As Daniel stepped out of the bar, the night air hit him, cooler and quieter than the suffocating tension inside. The streets of Dayton had thinned out; only a few figures moved in the distance, their pace quick, their attention always drifting to their wrists.
Most people didn't stay out long at night here.
"Hick…" Daniel let out a small hiccup, rubbing his temple as he looked up at the dark sky. For a moment, he considered finding a rooftop and just passing out there.
The alcohol was hitting properly now, and sleep sounded far more appealing than anything else.
Then—
The mark reacted.
His left hand twitched sharply, pulling in a direction with far more force than before. It wasn't subtle anymore. The pull was steady, insistent, like something had locked onto a target and refused to let go.
Daniel frowned, trying to ignore it.
The pull didn't weaken.
If anything, it grew stronger.
He let out a slow breath.
"This thing won't even let me be drunk in peace," he muttered.
For a second, he resisted, testing it.
The mark responded by tightening its pull again, almost like it was getting impatient.
Daniel clicked his tongue.
"Fine," he said. "Let's see what you found."
He bent his knees slightly and looked up at the sky.
Then he moved.
His body lifted off the ground in a clean motion, rising upward.
He shot forward across the skyline, the wind cutting past him as the mark kept pointing, dragging him toward whatever it had locked on to.
The next morning, sunlight spread across Daniel's face, pulling him slowly out of sleep.
He shifted to his side, eyes still closed.
"Five more minutes, Evy… I'm sleeping," he muttered.
The warmth didn't fade.
Instead, it grew brighter.
Daniel frowned slightly and opened his eyes, only to be met with an endless blue sky instead of a ceiling.
Reality settled in.
"Yeah… I passed out last night," he said, pushing himself up into a sitting position. He glanced around the rooftop where he had landed and crashed without a second thought.
For a moment, he stayed there, letting the quiet settle.
Then he stood.
Walking to the edge, he stretched his arms as the morning sun rose higher, the light spreading across the city below.
"It's actually refreshing," he said, rolling his shoulders. "A full night of sleep after drinking like that… and no hangover."
"There are perks to being a god."
His gaze shifted outward.
This wasn't Dayton.
The contrast was immediate and absolute.
Glass buildings reflected the sunlight, clean roads stretched without cracks, trees lined the streets in perfect order, and people moved with ease instead of desperation.
Cars glided smoothly through the city, polished and silent, nothing like the worn-out machines from the lower zones.
Daniel observed it for a few seconds, taking in the difference.
"Figures," he muttered.
Then his attention returned to his hand.
The mark was still active.
Still pulling.
"Let's get breakfast," he said, already moving. "And figure out what this thing is chasing."
He stepped off the edge of the rooftop without hesitation.
His body dropped, arms slightly spread as the wind caught his coat, the fabric lifting and trailing behind him.
The fall was controlled, deliberate, as he descended between the buildings before landing smoothly in the alley below, his momentum fading the moment his feet touched the ground.
Daniel stepped onto the main street and moved with an easy pace, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
He spotted a restaurant ahead.
The place stood out immediately, its glass walls revealing a calm, refined interior where every movement seemed measured. Daniel walked in without hesitation.
A few eyes turned toward him.
Not because he didn't belong, but because he didn't fit the rhythm.
A server approached, maintaining a professional expression.
Daniel took a seat and began ordering.
He didn't stop at a single dish. He kept going, listing items one after another until the server paused briefly, then nodded and left to place the order.
Daniel leaned back slightly, looking through the glass wall beside him. Outside, trees lined the streets in perfect order, their stillness matching the controlled atmosphere of New Greenwich.
Then the food arrived.
And Daniel started eating.
He didn't follow the quiet etiquette of the place. Plates emptied quickly, one after another, his pace steady and direct.
Around him, others ate slowly, their movements restrained.
The contrast was obvious.
The server watched from a distance, unable to ignore it. People in this zone didn't behave like this.
Daniel finished everything placed in front of him.
Then he raised his hand again.
The server returned, this time more cautious.
"Sir," he said, "your bill is one year."
Daniel extended his hand without a word.
The server activated the device, and the transfer completed instantly. One year disappeared from Daniel's clock, gone as easily as a coin being spent.
The server's gaze lingered for a moment longer than before.
Daniel withdrew his hand and looked at him.
"Bring the same again," he said, as if nothing unusual had happened.
The server nodded, though his expression had shifted.
That small incident did not go unnoticed by a woman sitting nearby, who had already found Daniel's behavior strange.
"That man is strange," she said.
*****
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