Noise
Night fell without warning.
Not slowly. Not gently. One moment the sky still held color, and the next it was swallowed whole, clouds rolling in like a closing fist. The wind picked up, carrying the smell of rain and something else—metallic, sharp, wrong.
Alex stood alone on the rooftop, the city stretched beneath him like a living thing. Lights flickered in windows. Shadows moved where they shouldn't. Ever since the market, his senses refused to settle. Sleep had become shallow. Silence felt hostile.
He flexed his fingers.
They trembled—not from fear, but restraint.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
"You're awake too."
Alex didn't turn. "You always announce yourself like that?"
A soft chuckle. "Only when I want you to know it's me."
Ryo stepped beside him, resting his elbows on the ledge. The city lights painted his face in gold and shadow, breaking his expression into pieces. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
"You didn't say a word after the alley," Ryo said. "That's not like you."
Alex's eyes stayed forward. "I was listening."
"To what?"
"To what you didn't say."
The wind howled between them.
Ryo straightened slightly. "You think I set you up."
Alex finally turned.
"I think," he said slowly, "that someone wanted me tested. And they knew exactly where I'd be."
Ryo's jaw tightened. "You think I'd do that?"
"I think," Alex replied, voice calm but cold, "that you didn't look surprised."
That did it.
The easy tone vanished. Ryo exhaled through his nose, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're seeing threats everywhere."
"Because they're everywhere."
Silence again—but heavier now. Loaded.
Ryo met his gaze. "If I wanted you dead, Alex… you wouldn't have walked away."
Something in the way he said it sent a chill through Alex's spine.
Before he could respond, the air shifted.
Not wind. Not weather.
Pressure.
Alex reacted instantly, grabbing Ryo and pulling him down as something screamed past where his head had been a split second earlier. The rooftop railing shattered. Concrete exploded.
They rolled apart, both on their feet in an instant.
Figures stepped out of the darkness—three this time. No masks. No insignias.
One of them clapped slowly.
"Impressive reflexes," the man said. "The reports weren't exaggerated."
Alex felt it then—clear as a blade against skin.
These weren't scouts.
These were evaluators.
Ryo moved closer to Alex, voice low. "We need to—"
"Don't," Alex cut in. "Just don't."
The lead attacker smiled. That same calm, knowing smile.
"Relax," he said. "This isn't an execution."
Lightning cracked overhead, illuminating his eyes.
"It's an invitation."
The attackers moved.
Alex did too.
This time, something inside him answered.
His movements were sharper than before—faster, heavier. Each strike landed with unnatural precision, as if his body already knew the outcome. An attacker flew back, bones snapping against the rooftop wall.
Another came in high—
Alex caught the arm.
And crushed it.
The man screamed.
The third attacker hesitated.
Bad move.
Alex crossed the distance in a blink, driving his fist into the man's chest. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the air, knocking debris loose from the roof.
Alex froze.
He stared at his own hand.
That wasn't supposed to happen.
The lead attacker stepped back, eyes shining with interest. "There it is," he murmured. "The crack."
Ryo stared at Alex now—not in fear.
In awe.
Rain began to fall.
The attacker raised two fingers. "Enough. For now."
The figures retreated into the darkness, vanishing like they'd never been there.
Alex stood in the rain, breathing hard, power humming beneath his skin—awake, unstable, impatient.
Ryo took a cautious step toward him. "Alex… what was that?"
Alex didn't answer.
Because for the first time, the question terrified him.
Somewhere far away, a smile widened.
And the cracks spread—silent, unseen, inevitable.