Chapter 206

Stefan crouched behind a rusted shipping container at Pier 47, his breath forming small clouds in the cold night air. The abandoned waterfront stretched out before him like a graveyard of industrial dreams - broken concrete, twisted metal, and the constant sound of water lapping against rotting wooden posts.

His phone showed 11:58 PM. Alexander would arrive any moment for his meeting with the mysterious Guardian. Stefan adjusted the small camera he’d positioned to record whatever happened, making sure the night vision lens had a clear view of the meeting spot.

Footsteps echoed across the empty pier. Stefan pressed himself lower behind the container, watching as Alexander’s familiar figure appeared under a flickering streetlight. Even from this distance, Stefan could see the tension in Alexander’s posture, the way his shoulders hunched against both the cold and the weight of what he believed he was fighting for.

Alexander stopped at the designated meeting point and