Michael stepped out into the alley, the rotten door creaking shut behind him. The city air felt damp against his skin, carrying hints of coming rain and exhaust fumes. He looked up at the cloudy sky, eyes narrowing slightly. Then, with a quiet flex of his shoulders, black wings unfurled from his back. Feathers rippled into existence like dark smoke solidifying, each one tipped in faint silver.
He crouched once, then pushed off the cracked pavement.
The alley blurred beneath him. Neon lights smeared across his vision as he shot upward, the air whipping past his face. Within seconds, he cleared the rooftops and soared above the sleeping city, his wings cutting silently through the humid night.
He banked left and landed softly on the roof of a tall office tower. The glass panels below reflected the pale glow of distant lightning, flickers of white-blue crawling through the clouds like veins under skin. He walked to the edge and looked down.
