The streets didn't quiet after the first kill.
If anything, they got louder.
Rowan moved at a steady pace, stepping over shattered glass and weaving past abandoned cars. Smoke drifted through the air in thin, gray streams, stinging his eyes with a faint chemical burn. Somewhere in the distance, something roared—deep and heavy enough to shake the ground beneath his feet.
Closer, there were screams.
Short.
Cut off too quickly.
He stopped at the corner of an intersection and listened.
Voices.
Not panicked—focused.
"…left side!"
"Watch behind you!"
"Don't let them split us!"
Rowan turned the corner.
Four people stood in the middle of the street, backs loosely aligned, fighting.
Two harpies circled overhead, wings beating hard as they searched for openings. On the ground, a pair of satyrs lunged forward—twisted, goat-legged creatures with curved horns and yellowed eyes, their movements fast and erratic.
The group was holding—for now.
Barely.
Rowan stepped closer.
One of the satyrs charged, hooves cracking against the pavement. A man in front raised his arms too slowly—
A flash of orange burst from his hands.
Fire.
It slammed into the creature's chest, staggering it backward but not stopping it.
Another person moved in—a woman with short hair and a clenched jaw. Her skin shimmered faintly as the satyr's claws raked across her arm.
The impact barely pushed her back.
"Again!" she snapped.
The fire came again, stronger this time. The satyr dropped.
Above them, a harpy dove.
Too fast.
Rowan raised his hand.
Electricity snapped into existence.
He stepped forward and drove his palm upward as the creature descended.
Shock discharged.
A burst of crackling energy exploded from his hand on contact. The harpy jerked violently mid-dive, its body locking up for a split second before slamming into the ground off balance.
All four heads turned toward him.
Rowan didn't speak.
He moved.
The stunned harpy tried to rise.
Rowan brought the metal pipe down hard across its skull.
Once.
Twice.
It stopped moving.
[Enemy Eliminated]
[Divine Favor +10]
The warmth returned, slightly stronger this time.
"Who the hell—" the man with fire cut himself off as the second harpy shrieked overhead.
It dove.
"Down!" someone shouted.
Rowan stepped forward instead.
The creature came straight for him, claws extended.
He waited.
At the last second, he shifted his weight and swung.
The pipe struck its wing, but not cleanly this time. The harpy twisted mid-air, its claws scraping across Rowan's side.
Pain flared—sharp, immediate.
He didn't stop.
His hand snapped forward.
Shock discharged again.
The electricity hit its chest at close range. The creature seized mid-motion, its wings stuttering as the energy coursed through it.
The man with fire didn't hesitate.
A concentrated blast struck the harpy from the side, sending it crashing into the pavement.
The woman with the hardened skin stepped in and crushed its throat with a downward strike.
[Enemy Eliminated]
For a moment, everything stilled.
The satyr that had been circling hesitated.
That was its mistake.
Rowan moved first.
He closed the distance quickly and drove the pipe into its side. The creature twisted, snarling as it swung a claw toward him—
He ducked under it.
Shock.
The burst of electricity locked its body in place for just a moment—
Long enough.
The short-haired woman slammed into it from the side, driving it to the ground. The man with fire followed up, a focused blast ending it.
The last satyr tried to run.
It didn't get far.
A thin, precise projectile—something like compressed air—struck its leg from behind, dropping it instantly. The fourth member of the group lowered her hand, breathing hard.
Rowan stepped in and finished it.
[Enemy Eliminated]
[Divine Favor +8]
Silence followed.
Then—
[Drops Generated]
Drachma x31Common Divine OrbMinor Leather Bracer
The items shimmered faintly on the ground.
No one moved for a second.
Then all eyes turned to Rowan.
"…You just showed up and started fighting," the man with fire said, breathing uneven. "You planning to explain that?"
Rowan glanced at him briefly.
"Didn't seem like you needed an explanation."
The short-haired woman let out a short breath that might have been a laugh.
"Fair enough."
"Rowan," he said simply.
"Marcus," the man replied, gesturing to himself. He pointed to the others. "Dana. Chris. Lila."
Rowan gave a slight nod.
Then his gaze shifted.
She stood a few steps behind the others.
At first glance, she didn't look like she belonged in the same ruined street as everything else.
Her presence was… different.
The chaos seemed to bend around her without touching her. Her posture was steady, her expression composed, but there was something else there—something subtle that pulled attention without effort.
Her eyes met his.
For just a second, Rowan felt it.
A slight pull.
A quiet pressure at the edge of his thoughts.
Then it faded.
She stepped forward.
"Ivy Voss," she said.
Her voice was calm, smooth, controlled.
Rowan studied her for a moment.
"…You already figured things out."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"Enough to stay alive."
Her gaze flicked briefly to the scattered drops, then back to him.
"You handled that well," she added. "Most people panic."
Rowan shrugged slightly.
"Panic doesn't help."
No one argued.
Marcus exhaled and ran a hand through his hair.
"…We need somewhere safe," he said. "This street's not going to hold."
Another distant screech echoed, followed by something heavier crashing through metal.
Rowan glanced down the road.
Then back at the group.
"There's a parking structure two blocks back," he said. "Multiple levels. Limited entrances."
They all looked at him.
"You already scouted?" Dana asked.
"No," Rowan replied. "Just noticed it on the way through."
A pause.
Then Marcus nodded.
"…That works."
They moved quickly.
The walk wasn't quiet.
Distant movement echoed through the streets—wings, footsteps, something larger shifting between buildings. Smoke thickened the farther they went, turning the air dry and harsh.
When they reached the structure, it was mostly intact.
Concrete levels stacked upward. Wide ramps. Minimal access points.
Defensible.
Rowan stepped inside first, scanning.
Empty.
For now.
"Clear," he said.
The group followed.
As they moved deeper inside, the noise of the city dulled, replaced by a hollow quiet.
Marcus leaned against a pillar, catching his breath.
"…Alright. This works."
Lila sank down against the wall, her hands still trembling slightly.
Chris kept glancing toward the entrance.
Dana rolled her shoulders, checking the shallow cuts along her arm.
Ivy remained standing.
Her gaze shifted briefly to Rowan.
"You're not worried," she said.
It wasn't a question.
Rowan looked toward the entrance, where faint light filtered in from outside.
"They're not stopping," he said. "So neither can we."
Another pause.
Then Ivy nodded.
Slowly.
"…Good."
Outside, something screamed.
Louder this time.
Closer.
Rowan raised his hand slightly.
A faint spark flickered across his fingers.
The others watched him.
Not with fear.
Not yet.
With attention.
And just a little bit of understanding.
The world had changed.
Groups would form.
Power would decide everything.
And this—
This was only the beginning.