May 17, 2025 – Tokyo, Japan – Night

The alley swallowed me whole as I darted in, my shoes skidding slightly on the damp concrete.

The street noise behind me faded, replaced by the faint hum of flickering streetlights and the distant drip of water echoing through the narrow space.

I didn’t have to look back.

I could feel him—the mafia guy—right behind me. Calm. Relentless.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I pushed deeper into the alley. It wasn’t just fear pushing me forward—it was instinct. Some part of me knew there was no escaping this. Not tonight.

I stopped near a dead end, the crumbling brick wall ahead offering no escape. I turned, my breath visible in the cool night air.

He stepped into view a few moments later, his figure framed by the mouth of the alley, a jagged grin slicing across his face. In one hand, he twirled a large knife lazily, like a predator toying with wounded prey.

The streetlight overhead buzzed, casting broken shadows between us.

“You’re faster than you look,” he said, voice low and mocking. “But it’s over, kid. No one’s coming to save you.”

I clenched my fists, willing my body to stop trembling. My power simmered inside me, restless, unrefined. I had to hold on. I had to survive.

He began to approach, slow and deliberate.

Each step felt like a countdown.

“I know who you are, Kaito Tanaka,” he sneered. “You think having a power makes you untouchable. I’m gonna show you how wrong you are.”

His knife gleamed under the dying light as he lunged without warning, the blade slicing through the air straight toward me.

I barely dodged, the tip grazing my jacket. I stumbled backward, cursing under my breath.

My instincts screamed at me to run—but there was nowhere left to go.

Another lunge. This time I caught a flash of movement and raised my arm. The knife scraped against my sleeve, cutting into my skin. Hot pain bloomed across my forearm.

“Is that all you’ve got?” he taunted, circling me like a shark.

I staggered, clutching my bleeding arm.

I had to fight back.

But my power—my ability to absorb kinetic energy—it was wild. Untamed. Every time I tried to pull it out, it felt like wrestling a storm with bare hands.

I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to focus.

Breathe. Feel. Let it flow.

He attacked again, faster this time, aiming for my ribs. I twisted aside, just barely avoiding the fatal blow. My hand shot out instinctively, catching his wrist—and for a split second, I felt it.

The energy.

It surged into me, raw and furious. I could feel the force of his movement, the kinetic energy transferring into my muscles, my veins.

I shoved him away with a grunt, sending him stumbling backward a few steps.

His grin twisted into a snarl.

“You little bastard,” he hissed.

In a blur, he reached inside his coat and pulled out a gun.

My stomach dropped.

He didn’t hesitate.

The gunshot cracked through the alley, deafening in the enclosed space.

Pain exploded in my shoulder as the bullet clipped me, spinning me to the ground. I hit the concrete hard, gasping for air, blood soaking into my shirt.

The world swam in and out of focus.

The gunman stalked forward, raising the pistol again, ready to finish the job.

I forced my battered body up onto one knee, dragging the last scraps of energy into myself. My hand tingled violently, the absorbed energy clawing for release.

I unleashed it.

CRACK!

A shockwave burst from my palm, slamming into him with brutal force.

He flew backward, smashing into the alley wall with a sickening thud.

The gun clattered to the ground.

I collapsed onto my hands, breathing ragged, every inch of me burning.

Across the alley, the man groaned, blood trickling from his mouth as he tried to stand.

“You think this ends with me?” he coughed. “You’re already dead, kid. They’re coming. Stronger ones. You won't survive.”

I didn’t answer.

I couldn’t.

My body gave out.

The last thing I saw before darkness took me was the night sky, fractured and spinning, and the faint glimmer of pink hair standing at the edge of the alley.

Chiba Yuki.

Watching.

Waiting.

And then everything went black.

To be continued...