Chapter 4 – The Twin Shadows
The streets of Kuba City were restless that night. Neon lights flickered against crumbling walls, the hum of old generators echoing through alleys. A faint wind swept through, carrying whispers of a storm brewing above.
Moro and Kaya walked side by side, their footsteps echoing in the silence. Moro had his hands in his pockets, his low-cut hair catching the faint glow of a streetlamp. Kaya, alert and restless, scanned every shadow.
Her voice broke the silence.
"You feel it too, don't you?"
Moro tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing. The air was heavier than usual, as though something unseen pressed down on them.
"Yeah," he muttered. "We're not alone."
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The confirmation came instantly.
Two shadows dropped from the rooftops, landing with enough force to shatter the cobblestones beneath their feet. The ground trembled. Dust rose.
The Asura Twins had arrived.
The older, Kizen, stood tall and broad, his veins pulsing dark as if something unnatural surged inside him. His grin was wide, feral, the grin of a predator who had found his prey.
Beside him, Kazen, lean and sharp, radiated cold precision. Her crimson eyes studied Moro like a scientist dissecting a specimen. Her movements were smooth, deliberate, her aura terrifyingly calm.
Moro took a step forward, meeting their gaze. "Let me guess… CD9 finally got tired of waiting."
Kizen's grin widened. "So the anomaly knows who we are. Good. Makes it easier. You already understand you're not walking away."
Kaya tightened her grip on her blade, anger boiling. "The Agency… they sent you two?!"
Kazen's lips curved into the faintest smile. "They sent perfection. Together, we are the Asura Twins. And tonight, we collect what's owed."
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The tension cracked like thunder.
Kizen blurred forward, faster than Moro's eyes could track. His fist shot out, colliding with Moro's guard. The impact was an explosion. The streetlamp behind Moro snapped in half, sparks raining down as the boy was driven back, boots grinding against the pavement.
"Too slow," Kizen sneered, already winding up for another strike.
Moro darted left, barely dodging a punch that shattered the wall behind him. Bricks exploded outward, scattering across the alley. He countered with a hook, his fist glowing faintly with the flicker of the Matrix.
But Kizen caught it. One hand. Effortlessly.
"That all you got?" Kizen growled, before slamming his forehead into Moro's face. Blood burst from Moro's nose as he stumbled back, vision swimming.
---
Kaya rushed forward, blade raised. "Stay away from him!"
But Kazen intercepted. Her fingers glowed faintly as she struck at Kaya's wrist and shoulder in precise, fluid movements. Kaya's body froze, her sword clattering uselessly to the ground.
Her eyes widened in shock. "What—what did you—?!"
"Chi-blocking," Kazen whispered. Her voice was chillingly soft. "Every nerve, silenced. You can no longer interfere."
Kaya collapsed to her knees, struggling to force her limbs to respond. Kazen stood over her, cold and merciless. "Watch. Learn. And despair."
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Moro spat blood onto the ground, straightening his posture. His chest heaved, but his eyes remained defiant.
"You two think… I'll fold this easy?"
Kizen barked out a laugh that echoed through the alley. "Fold? Boy, you'll break."
In a blur, the older twin unleashed a flurry of blows. Moro blocked and countered where he could, each strike reverberating through his bones. His fists lit up, glowing faint blue, but the Matrix refused to awaken fully. Each time he landed a hit, Kizen just shrugged it off, grinning wider.
Then Kazen joined the assault.
Silent as a shadow, she slipped behind Moro and drove her fingers into his back. His left arm went completely numb, dangling useless at his side.
"Your body fails you," she murmured. "The Matrix will not save you."
Kizen took the opening. His fist hammered into Moro's gut, knocking the air from his lungs. Another strike to his chest sent him flying through a wooden vendor stall. Splinters rained down as he coughed blood into the dirt.
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From the far end of the street, Aiyan leaned against the doorway of his restaurant, his alien eyes reflecting the faint blue glow from Moro's fists. His arms were folded, his expression unreadable.
"Don't intervene," he told himself quietly. "Not yet. Let the boy prove he has a soul worth saving."
---
Moro dragged himself up from the wreckage of the stall. His breaths were ragged, chest heaving as he tried to ignore the burning pain spreading across his ribs.
Kaya struggled, screaming through her numb body. "Moro! Don't give up! Fight!"
Kizen's heavy footsteps echoed as he approached, cracking his knuckles. "Give up already, kid. You're nothing. Just another job."
Moro spat blood and grinned weakly. "Funny. That's what all dead men say before I beat them."
Kizen snarled and charged. Moro roared and met him head-on. Fists clashed, shockwaves blasting outward. Windows shattered. Dust filled the air. The city shook under their battle.
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But it wasn't enough.
Kazen slipped back in, her strikes flowing like water. Two jabs to Moro's shoulder, a swift tap to his thigh—half his body screamed in paralysis. He staggered, wide-eyed, trying to lift his arms. Nothing responded.
Kizen's grin returned. He raised his fist high, his aura surging like a wild storm.
"Now you break."
The punch landed clean against Moro's chest. The boy flew back, crashing into the side of a stone building. Cracks spread like spiderwebs. The impact rattled the entire block.
Dust settled as Moro slid to the ground, coughing violently, his body trembling.
Kaya screamed his name. "MORO!"
Kizen turned toward her, eyes wild, grin unrelenting. "Next is you."
But Kazen raised a hand, stopping him. Her cold gaze remained fixed on Moro, still gasping on the ground. "No. Let him rise. If he cannot… he was never worthy of the title anomaly."
---
Moro's body screamed in pain, but something deeper burned in his chest. His vision blurred, his fists trembling. He could feel it—the Matrix, pulsing faintly within him, calling to him.
Not yet. Not here. But close.
He pushed himself up to one knee, blood dripping down his chin. His voice came out raw, but steady.
"I'm not… done yet."
The Asura Twins exchanged a glance. For the first time, Kizen's grin faltered, replaced by something else. Excitement.
"Good," he whispered. "Don't die too fast."
And with that, both twins lunged again, their auras colliding with Moro's stubborn will as the streets of Kuba shook under their fury.
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To be continued in Chapter 5 – Chains of Fear
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