The rain did not fall. It drove horizontally. It hit the concrete. It sounded like gravel.
Kaito ran. His boots splashed in the puddles. The Grey District was empty. The streetlights flickered.
He did not chase a crack. He chased a trail.
It was invisible to most people. It looked like heat shimmer. It smelled like ozone and old blood.
Kuro said: "You are losing the scent."
Kaito said: "No."
Kuro said: "It is fading."
Kaito said: "It is hiding."
He turned left into an alley. The wall was brick. The mortar was cracked. The trail stopped here.
Kaito stopped. He breathed. The air was cold. His lungs burned.
He looked at the wall. The shimmer was not gone. It was buried.
Kaito said: "Come out."
Silence. The rain hit the ground. A car passed on the main street. The sound was distant.
A figure stepped from the shadow. It was not a shadow entity. It was solid.
He wore a long coat. It was grey. It blended with the rain. He held a bow. It was black metal. No string.
