Rain fell like ash.
The city at night was quiet—too quiet, Mira said.
They moved fast, cutting through alleyways and backstreets. She walked like a ghost, blade hidden beneath her coat. Elior followed, his body still aching from the trial, the Second Ring humming faintly under his skin.
"Where is he?" he asked.
She didn't turn. "Somewhere close. His signal's… flickering. That means he's losing it."
They turned the last corner.
There he was.
A man—maybe thirty, shirtless in the cold, skin cracked with glowing lines like molten glass. He stood in the middle of a trash-strewn alley, swaying. Muttering.
The ring on his chest—opened, but twisted.
Mira whispered, "He forced the Second Ring without guidance. It's eating him alive."
The man's head jerked toward them. Eyes blank.
Then he screamed.
The walls buckled around him.
"MOVE!"
Mira yanked Elior behind a dumpster as a shockwave tore through the alley. Bricks shattered. Lights burst. The air tasted like metal and static.
Elior peeked out—time seemed to stretch.
The man's hands glowed, raised toward them—
But before he moved, Elior saw it.
The path his strike would take. The split in the air. The next five seconds playing like a memory in reverse.
Pre-vision.
Now.
He stepped left before the blast came.
It missed by inches.
"You felt it?" Mira shouted.
"I saw it—before he moved."
"That's your Second Ring! Anchor that!"
She leapt, blade flashing silver. She was fast, but the man was wild—throwing raw energy like a living explosion.
Elior didn't think.
He raised his hand.
The rings burned. Reality twisted.
The man's next blast veered—bent—midair, striking the wall beside him instead.
Mira landed the hit.
Silence.
Smoke cleared.
The man was unconscious, breathing hard, veins pulsing dimly. Still alive.
But barely human.
Mira stood over him, blade steaming.
She didn't look back at Elior.
"Next time," she said softly, "you might have to kill."
They walked away.
Elior's hand still burned.
Inside, something whispered:
"The Second Ring opens not just your sight—
But your power to interfere."