Vahari and Amara walked up to the street, and they were greeted by the biting chill. The morning light struggled to cut through the haze clinging to the city, a dull glow against the towering skyscrapers. Neon signs still flickered from the night before, their colours muted in the rising sunlight.
Surveillance drones weaved silently above, their blinking lights casting faint reflections on the damp pavement.
A steady stream of people manoeuvred through each other — each on their way to earn their daily wages. A monster just wreaked havoc beneath their feet, yet they kept trudging along like nothing happened. Well, that's the thing about megatropolises: the grind stops for no one.
One could interpret this as a kind of protest against the supernatural anomalies that plagued them. People refusing to have both their safety and day-to-day lifestyles taken from them, clinging to the last remnants of normalcy. But the truth was not as inspiring or noble. The truth is, the world kept on marching forward and adapted to keep the economic machine running. As a human, living in fear and refusing to adapt as well only got you left behind.
Just like the Independent Towns, like the one Amara was from. After realising that the anomalies — Marauder Syndrome and Abyssal Zones — mostly occurred in highly populated areas, some smaller nations across the globe refused to join in the Continental Consolidation, instead choosing to isolate themselves and form 'Independent Towns'. These towns implemented strict migration and population control regulations that, while aimed at increasing overall safety, also decreased the quality of life for its residents.
The technology of the Indies was also years behind that of the major continents.
Amara was mostly enthralled by the digital billboards on the buildings that shifted and pulsed, advertising different products. One billboard in particular pulsed and displayed an ad starring the Revenant she was with. In the ad, Vahari was smiling unnaturally whilst completing miscellaneous tasks for a stereo-typical housewife customer.
Even though Amara had only been acquainted with her for five minutes, she could already tell that kind of facial expression was foreign to Vahari. Then, stylized text appeared below the ad:
"Echo Persona: Revenant Edition — History's strongest warriors at your beck and call, brought to you by the Revenant Society."
'So it was one of those automated holographic assistants?' Amara thought to herself.
Vahari, noticing Amara trailing behind, glanced at her and saw her eyes fixed on the advertisement.
With a sarcastic tone of voice, she said:
"Work hard enough, and you're going to see yourself up there one day."
"Wh-what? No, I was just admiring the billboards! You don't really see things like this where I'm from." Amara sputtered.
She lingered before continuing. An issue that had been bugging her began resurfacing.
"I'm not even sure why I was invited here in the first place. I don't have the power to save people like you."
Without thinking, Vahari responded flatly:
"I have no idea why either so I hope you aren't looking to me for answers."
Amara's gaze dropped to the pavement, frustration creeping into her expression.
"But don't get the wrong idea," Vahari continued, "Revenants aren't here to save people. We eliminate threats — wherever they may come from. If some people happen to be saved in the process, that's just a side effect."
Vahari's statement sent a chill down Amara's spine, but before she could reply, an alert came in through Vahari's earpiece. She touched it lightly and listened before relaying the message to Amara:
"A Class 2 Brute just appeared about fifteen kilometres from here, let's move."
Amara tensed, "I'm coming with you?"
Vahari didn't hesitate. "You'll be fine — just stick close to me."
With that, she swiftly grabbed Amara without waiting for her to answer. Her rune markings and her eyes began glowing and pulsing amber as her legs braced. And then…
Boom!
The city blurred into a streak of light and sound as Amara was whisked through air, her breath stolen by the sheer speed as she clung to Vahari. The wind assaulted her ears as it violently resisted the speeding bullet that was Vahari.
The sudden stop was a violent snap back to reality as Amara toppled over, her legs weak from the sudden stop.
"You could've warned me," she muttered, clutching her head as she was fighting off nausea.
Vahari smirked slightly, but said nothing. Her gaze was already fixed on what lay ahead.
Sirens wailed, the military police shouted orders, and the few remaining civilians left were being ushered away from the burning wreck that used to be a street. An officer covered in dust and visibly tense approached, rifle gripped tight.
"Situation's bad," he said without preamble, eyes flicking to Vahari with recognition.
"Ten-foot Brute with insane strength and durability. One Revenant engaged but barely holding on."
He grimaced. "We're losing this fight."
Just then, a deep guttural roar split the air. Then —
Crash!
A monstrous shape exploded through a shattered storefront, sending chunks of debris flying. In its enormous maw, a mangled Revenant dangled lifelessly. The beast; a hulking mass of gnarled muscle, obsidian hide, and eyes devoid of any signs of humanity left; tilted its head before biting down with a sickening crunch.
Amara stumbled back, eyes wide with horror. "Oh, hell no…"
Vahari stepped forward, voice smooth as silk.
"Stay here, don't run away."
Then she sashayed up to the Marauder. It shifted its focus to Vahari, nostrils flaring as it tasted the air. The Marauder let out a deep and primal roar, shaking the earth beneath them. Neither of them moved, though, engaging in a brief stand-off before all hell broke loose.
Amara stayed back and watched in both terror and anticipation. This would be the first time she actually witnesses a Revenant clash with a Marauder. And such a menacing one at that.
Suddenly, the Brute lunged, its massive fist tearing through the air, aiming to turn the Revenant into paste.
Vahari sidestepped effortlessly. The sheer force of the strike shattered the pavement where she had stood. The beast was fast for its size, but she was faster. It swung again — she weaved, dancing just out of reach.
Seeing an opening, Vahari struck. She released single blow, a precise jab to its ribs. But the Marauder barely flinched.
A smirk tugged at Vahari's lips. 'A tough one.'
The brute snarled, spinning with a backhand swipe. This time, she blocked, catching its wrist mid-swing. The ground beneath her cracked from the force, she budged slightly and grunted.
That actually hurt.
Vahari exhaled and twisted its arm.
Snap!
The brute howled in agony as its shoulder dislocated grotesquely. It staggered back, eyes now filled with pure survival instinct. It roared, charging wildly, ignoring its wounded arm. Its claws slashed through the air, leaving deep gashes in the concrete. It moved with desperation now, its primal mind recognizing her as a genuine threat to its life.
Vahari dodged with immense speed, her movements becoming unnaturally fluid. At times, it looked like she wasn't even stepping — she shifted, a flicker in reality, her form slipping out of phase for split seconds before reappearing somewhere else.
Amara's stomach tightened.
It was the first time she witnessed anything of this magnitude. It was like reading a panel from one of her shōnen manga!
The brute tried again — grabbing, swiping, and howling in frustration. It just couldn't touch Vahari.
Then, Vahari struck.
With a lightning-fast kick, hitting with all the force of a war hammer, she sent the monster flying into a burning wreck. The impact created a shockwave, shattering nearby windows.
The Marauder rose, disoriented from the attack.
Vahari unsheathed her blade — the surrounding air shimmered, dark energy coiling around it as ancient sounding murmurs began exuding from it. The intricate rune-like tattoo on her neck pulsed, glowing a deep, molten amber. The universe itself seemed to blend around her presence.
Sensing death, the brute let out a guttural roar and lunged one last time out of pure desperation with full force and then—
The temperature dropped.
The world fell silent, as if it had inhaled and refused to exhale
Only one word shattered the silence, uttered by Vahari, reverberating through the atmosphere.
"**Ase.**"
Vahari met the brute mid-air, touching its chest with only the tip of her blade. What followed was an explosion of dark energy that tore through the Marauder, accompanied by a cacophony of voices — lamenting and wailing in an ancient, long forgotten tongue.
The impact was colossal, sending the military police officers and Amara hurtling back with a shockwave that tore through the street.
With a final, thunderous crash, the monster crashed back on the ground, lifeless. The powerful Revenant made her landing atop its corpse, blade still humming with the Whispers.
To Amara, it was like watching a god descend.
The lamenting voices that had echoed through the explosion of power faded, dissolving into the wind, leaving behind an eerie silence.
The officers and Amara could only stare at her, panting with faces drenched in disbelief. A sharp chime rang out, breaking through the silence.
All around, the massive billboards flickered to life, their bright displays illuminating the ruined street. They all showed the same thing — a ranking table with five names, each accompanied by shifting statistics. In bold letters, one change stood out:
"Wayne Company has overtaken Helios for the top spot!!!"
The new Company Rankings read:
Wayne Company,
Helios,
Titan,
Angel Company,
Federal Guardian Authority
One officer exhaled sharply, lowering his rifle.
"… Well, damn."
The others murmured among themselves, glancing between the billboards and the wreckage left in Vahari's wake. But she wasn't even looking.
Her gaze was locked onto the mangled remains of the fallen Revenant that had fought the Brute before her — and lost. A flicker of frustration crossed her face, but only for a moment.
With a small sigh, she turned away while dusting off her hands and spoke flatly.
"Next time, tell them to send someone who can actually fight."
The officers exchanged uneasy glances, unsure whether to be insulted or relieved.
The military police began cordoning off the area, their efficient movements suggesting this was routine. Drones buzzed overhead, documenting the damage and calculating repair costs. The corpse of the Brute began to dissolve, its unnatural flesh breaking down into a thick, viscous fluid that sizzled against the pavement.
One officer approached with a tablet. "Ms. Vahari, we still require your signature on the incident report."
Vahari signed without reading, her movements automatic. The officer nodded and retreated, giving her a wide berth.
Amara watched this ritual unfold, struggling to reconcile the casual bureaucracy with the violence she'd just witnessed. She studied Vahari carefully and noticed something. There was no victory in her stance. No satisfaction. Weirdly enough, she remained indifferent to it all.
'Is that what it's like to have so much power? Don't tell me they're expecting me to reach that level someday?'
Before Amara could dwell on it, Vahari's wrist device let out a low _ping_. She pressed on her earpiece and began speaking to someone. She stared directly at Amara as she spoke. When she was done, she casually approached the girl.
Then, without warning, she spoke:
"Hey, you weren't close to the guy from the subway, right?"
"No, we're just strangers. We met on the train and barely spoke before —"
The Revenant interrupted her mid-sentence, speaking with eerie finality.
"Yeah, he's dead."
The words hit like a hammer.
Amara exclaimed, "What?!"