The blaring alarm of a cellphone shattered the silence of the room. From beneath a heavy layer of blankets, a muffled female voice groaned, "Mmm... is it already time to get up?"
Unable to tolerate the noise any longer, Agata Garden emerged from her cozy refuge. She was a young woman with long, vibrant blue hair and striking amber eyes. Reaching out a hand to silence the device, she grimaced as the screen displayed 5:30 AM on a Saturday morning.
"I hate Saturdays..." she muttered, reluctantly climbing out of bed and shivering as the chilly morning air immediately enveloped her.
"Brrrr... why is it so cold?" she questioned, rubbing her hands together to generate some warmth. She turned her attention to the small, outdated electric heater sitting in the corner of the room. The device looked as though it were held together by nothing more than strips of adhesive tape and desperate prayers, its metal frame showing heavy patches of rust. "Oh... right. The piece of junk broke yesterday."
Sighing, she shifted her gaze to the other side of the room. The second bed was occupied by her younger sister, Margaret, whose brown hair was slightly shorter than Agata's. Margaret lay curled up tight beneath her blankets to escape the chill, muttering contentedly in her sleep.
At least she seems to be having a pleasant dream, Agata thought, a warm smile softening her face. Noticing that her sister was shivering, Agata quietly took her own blankets and draped them over Margaret's sleeping form, pausing to give her a gentle kiss on the cheek.
After gathering a fresh change of clothes, Agata headed down the hall to the bathroom.
"Hey Iris, turn on the radio," she instructed, placing her phone on the edge of the sink. The screen lit up instantly, and a smooth, slightly robotic female voice responded: [Sure Agata, connecting to RadioSummut323...]
"...Good morning, Summut! This is Robert Cassor keeping you company on this freezing Saturday morning of February 23rd," the radio host's voice chirped through the small speaker. "Speaking of the cold, next week's forecast is predicting even lower temperatures. Not just here, but across all the coastal poleis, with nighttime lows dropping well below freezing. I highly recommend bundling up in a heavy coat if you're planning to go out and have fun this weekend..."
"And who has time to have fun?" Agata muttered to herself. "I have to work tonight while everyone else is out partying."
She finished dressing and carefully applied a touch of makeup, trying to conceal the dark bags under her eyes. It had been an exceptionally demanding week; the accumulation of stress and late nights was beginning to leave faint lines on her face.
If this keeps up, I'll have wrinkles before I turn thirty! she thought furiously.
To make matters worse, her blue hair was showing noticeable root regrowth, and she couldn't afford a trip to the salon to redo the color. The only reason she had dyed it in the first place was a birthday treat to herself, managed through a steep discount from a friend-of-a-friend. Every extra cent she had saved since then had been swallowed whole by their latest electricity bill. The winter had been brutal, forcing the sisters to run that ancient electric heater constantly just to survive.
"Well, now that that piece of garbage is finally broken, at least the next bill should be lighter. That is, assuming we don't turn into ice statues in the meantime," Agata lamented to her reflection, blinking away a dramatic tear.
Her internal complaints were abruptly cut off as a sharp chime signaled a breaking news report on the airwaves.
"...A quick reminder that Asclepius Pharm has opened enrollment for this semester's candidates interested in the awakening procedures. In other news this morning, we have a developing report from the Summut Police Department and Coast Guard. At approximately three o'clock this morning, authorities intercepted a vessel attempting to illegally cross into our archipelago's waters from the Dark Lands. While the ship was promptly neutralized and the crew apprehended, an emergency bulletin has just been issued. During transport to the mainland, one of the prisoners took a guard hostage and successfully escaped into the Summut port area, vanishing without a trace! Can you believe it? This could be a serius problem for our dear Archon, especially with the polis elections right around the corner. The fugitive is still at large, and he is reported to be armed and dangerous. Government descriptions identify him as a male in his twenties with black hair, wearing a black hooded cloak. He is heavily armed with bladed weapons, including... wait, let me double-check this... yes, apparently he is even carrying an axe! If you spot anyone matching this description, keep your distance and contact the authorities immediately!"
Agata's hand froze. "The port is barely twenty minutes from here," she whispered, her voice tight with concern.
Their neighborhood was already notorious. It was situated in the poorest, most neglected sector of Summut, it was a place plagued by gang violence and drug dealers. It was, however, the only area they could afford on their meager income. An armed and dangerous mad man from the Dark Lands running loose through their streets was the last thing they needed.
Leaving the bathroom, Agata scribbled a quick note and pinned it to the refrigerator. She instructed Margaret to lock every single window and door, explicitly warning her about the fugitive, and added that she would be working very late, so Margaret shouldn't wait up. Though she desperately hoped the police would capture the man before sunset, Agata reached into her drawer, pulled out the small taser gun she had bought for emergencies, and slipped it into her handbag.
* * *
Agata survived by balancing two jobs, working one during the day and another through the night.
Her daytime shifts were spent as a shop assistant at Supper, a massive supermarket chain dominant in the eastern poleis of the archipelago. The only real drawback was that the specific shop where she worked was on the exact opposite side of Summut, requiring her to wake up at dawn just to catch the single transit tram that would get her to clock-in on time. Her evening job was a shift as a waitress at Jerico's Pub, located right on the dingy outskirts of Neos, Summut's nightlife district.
The morning hours passed relatively smoothly, though the breakroom was alive with coworkers gossiping about the port escape. During her break, Agata checked her phone to find a flurry of messages from her sister.
Maggy: You could have woken me up before leaving!!!
Agata smiled, shaking her head. Margaret always insisted on being woken up just to say a proper goodbye, no matter how early the hour was.
Aggy: I didn't want to disturb your nice dream.
Aggy: Was it about that Michael boy??? :P
The teasing message instantly triggered a rapid-fire sequence of notifications.
Maggy: WHAT?!
Maggy: WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!
Maggy: I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO RESPOND TO THAT!
Maggy: AND ANYWAY, IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS WHO I DREAM ABOUT!
Agata giggled quietly at her sister's obvious embarrassment. Margaret was fifteen now; it was perfectly natural for her to start harboring crushes and thinking about boys, even if she denied it fiercely.
Her amusement faded when she noticed a crowd of colleagues gathering around the staff room television.
"...The illegal fugitive from last night's maritime breach has reportedly been spotted again by a local patrol. The suspect was seen moving through the residential sectors of the Summut port district..."
He's in our district, Agata realized, a cold spike of panic hitting her chest. She quickly typed out another text, urging her sister to double-check the deadbolts.
Maggy: Don't worry, big sis, I've locked everything up tight!
Aggy: Good. I have to get back to the floor now. Love you.
Maggy: Love you too, big sis! 😊
By two o'clock the following morning, Agata was nearing the end of a exhausting shift at Jerico's Pub.
The establishment was old, worn, and smelled perpetually of stale tobacco smoke and cheap ale, though the food was decent and the draft beer was always cold. The clientele leaned heavily toward the shady side of Summut's underworld, and more than a few patrons tended to stare at Agata as if she were a prize cut of meat rather than their waitress. During her first few weeks, the atmosphere had left her utterly terrified.
There were only two reasons she hadn't quit. The first was the pay, which was significantly higher than what the trendier, safer bars offered. The second reason was currently sitting at a corner table, quietly sipping a stout while scrolling through her phone.
The woman was tall, possessing an athletic, exceptionally curved build, wild dark brown hair, and sharp, predatory golden eyes. Her name was Dorea Farlok, though the streets knew her better as the Lioness of Nemea.
Dorea held a legendary, terrifying reputation in Summut's underground. Rumors flew that she had once single-handedly dismantled an entire gang of sixty armed men simply because they had tried to steal her motorcycle; most of them had spent months in the hospital, while she had walked away without a scratch. Whispers claimed she was a Class 4 or perhaps even a Class 5 Awakened, though Dorea herself never bothered to confirm or deny the rumor.
It was Dorea who had secured Agata the job at Jerico's. She was a close acquaintance of the owner, and thanks to her formidable influence, not a soul in the pub dared to so much as lay a finger on Agata. They had met during one of the lowest points of Agata's life, right when she was desperately searching for a second income to keep her apartment. She had been rejected by dozens of places due to her restrictive daytime hours. One evening, after a particularly humiliating interview failure, Agata had broken down crying on a public bench.
Dorea had approached, grunting that Agata was sitting in her usual spot. Recognizing the infamous Lioness, Agata had nearly panicked, expecting the worst. Instead, the tall woman had simply sat down beside her, cracked open a cold beer, handed it to her, and asked what was wrong. Against all odds, an unlikely friendship had formed between them.
As the clock struck two, Agata clocked out and stretched her aching muscles, preparing for the long walk home. Before she could reach the exit, Dorea intercepted her, tossing a heavy helmet straight at her chest.
"Put it on. I'm driving you," Dorea said, turning toward the heavy cruiser parked out front.
"Um... thanks, Dorea, but it's really not necessary. I can just walk," Agata replied, hesitant to impose.
"Stop arguing and get on," Dorea barked, swinging a long leg over the saddle and bringing the engine to a roaring purr. "I know you want to get back to Margaret, and the streets aren't safe with that psycho from the Dark Lands running loose."
Convinced, Agata sighed. "Yeah... you're right. Sorry." She climbed onto the back, gripping Dorea's waist.
As usual, Dorea rode with an absolute disregard for traffic laws, weaving through narrow alleys and running red lights so aggressively that Agata thought they would crash at least a dozen times. Miraculously, she survived the journey, the bike screeching to a halt right outside Agata's apartment complex.
"Got an early shift myself. Say hi to Maggy for me. Night," Dorea grunted, slamming the throttle open and disappearing into the night before Agata could even reply.
"I wonder what kind of work she does at three in the morning," Agata muttered, shaking her head as she climbed the stairs to apartment number 13.
The moment she unlocked the door, a knot tighted in her stomach. Something was wrong. Every single light in the apartment was on despite the hour and the fact thar Margat is normallyat sleep at this time.
Her pulse spiked into her throat as she stepped inside. The sliding glass door to their small balcony was standing wide open, and cutting across the cheap linoleum floor was a fresh, unmistakable trail of dark red blood. Agata stood frozen, the air trapped in her lungs, until a sharp, rustling noise echoed from the bathroom.
Fearing the absolute worst, her adrenaline surged. She reached into her bag, gripped the handle of her taser, and crept toward the door. With a burst of frantic courage, she flung the bathroom door open, throwing her arm out and aiming the weapon straight ahead.
"AHHHHHH!... Oh, it's you, big sis! You scared me to death!"
Agata blinked, her mind grinding to a halt at the utterly bizarre scene before her.
Margaret, was standing over the sink. Her hands were entirely coated in wet blood as she clutched a plastic first-aid kit. But the most bizare element was the young man sitting directly on the closed toilet seat. He was shirtless, looking perhaps a year or two younger than Agata herself.
His hair was as dark as the midnight sky, and his eyes were a piercing, vibrant blue with swirling hints of aquamarine, gleaming like raw sea gems. His chest and arms were sharply defined, his pale skin marred by old combat scars and an intricate, exotic tattoo curling across his pectoral.
Under any normal circumstance, Agata might have blushed seeing the handsome man right in front of her. But right now, her eyes were locked entirely on the jagged, bleeding gunshot wound tearing through his left shoulder.
Realizing who could be sitting in her home, Agata did the only logical thing left to do.
She tightened her grip on the taser, aimed for his exposed chest, and pulled the trigger.