The sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway. Richard, sitting in the metal chair in the interrogation room, kept his gaze fixed on the door. His breathing was slow and controlled, but his mind was working frantically. He had recharged his mana to the maximum, but he still couldn't use "Wind Steps." First, he needed a chance to escape.
The door burst open, and two agents entered, followed by a third who appeared to be the leader. The latter carried a black briefcase and wore a cold expression.
"Richard Wonder," said the leader, placing the briefcase on the table. "We know you saw something in the temple. Something that shouldn't exist."
Richard didn't respond. Instead, he carefully examined the room: a table, two chairs, a camera in the upper corner, and a single door. There were no windows. His only way out was through them.
"We don't have time for games," continued the leader, opening the briefcase. Inside were documents, photographs of the temple, and something that looked like a strange device, with symbols similar to those Richard had seen in the ruins.
"What's that?" Richard asked, feigning curiosity to buy time.
"That's none of your concern," the leader replied, slamming the briefcase shut. "What matters is what you know."
One of the agents approached Richard, leaning toward him.
"Talk now, or this will get ugly."
Richard felt the tension in the room rising. He knew he couldn't stay much longer.
"Okay," he said finally, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I'll tell them what I know."
The agents exchanged glances, surprised by their apparent cooperation.
"But not here," Richard added, pointing at the camera in the corner. "I don't want this on film."
The leader frowned, but nodded.
"Take him to the containment room." The agents lifted him from his chair and escorted him out of the room. Richard walked among them, observing every detail of the hallway: the doors, the cameras, the corners. He needed a plan, and he needed it fast.
---
As they turned a corner, Richard saw his opportunity. One of the officers had a pistol on his belt, and the other was distracted, staring ahead. Without a second thought, Richard stopped in his tracks, spun around, and pushed the nearest officer against the wall.
The second officer reacted, but Richard had already grabbed the first officer's pistol. He aimed at the ceiling and fired, sending the deafening sound through the hallway.
"Get down!" he shouted, pointing it at the officers.
Both raised their hands, surprised by the swiftness of his movement. Richard wasted no time. He backed slowly, keeping the pistol pointed at them, until he reached a side door.
He threw it open and found himself in a room filled with boxes and shelves. It looked like a warehouse. He closed the door behind him and barricaded it with a metal bar he found nearby.
"Okay, Richard. Think..." he muttered to himself, searching for a way out. The sound of hurried footsteps and shouts could be heard on the other side of the door. He didn't have much time.
---
He found a ventilation grate in the wall. It was small, but large enough for him to squeeze through. Using a box for support, he removed the grate and slid into the duct.
The space was narrow and dark, but Richard moved forward as quickly as he could. He could hear agents entering the room behind him, moving boxes and shouting orders.
"He can't be far! Find him!"
Richard continued crawling, feeling sweat trickle down his forehead. Eventually, he came to a fork in the duct. He heard voices coming from the right, so he turned left.
The duct led him to another room, this time a laboratory of sorts. Tables filled with electronic equipment and documents were scattered everywhere. Richard stepped out of the duct and landed with a thud.
"There he is!" a voice shouted behind him.
Richard turned and saw two agents coming through the door. Without thinking, he ran to the nearest table and overturned it, creating a makeshift barrier.
The officers opened fire, but Richard was already running toward the opposite exit. He went through the door and found himself in another hallway, this one wider and with several doors on either side.
---
The system suddenly activated, projecting a message in front of his eyes:
[Skill Unlocked: Wind Steps.]
[Description: Allows you to move like the wind, drastically increasing your speed. Consumes mana per second.]
Richard felt a surge of energy course through his body, as if the wind itself had become part of him. His senses sharpened, and the world around him seemed to slow down. He could see every detail: the dust particles floating in the air, the tense movement of the agents raising their weapons, even the flickering of the fluorescent lights overhead.
"It's now or never…" he muttered, activating the skill.
The first step was like a crash of thunder. Richard disappeared from the agents' sight, leaving behind a gust of wind that sent papers flying and the lab tables scrambling. Before the agents could react, he was behind them.
"Where is he?!" —one shouted, spinning frantically.
Richard didn't stop. He moved like a phantom, weaving through the building's corridors. Every step was a whisper, every movement a perfect dance between speed and precision. Gunshots echoed around him, but none could reach him.
At one point, a group of officers blocked his path, forming a makeshift barricade with tables and crates. Richard grinned.
"Let's see how fast the wind is..." he said to himself.
In one fluid motion, he ran toward the barricade. Just before impact, he leaped, propelling himself with superhuman strength. The world seemed to stop as he flew above the officers, who stared at him in disbelief. He landed on the other side with the grace of a feline, without missing a beat.
With every passing second, he felt his mana dwindle, but the adrenaline kept him going. He walked through a narrow corridor, where the agents had set up a trap with electrified nets. Richard barely had time to react, but his speed allowed him to slip under the netting at the last instant, feeling the heat of the sparks graze his back.
Finally, he reached a door leading outside. But he wasn't alone. Two agents were waiting for him, armed with energy rifles.
"You have no way out!" one of them shouted.
Richard took a deep breath, feeling his mana reaching its limit.
"That's what you think."
With a final effort, he activated "Wind Steps" to its maximum. The ground beneath his feet creaked with the force of his momentum, and in the blink of an eye, he was between the two agents. Before they could react, he disarmed them with precise movements, dropping their rifles to the ground.
He threw open the door and stepped into the open air, finding himself on a desert terrain under a starry sky. The night wind caressed his face as he deactivated the ability.
He stopped, panting, his legs shaking. His mana was completely drained, but he had managed to escape. He looked toward the horizon, where the lights of a distant city shone like a beacon of hope.
"This... is just beginning," he said, with a defiant smile, as the wind continued to blow around him, as if recognizing one of its own.
Exhaustion finally overcame him. His legs gave way, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.
A few minutes later, a mysterious figure appeared from the shadows. He wore a dark cloak that billowed in the wind, and his face was partially covered by a mask.
"So this is the famous Richard Wonder..." the figure murmured, bending down to gently pick him up. "It seems I arrived just in time."
Without another word, the mysterious person picked Richard up and disappeared into the night, leaving only the echoing wind as a witness to what had happened.