Days passed. Ren tried to balance her ordinary life with her secret identity. By morning, she still worked at the veterinary clinic, smiling at patients and mending injured strays. By night, she became Nyara, leaping across rooftops to chase the Feraloids that haunted Nocturne.
But the more she fought, the more she realized how alone she was.
One evening, while tending to a stray kitten behind the clinic, a young boy approached her. His clothes were ragged, his face smudged with dirt.
"Miss," he whispered, eyes wide, "are you the Cat Lady?"
Ren blinked. "What do you mean?"
"The one who fights monsters… the Phantom Cat. My sister said you saved her from a wolf beast. Is it true?"
Ren hesitated. The boy's eyes were filled with hope—the same kind she used to have when listening to Rider stories as a child. But if she admitted the truth, she'd only put him in danger.
So she forced a smile. "It must have been someone else."
But that night, she felt the weight of the boy's words. People were starting to notice her. Some saw her as a savior. Others, a monster.
---
Her doubts were tested when the Lion Feraloid, Garras, finally struck.
It was a brutal ambush in the heart of the financial district. Cars overturned, glass shattered, and civilians fled in terror as Garras roared, his metallic mane sparking like blades grinding together.
Ren transformed, sprinting into the chaos.
"Nyara Driver—Synchronize!"
Armor enveloped her body as she leapt onto a car hood, golden eyes locked on the beast.
"Another stray comes to challenge me," Garras sneered, his voice deep and bestial. "Pathetic. Do you really believe a single cat can defy the king of beasts?"
Ren tightened her claws. "I don't care about your king. You're hurting innocent people. That's reason enough to stop you."
Their clash shook the street.
Garras fought like a storm, his claws powerful enough to shatter steel. Ren countered with speed, weaving through his strikes, slashing when she saw an opening. Sparks flew as claw met claw, light against darkness.
But he was stronger. Much stronger.
A brutal swipe sent her crashing through a glass window. Her armor flickered with damage warnings. She coughed, forcing herself to stand.
"Alone," Garras taunted, stepping through the wreckage. "That's all you'll ever be. A stray with no pride, no pack, no allies."
His words cut deeper than his claws.
Ren staggered, fear gnawing at her resolve. Could she really fight this war by herself?
But then, through the ringing in her ears, she heard faint meows—the stray cats she often fed were hiding nearby, watching her with glowing eyes in the dark alleyways.
She wasn't alone. Not truly.
"I may be a stray," she said, standing tall despite her pain, "but even strays fight with everything they have."
With a roar of her own, she leapt back into battle. Her claws gleamed under the moon, striking with renewed fury.
Though the fight ended in a stalemate—Garras retreating with mocking laughter—Ren stood victorious in spirit. She had survived. She had protected the people.
But deep down, she knew Garras was right.
She couldn't do this alone forever.
And fate, as if hearing her doubts, prepared to answer—because the very next night, fire erupted across Nocturne. And with it came another Rider.
Kamen Rider Ignis.