In this world, everyone is born with a Trait.
A Trait isn't something grand or mystical.
It's simply… a difference.
A small twist in a person's body or mind that sets them apart from the rest of the crowd.
Some people can run faster than the wind.
Some can burn metal with their bare hands.
Some can feel danger before it arrives.
And some… can barely do anything at all.
Traits come in every shape and form.
Strength, speed, senses, thinking, control, creation—
If a human can imagine a way to survive, a Trait probably exists for it.
Most Traits are quiet.
Small.
Forgettable.
Useful for daily life and nothing more.
A few Traits, however… change everything.
They rewrite the balance of power, rewrite how nations stand, and decide who rises and who kneels.
No one chooses their Trait.
No one earns it.
You wake up one day as a child, and it's simply there—
a blessing, a curse, or something in between.
My name is Maren.
I'm a civilian.
I work part-time at a children's candy store, attend school when I'm supposed to, and live a life so ordinary it barely deserves a footnote.
I'm not a prodigy.
I'm not a chosen one.
I'm not the kind of person people turn their heads to look at twice.
But in this world, normal doesn't mean powerless.
Because just like everyone else…
I, too, possess a Trait.
And mine is called—
Threshold.
I was just about to explain what my Trait actually does when a thunderous blast ripped through the street.
The shockwave shook the glass windows around us.
People screamed.
Sirens blared in the distance.
Maren exhaled long and tiredly.
Can't they do robberies more quietly? he thought.
The explosion faded into echoing smoke, and three figures shot across the sky on stolen air-bikes. Their engines screamed as they weaved between buildings, trying to lose whoever was chasing them.
But no one escaped Sentinels.
A streak of silver cut across the skyline.
Then another.
And another.
Armored silhouettes descended from above—silent, precise, almost weightless. With a single coordinated motion, they severed the robbers' escape path. The air-bikes spiraled out of control as gravity reclaimed them.
The Sentinels moved like blades of light.
One disabled an engine mid-air.
One caught the falling criminal by the collar.
One pinned the last robber to the pavement without even cracking the concrete.
The entire chase lasted less than ten seconds.
People around Maren exhaled in relief, some even clapping.
Children pointed.
Adults murmured admiration.
Everyone trusted the Sentinels.
Maren watched them quietly.
"Sentinels… the highest force in the nation,"
Guardians chosen from the top one percent.
Trained under harsh doctrine.
Respected more than politicians, soldiers, and even royalty.
They were everything a civilian wasn't.
He looked at the shining helmets, the disciplined movements, the city's reverence for them.
Those born with overwhelming Traits—
those accepted by the Sentinels—
lived on the upper side of life.
Clean streets, secure districts, prestige strong enough to bend rules by existing.
The Sentinels lifted the restrained robbers, activating anti-Trait cuffs that shimmered faintly. The criminals struggled, but resistance was pointless.
Crowds parted automatically, almost respectfully, as the Sentinels marched past.
A peaceful scene for most citizens.
The Sentinels marched past with the captured robbers, and the atmosphere around Maren warmed instantly.
People smiled.
Some clapped.
A few even raised their phones to record.
"Beautiful takedown."
"As expected from our Sentinels."
"Fastest response team in the world—no contest."
Compliments floated through the air like confetti.
It wasn't forced.
It wasn't blind obedience.
People genuinely believed in them.
The Sentinels were the reason this city slept safely at night.
The reason children walked to school without fear.
The reason Trait crime hadn't exploded into chaos decades ago.
Parents pointed at the armored figures proudly:
"That's why you study hard. So you can become one someday."
A vendor sighed dreamily.
"Ah… if only everyone with a Trait acted like them."
Even Maren, who thought the praise a bit much, couldn't deny reality:
The Sentinels made the impossible look routine.
Up above, the massive holo-screen flickered to the daily broadcast, right on schedule.
A cheerful jingle. A polished anchor.
Bright colors and calming visuals.
"—and once again, thanks to our Sentinel Division, crime rates have dropped for the third consecutive month!"
More applause.
More pride.
Someone shouted, "Long live the Sentinels!"
The Sentinels had finished restraining the robbers and were preparing to escort them away as more sentinals arrived to scene for support even if not neccassary. Their leader stepped forward, activating his comm-speaker.
"CITIZENS, PLEASE MAINTAIN—"
The voice cut.
Not from interference.
Not from malfunction.
But because something rose behind him.
A tall shadow—far too tall.
It wasn't there a second ago.
It hadn't walked up, hadn't landed from above.
It had simply… appeared.
Maren hadn't seen it arrive.
No one had.
Because the creature had formed from silver liquid metal seeping soundlessly up from the sewage grate, climbing and shaping itself into a towering 15-foot figure behind the Sentinel.
The liquid hardened with soft, skin-crawling clicks—
building armor, joints, and a faceless head.
The Sentinel didn't sense it.
Not until the creature's arm elongated, reshaped, and solidified into a blade made of its own metal—
—and rammed straight into the Sentinel's back.
A perfect silent kill.
Brutal.
Efficient.
The Sentinel's visor flickered wildly as the blade absorbed the leaking blood from its damaged systems, absorbing it through the metal like a sponge.
Gasps choked the crowd.
Someone screamed late—too late.
Another Sentinel spun around instantly.
"H—Hold position! That's a— that's a—"
His voice cracked.
He didn't even finish the sentence before five more figures began rising out of the street, from cracks and drains, as if the city itself were melting into monsters.
Their forms shifted from liquid to armored bodies in seconds—
smooth, unnatural, unnervingly silent.
No roar.
No entrance.
No threat display.
They attacked immediately.
The fire-user Sentinel blasted one creature with a storm of flames—but the heat rolled off its body harmlessly. The metal glowed… then cooled.
Not melted.
Not damaged.
The creature shot forward, movement unnatural and too fluid. Its limb split into several needle-like strands that wrapped the Sentinel's neck—
—and twisted.
A sharp, horrifying snap echoed across the street.
The Sentinel dropped like an empty shell.
They attacked immediately.
The Sentinel with a trait of heat blasted one creature with a storm of flames—but the heat rolled off its body harmlessly. The metal glowed… then cooled.
Not melted.
Not damaged.
The creature shot forward, movement unnatural and too fluid. Its limb split into several needle-like strands that wrapped the Sentinel's neck—
—and twisted.
A sharp, horrifying snap echoed across the street.
The Sentinel dropped like an empty shell as the tall silver creature absorbed the sentinal blood aswell.
Another Sentinel activated his trait at full potential, wind spiraling violently around him.
For a second, the creatures staggered.
Just one second.
The first creature opened its faceless helm.
Its mouth unfolded—metallic, circular, mechanical—
KRRRRREEEEEEEEEE—
A sonic pulse exploded outward.
Concrete cracked.
Glass burst.
The Sentinel's armor dented inward, crushing organs and frame alike.
He collapsed, body folding in on itself.
The next Sentinel charged at full speed—faster than a thrown spear—but the creature caught punch mid-air, fingers tightening with machine-perfect precision.
Joints snapped.
Mechanisms burst.
The creature tore the entire arm off—
—and drove it through the Sentinel's chest.
The Sentinel collapsed in a heap of sparks.
The last remaining Sentinel tried to back away, raising a trembling arm cannon.
"C-Citizens… r-run… hostile— hos—"
A creature materialized behind him—its body rippling like a fluid mirror—
and a blade silently pierced through his heart.
He fell forward.
Lights dimmed.
Metal clattered.
The entire street fell into chaos.
People bolted.
Cried.
Collapsed.
Shoved each other in desperate panic.
In less than a minute, the strongest protectors of the city were massacred.
Not just defeated.
They were overwhelmed.