The Commander moved first without warning, his step closing the distance instantly.A straight punch tore through the air toward Darin’s face, fast and precise, but Darin had already moved before the fist reached halfway.His body twisted slightly to the right, just enough for the punch to skim past his cheek.The wind from it was real.He countered.A short elbow aimed at the jaw.The Commander pulled his head back just in time.The strike hit only his shoulder.Still hard enough to push him half a step back.Not enough.The Commander immediately spun and launched a low sweeping kick.Asphalt brushed Darin’s foot as he hopped lightly. His knee nearly got taken out.When he landed, he was already too close for long attacks.The broken knife flashed.A short arc toward the throat.The Commander caught his wrist again, but this time Darin had anticipated it.He did not resist the pull.Instead he followed it forward.His head smashed into the man’s forehead.THUD!Bone struck bone.Both

The lights in the alley suddenly went out, the helicopter above shuddered strangely. For the first time, the Commander, who had looked completely calm, lifted his head toward the sky in surprise.Several soldiers reflexively raised their weapons.“Power outage?” one of them whispered.The Commander did not answer.His instinct immediately told him this was not a coincidence.He turned toward Darin, who was still lying on the asphalt. The man’s eyes were open, he was smiling faintly. Dangerous.The system spoke.[Emergency protocol active.][Duration: 60 seconds.]There were no explanations, no charts, but Darin’s body felt it. Not a new strength. More like every limit inside his body had been temporarily released. The pain was still there, but it no longer held him back. His breathing stabilized again. His muscles felt light.The Commander understood one thing immediately.“Hold him!”But it was already too late, Darin moved. His motion was almost invisible in the darkness. One hand se

Darin looked ahead, the road in front of him appeared normal. Cracked asphalt, a flickering streetlight, but the space in the middle felt wrong. Like an image slightly out of alignment.The system pulsed faintly.[Anomaly increasing.]Darin took one step forward, then another. With each step, the pressure in his chest grew heavier, as if he were walking through something invisible. His eyes narrowed. He raised his hand, touching the empty air in front of him. There was resistance. Thin. Like touching the surface of perfectly still water.Darin did not hesitate. He pushed, the layer rippled and in an instant, reality cracked.CRACK!The sound was not heard by the ears, but felt inside the mind, the scene in front of him shifted.The empty street vanished, replaced by the same space but different. Dimmer. Colder. As if the color had been drained from the world.Darin stood still not surprised. Only observing.Three figures and one small body. Rian.The boy hung limp over a man’s should

Darin did not break into a run.He chose to walk instead, his steps measured and steady. But the calm was only a mask. Behind his expressionless face, he was exerting every ounce of control to keep himself from exploding.The thin line still glowed at the edge of his vision. At times it faded when his focus wavered, only to sharpen again each time he steadied his breathing and slowed his heartbeat. The thread of energy felt alive, pulsing as if urging him to follow.Darin continued the pursuit. He moved through narrow, suffocating alleyways, cut across silent side streets, then turned again. The landscape of the night city began to mutate. The farther he left the city center behind, the fewer streetlights remained. Old buildings stood packed together like sleeping giants, some hollowed out with shattered windows, others occupied only by dark, lingering shadows.There were no people, no voices. Only the sound of Darin’s footsteps striking cold asphalt, and the unwavering compass fixed

Darin did not attack. The step he had just taken stopped halfway between him and the man. Not a retreat, not a full advance, but enough to show he would not act recklessly.The man watched him, a slight change flickering in his eyes. “Your first decision that wasn’t impulsive,” he said quietly.Darin ignored the comment. His gaze returned to the capsule. Rian still did not move. His breathing was steady, but too calm for a ten-year-old who had just been taken.“He’s sedated,” Darin said. It was not a question.The man gave a small nod. “Stabilized.”Darin shifted his position slightly, maintaining a safe distance between himself and the man, while staying within reach of the capsule.“If this is protection,” he said flatly, “explain it now.”The man fell silent for a few seconds, as if weighing something. Then he stepped forward until he stood beside Darin. Not threatening, simply there.“That child,” he said quietly, “should not have survived this long.”Darin did not fully understan