The cold night air cut through Kieran Vale's thin hoodie as he trudged down Arcadia City's crowded streets. His delivery bag bounced awkwardly against his side, stuffed with steaming takeout orders, and his phone's cracked screen kept flashing 'late' in angry red letters. He was out of breath, frustrated, and already preparing himself for the inevitable customer complaint.

"One more delivery," he muttered to himself. "Just one more, and I'm done for the night."

Around him, the city buzzed with its usual chaotic energy. Neon signs illuminated the sidewalks, flickering with advertisements for everything from energy drinks to high-tech gadgets. People pushed past each other in a hurried rhythm, some looking stressed, others barely paying attention to where they were going. Arcadia City never slept, especially in the lower districts where Kieran lived and worked. This part of the city wasn't glamorous—it was crowded, noisy, and clinging to the edges of decay—but it was home.

As he reached the corner of Linton and 7th, Kieran checked his phone again. The delivery address was only a few blocks away, but the time on the screen told him he was already fifteen minutes late. His stomach churned at the thought of another bad review. The delivery job didn't pay much to begin with, and he couldn't afford to lose it—not when he had Lily to think about.

Lily. Just the thought of his younger sister made his pace quicken despite the growing ache in his legs. At nineteen, she was his whole world. After their parents died in a car accident five years ago, Kieran had dropped out of college to take care of her. The two of them had managed to scrape by ever since, but it hadn't been easy. Between juggling two part-time jobs and dodging the mounting bills, Kieran barely had time to breathe, let alone think about himself.

It wasn't fair, he often thought. But life in Arcadia rarely was.

Adding to the stress was the ever-looming presence of Resonance users. A decade ago, people started awakening strange, supernatural abilities—powers that let them bend fire, control water, manipulate metal, or do things that defied all logic. These powers, called Resonances, had turned the world upside down.

At first, Resonance users were hailed as heroes, protecting people from disasters and crime. But it wasn't long before greed and corruption took over. Now, the streets of Arcadia were filled with gangs of power-hungry users, using their abilities to extort, dominate, and terrorize anyone they could. Even the government couldn't rein them in, and ordinary people like Kieran had no choice but to stay out of their way.

"Stay out of trouble," he'd told Lily a thousand times. "Keep your head down, and don't give anyone a reason to notice you." It was advice he lived by himself, and so far, it had kept them both safe.

But tonight, as he cut through a dimly lit alley to save time, Kieran couldn't shake the feeling that his luck was running out.

The alley was narrow and damp, its cracked pavement glistening under the faint glow of a distant streetlamp. Kieran hesitated for a moment at the entrance, his instincts whispering that this was a bad idea. He'd heard too many stories about what went on in Arcadia's alleys after dark.

But he was already late, and every second counted. Gritting his teeth, he stepped into the shadows.

The air here felt heavier, the distant sounds of the city muffled by the walls on either side. He kept his head down and his pace brisk, the soles of his sneakers splashing through shallow puddles. He was halfway through when he spotted movement up ahead—a group of figures standing just beyond the light.

Kieran's stomach twisted. Three men, dressed in worn leather jackets and boots, were leaning against the wall, laughing and talking in low voices. They didn't look like ordinary loiterers. The way they stood, the sharp glint of confidence in their postures—it screamed danger.

Kieran kept walking, hoping they wouldn't notice him. But as he approached, one of them stepped forward, blocking his path.

"Well, well," the man drawled, grinning. "What do we have here?"

Kieran stopped in his tracks, his heart hammering in his chest. The man who'd spoken was tall and wiry, his hair buzzed short and his eyes sharp with a predatory glint. Behind him, his companions exchanged amused looks.

"Just passing through," Kieran said quickly, raising his hands. "I don't want any trouble."

The man's grin widened. "Passing through? That's funny. You see, this is our street, and nobody gets through for free. You know how it works."

Kieran's throat tightened. He'd heard about gangs like this—small-time thugs who extorted anyone unlucky enough to cross their path. Normally, they'd shake you down for a few bucks and let you go, but there was always a risk they'd take things further.

"I don't have much," Kieran said, reaching for his wallet. "Just take it and let me go, okay?"

The man snatched the wallet from his hand and flipped it open. He frowned when he saw the meager contents—just a few crumpled bills and a faded photo of Kieran and Lily. He tossed the wallet to the ground with a sneer.

"That's it? Pathetic. What else you got, delivery boy? Don't hold out on us."

"That's all I have," Kieran said, his voice shaking. "I swear."

The man's grin faded, replaced by a look of irritation. "You think we're stupid?" He reached out and grabbed Kieran by the front of his hoodie, yanking him forward. "You better start talking, or this is gonna get real ugly—"

"Hey," one of the other men interrupted, his voice low and cautious. "Let him go. We've got bigger problems to worry about."

Kieran glanced at the man who'd spoken, confused by the sudden shift in tone. The man wasn't looking at him anymore; his eyes were fixed on something behind him.

A shadow moved at the end of the alley.

Kieran turned his head just in time to see a figure step into the light—a woman, tall and lean, with a hood pulled low over her face. Her presence seemed to change the air itself, making it colder, heavier. The gang members tensed, their bravado melting into unease.

"Who the hell are you?" the leader demanded, letting go of Kieran and stepping back.

The woman didn't answer. She raised her hand, and in an instant, the temperature in the alley plummeted. Frost spread across the walls and ground, crackling as it formed. Kieran's breath caught in his throat as the frost crept toward the gang members, forcing them to retreat.

"Shit, she's a Resonance user!" one of them yelled.

Before anyone could react, the woman flicked her wrist, and a wave of ice shot forward, slamming into the leader and pinning him against the wall. The other two scattered, fleeing down the alley without a second glance.

Kieran stood frozen, his mind struggling to process what he'd just seen. The woman turned to him, her hood falling back slightly to reveal sharp blue eyes and a scar running down her cheek.

"You okay?" she asked, her voice cool and detached.

Kieran nodded numbly. "Yeah. I… I think so."

She studied him for a moment, then stepped back into the shadows. "Stay out of trouble," she said over her shoulder before disappearing into the night.

Kieran stared after her, his heart still racing. The alley was silent again, the frost slowly melting into puddles at his feet. He bent down to pick up his wallet, his hands trembling.

For the rest of his walk, one thought echoed in his mind: tonight had been a close call. Too close.

But something deep inside him, a small, nagging feeling, told him that this was only the beginning.