"Alright, the chips are sorted," Lucy said as she stood, slipping the neatly organized chips into her jacket pocket. With a flip of her hair, she smiled faintly. "Pleasure working with you today, Thailia."
"Same here," Thailia replied with a small nod, a polite smile on his face. "Nice to meet you."
"Well, I hope we'll cross paths again—"
"Hey, hey, hey!"
The voice cut through the air, dripping with arrogance and a thick Eastern European accent. It echoed from a dark corner of the parking garage, rudely interrupting their conversation.
Both Thailia and Lucy immediately froze, their faces losing all trace of the lightheartedness they had shared moments before. Their eyes turned toward the source of the voice, alert and cautious.
A pair of glowing red prosthetic eyes lit up in the shadows, accompanied by the faint buzz of cybernetic enhancements. A laser sight flickered to life, locking directly onto Lucy's forehead.
"Don't move, sweetheart," the man sneered as he stepped into the dim light.
The figure that emerged was a wiry, tall man with pale skin and a patchwork of cheap cybernetic implants. His crimson eyes scanned Lucy with predatory intent, his prosthetic tongue flicking out like a serpent's, as though tasting the air.
Seth.
"Stay still," he continued, his voice dripping with menace. "Wouldn't want to damage that fancy body of yours. You've got a lot of expensive parts I could sell for a small fortune."
Thailia, standing just to Lucy's side, noted the man's erratic movements and overly modified appearance. The snake-like prosthetic tongue was particularly unsettling, making him visibly grimace in disgust.
Lucy, however, showed no signs of fear. Instead, her lips curled into a cold smirk. "I should've known—it's just a scavenger bug."
"Shut up!" Seth snapped, his hand waving the gun in Lucy's direction. "Empty your pockets. All of them. Now. And raise your hands nice and high."
He didn't even glance at Thailia, dismissing him entirely as a threat.
Thailia's body was unaugmented—no prosthetics, no enhancements. To Seth, he wasn't even worth acknowledging.
Thailia, however, wasn't the type to cower. His eyes narrowed as he stepped forward slightly.
"I'd suggest you stop pointing that gun at her," Thailia said, his voice cold and steady. "Or you're going to regret it."
Seth froze for a brief second, surprised by the sudden defiance from someone he deemed insignificant. Then, a mocking grin split his face.
"You've got guts, kid," he spat. "Trying to play hero? Alright, I'll help you die like one."
In one fluid motion, Seth turned the gun toward Thailia and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The gunshot rang out, the bullet racing toward its target.
"Thailia!" Lucy shouted, instinctively reaching out to push him out of the bullet's path.
But before she could act, the impossible happened.
Creating a magnetic field that repels the metal shell of the bullet, forcing it to slow down and stop in mid-air.
Lucy's wide eyes reflected the surreal scene in front of her.
With a faint hum in the air, the bullet stopped entirely, hanging suspended in front of Thailia.
It was Thailia's doing.
He stood his ground, his hand slightly raised, his brow furrowed in concentration. The magnetic force he had summoned repelled the metal in the bullet, slowing it to a crawl.
It wasn't easy. The sheer kinetic energy of the projectile forced him to concentrate little more harder than the usual.
Finally, with a flick of his wrist, Thailia pointed the head of the bullet towerd seth.
"Hey, want to see a magic trick?" Thailia asked the scavenger, a seemingly innocent smile slowly creeping on his lips.
The garage fell silent.
Lucy stared at him, stunned, her hand frozen mid-reach. Even Seth's mocking grin had disappeared, replaced by disbelief and mounting fear.
"What the…" Seth muttered, his cybernetic eyes twitching as they tried to process what had just happened. "What the hell are you?"
Thailia straightened, shaking off the tension.
"I warned you," he said while still smiling innocently.
Seth hesitated, visibly shaken. His confidence as a scavenger—the predator of the streets—was beginning to waver. He aimed the gun again, but his hand trembled slightly.
Lucy, recovering from her shock, let a small smile creep onto her face. Her expression was sharp, her voice laced with amusement. "You should've listened to him."
Seth's hand twitched. "You think this is over?!"
But before he could do anything, Thailia raised his hand and his fingers curling slightly.
The gun in Seth's hand jerked violently, yanked from his grip by an invisible force. It spun through the air and flew into Thailia's palm.
Seth stumbled back, his confidence completely shattered.
Thailia studied the weapon in his hand briefly before tossing it to the ground with a clatter.
Tadaa magic!! right? Do you want to see another magic trick?" Thailia said, playfully.
Y... Youu" seth hesitated, his prosthetic tongue flicking nervously. But seeing the look in Thailia emotionless eye.
With a low growl, Seth turned and ran, disappearing into the shadows.
As silence returned to the garage, Lucy glanced at Thailia, an incredulous smile tugging at her lips.
"Well," she said, breaking the tension. "That was… impressive."
Thailia exhaled slowly, his calm demeanor returning. "It's just physics," he replied, downplaying his actions.
Lucy chuckled, shaking her head. "Sure. Just physics."
Without another word, the two resumed their walk, leaving the scattered chips and the lingering tension behind them.