The air is thick.
Something lurks.
Invisible. Intangible.
An anomaly in the silence.
Then, the void erupts.
Like a grenade. No warning.
A whistle.
Sharp. Cold. Death incoming.
Steel slices through the darkness.
A raspy whisper.
Raw. Cruel. Unforgiving.
— A half-human... he must die.
[IMMINENT DANGER]
Instinct ignites.
No thinking. Just primal reflex.
Metal rushes toward me.
DODGE.
Like Neo dodging a bullet.
Except no slow motion.
No second take.
No cinematic effect.
Just me. And death.
The blade grazes.
A frozen bite.
My breath shatters.
IMPACT!
Tumbling.
The ground hits. Pavement rips my palms.
Shadow incoming.
Him—blade raised.
Me—too slow.
Him—too close.
— Me (Panicked): Way too close!!
ALERT!
Shadow Veil activated—automatically.
CLANG!
The blade strikes my arm.
Doesn't cut.
Something emerges.
Black. Viscous. Alive.
It crawls over my skin.
Clings. Molds.
My arm is no longer my arm.
Another strike.
Him—slashing.
Me—critical failure.
I dodge... Too late.
PIERCED.
I feel the impact.
I feel the cold.
Blood hesitates. Freezes.
Retreats as if it understands.
The wound closes.
Too fast.
As if obeying.
A deep pulse in my skull.
The Veil ripples.
It reacts.
— What the hell is this…?!
The shadows hesitate.
So do I.
A flash. A slap to the back of my head.
A voice—distant, real.
No room for doubt.
— Move your body, Nation!
I turn.
Bang!
A colossal shadow.
Crushing aura.
Shadow Hammer.
IMPACT!
A train through my gut.
Air explodes from my lungs.
My legs buckle.
But I don't fall.
The Veil pulses.
My heart pounds.
TIME FRACTURE. PAST INFUSED.
— William ! Al kot Ti Bazar prend thym-pérsi pou moi, Nation !
— Mais Maa… Minikums commence dans 5 minutes !
— Êta ! Alé, mo Nation ! Papi pas ankor vini.
Ego boost.
Sprint!
Ti Bazar in sight.
Vegetables in hand.
Pivot. Sprint back.
Nod to the neighbor.
Groceries delivered.
Mission complete.
Something tears inside me.
An invisible thread linking then and now.
My body knows.
My blood hums.
Memories burn.
[LIFE EXPERIENCE: RECORDED]
REALITY ACTIVATED.
Instinctively, I trigger it.
Stéphane Buckland—right leg.
Éric Milazar—left leg.
A voice snaps in my head.
— New skill acquired: SHADOW BLITZ.
The ground vanishes. Air shreds.
My legs detonate.
I DASH.