CENTI

chapter 3

CH 3: BLOOD ON THE SNOW

The cold in Siberia wasn’t natural.

It cut through Ryze’s stolen jacket like it knew exactly who he was. Like the world itself wanted him to freeze and disappear.

Three days.

Three days since the lab exploded. Three days since SIREN sang her last song and pushed him out. Three days since he started running and didn’t stop.

He pulled his hood lower. White hair stuck out in the back. His eyes kept shifting. Blue, then orange, then blue again. Anyone who looked twice would know.

Experiment CENTI-01.

The market was loud. People yelling in Russian. Meat hanging. Smoke. The smell of bread. Normal life. Life he’d never had.

His stomach twisted. He hadn’t eaten since he left.

"Food," he told himself. "Just food. Then a train. Then anywhere but here."

He stopped at a stall. Potatoes. Bread. An old woman sat behind it, knitting. She didn’t look up.

"200 rubles," she muttered.

Ryze reached for his pocket. Empty. He’d run with nothing. Not even shoes that fit.

He turned to leave.

A hand clamped on his shoulder. Heavy. Trained.

"Experiment CENTI-01," a voice said behind him. Flat. Military. "You are coming with us."

The world went quiet.

Ryze turned slowly.

Four soldiers. Black armor. Red CENTI logo on the chest. And behind them, standing in the snow like he owned it, a man in a long coat and a silver mask.

VIPER.

His own face stared back at him. Same white hair. Same eyes. But colder. Older. Broken.

"Last chance, brother," VIPER said. His voice was muffled by the mask. "Kneel. Come home. Or I drag you back in pieces."

Home. The lab. The tubes. The pain.

Ryze felt something wake up inside him. Fire crawled up his right arm. Ice bit into his left. It hurt. It always hurt. But it was his.

SIREN’s voice in his head, soft and fading: "Make them remember my name."

Ryze smiled. Blood on his teeth. "No."

He moved first.

Ice exploded from his left hand and slammed into the ground. Two soldiers were frozen to their knees instantly, armor cracking. Fire erupted from his right and threw the other two into a meat stall. Wood splintered. People screamed.

The market became chaos in 3 seconds.

VIPER drew his katana. The blade was black with veins of silver light running through it. CENTI tech.

"You’re sloppy," VIPER said. "She made you soft."

They clashed.

Steel met fire. Ice met steel.

For five minutes the street was hell. Steam hissed where fire melted snow. Ice spikes shot up and shattered. Ryze was faster, raw power, but VIPER was trained. Every cut was meant to kill. Every step was perfect.

Ryze took a cut across his ribs. Hot. Then cold.

He roared and answered with a blast of fire that sent VIPER skidding back 20 feet, leaving a trench in the snow.

VIPER stood. Breathing hard. "Enough. You’re not worth the effort today."

He tapped his wrist. A portal of blue light opened behind him, buzzing.

"This isn’t over, CENTI-01. Kazuo wants to talk. And next time I won’t come alone."

He stepped through. Gone.

Silence.

Ryze stood in the wreckage. Blood dripping onto snow. His blood. Steam rising from his hands.

He had 179 days left on the timer. And now they knew exactly where he was.

The hunt had begun.

He turned and ran. Again.