The city never slept, but tonight it was screaming.
Sirens wailed in the distance. Red and blue lights danced across rain-slick streets, reflecting off cracked glass and bloodied concrete. A crowd had gathered behind the police tape, murmuring, whispering.
Another girl. Another alley. Another case that would go unsolved.
Riven stood in the rain, his hoodie soaked and hands clenched so tight his knuckles had gone white. He didn't hear the voices. Didn't see the reporters. All he saw was her.
His sister. Cold. Still. Eyes open.
He couldn't look away.
"Victim is female, age sixteen. No ID on her. Same pattern as the others—neck snapped, body arranged. Sick bastard left a red ribbon again."
The officers spoke like they were describing the weather.
Riven knew the truth. He knew her name. Kira. His only family.
His everything.
And now she was just another body in the city's growing pile of failures.
"Get back!" someone barked as he stepped past the tape.
A cop grabbed his shoulder—Riven didn't even flinch.
He wasn't thinking. Couldn't.
But something else was.
[Initializing Judgment Protocol...]
[TARGET IDENTIFIED: JASON VEGA — 17 COUNTS OF ASSAULT, 4 OF MURDER. IMMUNE DUE TO POLITICAL PROTECTION.]
[EXECUTION: AUTHORIZED]
A sharp, static click echoed in his ears. Like a glitch. Like something had booted up inside his mind.
Riven blinked.
And for a moment, the world slowed.
Everyone froze. Rain hung in midair like suspended glass. Colors inverted.
Across the street, leaning against a car like he owned the city, stood Jason Vega—smirking, chewing gum, untouched.
He looked right at Riven.
And winked.
That was the moment something snapped.
[Code Engaged: DEATH PROTOCOL]
[WARNING: This action is irreversible.]
"Do it," Riven whispered.
A red mark lit up across his right hand—burning lines of digital code, etched into skin and soul.
His body moved before he could process. One step. Then two. Then everything blurred.
Jason's eyes widened. "What the—?"
Too slow.
Riven's hand slammed into his chest—no weapon, no theatrics. Just raw data, pulsing with judgment.
[SINNER FOUND GUILTY.]
[EXECUTION COMPLETE.]
Jason's body jerked. Code burst from his skin like red fire, his scream digitized and torn apart mid-sound. In seconds, he was nothing but dust. Gone.
Silence.
The rain resumed.
Riven stood alone, breathing heavily, hand still glowing.
The cops didn't see him move. The crowd didn't know what happened.
But something had changed.
Something had been activated.
[Welcome, Executor.]
[You have unlocked Level 1 of the Death Protocol System.]
[Your judgment begins now.]
Riven looked down at the mark burning on his hand. His sister's blood still stained his sleeve.
"Good," he muttered.
"If the law won't fix this city—then I will."