The hovercar pulled up before a towering, gothic-looking building, its dark facade adorned with intricate carvings and strange symbols. It looked ancient, yet advanced, a relic of a bygone era pulsating with a hidden energy. Angella, still reeling from the horrors of the crime scene, followed Lytis inside, her steps hesitant.

 

The interior was even more striking than the exterior. The entrance hall was vast and dimly lit, filled with an eclectic collection of objects that seemed to defy both time and logic. Antique-looking data-slates sat beside humming, crystalline devices; strange, organic-looking machinery pulsed with a soft, bioluminescent glow; and shelves upon shelves were crammed with books, artifacts, and specimens from across the city and beyond. It was a place of organized chaos, a repository of forgotten knowledge and cutting-edge technology.

 

Angella stared in open-mouthed wonder. "What is this place?" she breathed, her voice barely audible above the hum of the machinery.

Lytis, shedding his long coat, his movements as fluid and unhurried as ever, glanced around the hall with a hint of pride. "It's... my base of operations," he said, his voice a low rumble. "A place where I can... pursue my interests."

He led her through a maze of corridors, each one more fascinating than the last, until they reached a large chamber. The room was dominated by a massive wall, covered in a chaotic array of images, notes, and symbols, all connected by a web of glowing red string.

As Angella approached, she realized with a growing sense of horror that the images were photographs - crime scene photos. Each one depicted a murder victim, their bodies arranged in the same disturbing, ritualistic manner as the boy from tonight.

Lytis watched her, his expression unreadable. "I call it the Murder Wall," he said, his voice flat. "These... these aren't isolated incidents, Ms. Angella. They've been happening for three years. And the police... as you know, they haven't made any progress."

He gestured to the viscous, black substance visible in each photo, the same substance they had found at the crime scene tonight. "This," he said, his voice low and intense, "this is what connects them. I've found it at every single scene. It's an energy source, unlike anything I've ever encountered. I call it Fear."

Angella turned to him, her face pale and drawn. The implications of what she was seeing, the sheer scale of the horror, began to sink in. "Three years..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "My son... he disappeared three years ago. Do you think... do you think he might have been taken the same way?"

Lytis's expression softened, though his eyes remained distant, focused on some unseen calculation. "I don't know, Ms. Angella," he said gently, his voice a low rumble. "It's... possible. But it's too early to say for certain. I need to examine this substance further."

He moved quickly, gathering various tools and equipment, his movements precise and efficient. "I'm going to need to run some tests," he explained, his voice brisk now, the detached professional taking over. "And I'll need some supplies. Will you accompany me? I could use your... perspective."

Before Angella could fully process what was happening, Lytis was ushering her back towards the entrance hall. "There's a market nearby," he said, his long strides easily outpacing her. "We won't be long. And don't worry, everything we're getting is... totally legal."

 

The market was a stark contrast to the rest of the city. Located in a shadowy underbelly, it was a sprawling network of stalls and vendors hawking goods and services of dubious legality. Lytis, however, seemed perfectly at ease, navigating the crowded aisles with an almost predatory grace. He spoke in hushed tones with various shady figures, exchanging cryptic phrases and packets of credits for strange-looking components.

Angella, trailing behind him, felt increasingly uneasy. The people here were rough, their faces scarred and tattooed, their eyes glinting with a predatory hunger. The wares on display were equally unsettling: modified weapons, illicit substances, and bizarre technological devices that hummed with an unsettling energy.

 

As they navigated the crowded market, a burly man with cybernetic enhancements approached Angella, his voice a greasy purr. "Well, hello there, beautiful," he said, his eyes raking over her with a leering grin. "Looking a little lost, are we? Perhaps I could... assist you?" He reached out to grab her arm.

Before Angella could react, Lytis stepped between them, his movements surprisingly swift and forceful. He seized the man's wrist in a grip that made him yelp in pain. "I don't think so," Lytis said, his voice dangerously low.

The burly man snarled, trying to wrench his arm free. "Get your hands off me, freak! Who do you think you are?"

Lytis's eyes flashed with an otherworldly light. "I know who you are," he said, his voice a chilling whisper. He gestured with his other hand, producing a small data-slate. On it was a grainy image of the man involved in a violent altercation, his face clearly visible. "You're wanted in three sectors for aggravated assault and illegal cybernetic modification. I believe the authorities would be very interested in seeing this."

The man's face paled. He stammered for a moment, then, with a curse, shoved past them and disappeared into the crowd.

Lytis watched him go, his expression unreadable. He then turned to Angella, his demeanor shifting back to his usual calm seriousness. "Are you alright, Ms. Angella?"

Angella, still shaken, nodded, her heart pounding. "Yes, I'm fine. But... who was that?"

"A local," Lytis said dismissively, already moving towards another stall. "A member of a gang called 'The World's End.' Best not to get involved with them. Now, about these capacitors..."

At one stall, Lytis purchased a set of intricately wired capacitors. As the vendor handed them over, Angella noticed a small, stamped symbol on the casing: a cross, but with an infinity symbol behind the top part. It was a design she'd seen before, though she couldn't quite place where.

"What's that symbol?" she asked, pointing to the stamp.

Lytis glanced at it, his expression unreadable. "It's nothing important," he said quickly, turning away. "Let's go. I have what I need."