They said it might be him.
The one who sees everything. The one who can rewrite fate like code. The Omniscient. But something feels wrong. He doesn't show up like this. He doesn't leave trails. He doesn't offer invitations. No, this isn't his style.
But it's someone.
And I need to find out who.
Evelyn stood with her hands clasped behind her back, her eyes fixed on the digital map projected across the wall. Red pins marked incidents. Blue ones marked disappearances. One yellow pin pulsed slowly over Luxembourg.
"Keep surveillance on all entry routes," she said calmly, turning to her crew. "If Omniscient has anything to do with this, we'll find out before he finds us."
A voice, sarcastic and smooth, cut through the tension like a scalpel.
"Tracking a ghost in a sandstorm. Sounds like you, Blake."
She turned. Leo Kaine, callsign **RIFT**. Seventeen. Hacker. Cryptanalyst. Strategist. A walking paradox: caffeine-addled yet precise, irreverent but brilliant.
"Got something for me, Rift? Or just trying to be annoying again?"
"A little of both." He tossed her a tablet. "Intercepted chatter. Someone scrubbed clean the Luxembourg station logs from last week. Like, really clean. Military-grade overwrite. I can't even trace the deletion paths."
Evelyn frowned. "Omniscient?"
Rift shook his head. "If it was him, I wouldn't even know the data existed. Whoever did this... wants us to know it's missing. They're baiting."
"Keep digging," Evelyn ordered. "And be ready to cut my feed if anything spikes on the grid. I don't want eyes on me."
Rift gave a mock salute. "As you command, Empress of Paranoia."
Luxembourg: Neutral Ground
Two shadows emerged on opposite sides of a silent cathedral square.
Evelyn. Adrian.
They stopped. No words. No greetings.
Just instincts.
She moved first, a blur of black as her coat flared behind her. A throwing knife clanged off Adrian's wrist guard as he side-stepped and lunged with a rising elbow.
Evelyn ducked, spun low, swept his legs, but he leapt, rebounding off a stone bench, twisting mid-air.
She followed with a jab to the ribs. He caught her wrist and redirected the force into a lock. She rolled out of it, planted a flashbang, and backed off.
Boom.
But Adrian didn't even flinch.
He was already behind her.
His movements were calculated, fluid, as if predicting her thoughts before she formed them.
Evelyn gritted her teeth. She went for a rapid three-strike combo aimed at pressure points. He blocked the first two.
The third? He let it hit.
To draw her closer.
And he did.
He drove her to the ground, knife drawn, edge grazing her throat,
Until the air shimmered.
Three dark figures dropped from above.
Government.
Professional.
Weapons raised, stance calm.
"That's enough. Both of you."
Adrian pulled back. Evelyn rose, brushing blood from her lip.
One of the agents stepped forward. Gray suit. Silver cufflink with a phoenix insignia.
"We didn't summon you to kill each other," he said. "We summoned you to offer a deal."
Adrian leaned back against the marble rail inside the chamber, arms folded. Evelyn stood across from him, still silent.
The man continued, "There is a figure, known only as *The Omniscient*. No photos. No records. Every contact has ended in disappearance or death. We don't know who he is. Or what he wants."
Adrian tilted his head. "Then why should I care?"
"Because he knows you."
A flicker of interest, quickly masked.
Evelyn stepped forward. "He once intercepted a mission I was on. Left me a message. Just three words: *I'm watching you.*"
The man nodded. "And yet, you're here. That means you want answers."
Adrian's voice was quiet. "I want freedom. You don't get that from governments."
"Then you're free to decline."
Adrian did.
Evelyn hesitated.
This isn't about trust. Or justice. It's about knowledge. If I ever want to beat him... I need to know what he knows.
"I'll join. On conditions."
"Go on," said the man.
"No trackers. No handlers. Full access to internal data."
"Accepted."
She turned to Adrian.
"One match."
He smirked. "I wondered when you'd ask."
Opening: Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense.
Evelyn opened with e4, classic and aggressive. Adrian replied with e5, then Nf3, Nc6, Bb5... The Berlin was on.
She played d3 instead of the mainline, opting for a slower buildup.
By move 10, the tension was thick. Both sides castled. Pawns danced, probing. Adrian sacrificed center control for piece activity.
Move 13...exd4.
Evelyn maintained her position. Adrian countered with precision, Qd8 to Qc7, Re8, Bb6. His pieces hovered, waiting for her to blink.
At move 25, Evelyn tried to trap his bishop. He smiled and let it go, exchanging it for initiative.
By move 35, they were deep in a tactical spiral. Evelyn's rooks dominated one file, Adrian's knights the center. Each move was a test of foresight.
Move 47: Evelyn sacrifices a pawn.
Move 50: Adrian responds with an exchange, equalizing.
Move 56. They repeat. A draw by threefold repetition.
They stare.
Neither has won.
Neither has lost.
Just like always.
They stood, and without a word, turned away from the board, away from each other.
For now.
Outside, under cold moonlight, Evelyn met a figure in a gray trench coat.
"You called?" he said. His voice was calm, deliberate.
"Seraphim. I need an archivist. Someone who can sift through old black files."
"You want ghosts. I find ghosts."
He lit a cigarette. The tip flared like a dying star.
"Let's begin."