I never talked to her. Not really.
Ava Mercer was one of those people who didn't need to be loud to be noticed. Quiet, but not shy. Confident in the way she walked, the way she held herself — like she didn't need to prove anything to anyone. People were drawn to her. She had that kind of gravity.She wasn't fake like most of them. She had this calm, unshakable energy about her, the kind that made people look twice.
Me? I was just background.
And yet… there she was. On the ground. Blood on her lip. Surrounded.
I hadn't meant to find her like that. I was just cutting through the alley on my way home — the same shortcut I always took behind Grant Street. It was late. My phone was dead. The silence was the kind that makes you feel like you're not supposed to be there.
Then came the scream.
It froze me. Not just fear — instinct. Something deeper.
I followed it without thinking. One corner. Then another.
And then I saw her.
Three guys. One of them — the leader, I guessed — was standing over Ava. The other two hung back, but they didn't look any better. The leader's voice cut through the night like a knife.
"You think you're better than me?" he spat. "Too good to even talk to me?"
Ava, even bruised and bleeding, didn't flinch.
"I don't owe you anything," she said coldly.
He slapped her across the face. My fists clenched.
"Just say you're sorry, and maybe I'll let it go."
She looked up at him, blood dripping from her mouth. "You're pathetic."
It was like watching someone spit in a wolf's face. She was fearless — or maybe just too angry to be scared.
And I was standing there doing nothing.
But then… she saw me. Her eyes widened for just a second. Like she recognized me. Like she was surprised.
That was all it took.
"L-leave her alone," I said, stepping out of the shadows.
The three of them turned. The leader sneered. "Who the hell are you?"
I swallowed hard. "Let her go."
He started laughing. "Really? You gonna play hero now?"
I was terrified. My knees were shaking. But I didn't move.
Then something snapped inside me.
Like a dam breaking. A voice echoed in my mind — ancient, cold, and clear:
"Do you accept the cost?"
I didn't answer with words. I just felt it — the yes.
And the world… shifted.
Pain lanced through my body, but I didn't fall. My heartbeat slowed. My vision sharpened. I could see everything — the way the leader's breath hitched, the sweat on the second guy's temple, the way Ava's body was slumped just slightly more to the right than before.
The first one charged.
I caught his punch like it was nothing. Then broke his arm in a single motion.
The second guy came at me with a pipe. I stepped aside, grabbed him by the neck, and slammed him into the ground. He didn't move.
The leader turned to run.
But I was already in front of him.
"You hurt her," I said, my voice darker, deeper. "You don't walk away from that."
He begged. Pleaded. I didn't care.
When I was done, he wasn't moving either.
I turned back to Ava.
She was still conscious — barely. I knelt beside her, brushing the hair out of her face.
"Hey," I said. "You're gonna be okay."
Her eyes fluttered. "Kai…?"
I froze.
She knew my name.
Sirens in the distance.
Flashing red and blue painted the alley walls. Voices shouted — "Police! Hands up!"
I didn't wait.
I turned and sprinted toward the wall. My body moved like it had done it a hundred times. I leapt — and landed on the rooftop.
Below, the police poured in, eyes wide as they found the unconscious bodies.
"What the hell happened here?" one of them whispered.
I stood on the rooftop, breathing heavy. Looking down at my hands.
They weren't shaking anymore.
Something had changed inside me.
And I don't think it's ever going back.