How Fun!

"Shiii!"

The sound of tires screeching suddenly sounded out as Aiden swiftly hit the brakes. "Landon, I smell something," he said.

Hearing Aiden's words, Landon asked in his head. "What is it?"

Aiden closed his eyes focusing on that familiar smell, in the next moment, he opened his eyes and got out of the car locking it remotely.

In front of him was an apartment building right next to the one Maya resided, it was a sleek urban tower that rose amidst the cityscape, its façade a blend of glass and steel.

Through the closed glass door, Aiden's impressive sight could make out the entrance lobby with its minimalist design and bustling concierge.

It seemed like the kind of building where one could find chic studio apartments and stylish one-bedroom units, prompting Aiden to sigh in doubt.

Noting the building upfront, Aiden muttered to himself. "This building, houses no less than fifty residents, but why is such a smell emitting from it?"

With no one to answer his question, Aiden, walked up to the entrance and with a flick of his wrist tried to open the front door.

"Chi, Chi!"

It was locked, prompting Aiden to let out another sigh, looking at the lock he discovered that one needed an electronic key card to open it.

With this revelation, Aiden gave up deciding to mind his business and move on.

Just as he was about to walk away, he saw something, someone had pointed a flashlight at him from the inside.

"Beep!"

An electronic Beep followed suit as the doors opened revealing a male security guard.

This man had inky black hair tied to a ponytail along with a full beard, his eyes were brown and calm, but Aiden could sense an undignified bloodlust in their depths giving him an aura of depth.

When Aiden looked at this man, he had this strange and odd feeling in the pit of his stomach prompting him to increase his guard.

With tired eyes, this unknown guard asked. "Who are you? I haven't seen you around before."

Hearing this man's words, Aiden tilted his head.

[Calm]

His voice sounded out like a call from the abyss and at that moment the man slumped down, completely losing consciousness.

Walking into the apartment building, Aiden took the man's key card and closed the main entrance once again.

Without a word, Aiden proceeded to walk into the main lobby, but as he took another step, he stopped.

Turning back to the slumped security guard, Aiden narrowed his eyes. "Something isn't right," he thought.

"Tap!"

"Tap!"

The sound of his footsteps filled the lobby as he closed in on the security guard's unmoving body, but just as he was within arms reach.

"Swoosh!"

A sound could be heard as the man got up and swung a short blade at him.

Aiden, his reactions lightning fast stepped back to evade.

"A Contractor?"

He muttered in confusion, his eyes narrowed at the unnatural nature of everything.

"Who are you?" Aiden asked but received no response, Instead, the strange man sang, this time in a strange accent.

"In ze land of baguettes and cheese," he began. "Lived a mouse named Maurice, oh please! He danced 'round the Eiffel Tower so high, Underneath the Parisian sky. With a twirl and a whirl, he sang his song."

Watching the man sing for a while, Aiden narrowed his eyes. "I don't take kindly to people who attempt to kill me, speak now or die," he commanded.

Seemingly hearing Aiden's words, the man paused and before anyone could react rushed towards Aiden.

"Swoosh!"

"Swoosh!"

The sound of the air tearing could be heard as he swung at Aiden twice, but all Aiden did was evade, stepping back to dodge the swift attacks.

This went on for a while until Aiden adapted to the man's fighting style.

"Bam!"

The sound of a collision suddenly broke the rhythm. Aiden had moved to deliver a fatal blow to the man's face.

"Clang!"

The man was thrown to the side, his blade knocked out of his grasp.

But to Aiden's utter surprise, he got up immediately and threw himself back at him.

"Ha!"

Aiden, his initial surprise wearing off scoffed at the man's stupidity. "A fist fight, WITH ME?"

"Swoosh!"

The man threw a powerful punch, prompting Aiden to throw a punch of his own, his actions reflecting his desire to face the situation head on.

"Bang!"

"Whoosh!"

The sound of a powerful collision filled the lobby as their fists met, but at that moment.

"Pa!"

The man's arm exploded immediately from the sheer force behind his opponent's attack.

Aiden raised a brow, he expected a scream of pain and agony but all he got was emotionless silence.

Looking at the man's wound, Aiden's eyes widened, there was nothing but raw flesh, no sign of blood.

"Now wonder you gave me an odd feeling, you're not human, what are you? A demon perhaps?" Aiden asked.

"Swoosh!"

The man suddenly rushed towards Aiden once again not even allowing him to finish speaking, but now that Aiden knew the full extent of its strength he just raised his leg.

"Bang!"

"Bam!"

A spartan kick sent it flying back, its back hitting the ground with a thud.

"Baaam!"

Aiden moved again with a mighty stomp, destroying the being's head immediately, its head matter splashing everywhere breaking its gaze on Aiden's ruthless eyes.

Aiden on the other hand stepped back to observe his work, a smashed head and a mutilated arm, but something was wrong.

"Tap!"

"Tap!"

The being got up again, and soon it slowly moved around as though pain was an illusion to it.

"Swoosh!"

It kept on attacking thin air, and upon seeing the state of the being, Aiden raised a brow

"It's no threat like this," he thought as he turned back and walked away leaving it behind.

Soon, he was climbing the stairs of the apartment building and before long he was standing in front of a random door.

There was something strange about this door, it had an x mark drawn in human blood, this mark gave the door a terrible omen but Aiden ignored it.

Using the key card he got from the odd security guard, Aiden opened the door and walked in.

Blood, the entire living room was covered in blood, and lying on the couch was a dead male body missing a head.

From the point of severance, its tissue was jagged, fresh blood gushing out of the twitching muscles, its contents tearfully absorbed by the couch below.

His skin was pale, ashen even, as the loss of blood drained away his vitality even after death, his drying skin becoming a white canvas telling a tale of sorrow.

The smell of slaughtered meat was heavy, provoking feelings of disgust in any observer, but Aiden remained expressionless, he observed the man, nothing his subtly twitching fingers, the light gashes on his skin, and the ever-present aura of dread that lingered.

Looking around, Aiden also noticed that the living room was a mess, the TV was misplaced, the tables had been turned over, and much more.

The state of the room told tales of a struggle, one that was lost by this innocent man.

Looking above the man, Aiden noted an almost fully dissipated soul. "So that's what I smelled," he muttered.

Grabbing the soul Aiden stored it in his soul storage and proceeded to walk towards the bedroom.

As soon as he got in, he noticed that the lights were turned off, but Aiden who could see in the dark didn't mind.

Immediately, he noticed something sitting in the middle of the room, atop the bed to be exact.

This thing stared at him with an eerie wide smile, its teeth shining through the dark, reflecting the subtle rays of the moon's light.

Upon registering who this being was, Aiden shook. "Didn't I deal with you just now?" He asked with narrowed eyes, his surprise evident.

Sitting in front of him was a man with inky black hair tied to a ponytail, a full beard, and brown eyes filled with bloodlust.

It was the guard he'd just mutilated.

The strange guard didn't seem to mind Aiden, instead, it started to sing. "In ze land of baguettes and cheese, Lived a mouse named Maurice, oh please! He danced 'round th-"

"Taaa!"

The sound of something breaking filled the room as Aiden swiftly hurled a vase at the strange being's head.

In that moment, its body was pushed back and before it could react Aiden jumped on the bed, holding it by the collar and throwing it towards the table.

"Bam!"

The man landed on the table, and as soon as he landed he struggled to get up but as he stood tall all he met was Aiden's fists.

"Bang!"

A brutal uppercut forced it to look upward, "bam," a heavy spartan kick followed pushing it against the wall.

"Bam!"

"Bam!"

"Squish!"

Aiden swiftly used his left hand to grab its collar, pinning it down, and with his right fist threw continuous heavy punches until its head burst open from the force.

Aiden's physical strength hadn't shone through in his earlier fight, this had something to do with the fact he was fighting against Contractors at his level of strength.

When paired with someone weaker, one could see just how strong he was.

Just like the being in the lobby, this one didn't die upon having its head smashed, it just seemed to lose the ability to navigate.

Leaving the bedroom, Aiden thought to himself. "All the doors I passed before had the same mark on them, it can't be!"

"Tap!"

"Tap!"

He swiftly stepped out of the apartment and back into the stairway, but as soon as he reached this point, he felt a heavy sense of danger assault him.

Looking up, he spotted a bunch of heads staring at him from above their face were the same, black hair tied to a ponytail, a full beard, and brown eyes filled with bloodlust.

"Tap!"

"Tap!"

He also heard the sound of footsteps coming from downstairs, focusing, he could count at least thirty.

Noting his situation, Aiden slowly rolled up his sleeve, he was in a bind, and if he wasn't careful he could die even with the advantage in strength, he didn't fully understand the situation, a feeling he knew all too well. "How fun," he said with a crazed glint In his abysmal eyes ready to take on a challenge.

------

(Somehow in Twilight City)

As Aiden battled against the horde of strange men his companions were having it easy.

In a plush hotel room somewhere on the outskirts of Twilight City, one could find a red-haired woman lying on the bed.

She wore a black denim jacket and a white top followed by a pair of black pants.

Jonathan on the other hand, lay down on the couch, unlike Mai, he wore a pair of white pajamas.

The atmosphere of the room spoke of refined elegance and comfort. The room was bathed in soft, warm light, emanating from chic bedside lamps at the side.

The centerpiece of the room was a sumptuous king-sized bed, dressed in crisp, white linens and plump pillows that invited you to sink into a restful night's sleep.

A plush throw blanket was elegantly draped over the foot of the bed, offering an extra layer of coziness to Mai.

Adjacent to the bed, was the cozy seating area where Jonathan resided featuring a plush armchair, a stylish sofa and a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall.

"Don't you think Aiden's being too paranoid?" Mai's voice suddenly sounded out after a while, her tone one of boredom.

As per Aiden's instructions, they had found this hotel to stay for a while, he seemed to think that something bad would happen tonight.

At the sound of Mai's voice, there was silence, her words were left unanswered by Jonathan who had his eyes closed seemingly in deep thought.

"Come on, answer me, Jonathan," Mai said again, her tone persistent as she shook her legs a bit.

Opening his eyes, Jonathan let out a breath feeling defeated by Mai's pestering. "Get some sleep, we'll find out in the morning-"

"Knock!"

"Knock!"

Two knocks suddenly interrupted Jonathan, prompting him to snap his head toward the door.

Mai also sat up, her gaze narrowed as she asked Jonathan. "Are you expecting anyone?" She asked.

Jonathan quickly shook his head while putting a finger on his lips, slowly, he stood up walking over to the wardrobe, and removed a pistol from his bag.

Watching Jonathan's actions, Mai raised a brow and mouthed the words. "You brought a gun?"

Noting Mai's words, Jonathan nodded his head while asking out loud. "Who is it?"

"Room service!"

A voice came from the other end, and upon hearing this voice Mai responded. "Go back, we didn't order anything, and we don't need anything."

Her words were met with no response from the other end, but after a while, the male voice said. "Ok, ma'am."

"Tap!"

"Tap!"

The sound of footsteps could be heard growing more distant by the minute.

As this happened, Jonathan and Mai turned to one another exchanging a small laugh.

"I think we're just as paranoid as Aiden," Mai quipped prompting Jonathan to chuckle a bit before lowering his gun.

"It seems you're not paranoid enough!"

Another voice suddenly darted in. It was an unfamiliar and familiar voice, and its appearance prompted Jonathan and Mai to look in its direction.

A cloaked woman, her clothes flowing with the wind as she sat on the open window, her appearance a complete mystery.

"Fuck!"

Jonathan cursed as he pointed a gun in her direction. Mai on the other hand got into a stance ready to use her Contract.

"Pa!"

Jonathan suddenly felt something slap the gun off his hands, the force was so much that he felt a sting on his palm, it was a pair of black chains rising from his shadow.

Noting Jonathan's ordeal from the corner of her eyes, Mai acted quickly, she summoned her Contract and a raging blade of fire appeared.

"Whoo-"

"Bam!"

Before she could even fully swing, the woman was upon her delivering a deadly punch to her gut earning a grunt from Mai.

"Do you want to burn down the building?" The cloaked woman's voice lingered as she moved fluidly twisting Mai's arm and forcing her to let go of her blade.

"Whoosh!"

The flaming blade quickly disappeared as soon as it left Mai's grasp.

"Bam!"

As the cloaked woman did this, Mai suddenly moved her elbow, violently hitting the strange woman in the gut.

"Argh!"

The woman groaned and grabbed Mai's hair, "bam," what followed was a thud as she hit Mai's face against the table before grabbing her jacket and hurling her towards the bed.

"Puff!"

A muffled sound could be heard as Mai collided with the soft fabric of the mattress her nose bleeding from being hit on a table.

Before Mai could react, she felt black tentacles spawn from her shadow pinning her on the bed.

At that moment the cloaked woman pulled down her cloak.

Features as light as a feather, raven black hair, and deep black eyes, it was a familiar face.

"Binder?" Both Mai and Jonathan echoed at the same time, their surprise evident as they struggled to break free.

Seeing Jonathan and Mai's demeanor, Binder smiled. "Relax," she said before darting in. "I'm here to deliver good news."