The jagged metal pipe whistled through the oily rain, a heavy arc of rusted iron aimed directly at my temple.
This was it. The moment my 0.01 existence was supposed to be extinguished by an 8.2 predator. I could see the flakes of rust peeling off the metal. I could see the yellowed teeth in Jax's mouth as he grinned, already tasting the credits he'd strip from my corpse.
Great, I thought, my heart thudding a heavy, golden rhythm. Of course this is how I die. On my knees in the mud.
[ WARNING: STABILITY AT 4% ]
"Move, Arata," Eos's voice hissed, sharp as a razor. "The pipe makes contact in 0.4 seconds. Discharge or die."
The Solar Aether in my chest didn't just burn; it screamed. It flooded my legs, turning my panic into a jagged, electric focus.
The pipe was inches from my face. I could see the beads of sweat flying off Jax's forehead.
I didn't think. I didn't plan.
I just... stepped.
The world blurred. I slid inside Jax's guard before the iron could even clear the air. The smell of his stale tobacco hit me like a physical wall. For a heartbeat, we were chest to chest.
"What the—?" Jax gasped.
His eyes were huge. Terrified. He saw the golden light flaring in my pupils. He saw the white steam screaming off my shoulders.
I didn't punch him. I just reached out and caught his thick, scarred wrist.
[ CONTACT ESTABLISHED ]
[ INITIATING EMERGENCY DISCHARGE: 6.4 UNITS ]
The world turned a blinding, violent gold.
It felt like my ribs were being hammered outward. The heat roared out of my chest, down my arm, and directly into Jax's skin. It wasn't an electric shock. It was a dam breaking.
The "carbonated lightning" that had been cooking my organs for the last three hours finally found an exit. It poured into Jax like liquid fire.
Jax's body locked up instantly.
His back arched. His jaw snapped shut so hard I heard his teeth click. The blue 8.2 above his head didn't just flicker—it went into a screaming meltdown. The numbers spun so fast they became a blur of orange static.
"Rule 10 is currently processing," Eos whispered. She sounded so cold. So bored. "Taking the 10% Service Fee. Dumping residual Solar heat... now."
I felt a sharp, electric tug in my gut—the "Fee" being ripped from Jax's core and settling into my own.
The suffocating pressure in my lungs vanished. The heat flowed out. I actually breathed.
Oh god. Oh god, what did I just do?
I wanted to puke. I saw Jax's eyes roll back, his veins turning into glowing, jagged lines under his skin. I was burning him alive. I was killing him!
Stop it! Stop!
But then... another feeling hit me.
A rush. A dark, electric high that made my skin crawl.
I'm not a Zero.
The thought hit me like a physical blow. I looked at my hand. It was still buzzing. I felt powerful. I felt heavy. I felt like I finally existed in a world that had spent twenty-four years trying to erase me.
I'm doing this. Me. I'm breaking the king of the District.
"Jax?" one of the goons whispered.
He was the one with the 4.1 rating. He was holding a serrated combat knife, but his hand was shaking so hard the blade was rattling. He looked at Jax, then at me, his face pale with pure, animal terror.
"You're a Zero," the goon hissed. "You're a 0.01! What did you do to his number? What kind of glitch are you?"
"Stability at 42%," Eos noted. "You've cleared the immediate danger, Arata, but you're still carrying a significant thermal load. The second conductor is volunteered and ready."
"More?" I gasped, my voice sounding deeper, richer. "I have to do it again?"
"Strike, Arata. Before he finds his courage."
The goon lunged. It was a desperate, amateur strike.
My heart hammered. He's going to kill me. He's going to kill me!
The terror was real, but the Solar heat was faster.
I stepped to the side, the blade whistling past my ear, and caught his wrist.
"I'm not a glitch," I said. My voice was steady, even though my mind was a screaming mess of fear and adrenaline. "I'm just the one settling the account."
[ CONTACT ESTABLISHED ]
[ PURGING RESIDUAL HEAT... ]
"NO—!"
The goon's eyes rolled back as the Solar Aether flooded his arm. This time, I didn't just let it flow. I pushed.
I wanted the fire out of me. I wanted to be human again. I felt the discharge hit him like a physical weight, followed by that sharp, final tug.
[ RULE 10 ACTIVATED: 0.41 UNITS HARVESTED ]
I shoved him away. He collapsed next to Jax. His 4.1 rating flickered, turned red, and then simply... shattered. When the light cleared, a dull 0.5 hung over his head.
The third goon—the 3.4—didn't wait. He dropped his pipe and bolted into the darkness.
I stood in the center of the alley, the rain hissing as it hit my heated skin.
"Eos," I panted, clutching my chest. "Tell me it's done."
[ STATUS: STABILIZED ]
[ CURRENT CAPACITY: 38% ]
I slid down the wall until I sat in the mud. I was hyperventilating.
I just broke them. I didn't mean to, but I broke them.
But my hands... they weren't shaking from fear anymore. They were shaking from the sheer, raw weight of the power still humming under my skin.
I'm not a Zero.
A jagged, crazy laugh escaped my throat.
I'm really not a Zero!