The report arrived before sunrise.
Not that sunrise mattered inside Nyx's sanctum.
The realm existed beyond normal time, a place where darkness stretched endlessly and the only light came from the energy flowing through the shadows.
But Elara had learned quickly.
Information moved faster when delivered personally.
Nyx stood before the large floating map of Ashenveil, watching dozens of marked locations appear.
Some were businesses.
Some were hidden facilities.
Some were names.
But one location immediately caught her attention.
An orphanage.
She stared at the symbol.
"An orphanage?"
Elara nodded.
"Connected to Gregor."
Nyx's expression changed slightly.
Gregor.
One of Valerius's remaining associates.
Unlike Darius Veyl, Gregor was not a warrior.
He was not known for overwhelming strength.
He was worse.
He was a man who hid behind kindness.
A merchant.
A philanthropist.
A person who built his reputation by helping the weak.
According to the information recovered from Valerius, Gregor controlled several orphanages throughout Ashenveil.
Publicly, they were shelters.
Places where abandoned children could find food, protection, and education.
Privately...
They were something else.
Nyx read through the information again.
"How many?"
Elara looked serious.
"At least twelve facilities."
"And the purpose?"
Elara hesitated.
"That is what I couldn't confirm."
Nyx looked at her.
"You couldn't?"
Elara rarely admitted failure.
"There are missing records."
She pointed toward the documents.
"Children disappear from the system, but the paperwork is always corrected. Names removed. Histories rewritten."
Nyx's eyes narrowed.
"Someone is cleaning the evidence."
"Yes."
The System appeared.
[Information analysis complete.]
[Probability of illegal activity: 96%.]
[Probability of connection to Valerius network: Confirmed.]
Nyx looked toward the map.
"Then we visit."
---
The orphanage looked exactly like the image Gregor wanted people to see.
Bright walls.
Clean gardens.
Smiling signs.
A place that seemed peaceful.
Children played outside while caretakers watched over them.
Anyone passing by would have believed it was a sanctuary.
Nyx stood across the street, hidden beneath a simple cloak.
She watched silently.
"This is what they show everyone."
Elara stood beside her.
"And what they hide?"
Nyx looked at the building.
"That is what we find out."
They entered after nightfall.
The building changed when nobody was watching.
The warmth disappeared.
The smiles became masks.
The caretakers moved differently.
More carefully.
More like guards than protectors.
Nyx followed the shadows through the halls.
Her abilities were improving every day.
The darkness listened now.
It carried whispers.
Footsteps.
Conversations.
Secrets.
She heard two workers speaking in a nearby room.
"Gregor wants the next group prepared before the end of the week."
A second voice answered.
"And the buyers?"
"Already waiting."
Nyx stopped.
Elara's expression hardened.
Buyers.
That single word confirmed everything.
The System activated.
[Hidden criminal operation detected.]
[Classification: Human trafficking network.]
The temperature inside the hallway dropped.
Nyx did not move.
She simply listened.
"The last shipment brought good results."
"Yes. The younger ones are easier to control."
Elara clenched her fist.
For the first time since becoming Nyx's agent, her calm expression broke.
Nyx noticed.
"You know this world is cruel."
Elara looked away.
"I know."
"Then why does this surprise you?"
Elara's voice became quieter.
"Because I knew Valerius was a monster."
She looked toward the rooms where the children slept.
"But I didn't expect people to build a business from this."
Nyx remained silent.
Because she understood.
Cruelty was common.
But some forms of cruelty were different.
Some people did not hurt others because they had to.
They did it because they saw profit.
And those were the ones Nyx hated most.
---
They descended beneath the orphanage.
A hidden entrance.
A secret floor.
A place that was never supposed to exist.
The shadows opened the door without resistance.
Inside were records.
Hundreds of them.
Names.
Locations.
Transactions.
Nyx walked through the room, reading everything.
The operation was larger than expected.
Much larger.
Gregor was not simply running orphanages.
He was using them as collection points.
Children from poor areas.
Children with no families.
Children nobody would search for.
They were taken, registered as transferred, and sold through underground networks.
Nyx picked up one document.
A list of buyers.
Her eyes moved across the names.
Nobles.
Merchants.
Powerful figures.
People who pretended to be respectable.
The System displayed new information.
[Network expansion detected.]
[Current known connections: 73 → 214.]
Nyx stared at the number.
The corruption was spreading deeper than she imagined.
Valerius was not just controlling criminals.
He had built an entire ecosystem.
One where innocent people became resources.
Nyx slowly placed the document down.
"Gregor."
Her voice was cold.
"He isn't a survivor."
Elara looked at her.
"What is he?"
Nyx turned toward the darkness.
"An example."
---
Gregor arrived shortly after.
He entered the hidden chamber calmly.
A man wearing expensive clothing.
A pleasant smile.
A face designed to appear trustworthy.
He looked around.
Then noticed Nyx.
For a moment, surprise appeared.
Then he recovered.
"Who are you?"
Nyx stared at him.
"You know."
Gregor's smile faded slightly.
"I don't believe we have met."
"You worked with Valerius."
The man's expression changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Nyx noticed.
"You know exactly why I'm here."
Gregor laughed softly.
"Is this about the children?"
The way he said it made Elara's expression darken.
Not concern.
Not guilt.
Annoyance.
As if the children were an inconvenience.
"They are not worth much once they become older."
Silence.
Even the shadows stopped moving.
Nyx looked at him.
"You just said that out loud."
Gregor shrugged.
"Why hide it? You already know."
He stepped forward.
"Do you think you're different from me?"
Nyx raised an eyebrow.
Gregor smiled.
"You hunt people."
"You take what you want."
"You destroy those who stand against you."
His eyes narrowed.
"You're just another monster pretending to be better."
Nyx stared at him.
Then smiled.
The first genuine smile since entering the building.
"You're right about one thing."
Gregor relaxed slightly.
"You are both monsters."
Nyx stepped closer.
"But the difference is..."
The shadows crawled across the floor.
"I chose what kind of monster I would become."
Gregor finally felt fear.
---
The fight ended quickly.
Gregor was not a warrior.
He had hidden behind others for too long.
When his guards arrived, they found nothing they could fight.
Only darkness.
Only shadows.
Only a woman standing calmly in the center of the room.
The System activated.
[Target captured.]
[Information extraction available.]
Nyx looked at Gregor.
"You're going to tell me everything."
He glared at her.
"I will never betray my allies."
Nyx smiled.
"Everyone says that."
She turned toward the stolen records.
"Until they realize their allies never cared about them."
---
By morning, the orphanage was exposed.
The children were removed.
The records were secured.
And Gregor's entire operation collapsed.
But Nyx knew this was only one piece.
One branch.
One part of something much larger.
Elara stood beside her as they watched authorities arrive.
"How many more are there?"
Nyx looked at the city.
The answer was unknown.
But the System had already updated.
[New objective.]
[Destroy Valerius's hidden network.]
Nyx looked at the endless streets.
The corruption was everywhere.
Good.
That meant there was more to destroy.
She turned away.
"Find the next name."
Elara nodded.
"And if they are worse than Gregor?"
Nyx continued walking.
"Then they made the mistake of becoming my enemy."
Behind them, the orphanage stood empty.
A symbol of something ending.
And somewhere in the darkness...
The remaining members of Valerius's network received the news.
Darius was gone.
Gregor was gone.
The hidden operations were collapsing.
And now they understood.
Nyx was not chasing criminals.
She was erasing an entire empire.