The spotlight didn't give me a chance to blink.
The light was white, sharp, shattering the alley's darkness into metallic shards. It wasn't just light—it was a silent scream announcing the end of concealment. Above me, in the smoke-choked sky of Sector 7, the clouds split at the roar of turbine engines. Three "Shadow Hunter" drones hovered like crows, waiting for a corpse.
"Target secured in the center. Initiate Containment Protocol: Level Four."
Nova's voice came through the surrounding speakers.
It wasn't a human voice. It was a cold resonance, devoid of any emotional trace—a voice that imposed "Order" on "Chaos."
I stood in the middle of the blast zone.
The ash of the "fallen" still clung to my clothes. Its scent—the smell of burnt nothingness—filled my lungs.
"Kyle… don't move!"
Lina's voice trembled from behind the rubble.
I saw her from the corner of my eye as she retreated, while red laser dots crisscrossed over my chest… over that pulse that was demanding more.
"Surrender, Kyle," Nova's voice echoed again. "The Heart of Infinity's energy exceeds your capacity. You aren't saving yourself—you're becoming a bomb."
I looked at my hands.
The violet veins weren't just color. They protruded, pulsating beneath my skin like living creatures trying to break free.
I remembered his words: they don't tell you everything.
"You're not afraid of my explosion," I said, my voice calm but carrying a strange resonance. "You're afraid of losing control of the weapon."
I moved.
In less than a second, I left the center of the blast. Bullets fired from the rooftops hit only the empty space I had just occupied.
I scaled a building wall with a single touch. Power surged through my limbs like a furious electric current. I found the first sniper. Before he could move his rifle, my hand had grasped the metal of his weapon.
I didn't just break it.
I devoured it.
I felt the metal cool, wither, and turn to ash between my fingers as I drew the "core" energy from it.
I was no longer the person hiding in the shadows.
"Open fire!" Nova shouted.
Bullets rained like black rain.
Then something strange happened. The world around me began to slow—not because time had stopped, but because my perception accelerated to a maddening speed. I saw the bullets' paths in the air. I saw the disturbance in the particles surrounding each projectile.
I extended my right hand. I felt the Heart of Infinity exhale its power.
The bullets aimed at my neck didn't touch me. They deflected in circular paths around me, forming a spinning shield of flying metal. I was the eye of the storm, and destruction was my aerial cloak.
With a single gesture, I sent the accumulated bullets toward the drones.
Explosions shook the sector. Burning debris fell like meteors, illuminating Nova's face as she emerged from the smoke.
She wasn't wearing her official suit.
She wore black tactical armor, and in her hand was a sword flowing with a blue current—a weapon designed to neutralize powers.
"You've evolved quickly," she said, taking an offensive stance. Her eyes tracked my violet veins, now reaching my neck. "But you're still a child playing with fire you don't understand."
"Then burn with me," I replied.
My voice doubled, echoing from a deep place inside me.
She lunged at me. Her sword collided with my energy-charged arm. Sparks flew from the impact, enough to ignite the air. Nova was skilled; her strikes precise, targeting my nerves with surgical accuracy.
But every time her blade touched my aura, I felt hunger.
The Heart of Infinity wanted to consume her power too.
"Kyle! Stop!" Lina shouted. "The organization sent top-class reinforcements… run!"
I looked at the sky. This time, they weren't drones.
They were strange, silent lights, approaching at lightning speed.
The modified units.
I grasped Nova's sword with my bare hand. Electricity tore through my skin, yet I didn't let go. I pulled it toward my face until our eyes met.
"Tell them…" I whispered, violet flooding my vision. "The monster they tried to contain… has broken free."
A shockwave erupted from my body. Raw energy flung everyone meters away. I used the debris and leapt toward the tunnel opening leading to the Lower City.
As I plunged into darkness, I looked at my hand one last time before the light vanished.
The veins no longer stayed under the skin—they rose as if forming solid armor.
Behind me, Sector 7 sank into complete silence.
And my heartbeat continued pounding.
Stronger.
Closer.
Hungrier than ever before.