CHAPTER 13
528 Words
I didn't run. I should have. Every part of me said to go, to get away. But Lyra Nightshade, the assassin sent to kill me, had just let me live.
That meant something.
The system knew it.
And so did I.
I stood there, breathing fast. My muscles were tight. The fight was real. The cuts on my arms, the bruises on my body—she hadn't held back. But when she had the perfect chance to end me, she didn't.
The system's screen still showed in my eyes.
[Combat Synchronization: 45%]
[Bond Compatibility: 75%]
That second number. It hadn't gone down. It had gone up.
I squeezed my hands into fists, trying to stay focused.
The city around me was full of noise—cars, people talking, a distant siren. But in this small alley, it was like the world had stopped.
And I wasn't alone.
I knew she was still there, watching me.
"You had the chance to kill me," I said, my voice steady. "But you didn't."
Silence.
Then, a shape moved in the dark. A shadow became something real.
Her.
Lyra's purple eyes glowed faintly. Her face showed no emotion. Her knife was still in her hand, the blade shining as she played with it.
That movement should have made me scared.
But instead, I felt something else.
Curiosity.
She let out a sharp breath. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't I?" I took a slow step forward. Her grip on the knife got tighter. She was ready to attack, but she hadn't.
Something was stopping her.
Something she didn't understand, just like me.
The system's reading wasn't wrong. This connection, whatever it was, had changed things.
Lyra's eyes moved quickly, a mix of feelings showing for a second. But I saw it.
Doubt.
Frustration.
Hesitation.
She took a short, quick breath. Her fingers moved. It was a small movement, but it was there.
Then, she was gone.
No, she didn't just disappear.
She left.
I let out a slow breath. My heart was still pounding. She was gone, but I knew this wasn't over.
It couldn't be.
I had so many questions. But I only knew one thing for sure: she was told to kill me. She had the skill. The chance.
And she didn't do it.
That meant something.
I just didn't know what.
The wind changed, bringing the smell of rain. A storm was coming. I moved my shoulders, feeling the pain from my bruises. I had to move. Staying in one place was a bad idea. If Lyra was sent to kill me, others would be coming soon.
But as I turned to leave, I felt a new feeling.
Something else.
Something worse.
The hair on my neck stood up. I walked slower, looking at the rooftops and the spaces between buildings. The darkness seemed to stretch and shift.
I had been hunted before. I knew how it felt.
This wasn't just being hunted.
This was being studied.
The system didn't say anything. No warnings. No threats.
But my gut feeling said something else.
I wasn't just a target anymore.
I was part of something much, much bigger.
- Writer
