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Southridge, 3:13 AM
Rain streaked across cracked pavement as Marcus Chen slammed on the brakes. His scooter skidded to a stop just before the warehouse gate.
He double-checked the address.
Wrong side of town.
Definitely not on the delivery map.
The order had come through anonymously. No notes. No tip.
Something felt off.
But rent was due. His mom's meds weren't getting cheaper. He couldn't afford to turn away work.
So he grabbed the box, stepped out into the rain, and walked toward the loading dock.
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The warehouse was too quiet.
Lights flickered above. A metal door swung open just slightly, like it had been left that way.
Marcus knocked.
No answer.
He pushed the door open.
Inside — shadows. Rotting crates. The distant sound of… breathing?
Then, a snap. A violent shift in the air.
The box dropped from his hands.
His heart stopped.
From behind a column, something stepped out.
Tall. Twisted. Wrong.
A humanoid shape pulsing with violet static — limbs too long, no face, Flux radiating off it like a furnace. It turned its head sideways, sensing him.
Marcus stumbled back. "No—no, this isn't—this isn't real—"
The creature charged.
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He ran. Crates crashed behind him. He vaulted over rusted pallets, ducked low, scrambled for the exit — but the Wraithborn was faster. It crashed through debris, howling with a hollow screech that sank into his bones.
A claw swiped across his back. Pain tore through his spine.
He fell.
The creature stood over him, feeding on the raw fear pouring from his core.
His vision blurred. Rain pounded against his face. He tried to move — to crawl — but his limbs felt heavy. Every instinct screamed to give up. That he was too slow, too late—
"Always behind."
"Always a failure."
"You can't save anyone."
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But then…
A voice, rising from deep inside him:
"Just one more second."
"Just a little longer."
"I won't run out of time again."
His pulse slowed.
But everything around him… sped up.
Or no—he was moving faster. No—he was seeing clearer.
Everything around him warped, dragged, like time had thickened for the world — but not for him.
His Flux awakened.
Time bent.
Perception stretched.
Clarity slammed into him like a thunderclap.
The Wraithborn lunged.
He moved.
Dodged.
Slid behind it. His arms ignited with brilliant silver-blue light.
He grabbed a rusted pipe off the floor and swung — catching the Wraithborn square in the chest. It staggered.
He didn't wait.
Strike. Move. Strike. Step. Predict. Hit. Dodge. Slide. Again.
For five seconds, Marcus was untouchable.
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But then the energy snapped, like a rubber band at its limit.
Time caught up. Everything hit at once — sound, light, gravity.
He dropped to one knee, coughing blood.
The Wraithborn, damaged but not destroyed, snarled as it rose. But before it could strike—
A ripple tore through the air.
A throwing blade of compressed flux embedded in its throat, disrupting its energy pattern.
A second one hit the chest.
A final burst from behind — a concentrated flux pulse — finished it.
The creature shrieked once. Then collapsed into violet dust.
Footsteps approached.
Marcus blinked upward.
A woman in a long coat, dark braids, and a deep violet aura stepped into the flickering light. Her eyes were tired — but sharp.
"You're lucky I was nearby," she muttered, scanning the remains of the creature.
Marcus coughed. "Who the hell…?"
She looked at him. "Zara. I'm tracking Wraithborn anomalies."
She knelt, placing a hand gently over his shoulder. Her Flux brushed his skin — and her eyes widened.
"Time dilation," she whispered. "You're… newly awakened."
He nodded weakly. "Yeah."
"Well," she said with a sigh, standing. "Then your life's about to get a lot more complicated."
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Elsewhere…
In the darkness of a rooftop above Southridge, a new figure arrived.
Sharp suit. Pale gloves. Eyes like glass.
He surveyed the city like an accountant.
One of the Wraithborn he'd sent had been destroyed.
"Too soon," he murmured. "But useful."
He reached into his coat and withdrew a scale — delicate, metal, glowing faintly with flux.
He adjusted it with a flick of his finger.
The weight on the left side dipped.
"Equilibrium must be maintained."
He turned toward the skyline.
"Let justice begin."
Vincent — The Equalizer
had arrived.