Blackthorn City pulsed with artificial light, neon signs flickering in the misty night air. The streets smelled of rain, gasoline, and something darker—something unspoken. Four men walked these streets, each carrying a power that could reshape fate.

Tonight, their paths would cross.

Elias sat in the back booth of a rundown diner, a cup of black coffee in front of him. His hands gripped the table, knuckles white. The visions were getting worse—fragments of futures colliding in his mind. He saw Kade, hood drawn low, stepping onto the street. Jason crouched on a rooftop, his symbiote shifting fluidly around his arm, shaping into something—a blade, a shield, a weapon he had yet to decide. Reed stood at the intersection, his breath visible in the cold air, hands glowing faintly with power.

A gunshot. A body collapsing. Blood pooling across wet pavement.

Elias exhaled sharply. He had minutes—maybe seconds—to change it. He pulled out his phone and texted three words: Don't move. But he already knew it was too late.

Kade felt his phone vibrate, but he didn't check it. His cold blue eyes were locked on his target—a man in a suit, standing across the street. His instincts screamed that this was the one. He didn't know why. He never did. But the moment he laid eyes on them, they died. That was how it worked.

A second later, the suited man clutched his chest and collapsed. No bullet. No wound. Just instant, absolute death.

Kade didn't question it. He never did. Then he felt it—an unnatural shift in the air. He turned his head slightly and locked eyes with Elias through the diner window. Elias knew.

Kade's fingers twitched under his coat, but before he could react, something else shifted in the night—something dangerous.

Jason's fingers flexed, and his symbiote obeyed. Black tendrils coiled around his forearm, solidifying into a jagged spear. He perched on the rooftop's edge, watching. Someone just died. His instincts told him Kade was responsible. Again.

Jason had no problem with death—it was a tool like any other. But something about Kade's kills always felt different. Hollow. Cold. Then Reed's power flared, golden light flooding the street.

Jason's eyes narrowed. His spear softened, reshaping into a curved blade. This night was getting interesting. He leaped from the rooftop, his symbiote shifting midair.

Reed's hands burned with energy as the healing dome expanded, reaching the fallen man. He gasped as the man's breath returned, his body restoring itself. His heart pounded. He knew what Kade could do—this shouldn't be possible. But Reed had pushed his ability further tonight.

He turned, meeting Kade's gaze across the street. For the first time, the Executioner looked uncertain. Reed had just undone his kill.

For a split second, the street was silent. The neon buzzed overhead, reflecting off wet pavement. The man Kade had killed lay gasping, alive once more.

Then Jason landed.

His symbiote coiled around his arms, forming a shield on one and a blade on the other. His voice was calm, almost amused. "Guess death's not as final as you thought, huh?"

Kade barely reacted, but Elias saw the flicker of tension in his stance.

Then Jason lunged.

His blade arced toward Kade—lightning-fast. Kade twisted, barely avoiding the strike, his hood slipping just enough to reveal a glimpse of his eyes. Jason pivoted mid-attack, his symbiote shifting into twin daggers, anticipating a counter.

But Elias was already moving.

He sprinted into the street, grabbing Reed's shoulder. "Don't give me immunity. Give it to Kade."

Reed hesitated—then nodded. Light flickered.

Jason's blade slashed toward Kade—

And did nothing.

Kade blinked. He wasn't dead. He wasn't even hurt.

Reed smirked. "Not so unstoppable now, huh?"

Jason exhaled through his nose, his weapon shifting into a staff. "Clever."

Elias stepped between them. "No." His voice was calm, steady. "If we fight now, Blackthorn burns."

The others hesitated. Kade tilted his head. "You've seen it?"

Elias nodded. "And I changed it."

For now.