Thug's POV
We thought it was easy money. Just some kid in a hoodie, walking alone at night with a pizza box under his arm. Five of us against one.
"Hand over all your valuables," I said, gun steady in my hand. He looked nervous, confused, but he did what we asked—wallet, phone, cash.
Then Ricky opened his mouth.
"Hey, ain't you the bastard Stark?"
Another laughed.
"Mommy been spreading them legs wide, huh?"
The kid froze. His eyes changed. Rage. Pure rage.
At first, I thought he was just mad. Then the air shifted. Heat rolled off him, thick and suffocating. My skin prickled, sweat dripping down my neck.
"What the hell—" someone muttered.
Then he burned.
Flames erupted from his body, his skin cracking into molten rock. He grew taller, towering over us, fire roaring from his head like a living torch. His eyes glowed, his hands massive, radiating unbearable heat.
I stumbled back, gun melting in my hand, dripping onto the pavement. The alley lit up like hell itself.
One of the boys screamed as his jacket caught fire, flames eating through fabric and skin. Another tried to run, but the monster raised his hand and a wave of fire engulfed him. His scream cut off as his body turned to ash.
The heat was unbearable. My lungs burned, my vision blurred. He wasn't human anymore. He was a demon.
I tried to move, but the fire spread too fast. The walls ignited, trash cans exploded, the ground itself seemed alive with flame. My skin blistered, my clothes fused to me.
The last thing I saw was his blazing face, staring down at us with no mercy. Then the fire consumed everything.
Jayden Stark's POV
I stood there, towering, flames roaring from my body. Heatblast. That's what I had become.
The thugs were gone. Not fleeing, not fighting—gone. Burned to ash, their bodies erased by the inferno I had unleashed. The alley was a graveyard of fire, nothing left but charred remains and smoke.
My mind was blank, drowned in rage. I hadn't thought, hadn't hesitated. I had killed them.
The fire spread quickly, licking at the walls, climbing higher. Windows shattered, alarms blared, smoke poured into the night sky. Neighboring buildings caught flame, the street becoming an inferno.
Then, through the chaos, I caught sight of myself—reflected in a broken window. A monster.
The realization hit me like ice.
I staggered back, the fire flickering. My breathing slowed, the rage fading. The flames dimmed, my body shrinking, the volcanic rock crumbling away. In seconds, I was human again, standing in the middle of destruction.
The alley was silent now, except for the crackle of fire. The thugs were nothing but ash scattered on the ground.
My stomach twisted. I had wanted revenge, but this… this was slaughter.
Sirens wailed in the distance. Panic surged. I couldn't stay.
I pulled my hood up, turned, and ran. My footsteps echoed through the streets, the glow of fire chasing me.
I didn't look back.