his brow furrowing. "And none of us saw you return."

"Yeah, I left," Jayden replied casually, grabbing a few slices of bread to put in the toaster. "I went to the park to train. I stayed out late grinding my stamina. I didn’t want to wake anyone up when I got back, so I just climbed the side of the house and came in through my window. That’s why you didn’t see me."

Jacob crossed his arms. "What time exactly did you get back?"

Before Jayden could answer, Tasha chimed in from the couch. "He was with me at 8:00 PM, Dad. He was in my room helping me refine my footwork for the tournament."

Jessica also added. "Yeah! They were being super loud and totally disturbing my movie." She crossed her arms, her acting absolutely flawless as she shot her father an incredulous look. "But dad... are you seriously suspecting Jayden? Of murder?"

Jacob flinched, holding his hands up defensively. "Of course not! I’m just... I’m just trying to get his alibi straight. Just in case he becomes a suspect or the EVA comes knocking."

"Why would he become a suspect?" Tasha countered, raising an eyebrow. "The murder didn’t even happen in Emerald City. It was in Ruby City. That’s over an hour away."

The girls kept rapid-firing logical defenses, completely boxing Jacob into a corner.

Jacob sighed, rubbing his temples. He knew when he was beat. "Okay, okay. Just forget I asked."

Harleen stood up, walking over to place a gentle hand on Jacob’s shoulder. She looked at Jayden. "He’s just looking out for you, Jayden. These syndicate people are incredibly dangerous, and the EVA is even more ruthless." She shot a pointed look at Jacob. "No offense, honey."

Jacob smiled. "None taken."

Harleen turned her warm eyes back to Jayden. "Look. Whether you’re this masked person or not, we are your family. We will always support you. But you need to be careful."

Jayden softened slightly. "Thanks, Harleen. I appreciate the concern. But it really isn’t me. I would never do something as reckless as going after a crime syndicate alone."

Harleen studied his face for a long moment. Then, she nodded decisively. "Okay. Then it’s settled. No one in this house is to accuse Jayden of being this vigilante since he says it isn’t him."

"Okay," the girls chimed in unison.

But Jacob didn’t say it. He stood silently, his eyes locked onto Jayden’s. The two men held each other’s gaze for a long, heavy second. Finally, Jayden broke eye contact. He grabbed his milk and his freshly popped toast, putting on a highly convincing display of being offended.

"I’m going back to my room," Jayden muttered, walking past them and heading up the stairs.

Harleen watched him disappear onto the second floor before turning to Jacob, her hands resting on her hips. "Perhaps you shouldn’t have called him out in front of everyone like that."

"What? I didn’t even do anything!" Jacob protested.

"Maybe not to you," Harleen said sternly. "But to him, you just accused him of being a cold-blooded murderer. You could have suspected anyone in this city, but your first suspect was him."

Jacob’s shoulders slumped. Through Harleen’s words, the realization of how his interrogation had sounded finally hit him.

"You need to go up there and apologize," Harleen commanded.

"Do I really have to?" Jacob groaned softly.

"You have to," Harleen stated, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Or else no dessert for you tonight."

Jacob sighed heavily in defeat. "Okay. Fine." He turned and headed for the stairs.

Back on the couch, the girls had been pretending to watch the news while listening to the entire exchange.

"Way to go, Mom," Jessica whispered, giving a discreet thumbs up. "Show him who’s boss."

Tasha and Harleen just giggled softly as Jacob made his way upstairs.

Upstairs, Jayden had locked his door and was sitting on the edge of his bed, chewing on his toast. He pulled up his holotab, opening a heavily encrypted chat line to his EVA contact. He sent a message to Fred, giving a summary of the situation...the news broadcast, the task force announcement, and how his family suspects him.

Fred’s response came quickly.

[It’s just a minor setback, kid. You wore a mask, nobody knows what you actually look like. You shouldn’t be bothered]

Jayden frowned, then he replied.

[I am bothered. The news just said the EVA created an entire Task Force specifically to catch me. I’ve only killed one Pioneer. There are eight left. How am I supposed to track and take down the rest of the syndicate if the EVA is breathing down my neck?]

Fred: [Calm down, kid. Think about it. Who do you think the Director put in charge of this new Task Force?]

Jayden paused, his fingers hovering over the holographic keyboard.

[Is it you?] he asked.

Fred: [Bingo! You have absolutely nothing to worry about from the law enforcement side. I will personally lead the EVA on wild goose chases and keep them entirely off your back. Continue your mission exactly as planned. You’ll just need to execute it much more hastily now]

Jayden replied [I already planned to. I want this done fast]

Fred: [Good. I just pinged the locations of two more Pioneers I’ve been tracking. Tazer and Frost. I’ll send the exact coordinates to your device shortly. But listen to me carefully: you need to be on high alert. The syndicate isn’t going to sit back anymore. They are going to actively seek out and destroy you]

Jayden couldn’t help but let a predatory grin spread across his face as he remembered the power resting in his cellular structure.

[I’ll be fine. I’m untouchable]

Fred didn’t reply to the cryptically arrogant statement.

[Just stay sharp. And don’t die!]

The connection severed and the conversation ended.

A moment later, there was a soft knock at Jayden’s bedroom door.

"Jayden? It’s me," Jacob’s voice called out. "Can we talk?"

Jayden quickly closed his holotab. "Of course. Come in." he said, his voice sounding raspier than intended.

Jacob opened the door, offering a tight, apologetic smile. He stepped inside and securely closed the door behind him. He stood awkwardly for a moment before letting out a breath.

"Listen, kid. I’m sorry for calling you out downstairs like that," Jacob started, his voice low and weary. "I didn’t mean to make it sound like an accusation."

"It’s fine," Jayden replied with a casual shrug, though every muscle in his body was coiled like a spring. He took another bite of his toast, the dry crunch sounding like a gunshot in the quiet room. "I know you’re just looking out for me."

Jacob nodded, but he didn’t move toward the door. He stood in the center of the room, an immovable pillar of conflict. The paternal warmth he usually carried seemed to evaporate, replaced by the cold, calculating gaze of a man who had spent decades staring into the abyss of human nature.

"I know why you’re doing it," Jacob said carefully, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper.

Jayden froze mid-chew. The bread felt like sawdust in his throat. He swallowed hard, his mind already racing through a dozen lies, half-truths, and exit strategies. "I already told you, Jacob, I’m not—"

"The girls aren’t here right now, Jayden," Jacob interrupted, a dark, knowing chuckle vibrating in his chest. "It’s just us boys. You don’t have to lie to me.

Jayden closed his mouth. He didn’t say a word. His silence was the only confirmation Jacob needed.

"I know you’re hunting down the Pioneers because of what you had to do to save Cassandra," Jacob continued, his voice softening with a touch of genuine pity. "You’re smart. You know the syndicate is going to connect the dots eventually. You know they’ll come after you, and they’ll come after this family once they realize you’re the one who dismantled their operations. So, you decided to strike first. You’re hunting them before they can hunt us."

Jacob took a step forward. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. And I’m not going to try and stop you, because I know how strong you are. I know you can handle yourself," he said. "But I have to warn you, Jayden... you are going down a very dark path. One that requires you to take human life. Not animals, Jayden. Humans. People with names, families, and choices—no matter how rotten those choices were."

"The humans I’m killing aren’t exactly innocent, Jacob," Jayden replied, his voice cold and steady.

"True," Jacob conceded. "Those Pioneers have blood on their hands. They’ve killed plenty of people. But if you execute them in cold blood... what makes you any better than they are?"

"I’m killing to protect the people I care about," Jayden fired back fiercely. "They kill for a paycheck. There’s a difference."

Jacob shook his head sadly. "That is exactly how it starts with most assassins and vigilantes. They all believe they are doing it for the greater good. But eventually, the lines blur. They lose themselves in the darkness, and they just become murderers who can’t tell the difference between the guilty and the innocent."

"I’m not a vigilante," Jayden said, his jaw tight. "And... I won’t end up like them."

"I know you won’t," Jacob said, stepping forward and placing a heavy, warm hand on Jayden’s shoulder. "But you need to be careful. Think about your mother. Think about Jasmine. Think about if they would actually approve of you doing this."

Jacob patted his shoulder and turned to walk out of the room.

"My mother can’t approve of anything," Jayden said quietly, freezing Jacob with his hand on the doorknob. "Because she’s dead."

Jacob looked back over his shoulder.

"And even if she were alive," Jayden continued, his eyes burning with a fierce, unwavering conviction. "She would be the one telling me to do exactly what I have to do. Because I remember her. I remember what she was like. She killed people too—to keep me and Jasmine safe. More than once." He looked at Jacob’s back. "So she wouldn’t just approve. She’d be proud."

Jacob stared at him for a long, heavy moment. He let out a defeated sigh, a sad, understanding chuckle escaping his lips. "I knew I wouldn’t be able to get through to you." He opened the door. "Okay, Jayden. Do what you have to do to keep us safe. Just... please. Don’t lose yourself in the process."

"I won’t," Jayden promised.

Jacob nodded once and walked out, clicking the door shut.

Jayden sat alone in the quiet of his room, the remnants of the conversation hanging in the air. He leaned back against the headboard, reflecting on Jacob’s words. He thought back to the first thug he killed, to the ones he killed in that alley, to Scorched, to Duke.

He tried to search within himself for the darkness Jacob was so afraid of. He didn’t know why he didn’t feel remorse. Maybe it was because the people he had killed were undeniably evil. But Jacob was right about one thing: they were humans, not beasts. They had families too.

Somewhere, someone was never going to see their father or brother again because Jayden had driven a fist through his heart.

Jayden violently shook his head, physically discarding the thought.

Now was not the time to be crippled by mixed feelings or moral philosophy. If he hesitated, his own family would die. It was that simple.

He pushed himself off the bed and finally went into his bathroom. He took a quick shower, washing away the lingering exhaustion of the night before, and dressed in a fresh set of tactical-casual clothing.

Just then, his holotab buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out.

Fred had sent two files.

He opened them briefly. There were two names, and two sets of coordinates. One pioneer was in Emerald City, while the other was in Carmine City.

Jayden noted the details, closed the files, and pocketed the tab. He would deal with the Pioneers later.

Right now, he had a different mission to accomplish. He had a new System ability sitting idle, and he needed passive Exp farmers.

He slipped out of his bedroom window, dropping silently to the grass below, and headed straight for the forest.

It was time to build an army.