The rain poured relentlessly, drowning the filthy alley in shadows and puddles of blood. Michael lay on the cold ground, his face swollen and broken. His vision blurred, his breathing ragged. The taste of iron filled his mouth as he spit out blood, his trembling fingers barely able to grip the pavement beneath him.
Above him, a group of gangsters stood laughing.
"You're still breathing?" sneered Darius, the leader, his knuckles stained with Michael's blood. "You really don't know when to stay down."
Michael tried to push himself up, but a boot slammed into his ribs. Crack. A sharp pain shot through his body as he gasped. The other gangsters joined in, kicking, punching—breaking him.
"This is what happens when you act tough," one of them muttered, pulling a knife from his jacket.
Michael had endured this his whole life. Every beating. Every humiliation. But tonight… it was different.
The blade plunged into his gut.
A sharp, icy pain spread through him. His body convulsed. The world grew dim.
This is how I die? he thought.
His heartbeat slowed. The city lights flickered. The laughter of the gangsters faded. Darkness wrapped around him like a comforting embrace.
Then, a voice called out from the void.
Michael opened his eyes to nothingness. A vast, empty void stretched endlessly. Floating within it was a monstrous mask with jagged teeth, its hollow eyes staring into his soul.
"Do you wish for another chance?"
The voice was neither human nor beast. It was something… beyond.
Michael's mind twisted, his pain fading, replaced with something new. Something raw.
Rage.
"Yes," he whispered.
Darkness exploded around him, wrapping his body in its embrace. His wounds vanished. His pain became power. His tattered clothes morphed into a sleek black ninja outfit, shadows flowing like a second skin.
The mask fused onto his face, his vision sharpening. Twin katanas, formed from pure darkness, materialized in his hands.
"Go forth. Let the world remember your name."
Michael smirked.
He had been reborn.
The gangsters laughed and drank, celebrating another night of cruelty. The same alley, the same filth. But tonight, the shadows moved unnaturally.
Darius turned, sensing something behind him.
A cold whisper filled the air.
"You thought I'd stay dead?"
Darius barely had time to register the voice before a shadow erupted from the ground, forming into Michael. His monstrous mask grinned as he sliced through one gangster's throat with a katana of pure darkness.
The others scrambled, drawing weapons—guns, knives—but it was too late.
Michael vanished into the shadows, reappearing behind another thug, impaling him through the chest. He twisted the blade, blood spraying across the alley walls.
Darius, wide-eyed, grabbed his gun with shaking hands. "W-what the hell are you!?"
Michael stepped through the darkness, appearing inches from him. "The last thing you'll ever see."
He swung.
But before the killing blow could land—
CLANG!
A sword intercepted his katana.
Michael's eyes snapped to the newcomer. A tall man with silver hair and piercing blue eyes stood before him, holding a long, shimmering sword. He wore a black coat adorned with a silver emblem.
"You've had enough fun," said Leon Diamond, one of the guild masters.
Michael grinned beneath his mask. "And who the hell are you?"
Leon didn't answer. He just moved.
Fast.
Michael barely had time to react before Leon's blade slashed through the air, forcing him back. He parried, but the force behind the strike sent a shock through his arms.
Michael darted into the shadows, reappearing behind Leon with a downward slash.
Leon spun, deflecting the attack effortlessly. "Tch. You're quick."
Michael didn't stop. He launched forward, his shadows twisting into spikes, hurling them at Leon.
Leon's blade glowed silver, slicing through them like paper. Then, with a single, precise step—
He was suddenly in front of Michael.
Michael's eyes widened.
SLAM!
Leon's palm struck Michael's chest, sending him flying backward into a wall. The impact cracked the concrete. Michael coughed, his body aching.
Leon pointed his blade at him. "You've got power, but no control. You're coming with me."
Michael growled, trying to rise, but the shadows flickered, his energy drained.
For the first time, he realized something terrifying.
Leon Diamond was stronger.
Michael's vision blurred as the exhaustion hit. Leon grabbed his unconscious body, throwing him over his shoulder.
As the rain continued to pour, the last thing Michael heard was Leon's voice.
"You're going to answer some questions."
Darkness took him again.
But this time, it didn't feel like home.