The smell of ozone was the first thing to hit me, sharp and metallic, followed immediately by the cold concrete biting into my back. My law firm's carpet was plush; this was definitely not plush.
I opened my eyes, expecting the glare of office lights, but found only the hazy twilight of an unfamiliar sky. I wasn't in my suit anymore. Instead, I wore simple, dark gray cargo pants and a black t-shirt that felt entirely too small across the shoulders.
I pushed myself up, my muscles screaming in protest. A quick check of my surroundings showed an abandoned alleyway littered with rusted barrels and discarded crates. Happy Harbor. The sign across the street, barely visible through the grime on a nearby window, confirmed it.
Then, I felt it.
A pulsing, rhythmic pressure behind my eyes. I blinked, and the world shifted. The grime on the window didn't just look dirty; I could see the subtle flow of energy—magic—trapped within the dust particles themselves. When I focused on a stray cat stalking along the fence, my vision slowed down, breaking its movements into distinct, manageable steps.
Sharingan.
I stared at my reflection in a broken piece of mirror lying on the ground. Three black tomoe danced around my pupils.
Panic should have set in. I was dead; I died in my office. Now I was here, in a teenage body, with eyes that shouldn't exist. Instead, a cold, calculating calmness settled over me. Rationality over emotion. That was the rule.
I stood up, testing my balance, and noticed a faint, green glow emanating from my right hand. A ring, plain and metallic, sat on my middle finger. It didn't belong to any jeweler I knew.
I narrowed my eyes at a wooden crate across the alley. Heavy.
The ring buzzed—a sensation like static electricity—and a thin, vibrant green line shot from the band, wrapping around the crate. It wasn't a physical rope; it was light shaped by my intent. I pulled, and the crate slid effortlessly toward me.
Willpower.
The line faded as I lost focus, and the crate fell with a thud. I breathed out, the sudden exertion making my head spin. I needed to move before someone saw me. I needed to know how this body worked, how these eyes worked, and how to harness this ring before I ended up back in the ground.
Dominance wouldn't happen today. Survival would have to be enough.