As Rien stepped out of the room and followed his stepmother down the stairs, the soft morning light caught the curve of her figure. Yumiko's sea-blue bodycon maxi clung to every line of her body, stretching smoothly over full hips and a narrow waist as she moved with unhurried grace. She glanced back over her shoulder, sea-blue eyes warm, and offered him a quiet smile.
"You're looking very handsome today," she said, voice low and fond.
Rien met her gaze and gave a small nod. "Thanks, Stepmom."
She rolled her eyes, stopping on the landing so he nearly walked into her. Turning fully to face him, she rested one hand lightly against the banister and spoke with calm certainty.
"You should call me by my name. I'm not that much older than you, sweetie."
Rien considered her for a moment, then answered in the same even tone. "Well… that's possible, Yumiko."
A confident smirk curved her lips. She turned away and continued toward the front door, hips swaying with deliberate, fluid motion that drew the eye without effort. Over her shoulder she added, almost playfully, "Just not in front of your dad."
Rien followed her outside. Warm morning air brushed across his skin, carrying the faint scent of cut grass and distant traffic. Yumiko stood beside the car, one hand resting lightly on the roof. She patted it twice.
"Come on in, sweetie. We don't have time for you to stand there communing with nature."
She opened the rear door and slid inside, the dress shifting smoothly over her thighs as she settled. Rien climbed in after her and sat beside her, eyes forward through the windshield. In the driver's seat his father glanced back, voice deep and practical.
"Ready?"
Yumiko's left arm settled around Rien's shoulders, drawing him gently against the soft press of her body. She looked ahead with a confident little smile, the playful warmth never leaving her tone.
"Of course, honey."
The car moved steadily along the road, keeping a normal pace among the morning traffic. Vehicles passed by in both directions, their engines blending into the soft hum of the waking city.
Outside the windows, the morning breeze drifted gently through the streets, carrying the freshness of a new day. Sunlight spilled between the buildings, casting long golden reflections across the passing cars and glass windows.
The city slowly came alive around them.
People walked along the sidewalks, shops began opening their doors, and distant traffic signals changed from red to green as the steady rhythm of the morning continued.
Inside the car, however, everything felt quieter.
The gentle vibration of the engine, the muted sound of tires against the asphalt, and the occasional movement of the passengers created a strangely peaceful atmosphere as the car continued deeper into the city.
His father's foot slammed the brake without warning. The sudden deceleration hit like an invisible wall. Yumiko's body was thrown forward with sharp force, her seatbelt snapping taut across her chest a half-second too late. She lunged between the front seats, both hands flying out to brace against the headrests, fingers digging into the leather as the momentum carried her.
The sea-blue bodycon maxi stretched violently over her curves. The fabric pulled tight across the full swell of her hips and the deep arch of her lower back, clinging so closely it outlined every soft shift of flesh beneath. Her heavy breasts surged forward inside the tight neckline, bouncing hard once, then again, the weight of them swaying and settling with a slow, heavy ripple that the thin material did nothing to hide. A soft, startled breath left her lips.
"Woah… why the hell did you brake like that?"
She stayed braced for a moment longer, chest rising and falling, the dress still drawn tight across her body as the car finally rolled to a complete stop.
Rien stared through the windshield.
Something was standing in the middle of the road.
A man.
He stood completely still among the moving traffic, forcing the cars ahead to stop around him. Horns blared from every direction, but he didn't react. He simply remained there, as though the entire road belonged to him.
Yumiko slowly straightened in her seat.
Her expression shifted from casual amusement to confusion as she narrowed her eyes at the stranger.
"Who is that?"
Rien didn't answer.
Instead, he reached for the door.
The moment it opened, the noise of the city rushed into the car.
Rien stepped onto the road and closed the door behind him.
Then he began walking.
Slowly.
He passed between the stopped vehicles, ignoring the confused drivers and the growing tension in the air.
The stranger watched him approach.
His eyes suddenly gleamed.
Yellow.
Bright and unnatural, almost as though something was burning behind his pupils.
His gaze locked directly onto Rien's eyes.
"What do you think?"
His voice carried strangely across the road.
"That you can do whatever you want without consequences?"
Rien stopped several meters away.
For a moment, he simply looked at him.
Then a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Such a stubborn writer."
His tone remained completely calm.
"Anyway... should we start?"
The man's expression changed.
A confident smile slowly formed across his face.
He extended one hand forward, his posture becoming strangely theatrical.
"I am Seliux."
His yellow eyes shimmered.
"Remember that name."
The next instant—
He disappeared.
There was no movement.
No warning.
One moment, he was standing several meters away.
The next—
He was inches from Rien's face.
Seliux grinned.
"Couldn't you see me?"
Silence.
Then a calm voice whispered beside his ear.
"Couldn't you notice me?"
Seliux's eyes widened.
Rien was gone.
Before he could react, a hand closed around his shoulder from behind.
Rien twisted his body effortlessly.
Then—
BOOM!
Seliux was hurled sideways.
His body crashed through the wall of a nearby building with enough force to shatter the concrete.
Dust exploded outward.
Chunks of broken masonry scattered across the street as the shockwave rattled the surrounding vehicles.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then—
Panic.
People abandoned their cars and began running in every direction.
Doors slammed.
Engines roared.
The once-busy road emptied within moments.
Yumiko stepped out of the car, her eyes widening at the destruction.
Rien's father immediately followed her.
He grabbed her shoulder.
"Leave."
Yumiko looked at him.
"But—"
"Rien can handle him."
There was concern in his voice, but beneath it was something else.
Certainty.
He pulled Yumiko away from the scene as they retreated toward the other side of the road.
Meanwhile, the dust continued to hang in the air.
Rien stood alone in the middle of the street.
Still.
Unmoved.
Then—
A silhouette emerged from the ruined building.
Seliux stepped through the broken wall.
Dust rolled from his shoulders.
His clothes were torn in several places, but his expression hadn't changed.
If anything—
He looked amused.
He brushed a fragment of concrete from his shoulder.
"Not bad..."
His yellow eyes gleamed.
Then he vanished again.
Rien's gaze sharpened.
The air behind him suddenly distorted.
Seliux appeared high above him.
His body rotated through the air in a perfect 360-degree spin, gathering momentum as he descended.
His leg swung toward Rien's head.
WHAM!
Rien raised one hand.
He caught the kick.
The impact sent a circular shockwave across the asphalt.
Cracks spread beneath Rien's feet.
Yet he didn't move.
Seliux's grin widened.
Before Rien could counter—
He disappeared.
Again.
A blur flashed from the left.
Rien tilted his head.
A fist passed beside his cheek.
Another attack came from behind.
Rien ducked.
A knee came from above.
He stepped aside.
A heel smashed into the road where his head had been a fraction of a second earlier.
BOOM!
Concrete exploded upward.
Seliux continued attacking.
From every direction.
Left.
Right.
Above.
Behind.
Each appearance lasted less than a heartbeat.
Yet Rien countered every attack.
He blocked one strike with his forearm.
Deflected another with his palm.
Twisted away from a punch.
Caught a wrist.
Released it.
And vanished from the attacker's line before Seliux could follow.
The battle became almost impossible for ordinary eyes to perceive.
Only flashes remained.
A fist cutting through dust.
A shoe scraping across asphalt.
Two silhouettes appearing for an instant before disappearing again.
BOOM!
Another impact.
CRACK!
Another piece of the road shattered.
Seliux suddenly appeared beside Rien and grabbed his arm.
"Got you."
His grip tightened.
Then he swung.
BOOM!
Rien's body was thrown into the air.
He rotated once.
Twice.
Three times.
The world spun beneath him as the road rapidly approached.
But Rien calmly adjusted his posture.
His feet touched the asphalt.
He slid backward several meters.
Dust curled around his shoes.
Then he stopped.
Completely steady.
Rien slowly raised his head.
His expression had finally changed.
Not anger.
Not fear.
Just impatience.
"I'm not in the mood for child's play."
Seliux stood several meters away.
His chest rose and fell slowly.
Then he tilted his head.
That strange smile returned.
He briefly ran his tongue across his lips.
"Neither am I."
His yellow eyes burned brighter.
The atmosphere changed.
The wind seemed to stop.
Even the distant sounds of the city faded beneath the tension gathering between them.