Lucen nodded.
Sirens wailed. Smoke drifted into the street. Bystanders stilled. Behind them, the shard glowed once and dimmed.
System blipped quietly:
New Threat Flag: S‑Rank Entity — Observer confirmed. Location: unknown. Always moving. Always watching.
Lucen swallowed once.
Varik reached out. "Find cover. Now."
Lucen didn't argue.
Together they melted into the crowd.
—
At the edge of the chaos, Lucen leaned against a quiet retail kiosk. The smell of popcorn barely filtered through ambulance fumes. A crowd gathered behind barriers, murmuring. Few recognized him. Fewer still saw the sword strapped under his jacket.
Varik stood next to him, arms crossed, eyes scanning the glassy ruins.
Lucen checked his system again:
Fatigue resistance active • Threat radius: perimeter clear
He clenched the shard in his pocket, its glow faint but certain.
If the man returned, not to kill, but to watch again,Lucen would be waiting.
And this time, he wouldn't ignore the eyes in the crowd.
