Night arrived without ceremony.
No thunder. No warning. Just the slow dimming of the sky as the city lights took over, one by one, until darkness became the default state of the world.
I arrived early.
Much earlier than last time.
In my previous life, I'd shown up right on time—maybe even a few minutes late—apologizing, breathless, worried about keeping her waiting. Tonight, I stood across the street nearly an hour beforehand, leaning casually against a lamppost with my hands in my pockets.
Anyone watching would see nothing unusual.
Inside, everything was tense and sharp.
The alley hadn't changed.
It was still narrow, boxed in by tall brick buildings that blocked most of the moonlight. The single streetlamp near the entrance flickered like it was on the verge of dying, its pale glow failing to reach the back. Trash bins lined one side, rusted and overflowing, their sour smell blending with damp concrete and old rain.
A dead-end.
A place meant for things to disappear.
This was where I'd died.
I remembered every detail. The way my footsteps had echoed too loudly. The way I'd hesitated, sensing something was off but telling myself I was being paranoid. The exact spot where the gun barrel had pressed into my back.
My fingers twitched.
I forced them to relax.
This time, I wasn't walking in blind.
I closed my eyes briefly and reached inward.
The power responded instantly.
Not violently. Not hungrily.
Attentive.
I felt the darkness around me more clearly than ever before, as if the shadows weren't just absences of light but spaces—places I could occupy if I chose to.
Good.
I waited.
Cars passed. People walked by. A couple argued quietly as they crossed the street, their voices fading into the background hum of the city. Life went on, ignorant and indifferent.
My phone buzzed.
Mina ❤️:I'm leaving now.
I didn't reply.
I slipped off the lamppost and used Night Step.
The world folded inward like a page turning.
One moment I was across the street—
the next, I stood inside the alley, pressed against the shadowed wall near the back, completely hidden.
No sound.
No disturbance.
My breathing slowed naturally, as if my body knew instinctively that silence mattered here.
Footsteps echoed faintly outside.
Mina arrived first.
She stepped into the alley hesitantly, heels clicking softly against the concrete. She wore a light coat and clutched her bag tightly, shoulders drawn in like she was nervous.
Anyone watching would think she was the vulnerable one.
I knew better.
She stopped near the center and checked her phone, her brow furrowing.
"He should be here…" she murmured, just loud enough for me to hear.
Her voice sounded exactly the same as it always had. Soft. Concerned. Familiar.
For a split second, an old instinct stirred—an urge to step forward, to reassure her, to tell her everything was fine.
I crushed it instantly.
Footsteps followed.
Two men entered the alley.
The first wore a black coat that looked out of place in a location like this—clean lines, expensive fabric, untouched by grime. He moved with calm confidence, as if the alley belonged to him.
The second stayed closer to the entrance, posture relaxed but eyes alert, sweeping the surroundings with practiced ease.
A lookout.
My gaze lingered on the man in the black coat.
Even without seeing his face clearly, I felt it.
Pressure.
A subtle weight in the air that had nothing to do with intimidation and everything to do with power.
Awakened.
Mina turned when she sensed them.
"You said he'd be here," the man in black said calmly.
"He will be," she replied quickly, nodding. "He wouldn't miss this."
Her voice was steady.
Conviction, not hope.
That stung more than I expected.
I stepped forward, letting my foot scrape lightly against the ground.
All three of them turned.
"There you are," Mina said instantly, relief flooding her expression. She hurried over and grabbed my arm. "I was getting worried."
Her hand was warm.
Too warm.
I didn't pull away.
Up close, she looked the same as she always had. The same eyes I'd trusted. The same faint smile that used to make me believe things would get better.
The man in the black coat studied me openly now.
"So this is him," he said. "He doesn't look like much."
"He isn't," the lookout replied with a short laugh.
I met the man's eyes.
For the first time since I'd entered the alley, something shifted.
His calm cracked—just slightly.
His gaze sharpened.
"…Interesting," he murmured.
My chest tightened.
He could feel it.
The power inside me stirred, reacting to his attention like a predator recognizing another presence at the top of the food chain.
Mina squeezed my arm. "We should go somewhere quieter," she said softly. "This place gives me a bad feeling."
I nodded slowly.
"You're right," I said.
Then I stepped backward.
Into the shadows.
The world folded.
The alley gasped.
I vanished.
"What—?!" Mina cried out, stumbling back.
I reappeared behind the lookout.
My hand clamped around his throat before he could even turn.
The moment my fingers closed, the whisper erupted in my mind.
TAKE HIM.
The man thrashed, choking out a strangled sound as black haze poured from my chest, wrapping around his body like living smoke. His hands clawed uselessly at my arm as the shadows tightened.
The man in the black coat reacted instantly.
"Awakened!" he barked, power flaring around him.
Too late.
The haze surged.
Bones cracked.
The lookout's struggle weakened, then stopped.
And something warm—something alive—rushed into me.
Strength.
Awareness.
Fragments of someone else's fear.
The body went limp.
I let it fall.
The alley went silent.
Mina stared at me, frozen in horror.
The man in the black coat smiled.
"Oh," he said softly. "This just became very interesting."