The air broke first.
Not loudly.
Not violently.
Just… wrong.
Like something invisible had shifted its weight and the world had to adjust around it.
He stepped fully into the lantern light.
Tall.
Calm.
Dressed too simply for someone who had just disrupted a negotiation between two dangerous forces.
And yet—
Everything reacted to him.
The river stilled.
The wind hesitated.
Even Preye's lightning flickered like it wasn't sure who it belonged to anymore.
"Well," he said again, brushing invisible dust from his sleeve, this is awkward.
Timi blinked, you think?
The man's eyes moved lazily across the group,
Preye,
Madam Ado,
Denyefa;
Kuro's hidden position.
He saw everything.
Registered everything.
Then smiled like it didn't matter, you were all having such a productive conversation," he continued. "I almost felt bad interrupting."
Nimi's voice came quietly from the shadows.
"Almost?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Yes."
A pause, then I remembered I don't care.
"You're out of place," Madam Ado said.
Her voice remained calm.
But the edge was new.
Sharp.
Careful.
Measured.
The man chuckled softly.
"On the contrary."
He stepped closer.
"This place is exactly where I should be."
His gaze shifted to Denyefa, and so is she.
Preye stepped forward.
Just one step.
Enough,
The word was quiet.
But it carried weight.
The man's eyes flickered to her.
"…Stormborne."
Preye didn't react to the name.
"Whatever you're here for," she said, voice steady, you're not taking her.
The man smiled, oh, I don't need permission.
Behind the scenes,
Everything activated.
Kuro shifted position.
Sotonye's unseen presence tightened like a drawn thread.
Nimi adjusted her stance.
Boma's hand moved slowly toward a hidden blade.
Timi…
Well—, Timi whispered,
"…Okay, I officially don't like this guy."
The man glanced at Timi.
"And you are?"
Timi straightened slightly.
"…Important."
A pause.
The man blinked.
"…That's not a name."
Timi pointed at himself confidently.
"It's a role."
Sotonye muttered from somewhere unseen, he's not wrong.
Preye didn't even look back.
"Timi."
"…Yes?"
"Stop talking."
"…Right."
The man exhaled slowly.
As if bored.
As if this was taking longer than it should.
"Let's simplify things," he said.
His voice dropped slightly.
Not louder.
But heavier.
"I take the girl."
He gestured casually toward Denyefa.
You all walk away.
A pause, and maybe…
His eyes flickered briefly to Preye.
"…you cab live long enough to matter."
The temperature dropped.
Not physically.
But emotionally.
Because something in Preye changed.
Her posture straightened.
Her eyes darkened slightly.
The air around her—
Shifted.
Timi leaned slightly toward Nimi.
"…Is this the part where she becomes terrifying?"
Nimi nodded.
"Yes."
"No."
Again.
Simple.
Final.
The man sighed.
"…You're all very dramatic."
He lifted his hand slightly.
And the river moved.
Water rose.
Not in waves.
Not violently.
But with control.
Precise.
Intentional.
It curled around the dock like a living thing.
Responding to him.
Listening.
Kuro's voice cut low ,
"…He's not normal."
Sotonye added—
"That's an understatement."
---
Denyefa stepped forward suddenly.
"No."
Her voice cut through everything.
The water hesitated.
The man's eyes snapped to her.
"…Interesting."
Denyefa 's hand lifted.
And this time,
The water responded to her.
Not fully.
Not completely.
But enough.
It shifted.
Pulled.
Resisted.
Two forces.
One river.
The man's smile widened.
…Oh, this just got funny.
The water twisted between them.
Pulled in two directions.
Neither overpowering the other.
Yet.
Preye watched.
Calculating.
Feeling.
Understanding.
Then—
Her fingers sparked.
Lightning cracked.
Not from the sky—
But from her.
Controlled.
Focused.
Alive.
It danced across her arm.
Gathered in her palm.
And then—
She stepped forward.
Water.
Storm.
And something else.
Something unseen.
Something older.
Timi ducked slightly.
"…Okay, this is officially above my pay grade."
Boma muttered—
"You don't get paid."
Timi frowned.
"That's even worse."
The man moved first.
Not fast.
Not flashy.
But efficient.
He stepped forward, and suddenly—
He was closer.
Too close.
Preye reacted instantly.
Lightning snapped toward him.
He didn't dodge.
He caught it.
Literally.
And figuratively.
The lightning wrapped around his hand.
Crackling.
Violent.
Alive.
And he held it.
Like it was nothing.
"…That's new," Timi whispered.
Preye Realizes, her eyes narrowed.
"…You're not resisting it?
The man smiled.
"I'm redirecting it."
He flicked his hand—
And the lightning shattered into harmless sparks.
Denyefa gasped slightly.
The water faltered.
For just a second.
But that was enough.
The man moved again,
Straight toward her.
"No!" Timi shouted.
Kuro lunged from the shadows.
Blade flashing.
Nimi moved.
Boma followed.
Sotonye—
Finally visible—
Intercepted from the side.
Everything happened at once.
Kuro's strike,
Blocked;
Effortlessly.
Boma's attack,
Dodged.
Nimi's movement,
Predicted.
Sotonye's interception,
Countered.
He wasn't just strong.
He was ahead.
Then Preye didn't hesitate,
Didn't wait.
Didn't think,
She let go.
Lightning exploded outward.
Not wild.
Not reckless.
But overwhelming.
The dock cracked.
The air split.
The river surged.
For a moment,
Everything stopped.
Silence After Impact,
The man stood still.
Smoke curling faintly from his sleeve.
His smile, "Gone", now that," he said, slowly, was interesting.
He stepped back.
Not defeated.
Not hurt.
But,
Satisfied.
His eyes moved between Preye and Denyefa.,
Calculating.
Measuring.
"…You're not ready," he said, to fight me.
A pause.
"But you will be."
He turned.
Just like that.
No flash.
No sound.
No trace.
Just,
Gone.
The river calmed.
The air settled.
The tension…
Remained.
Timi collapsed onto the dock.
"…I need a new life."
Nimi exhaled slowly.
"…That wasn't normal."
Boma nodded.
"Not even close."
Sotonye looked thoughtful.
"…We just got noticed."
Preye Stands Still,
Her breathing steady.
Her expression unreadable.
But inside—
Everything had changed.
Kuro stepped beside her.
"That was not part of the city."
Preye nodded.
"I know."
"He wasn't using the river," Denyefa said quietly.
Everyone looked at her.
"…What do you mean?" Timi asked.
Denyefa 's voice dropped, the river was reacting to him.
Silence.
Preye looked out over the water.
Her reflection stared back.
Storm.
Current.
Something more.
"…Then we're not just dealing with the city anymore."
Her voice was calm.
But dangerous,
"Something deeper…"
Lightning flickered faintly in her palm.
"…has started moving."
And this time....
The storm wouldn't just answer.
It would hunt. 🌟