The Creation of a Name

The night air was thick with the scent of blood. The alley was painted red, bodies of officers sprawled across the pavement, their expressions frozen in terror. The once-bustling street was now a graveyard.

Then came the flashing red and blue lights.

Ryuji Liang, Mikaela Yoon-Himura, and Police Chief Yuriko Matsunaga arrived at the scene.

The moment Ryuji stepped out of the car, his gut twisted. His sharp eyes scanned the devastation, the corpses of their own officers lying in pools of blood. He swallowed the bile rising in his throat, his grip tightening on his holstered gun.

Mikaela stood still, her fingers curling into a fist. "Holy shit..."

Yuriko remained composed, but her expression hardened. She stepped closer to one of the bodies, kneeling down. The officer's throat was sliced clean through. A kill with precision. This wasn't just murder. This was a statement.

The chief closed her eyes for a brief second before exhaling through her nose. "We sent them to patrol the area. We sent them to do their damn jobs..." Her tone was controlled but edged with fury. "And now they're dead."

Mikaela gritted her teeth. "Who else could've done this? The brutality—it's her, isn't it?"

Ryuji nodded grimly. "Kairi Saigeru."

Yuriko rose to her feet, dusting off her gloves. "This wasn't random. This was personal."

Mikaela stared at the lifeless bodies. "They didn't even stand a chance..."

Ryuji exhaled sharply, his gaze darkening. "No. They didn't."

One of the lower-ranking officers ran up, panting. "Captain! Chief! We found something!"

Yuriko turned to him. "What is it?"

The officer hesitated before handing her something—an officer's badge drenched in blood, a single playing card tucked beside it.

The Joker.

Mikaela stiffened. "You've gotta be kidding me..."

Ryuji grit his teeth. "She's taunting us."

Yuriko examined the card closely, her voice cold. "Then let's make her regret it."

The weight of the night pressed down on them. The Kurokawa Metropolitan Bureau wasn't just dealing with a murderer anymore.

They were at war.

Yuriko stood at the center of the crime scene, her gloved hands clenched into fists, the bloodied playing card still between her fingers. The glow of red and blue sirens reflected in her hardened gaze.

She turned to the gathered officers, her voice sharp as a blade.

"Enough is enough. The Kurokawa Metropolitan Bureau is officially at war with Kairi Saigeru and whoever the hell is working with her. I don't care if they're dead or alive—just get them off my streets."

A unified chorus of "Yes, Chief!" erupted from the officers.

Unbeknownst to Yuriko, her walkie-talkie was still on.

Static buzzed from the radio on the table. The tension in the room thickened as Yuriko's words rang loud and clear through the device.

Jin, who had been absentmindedly playing with a knife, froze. He turned his head slightly, his sharp golden eyes scanning his group.

Celeste crossed her arms. "Well, that's great. We've officially pissed off the entire police force."

Unknown, his voice low and amused, leaned against the wall. "Didn't take long, huh?"

Kairi huffed, stretching her arms. "Tch. Like I give a damn."

Kasumi grinned, flipping her knife between her fingers. "I dunno, sounds fun."

Aiko snickered. "They should be honored. We're giving them something exciting to do with their miserable little lives."

Jin, still staring at them, let out a slow exhale. "Well, if they're treating us like an organized group, maybe we should start acting like one."

Celeste tilted her head. "Meaning?"

Jin leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "A name. We need one."

A brief silence followed.

Then—

"Oh! I got it!" Kasumi slammed her hands on the table. "Blood Lotus!"

Aiko immediately gagged. "That sounds like a bad poetry club name. Pass."

"Says you! What do you have, genius?"

Aiko smirked. "Black Serpents."

Kairi groaned. "We are NOT naming ourselves after a bootleg version of Brick Thorne's gang. Try again."

"Okay, fine! Then what do YOU have?"

Kairi leaned back, arms behind her head. "Reapers' Pact."

Kasumi burst out laughing. "Oh my god, that sounds like some edgy teenager's rock band."

Kairi glared. "What, and 'Blood Lotus' doesn't sound like a failed perfume brand?"

Aiko snapped her fingers. "She's got a point."

"OH, SHUT UP, AIKO!"

Jin sighed, rubbing his temples. "So, instead of planning our next move, we're going to sit here and act like a bunch of dumbasses fighting over a name?"

Unknown, still leaning against the wall, casually spoke. "Yes."

Jin closed his eyes for a moment before muttering, "This is why I drink."

Celeste, the only one still being remotely serious, sighed before raising a hand. "Okay, how about we take a vote?"

Aiko grinned. "Fine. But if we end up with some boring-ass name, I'm walking out."

Kasumi crossed her arms. "Same. If it's some stupid one-word nonsense, I'm gonna kill someone."

Jin, ignoring them, smirked. "Alright then, let's settle this."

And so, instead of preparing for the war they had just been declared in, the group descended into a chaotic debate over their name, half-serious and half-ready to kill each other over it.

The hideout was pure, uncontrollable chaos.

Kairi had her boots kicked up on the table, Aiko and Kasumi were practically in a wrestling match, and Celeste just looked exhausted as the argument spiraled into hour three.

"Reapers' Pact makes us sound legendary," Kairi said for the seventh time. "It has that finality to it—like, 'you cross us, you die.'"

"You wish that was good," Aiko shot back. "Blood Lotus is symbolic. It represents thriving in carnage. It has depth."

Kasumi, gripping Aiko by the collar, sneered. "Oh yeah? It also sounds like a boutique perfume brand."

Aiko shoved her back. "Says the one who wanted 'Red Moon Fang' like we're a werewolf boy band!"

Celeste rubbed her temples. "We are actual killers. Why does this feel like a high school drama club meeting?"

Unknown, sitting in the corner like a menacing gremlin, finally spoke up. "No Name."

Silence.

Everyone turned to look at him.

Kairi blinked. "The hell kind of lazy—"

"No Name means we don't exist," Unknown continued in his usual cryptic monotone. "We are nothing but the fear in their hearts."

Jin, who had tolerated this nonsense long enough, finally stood up, grabbed a knife, and stabbed it into the table.

Everyone froze.

His golden eyes swept over them, sharp and unyielding. Then he smirked.

"You're all idiots."

"Excuse me—" Aiko started, but Jin ignored her.

"We need a name that carries weight," he continued. "Something that doesn't sound like a horror movie sequel or a failed rock band."

A pause.

Then, his smirk widened.

"We are Phantom Veil."

Kairi raised a brow. "Phantom Veil?"

"Think about it," Jin said, pacing slightly. "We move in the shadows. We strike before they even realize we're there. We're the ghosts they fear, and when we reveal ourselves, it's already too late."

Celeste tapped her chin. "It has a nice ring to it."

Kasumi crossed her arms, grudgingly nodding. "Not bad."

Aiko sighed, leaning back. "Fine. I'll allow it. But if anyone starts acting poetic about 'the veil between life and death,' I'm stabbing them."

Kairi stretched, grinning. "Looks like we have a name. Finally."

Unknown gave an approving nod. "Acceptable."

Jin leaned against the table, spinning a knife in his hand. "Then it's settled. From this moment on, we are Phantom Veil."

Aiko rolled her eyes. "Took us long enough."

Kairi laughed, shaking her head. "Alright, alright. Now that we've settled the most pointless war ever, let's actually do what we came here to do—destroy the Arakawas."

Jin's smirk sharpened. "Now you're talking."

The room was silent, except for the rhythmic clicking of Mariko Sarmiento's heels against the pristine marble floor. The assassin maids stood in perfect formation, backs straight, hands clasped, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

Their leader had arrived.

Mariko paused before them, her gaze slow and calculated. The dim chandelier light cast long shadows across her face, emphasizing the cold, unreadable expression she always wore.

Then, she spoke.

"Kayd has given the order," she began, her voice eerily soft, yet suffocatingly heavy. "The Phantom Veil must be erased. Every. Single. One."

No one flinched. They all knew failure was not an option.

Mariko let the silence hang for a moment before continuing.

"But let me make something clear," she said, taking slow, deliberate steps down the line of maids. "Kayd may own you. He may command you. He may have given this order." She stopped. Her cold eyes flickered with something darker. "But if you fail?"

She smiled.

It was the kind of smile that didn't belong on a human face. Sharp. Empty. Merciless.

"You won't have to worry about disappointing him."

The air thickened. The maids stiffened.

"Because you won't live long enough to hear his voice again."

One of the maids—a newer recruit, younger, unsure—let out the tiniest breath, a twitch of hesitation in her fingers.

Mariko's eyes snapped to her.

In an instant, before anyone could process it, Mariko's knife was buried in the girl's throat.

A sharp gurgle. A flash of crimson. The young maid's body collapsed before the others, twitching for only a second before going still.

Mariko slowly withdrew the blade, shaking the blood off with a flick of her wrist.

"Failure," she said, her tone frigid, absolute, "is not an option."

No one dared to move.

She turned away, as if the kill meant nothing. As if she had merely swatted a fly.

"Now," she continued, wiping her blade on a silk handkerchief. "Make no mistake. These are not ordinary targets. Kairi is a monster in human skin. Jin is calculated and ruthless. The others are unpredictable, reckless, and just as dangerous."

She turned back, her icy glare sweeping over them.

"You will eliminate them. Quickly. Efficiently. Without hesitation."

Another pause.

Then—her voice dropped into something quiet. Cold. And final.

"Or I will eliminate you."

The tension in the room was suffocating.

The maids nodded, in perfect unison, not a single one questioning their orders.

Mariko finally smiled again.

"Good. Then let's begin."

{End Episode}