Screams of agony echoed in the distance. The smell of burning flesh clawed at my nose, sharp enough to make my stomach twist.
I turned my head. A tall, lanky figure stood there — hollow eyes locked on me. My chest tightened, heart hammering, breath quickening. He was here again. The same nightmare.
The figure grinned, crooked teeth glinting yellow like rotten gold. He stalked forward, slow at first, like a predator savoring the hunt. Then, in a blur, he lunged.
I screamed—then shot upright in bed, chest heaving.
Another nightmare. The same one again.
"…Yeah, I'm not sleeping anymore." My voice came out flat, bitter. "Might as well shower. I smell like a sack of d*cks."
I stripped, letting the warm water run through my black hair, tracing old scars carved into my skin. For a moment, I just stood there, frozen in time. The water couldn't wash away the past, but at least it numbed me for a while.
Dressed in plain black jeans, a white shirt, and a zip-up jacket, I strapped my sword across my back. A glance at the clock.
04:44.
"As if I have any hope," I muttered.
I killed another five hours drowning in random YouTube videos, then finally dragged myself out. Coffee in hand, I made my way to Rift Corp to renew my license.
The clerk greeted me with all the warmth of a corpse. I shoved the form across the counter, deadpan as he handed me the new card:
Kirishima Hoshikawa — renewed, stamped, sealed.
To my surprise, he tacked on a "bonus." A new system, plus an extra skill: Home. Whatever the hell that meant.
Pocketing it, I turned to leave—
—and walked straight into some lavender-haired jerk,
The lavender-haired kid—no, the man—stepped back with a smirk, gold knuckle dusters glinting under the harsh Rift Corp lights.
"Hey, watch where you're going," he drawled, voice dripping with arrogance. "I'm Tenzine. And you are…" He paused, squinting, trying to read me. "…oh, I guess you're not worth knowing."
His smirk widened. "Figures."
Before I could react, he launched himself at me, fists moving faster than my eyes could track. The gold knuckles caught the light as he swung, a blur of deadly precision.
I didn't flinch. I let him waste his energy, reading the rhythm of his attacks. Then, with a single step and a flick of my wrist, I sidestepped, grabbed his arm mid-punch, and slammed him into the wall. Concrete cracked under his weight.
Tenzine groaned, wiped blood from his lip, then lunged again. I met him with a counter, a sharp chain of shadows wrapping around his wrists, forcing him to the ground.
He spat blood, glaring up at me. "Pathetic." My voice was cold, flat, a sentence that hung in the air heavier than any punch.
"Call me what you want," he said through gritted teeth. Then, with a wink, he flipped me off. I raised my hand and returned the gesture.
"No words necessary," I muttered, watching him vanish into a blur of motion as he left.
I shook my head, muttering to myself. "F*cking idiot."
Coffee still warm in my hands, I finally turned toward the Rift portal. The world beyond waited. And for once, I didn't care what it wanted from me.