The air was electric.
Charged with tension that prickled at the skin and twisted the atmosphere like a storm about to break.
The tall guy's sneer stretched wider, his harsh features twisting into something hard to look at. His voice curled with venom as he spat out.
"You've got a smart mouth for someone so scrawny."
Zeke said nothing.
Beside him, Kaito stepped forward—slow, deliberate—his movements measured like a blade half-drawn from its sheath. The plaza seemed to hold its breath.
"We don't even know your name," Kaito said, his voice cold and sharp as tempered steel. "And we don't want trouble. Back off."
Zeke's eyes shifted to Kaito, surprise evident.
Why was he standing there?
Was it to protect him?
Surely not.
They'd only just met today.
The tall guy let out a condescending chuckle.
"Or what? You'll bore me to death with that monotone?"
He smirked. "My name is Jake nice t—"
He lunged forward—fast, unexpectedly so. Hoping to catch them off guard.
But Kaito was faster.
With a single step, he pivoted, his forearm slamming into Jake's shoulder, throwing him off balance. Jake staggered, eyes blazing, recovering quickly enough to swing wildly.
The plaza seemed to ripple as the crowd instinctively took a step back, murmurs rising like a tide. People shifted on their feet, some gripping the straps of their bags, others raising hands to shield their faces. A woman gasped sharply, clutching her child tighter.
Rian dashed in, fingers flicking with practiced precision. A compressed burst of sound exploded like thunderclap—sharp, disorienting—sending Jake's friends reeling, leaving them dazed before they could intervene. Jake's sneer faded slightly, less confident now.
"Trying to catch us off guard is one thing," Rian mocked, voice dripping with scorn, "but being so weak that it doesn't work? That's just sad."
Tala moved next, arms rising as her fingers traced delicate, intricate patterns through the air. Zeke's breath caught, wide-eyed, watching glowing runes shimmer to life, suspended like fragile glass in the sunlight.
A rune master.
Zeke had never seen one before, not up close like this.
A gentle gust swirled around them—a soft, weaving wind that lifted dust and leaves, swirling in a protective barrier around the four friends. The air hummed with magic, thick and alive.
Jake's eyes locked on Zeke, dark pools of scorn and hatred.
"All that trash talk, and now you're hiding behind them?" he spat, venom lacing each word.
Rian, Tala, and Kaito tensed, ready to retaliate, but froze when Zeke stepped forward—moving beyond the wind barrier.
"Hide? I don't need to hide," he said quietly, voice barely above a whisper, but full of a strange defiance.
Jake's smile widened, cruel and mocking. "How arrogant."
His fist shot out like a bullet.
Zeke's instincts exploded to life.
His hand shot up—too fast, too sudden—and something strange happened.
For a moment, the world slowed.
Energy surged beneath his skin, alive and humming, wild and warm like a living thing. It pulsed, thrummed in his veins, echoing in his pounding heart.
The air around his hand rippled and bent, distorting the space between them.
Then—
SNAP!
Silence crashed down.
The sound was sharp, wet, final—a bone crushing under brutal force.
The plaza froze.
Even the music playing in the background cut out.
A scream tore the air.
High. Broken. Raw.
"AAAAAAGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Jake's mouth opened wide, but his scream was barely enough to keep up with the pain tearing through him.
He crumpled to the ground, clutching what was left of his arm—twisted, useless, grotesque.
Dark bruises bloomed, spreading like ink beneath his skin, deep reds and purples crawling along his torso. Blood dripped steadily from his fingers—
Drip. Drip. Drip.
His whole body trembled, wracked by shock and agony.
The scream didn't stop.
It sputtered, choked, rose again.
Primal, raw, echoing in the bones of everyone around.
Most people turned away, unable to bear it. Some gagged quietly. Children covered their ears, squeezed their eyes shut.
For a moment, the entire plaza seemed intent on erasing what had just happened from memory.
Even Rian's usual cocky grin had vanished. Tala's face was drained of color. Kaito didn't blink, but his jaw tightened, eyes narrowing on Zeke.
Zeke looked down at Jake's broken form, expression blank, eyes cold—but inside, a storm raged.
Shame, disgust, confusion, fear.
How could he have done that?
Without even a flicker of emotion?
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Monster."
"He did that without even flinching."
"Find out who he is, where his family lives. We don't want to offend him."
"Why is he so fragile? Doesn't he have powers?"
The confusion in one voice broke the quiet.
Zeke turned to Rian, expecting an answer.
But Rian flinched, avoiding his gaze.
Before anyone could speak, a sharp whistle cut through the tension.
Above, a floating surveillance drone blinked red as it descended, its mechanical hum piercing the charged silence.
A harsh, metallic voice projected from it:
"Unauthorized magic combat in public spaces is strictly prohibited. Repeat—Unauthorized—Emergency! Please have two healers on standby. Requesting immediate transport from the plaza. Scans indicate patient is losing blood fast."
The drone's red light pulsed rhythmically—like a heartbeat under watchful eyes.
Healers in white robes rushed from the edges of the plaza, their movements quick but practiced, tense with urgency. One knelt beside Jake, speaking quietly into a crystal device, voice calm but firm. Another traced glowing runes of gold and blue above the injured man's body, magic weaving delicately through the air.
Everyone stepped back silently, giving space.
No one spoke.
Even Rian was quiet now—his usual arrogance stripped away, replaced by something more cautious.
Kaito's eyes were fixed on Zeke—unreadable, but if one looked close enough, carrying a hint of respect. A strange feeling for Zeke to process.
Tala kept glancing between the bloodstained tiles and Zeke's clenched fists. He hadn't realized he was gripping so tightly, nails digging into his palms.
Jake was gone within minutes, lifted onto a glowing stretcher and whisked away by a floating disc.
The crowd began to murmur again, low and nervous voices spreading through the plaza. People avoided looking at Zeke and his friends, pretending nothing had happened.
Finally, Rian broke the silence, voice careful.
"…That was nuts, Zeke."
A flicker of helplessness crossed Zeke's face—gone as quickly as it came, but not unnoticed.
He didn't respond.
Maybe because he didn't know what to say. Or because the weight of what he'd done pressed down on his chest, suffocating and heavy.
"Still new to your powers, right?" Tala asked softly, voice gentle but edged with concern.
Zeke shook his head, still silent.
Kaito exhaled quietly, his face a mask of confusion and wariness.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Fine," Zeke said—too fast, too hollow.
Tala rolled her eyes. "Zeke, your hands!"
He looked down—blood seeped from between his fingers, bright red against paled skin.
"Let's get out of here."