The Twins: Vice & Kai

Season 2- Part 16

Doro sat behind his imposing oak desk, the room dimly lit by the dying embers in the fireplace. The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension as Josephine stood before him, her hands clasped behind her back, the picture of rigid discipline. Vice leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his expression carefully neutral, though the flicker of unease in his eyes betrayed his discomfort. Maximillian, as ever, stood close to Doro, his sharp gaze fixed on the man who had become his de facto leader.

Josephine cleared her throat before she began, her voice steady and precise. "We've combed through every available record, Doro. My operatives have reviewed the censuses, photographic records, medical documents—everything. We've scrutinized every civilian in Pittsborough. There's not a single person with eyes like yours."

Doro's brow furrowed slightly, his fingers steepled in front of him as he listened. The glow of his crimson eye seemed to dim for a moment, a sign of his deep contemplation. He hated dead ends, and this felt like one.

Maximillian shifted his weight, stepping forward slightly. "I've had my own people looking at the arena. We've screened every fighter, every spectator, every worker. We've gone through them all, Doro. There's no one there either."

Silence fell over the room. The crackling of the fire was the only sound, its light casting dancing shadows across Doro's face. He leaned back in his chair, his expression darkening as he processed the information.

Vice, standing in the corner, felt the silence press down on him like a weight. His mind raced, trying to anticipate Doro's next move, knowing all too well the lengths the man would go to in order to achieve his goals. He kept his gaze fixed on the floor, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the room, especially Doro.

Maximillian glanced at Doro, noticing the contemplative look on his face. He waited, knowing better than to interrupt Doro's thoughts. He had seen that look before, the wheels turning behind those cold, calculating eyes.

Doro's fingers tapped lightly on the desk, the only outward sign of his internal deliberation. His face, usually so controlled and composed, was unreadable, but the tension in the room grew with each passing second.

Finally, Doro's mismatched eyes lifted from the desk to meet Josephine's gaze. He said nothing, his silence a command for her to continue working, to dig deeper, to find something they might have missed. But Josephine had nothing more to offer.

Maximillian cleared his throat gently, stepping forward. "We've hit a wall. But that doesn't mean we're out of options. Perhaps we need to rethink our approach."

Doro's gaze remained distant, his mind clearly still turning over the possibilities. He didn't speak, didn't offer any indication of what he was thinking, but the air in the room seemed to chill slightly, as if some dark thought had taken root in his mind.

Vice could feel the shift, the way Doro's energy seemed to change. It wasn't just frustration—it was something deeper, something more dangerous. He tensed, bracing himself for whatever might come next.

But Doro said nothing. He remained in that pensive silence, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he stared off into the distance, his mind somewhere far beyond the confines of the room.

The silence in the room was thick, each second stretching like an eternity. Doro's contemplative expression suddenly sharpened, a glint of realization sparking in his unnatural eye. He sat up straighter, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife.

"All hope is not lost," Doro began, his tone cold and calculating. His eyes slowly scanned the room, landing on Vice, who instinctively stiffened. "There is still one person we haven't truly looked into."