The alley is drenched in shadows, the streetlights faintly illuminating deep where Ren is standing. Before him is standing The guy he is after and the girl.
The walls feel close, the cold air thick with tension as Ren's shadow is towering before them. His dark clothes blend with the gloom, only his piercing gaze cutting through the dimness like a predator eyeing its prey.
The girl is gripping a bag tightly, her knuckles pale, while her father is sitting in his wheelchair, his chest rising and falling with shallow, anxious breaths.
Fear is clinging to them both like a second skin.
Ren's voice slices through the silence, smooth and casual but laced with a quiet menace.
"Now then, Mr. Painter," he begins, his eyes gleaming in the low light, "first, tell me your name."
The man hesitates, his voice trembling. "C-Cameron," he says, barely above a whisper. "Cameron Ford."
Ren grins beneath his mask. "So, Mr. Ford," he says softly, almost mockingly,
"Before we begin, remember this: if any of you say even a word about what is about to happen here tonight..." His voice hardens. "You'll find yourselves in far worse trouble than you are now."
The threat hangs in the air, oppressive. Cameron and his daughter exchange a glance, their breath catching in their throats. Cameron's hands shake slightly on the armrests of his wheelchair, while the girl's heart pounds against her ribs.
Ren takes a step closer, his shadow looming over them. "I see you understand," he says, watching the fear etched on their faces.
"Good. Now let's begin."
Without warning, Ren crouches down and lightly taps Cameron's leg. "Do you feel anything?"
Cameron, beads of sweat forming on his brow, shakes his head. "No."
Ren's eyes flicker with curiosity. He strikes the leg harder, "What about now?"
Again, Cameron shakes his head. "No. Nothing."
A smirk curls at Ren's lips. "Interesting." He kneels beside the wheelchair and focuses on Cameron's foot, narrowing his gaze on a toenail. With a small flick of his fingers, the toenail suddenly peels out, hovering in mid-air.
Cameron's eyes widen in disbelief, but it's the girl who gasps aloud. "Wha... what's this? Are you doing this?" she stammers, her voice trembling with awe and fear.
Ren chuckles, his voice low and dark. "I can do many things, girl. And don't disturb me. This is a delicate work."
The girl quiets down, and Ren continues his experiment.
Ren extends his hand to Ford's leg, and a faint, eerie green glow radiates from his palm, bathing Cameron's foot in an otherworldly light.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the flesh where the nail once was begins to regenerate. A thin membrane forms first, translucent and delicate, and then the nail grows, perfectly white and new.
Ren leans in, his eyes wide with excitement. "Oh, it works," he murmurs, admiring his work. "The nail... it regrew. Fresh and new." He smirks, glancing up at Cameron and his daughter, both of them frozen, their faces pale, eyes wide with shock.
The girl's voice shakes as she whispers, "Are... are you the devil?"
"Hahaha," Ren laughs, the sound echoing, unnervingly, in the narrow alley.
"You'll see soon enough, little girl."
Without another word, Ren's gaze snaps back to Cameron's foot. From his pocket, he pulls a knife, the steel gleaming faintly in the dim light. Before either of them can react, Ren cuts off Cameron's entire toe with one swift motion.
The girl lets out a sharp gasp, but Cameron doesn't cry out. There's no pain, only a cold, numb detachment. While his daughter's breath comes in shallow bursts as she clutches the bag tighter, her fingers trembling.
Ren, seemingly oblivious to their horror, is entirely focused on the stump where the toe used to be.
Again, Ren's hand glows with that soft green light, and as he concentrates, flesh begins to wobble. Bone, sinew, skin—everything reforms, a brand-new toe growing back in place of the old one.
Ren's heart races with excitement, his grin stretching wider. "Yessss," he hisses under his breath. "It really works. I can grow a full toe."
He looks back at Cameron, eyes gleaming with dark satisfaction.
"But is this the full extent of my power?" He thinks, "Can I go even further? Will that work or not?"
"Only one way to find out."