In an instant, it seemed as though the stranger had let his guard down. His posture relaxed, the Flux around him dimming, almost like a signal that the fight was over. But in that split second, the male vampire lunged forward. His eyes locked onto me with a feral intensity, and I could almost feel the weight of his focus. The world seemed to slow as his claws extended, his mouth open in a vicious snarl.
I froze, instinct screaming at me to move, but I couldn't tear my eyes away. He was coming for me—fast.
The stranger didn't even flinch. His gaze never wavered from the vampire, and with a subtle shift of his stance, his Flux surged again. Red and yellow lightning crackled around his arms, the energy radiating off him like a living storm. The male vampire was within striking distance now, but the stranger was faster.
With a fluid motion, he stepped in and drove a punch into the vampire's chest. The impact wasn't just force—it was like a strike of lightning. A blinding flare of red and yellow erupted from his fist, sending the vampire crashing backward into the stone wall of the alley. The sound of the impact rang out like thunder, and the vampire crumpled to the ground in a heap.
The alley fell silent.
The male vampire groaned in pain, his body twitching as if the Flux had overloaded his nervous system. He tried to rise, but he was slow and disoriented. The stranger didn't move, his posture relaxed, as though he were simply waiting for the inevitable.
And then, with a final, desperate roar, the vampire lunged again. But the stranger didn't flinch.
He simply raised his hand, and the Flux around his body flared once more, brighter than ever. With a flick of his wrist, he sent another burst of lightning surging from his palm, striking the vampire dead on.
The force of the strike was overwhelming. The vampire's body jerked violently, his scream silenced as he was consumed by the energy. The stone beneath him shattered from the impact, and in a flash, the vampire was nothing more than a smoldering heap of ash.
The female vampire, watching the destruction of her partner, hesitated. Her expression twisted with a mix of anger and fear. "Elijah will hear about this," she snarled, her voice trembling with rage. She quickly retreated into the shadows, her footsteps echoing in the alley as she vanished from sight.
I stood there, frozen, trying to process what had just happened. The stranger had killed the male vampire with a single punch—no, not even a punch—an explosion of energy that left nothing but charred remnants.
The stranger turned to me, his expression still cool, his Flux slowly dimming as he looked me over.
"You alright, kid?" he asked casually, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. His voice was calm, almost dismissive, but there was a warmth beneath the surface that made me feel oddly safe despite everything.
I couldn't speak. My body was trembling, my mind racing to catch up with the chaos I had just witnessed.
Before I could answer, I heard footsteps approaching rapidly from behind. I spun around, adrenaline still coursing through my veins, only to see Sia running toward us. Her face was flushed from running, her brown hair windswept.
"Lawrence!" she called out, slowing as she reached us. "I felt the—" She stopped abruptly, her eyes widening as they fixed on me. Something flickered across her face—recognition, followed by confusion, then concern.
The stranger—Lawrence—nodded to her. "Perfect timing. I think we need to have a conversation with your friend here." His tone was light, but there was an edge to it that made me nervous.
Sia stepped closer to me, her eyes never leaving my face. I could feel something emanating from her—not quite Flux, but something similar. It was like she was reaching out with invisible fingers, trying to understand what she was sensing.
"Kyon," she said slowly, "there's something different about you. Something I should have noticed before, but..." She trailed off, glancing at Lawrence.
"We should get off the street," Lawrence suggested, his eyes scanning our surroundings. "That female vampire will be back, and she won't be alone next time."
"He's right," Sia said, touching my arm gently. "There's a lot we need to talk about, and you're probably not going to believe half of it. But first, we need to get somewhere safe."
I looked between them, these two Flux users who had just saved my life—one a stranger named Lawrence who could destroy vampires with lightning, and Sia, who suddenly seemed to know far more about me than I was comfortable with. The night had already been surreal enough, but something told me it was about to get even stranger.
"Lead the way," I managed to say, my voice hoarser than I expected.
After all, what choice did I have?