BANG! BANG!
The alley beside the abandoned factory was eerily silent except for the panicked voices that followed.
"Shit! SHIT! What the fuck did you do?!"
"I… I didn't mean to! He moved too fast, I just…"
"You shot him, dumbass! We were supposed to bring him in!"
Nova lay motionless on the cold pavement, his body sprawled in a growing pool of crimson. His once sharp, amused eyes were now vacant, staring up at the flickering lights above.
The rookie, the one who pulled the trigger, was shaking. His hands, still gripping the pistol, trembled as reality sank in. "I… I didn't mean to… I just got scared."
One of the older gang members grabbed him by the collar, shoving him against the brick wall. "You just fucked everything up! Do you even understand what this means?"
"We need to move," another interrupted, his voice urgent. His gaze flickered between Nova's body and the distant sound of sirens. "This is not our territory. If we get caught…"
"Forget getting caught! That bastard Vincent is gonna hunt us down like dogs for this!"
A shocked and horrified expression lingered on their faces.
"You..you mean THE VINCENT!? The Specter!?"
A heavy silence settled over them as one of the older member nodded then he crouched down, pressing two fingers on Nova's neck.
He waited for some hope but still no pulse. "...He's really dead"
The words sent a wave of tension through the group.
They had won but in the worst possible way.
"Leave him," one of them muttered, already backing away. "We were never here."
The others hesitated, but followed suit, vanishing into the night making the alley quiet once more.
…..
Nova's body lay still as the blood beneath him soaked into the cracks of the pavement, reflecting the dim glow of the lights above.
Then suddenly a flicker in the small, inconspicuous black necklace around Nova's neck pulsed.
A faint glow, like the first light of dawn, spread across the necklace. Getting brighter and brighter until the glow intensified, shifting from gold to a blinding radiance.
It's warmth pushing away the chill of death. The light wrapped around his body, tendrils of energy sinking into his skin.
Then suddenly… everything went dark.
…..
Nova floated in an endless expanse.
There was no ground, no sky and only the vast, infinite space filled with the glow of stars.
But he had no body, his form was human but pure light, radiated brilliantly like a bluish-white star drifting through the void. His eyes were closed, his consciousness wrapped in silence.
Nova drifted through the endless space seemingly untouched by time, What felt like an eternity passed before the light of the stars began to fade.
One by one, the celestial lights around him flickered out, swallowed by an unseen force. The vastness grew darker, colder and emptier.
Until only one star remained. A single, burning beacon in the abyss.
It pulsed once as to regain its lost activity then it moved.
The star surged towards him, growing larger, its radiance filling the void. It expanded, consuming everything and positioned in front of him.
The star radiated bluish-white flame, the same as Nova's form. It intensified its brightness seemingly staring with delight at the little form in front of it.
Within a flicker of a second it tried merged into him.
The moment it touched him, a surge of power rippled through his being. His light flickered, then burned brighter than ever.
A soundless explosion erupted in the void, engulfing him in its warmth.
…..
A blinding glow pulsed from Nova's necklace.
The energy from the pendant seeped into his body, coursing through his veins like liquid fire. His wounds, raw and gaping, began to close. The bullet holes knitted together, flesh repairing itself in mere moments.
His chest that once was still, rose slightly. A sharp, shuddering gasp tore from his lips as his fingers twitched.
Then his eyes snapped open.
For a moment, they were not his usual sharp black eyes.
His sclera had turned an abyssal black, an unnatural void that seemed to pull in the very light around it and his pupils burned like a star, swirling with celestial radiance.
It only lasted for a split second as it quickly faded. His eyes returned to normal white sclera and black pupils.
Nova's body convulsed slightly, a single, shaky breath escaped him. His vision swam, his body trembling from the sensation of returning to the world.
But darkness took him once more.
His body fell still, unconscious but alive.
…..
GASP!
Nova's eyes snapped open, his breath hitching as a cold sweat clung to his skin. His heart pounded fast and erratic as if he had just been drowning in deep water.
His fingers clenched the sheets beneath as he felt the warm, soft mattress under him. Confusion etched onto his face.
His vision adjusted to the dim light of the room, tracing the familiar dark wooden walls, the thick curtains blocking out the sun and a faint scent of his cologne lingered in the air.
His body relaxed as relief settled over him. This was his room, he was lying in his bed.
"What a messed-up dream." Nova muttered absentmindedly.
But before he could settle on that conclusion, a dull ache registered in his body. His breathing was uneven, and an unseen weight pressed against his chest.
He sat up abruptly, clutching his pounding chest as the memories of the night flooded back into his mind.
"Shit. I died… I know I did." He muttered grimly, his face contorting in horror.
The memory was burned into him. The gunshot still rang in his ears, the cold creeping up his limbs as his own blood pooled beneath him.
"It was just a dream…" he muttered, as if trying to convince himself. Letting out a long sigh, he added, "Yeah… nothing but a dream."
His restless heart slowly began to steady. The hand on his chest drifted to his neck.
Nova's stomach twisted the moment he realized that his necklace was gone. "Where was it?"
But his thoughts were cut short by the soft creak of the door. A woman stepped in wearing a clean white coat. Her brows lifted slightly in surprise before her professional demeanor took over.
"You're awake," she noted, stepping closer with a practiced air of calm. "How are you feeling?"
Nova stared at her for a moment, his eyes flickered with an unknown light before exhaling sharply. He rubbed his temple, forcing himself to settle.
"Like I got hit by a truck…" His voice was dry, but there was a sharpness beneath it.
The nurse gave him a once-over, checking the monitors beside the bed. "Your vitals are stable. No serious injuries, just some bruising." She paused, glancing at him with curiosity. "It's actually strange. From what I was told, you should've been in much worse shape but your body seems healthier."
Nova forced a smirk. "That's good then," he said, though his mind was still spinning.
The nurse didn't look convinced but didn't press. Instead, she nodded and turned toward the door.
"I'll inform the boss that you're awake."
Nova who was left alone leaned back against the pillows, muttering to himself.
"Lillian Hayes… 32
Orphan… Lukes Nursing Academy"
The words left his lips before he even realized.
"What the hell is this?"
This wasn't normal.