The rain returned without warning.
Not gently.
Not softly.
It came crashing down in heavy sheets, drenching the broken streets, pounding against metal roofs, and filling the night with a constant roar. Water streamed along cracked pavement, carrying ash, dust, and traces of blood into dark gutters.
Che stood beneath a flickering streetlight, rain soaking his hair, dripping down his face, sliding across his jaw and chin before falling in steady drops to the ground.
Across from him stood the hooded stranger.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
The silence between them felt thick, stretched tight, ready to snap.
Che's breathing slowed deliberately.
In.
Hold.
Out.
Again.
The storm masked most sounds, but his heightened senses caught every subtle movement the faint shift of the stranger's weight, the steady rhythm of his breathing, the almost imperceptible tightening of muscles beneath his cloak.
Danger radiated from him.
Not wild.
Not reckless.
But sharp.
Focused.
Precise.
"You said you were a messenger," Che finally said, voice calm but guarded. "Start talking."
The stranger studied him through the rain, golden eyes glowing faintly beneath the hood.
"They know you survived."
Che's chest tightened.
His breathing faltered for a fraction of a second.
Then steadied again.
"How?"
"The pendant."
Che's fingers twitched near his chest.
"The moment it activated, it sent a ripple through the power grid that monitors awakened signatures. They felt it. They traced it."
"Who are they?"
The stranger hesitated.
Then said quietly, "The Dominion."
The name struck like thunder.
Even in the outer districts, rumors of the Dominion spread in whispers an elite ruling faction of the strongest Kimyos, controlling governments, militaries, and entire cities from the shadows.
They did not hunt criminals.
They hunted threats.
Che swallowed.
"They killed my master."
"Yes."
"Why?"
The stranger exhaled slowly. "Because Rael trained those who could disrupt the balance. And because of you."
The rain intensified.
Che's heartbeat thundered in his ears.
"My power… isn't normal, is it?"
"No," the stranger said softly. "It's dangerous."
Che clenched his fists.
"Good."
The stranger's lips twitched faintly. "That answer might get you killed."
"Then they'll have to work for it."
Lightning split the sky.
For an instant, the street was flooded with white light.
In that flash, Che saw movement.
Not one.
Not two.
But many.
Shadows detached themselves from rooftops, alley mouths, broken windows, and collapsed fire escapes.
Encirclement.
Ambush.
The stranger turned sharply.
"They're already here."
Che's breathing slowed.
In.
Out.
His muscles coiled.
"How many?"
"At least twelve."
Che nodded once.
"Then don't blink."
The first attacker struck from above.
A man cloaked in dark armor, his body crackling with raw kinetic energy, dropped from a rooftop, driving a knee toward Che's skull.
Che twisted aside, rain spraying violently as the knee shattered the concrete where his head had been.
Before the attacker could recover, Che's elbow slammed into his ribs.
Bone cracked.
The man flew backward, crashing through a shattered storefront.
Two more rushed simultaneously.
One wielded blades of pure light.
The other manipulated compressed air, launching invisible shockwaves.
Che leapt backward, barely avoiding a slicing arc of light that carved clean through a metal pole behind him.
Wind slammed into his chest, hurling him across the street.
He rolled, sprang to his feet, breathing sharp but controlled.
The stranger moved.
His hands blurred.
Thin golden blades of energy formed between his fingers, spinning outward in lethal arcs.
Two attackers fell instantly, their bodies collapsing into the rain-soaked street.
More emerged.
Electric arcs lit the darkness.
Flames roared.
Gravity twisted.
The street transformed into a battlefield.
Che charged.
Rain blurred his vision.
His heartbeat pounded.
Each breath burned.
But his mind remained cold and precise.
He ducked beneath a lightning strike, rolled across slick pavement, and slammed his fist into the knee of a fire wielder mid-step.
The joint shattered.
The man screamed, collapsing.
Che spun, driving a kick into the chest of an approaching gravity manipulator.
The impact launched the man skyward before gravity inverted violently, slamming him headfirst into the ground.
Concrete exploded.
Che leapt back as energy blasts tore through the air.
His breathing turned sharp.
In.
Out.
He moved instinctively, weaving through destruction, striking where openings appeared, vanishing before counterattacks could land.
Pain blossomed across his shoulder as a blade of light grazed him.
He gritted his teeth.
Focused.
A deep inhale.
Then release.
His muscles tightened.
His speed increased.
He slipped inside an attacker's guard, drove his palm into the man's chest, and released stored kinetic force.
The explosion flung three enemies backward.
The stranger fought beside him, golden energy flashing brilliantly through rain and darkness.
But they were outnumbered.
And the Dominion had not sent their strongest yet.
A pressure descended.
The air thickened.
Che's steps slowed.
His breathing became heavier.
The rain seemed to freeze mid-fall.
Then a figure emerged from the shadows.
Tall.
Broad.
Clad in dark silver armor etched with glowing crimson runes.
His face was hidden beneath a smooth metal mask.
Power radiated from him in suffocating waves.
A Commander.
Che felt his chest tighten violently.
This was no hunter.
This was an executioner.
The Commander raised one hand.
Gravity warped.
Che was slammed flat into the ground.
The impact shattered the street beneath him.
His lungs emptied violently.
Pain exploded through his ribs.
His vision blurred.
He gasped, struggling to breathe.
In.
Nothing.
Out.
Nothing.
Panic surged.
Then
Control.
He forced air back in, slow and deep, despite the crushing pressure.
The stranger launched forward, golden blades colliding with invisible force.
The impact sent shockwaves ripping through nearby buildings.
The Commander did not move.
He flicked his wrist.
The stranger was hurled aside, crashing through a collapsed wall.
Che's heart thundered.
He pushed himself up, muscles screaming.
Rain mixed with blood on his lips.
The Commander stepped closer.
Each footstep echoed like a drumbeat of doom.
"You are the anomaly," the distorted voice rumbled. "You should not exist."
Che spat blood.
"Neither should tyrants."
The Commander raised his hand.
The air trembled violently.
Che felt his bones compress.
His breathing became ragged.
His chest burned.
But beneath that pain
The pendant pulsed.
Heat surged through Che's body.
Not chaotic.
Not violent.
Focused.
Controlled.
Golden light flared beneath his skin.
The crushing force shattered.
Che rose.
The rain around him evaporated in a shimmering halo.
His breathing steadied.
Deep.
Powerful.
The Commander hesitated.
For the first time.
Che moved.
The world blurred.
He crossed the distance in a heartbeat.
Their fists collided.
A shockwave tore through the street, flattening debris and sending bodies flying.
Buildings cracked.
Windows exploded.
Che skidded backward, boots carving trenches through concrete.
The Commander staggered.
Che inhaled.
Then struck again.
Each blow landed with devastating precision.
Each impact reshaped the battlefield.
The Commander countered with gravity pulses, energy blasts, and crushing force fields.
The clash shook the district.
Their battle lit the rain-soaked darkness with blinding flashes of gold and crimson.
Che's lungs burned.
His muscles screamed.
But he did not falter.
Not now.
Not ever.
With a final roar, he drove his fist forward, channeling every ounce of energy he possessed.
The blow shattered the Commander's chest plate.
The armored giant flew backward, crashing through three buildings before disappearing into the distance.
Silence fell.
Che collapsed to one knee, gasping.
His chest heaved violently.
His heartbeat thundered.
Rain drenched his glowing skin, steam rising as the energy slowly faded.
The stranger limped back toward him, blood streaming down his temple.
"That," he breathed, "was insane."
Che forced a weak smile.
"You should see me on bad days."
The stranger snorted softly.
Then turned serious.
"You can't stay here. Not anymore."
Che nodded.
"I know."
"The Dominion will send more. Stronger. Smarter. Relentless."
Che stood, breathing slowly.
"Good."
The stranger studied him.
"There's a place you can train. Hide. Grow."
"Where?"
"Beyond the Black Zones. In the ruins of the old world."
Che's gaze hardened.
"I'm not running."
"You're preparing."
A long silence stretched between them, broken only by falling rain.
Finally, Che nodded.
"Then lead the way."
Hours later, they stood at the edge of the city.
Beyond lay endless wastelands—collapsed megastructures, twisted metal forests, and ancient ruins swallowed by nature.
Che inhaled deeply.
The air smelled different.
Freer.
Dangerous.
Full of unknowns.
Behind him, Astra City burned quietly beneath storm clouds.
Ahead lay a path soaked in blood, sacrifice, and survival.
Che stepped forward.
His breathing steady.
His resolve unbreakable.
The hunt had begun.
And this time
He was not the prey.