The silence in the apartment hung thick, like a suffocating fog. Vex stood frozen near the door, knuckles white from gripping the box. Mina clutched her tablet tightly, lips trembling, while Ayaka's eyes narrowed with guarded worry. But all eyes were fixed on Rover—still standing motionless, the crushed, blood-stained letter clenched in his fist.
A glint of something metallic and flesh-like had slipped out when the envelope shattered in his grip—a finger. Preserved. Severed. Labeled.
The moment realization struck, the world around him shuddered.
A sharp crack snapped through the ceiling's plaster. The apartment trembled, floorboards moaning as if some ancient beast stirred beneath the building. Lights flickered, then flared too bright—blinding white—before plunging the room into momentary darkness.
Car alarms shrieked in the distance. Dogs barked. Glass cracked.
The pressure that followed was unbearable.
Mina dropped her tablet with a gasp. Ayaka stumbled back. Vex looked ready to bolt—but couldn't move.
And then—Rover closed his eyes.
A single breath. Cold. Centered.
And when he opened them again—
He was no longer there.
He stood alone in a barren wasteland. The sky was ash-gray, and the earth cracked and charred stretched endlessly in every direction. Shadows curled unnaturally around his feet, as if the world itself recognized him.
Across from him—himself.
But not the boy he knew.
This version of Rover was taller, his skin pale as bone, wrapped in swirling black threads that seemed woven from smoke and shadow. His grin was sharp, too wide, his eyes burning with molten cruelty.
"Well, well," the dark figure sneered, spreading his arms like a predator. "Look at you. Finally reaching the boiling point."
Rover frowned, voice low. "What is this place?"
The shadowy double laughed—a harsh, hollow sound. "This is where you see the truth. Everything you've fought for, everything you've endured… means nothing. You're still weak. Still powerless. Still watching the ones you love get ripped away."
He leaned in close, eyes glowing like burning coals. "You let that old man get taken. And now they're playing their game with him as bait. What do you have left? Tears?"
Rover's hands clenched into fists.
"Shut up."
"Oh, there's fire now," the doppelgänger taunted, circling him like a vulture. "But fire without fuel is just smoke. That's why you'll lose. You're nothing like me."
The dark version stopped, voice dropping into a deep, distorted growl. "I accept the power you refuse to claim. I can burn cities to ashes for what they did to us. I can kill those who laughed when you starved. Give me your body, and I'll do what you never could."
For a long moment, Rover said nothing. Then a soft laugh escaped him—quiet at first, then growing stronger.
The demon's grin faltered.
"You think I'm still you?" Rover stepped forward, eyes fierce. "No. You're a parasite—a shadow feeding on pain. But I'm not the boy who begged for scraps. I'm not your puppet."
The dark figure snarled, red lightning crackling beneath cracked skin. "You need me. Without me, you're nothing."
Rover's voice was calm but resolute. "I'm not nothing. I'm still standing. Without your poison. Without anyone's chains. Because I choose to be."
He raised his hand and pointed at the shadow.
"You're not me."
Cracks ran through the dark figure's form as he screamed, lightning tearing through him. The fiery shadow shattered, dissolving into ash and smoke, pulled back into the void.
Suddenly, Rover was back.
The apartment was still. His friends watched him, breath caught and eyes wide. Mina's tear slipped down her cheek. Ayaka's hands curled into fists. Vex looked as if he might speak—but didn't.
The trembling had stopped. The light had returned. But something fundamental had changed.
Rover exhaled, his eyes finally calm and steady.
His gaze dropped to the GPS coordinates now imprinted beside the preserved finger.
Then he looked up, voice clear and unwavering.
"I'm going."
Ayaka stepped forward. "Rover—"
"I have to," he said. "Not for revenge. Not for hate. I'm going to save him."
Mina tapped her tablet. "I'll trace the signal. If you need help, just say the word."
Vex gripped Rover's shoulder firmly. "You're not alone, man. Even if it feels like it."
Rover met their eyes.
Then, without another word, he stepped out into the cold night.
Outside, the wind bit sharp.
But inside him, something warm ignited.
Not rage.
Not fear.
Purpose.
To be continue...