The Outcast: Michael Grey's Rise to the Top

Chapter Eight: A New Michael

Victor couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Michael Grey, the cousin he was sure was dead, shot, and drowned, was standing in front of him, very much alive. There wasn’t a scratch on him either.

“This is impossible,” Victor hissed, trying to yank his arm free. “You’re a dead man.”

Michael tilted his head slightly, voice calm and cruel. “And yet, here I am. Breathing. Walking. Talking. You must be disappointed.”

He let go of Victor’s wrist and stepped past him, toward his sister. Ari was frozen in place, her eyes wide and brimming with tears.

“I… I don’t understand,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “He said you were—he said you died—”

“Shh. I’m here now,” Michael murmured, wrapping his arms around her. She clung to him, shaking, as if afraid he might vanish again. He held her tight, steady and real. “It’s okay. I’ll take care of everything.”

When he finally turned to face the others, Michael saw Victor still trying to process what was happening. The shock had paralyzed him, but Michael had no interest in explaining. He walked right past his cousin without a glance and made for the place where his father knelt on the concrete.

One of the guards stepped in to block him, baton raised. Michael didn’t hesitate for a moment as he activated Foresight.

For a split second, the world shifted—detached and surreal, like watching a memory that hadn’t happened yet. He saw the guard lunge, saw the path of the baton, saw exactly where to move.

Time snapped back.

Michael flowed around the incoming strike, caught the man’s momentum, and kicked low. The guard stumbled uncontrollably, straight into Victor and catching him by surprise.

The baton made contact with the blonde man’s side, sending a burst of electricity coursing through him. Victor cried out, spasming violently before collapsing to his knees.

Michael stood over him, expression unreadable.

“Feels good to be the one on the ground for once, doesn’t it?”

He didn’t wait for a reply.

The second guard had already moved to help his boss, clearing Michael’s path to his father. William looked up in stunned silence as his son knelt beside him. He opened his mouth to speak, but Michael shook his head.

“Not now.”

William nodded slowly, swallowing his questions for later.

Michael helped his father to his feet, ignoring the shocked whispers rippling through the gathering crowd. They walked together to the steps in front of the house, where Ari had retreated, still wiping her eyes. She looked up, and Michael gave her a faint, reassuring nod.

Then—click.

The sound behind him was unmistakable.

Michael turned.

Victor stood shakily, his body still twitching from the electric shock, but his hand was steady. In it, a small black handgun pointed directly at Michael’s chest.

“You just don’t die, do you?” Victor growled, eyes wild. “Let’s fix that.”

Michael said nothing.

Instead, he activated Observe.

> [Name: Victor Grey]

[Level: 7]

[Strength: 16 | Agility: 13 | Endurance: 12 | Control: 13 | Intelligence: 10]

He absorbed the data quickly. Victor was a couple of levels higher—but his stats weren’t dramatically superior. The Wargod System had clearly elevated Michael beyond his original limits.

'In a clean one-on-one, I could probably take him.'

But there were still the guards to consider.

'If they jump in, this turns ugly fast. I’ll need to play this right.'

Michael met Victor’s stare without blinking, showing no fear—even with the gun trained on him.

“You’ve already tried to kill me once,” he said, voice low but steady. “Didn’t work out so well the first time, did it?”

Victor’s hand trembled just slightly.

The crowd was watching now. From neighbors in the area to strangers passing by, all of them had seen the baton hit. All of them had heard the girl cry. And now all of them were watching a man in a luxury suit threaten to shoot someone in the middle of the street.

Michael smiled coldly.

He didn’t need to win this fight with force.

He just needed to win control.