Red Hood's Arc

Chapter 1 of 3

Red Hood walked through the quiet square at dusk, his scarlet scarf snapping in the wind. He scanned every shadow, ready to shield anyone in need. Freedom, truth, and love were his compass, and he followed it without fail. A woman crashed to her knees beside an ornate pink bench, her hands shaking. She clutched at his sleeve and sobbed. "My daughter," she gasped. "They took her." Red Hood knelt, steady, and listened. She pressed a glittering necklace into his palm. The gemstone pulsed with a soft blue light. "This is all they left," she whispered. "She was right there, by the welcome house with the green shutters. Then gone." Red Hood stared at the necklace. No tracks. No witness. No name. The glow flickered, fading as he held it. He had a victim, a mother, a trinket, but no thread to pull. Then a sharp voice cut the air. Karen Hagglewood marched over, waving a crumpled receipt. "You! Hero! I saw a hooded man drag a child past my shop today, and the rude clerk refused to call the guards. I demand action!" She thrust the receipt at him. A scribbled address bled through the paper. Red Hood rose. The necklace dimmed in his fist, but the lead burned bright. He had a direction now, and a complaint loud enough to chase.