Alpha Phantom didn't go to a hospital.
Hospitals asked questions. Questions led to names. Names attracted attention.
Instead, he followed the pull.
[Shadow Sense: Active.]
It was faint—like a thread tugging at the back of his skull. Old buildings. Closed shops. Places forgotten by the city.
He moved through backstreets, keeping to shadows, his body protesting with every step. The Body Tempering Realm stabilized him, but it didn't make him immortal.
Yet.
The door was unmarked.
No sign. No light. Just a rusted metal panel wedged between two abandoned stores.
Alpha knocked once.
Then twice.
Then stopped.
The door opened anyway.
She stood there, eyes sharp and assessing, taking in his blood-soaked clothes, his posture, his breathing.
"You're bleeding," she said.
Alpha met her gaze. "You're not surprised."
She stepped aside. "If you were normal, you'd already be dead."
Inside, the air smelled clean—too clean for a place like this. Herbs. Alcohol. Something metallic.
The door shut behind him.
"Sit," she said, pointing to a steel table.
Alpha didn't move.
"You're a healer?" he asked.
"I fix problems," she replied. "Some happen to be human."
He sat.
She worked fast. Cut away fabric. Pressed gauze to wounds that should've sent him into shock.
Her hands were steady.
Too steady.
"You crossed the line tonight," she said without looking at him.
Alpha watched her face. Calm. Focused. No fear.
"What line?"
"The kind that makes people disappear," she said. "Three men went down in an alley. One didn't get back up."
Alpha said nothing.
She glanced at him. "That was you."
Not a question.
Alpha shrugged slightly. "They tried to kill me."
"That's not what matters," she said. "What matters is who wanted you dead."
She finished wrapping his ribs and stepped back.
"Name," she said.
"Phantom."
She raised an eyebrow. "Real one."
He held her gaze.
She exhaled. "Figures."
She moved to wash her hands. "You can call me Nyx."
Alpha repeated it once. "Nyx."
It fit.
[Observation: High-Value Individual Detected.]
[Relationship Path: Undefined.]
Alpha ignored the notification.
Nyx turned back to him. "You shouldn't be alive," she said. "Your injuries… they don't make sense."
"They will."
She studied him for a long moment. Then nodded. "Cultivator."
Alpha's eyes sharpened. "You know."
"I know enough," she said. "And enough to know you're dangerous."
Silence stretched.
Then footsteps echoed outside.
Nyx's expression changed instantly.
"Someone followed you."
Alpha stood.
[Threat Level: Moderate.]
Three knocks hit the door. Heavy. Official.
"Open up," a voice called. "City inspection."
Nyx cursed softly. "They don't inspect this area."
Alpha rolled his shoulders. "I'll handle it."
She blocked his path.
"No," she said. "If you fight here, they burn everything."
Alpha looked down at her hand on his chest.
Firm. Controlled.
Not afraid.
"What do you suggest?" he asked.
Nyx met his gaze. "Disappear."
She pressed a switch.
A panel slid open behind the table, revealing a narrow stairwell descending into darkness.
"Go," she said. "I'll cover."
Alpha hesitated for half a second.
[Decision Logged.]
He stepped into the stairwell.
As the panel closed, their eyes met one last time.
Nyx's voice followed him down.
"Phantom," she said. "If you survive… don't come back unless you're stronger."
Alpha smiled in the dark.
"Then I'll be."