The Registry arrived in silence. Six minutes after Evan Sharp had driven the Netweaver off Hook Street, the air grew hotter. Not like the weather. Like judgment. Merchants fell quiet mid-word, and the laughter of children died without anyone shushing them. People looked up. They always knew when Registry boots came down. Blue coats formed a line at the edge of the street. Behind them walked the man Evan had already tasted fire from—the Bronze-tier officer in gray. Ravel. His coat was uncreased despite the hour, his boots polished, his hands clasped loosely behind his back as though he were walking to lunch. The market murmured. The wardens didn't shout for silence. They didn't need to. Ravel stopped where the cobbles still bore scorch marks from the last fight. He lifted his gaze, found Evan standing calmly on the rooftop, and smiled faintly. "I told them you were interesting," he said. "Now I'm ordered to make you dead. "The system pulsed brightly. [DING] Quest: Bronze Confrontation II.
Objective: Defeat Bronze-tier Officer Ravel within Hook Street.
Reward: +60 Speed, Skill Upgrade (Velocity Veil → Velocity Veil+).
Failure: Capture or execution. The crowd sucked in air. Evan dropped lightly from the roof. When his boots touched the street, the Domain thrummed. The bond's hum filled his bones. The baker whispered a prayer. "This is mine," Evan said. His voice wasn't loud, but Hook Street carried it. Ravel sighed like a disappointed teacher. "Bold. And finally." He raised one hand. Flame erupted. Not a spark, not a fan. A wall. It roared from the cobbles, ten feet high, sweeping across the lane. People screamed and scrambled back. The Domain tried to resist, the air thickening, but Ravel's fire burned anyway, cracking stone and blistering wood. Evan moved. Quickstep blurred him sideways, Burst Step launching him over the flame. He landed behind Ravel, fist cocked. Velocity Veil bloomed—five afterimages struck together. Ravel twisted, coat snapping, fire coiling in his palms. He swung, and the street exploded. BOOM. Merchants ducked as windows shattered, dust raining down. Evan blurred from the rubble, Echo Step leaving ghosts that danced in the smoke. He dashed through, fist clipping Ravel's jaw. The Bronze staggered, eyes narrowing. He swung both arms wide. A ring of fire burst outward, hurling crates, toppling stalls. Chickens scattered in a squawking storm. Micro-Objective: Endure three fire waves without leaving Hook Street.
Reward: +10 Speed. The first wave slammed into Evan's chest. He gritted his teeth, Momentum Shift bending the push into propulsion. He streaked forward, boots carving black marks on the cobbles. The second wave rushed at his back—he leapt, twisted midair, and rode the heat higher, flipping over burning cloth lines. The third came from below, fire tearing through the cobbles like a geyser. Evan slammed a Burst Step downward, meeting the eruption head-on. The shockwave blew fire sideways, gutters hissing steam. He landed crouched, hair singed but smile intact. [DING] Objective complete.
+10 Speed.
Speed: 272 → 282.Ravel's expression tightened. "You grow too fast." He raised both hands. A column of flame twisted into a dragon, head snapping, teeth gnashing. It roared down the street. Children screamed. Merchants clutched each other. The Domain strained, cobbles warping, but Ravel's fire was heavier, older, sanctioned. Evan's Speed Sense lit like lightning. Ghost-lines traced the dragon's path, arcs showing where death would land. He exhaled once. Ten Burst Steps. He blurred. One—he dodged the dragon's jaw. Two—he ricocheted off a lamppost, fist clipping the fiery neck. Three—he darted across the rooftops, fire licking at his heels. Four—he slammed into its flank, flame washing around him. Five, six, seven—each Burst Step stacked Acceleration higher, faster, sharper. Eight—he dove straight through the dragon's skull. Fire tore past him, searing cloth, but he came out the other side whole. Nine—he hit the cobbles running. Ten—he reappeared in front of Ravel with his fist already drawn. Velocity Veil cloaked him. Five Evans struck at once. Ravel's eyes widened. His flame faltered. Evan's knuckles smashed into his chest. The Bronze flew backward, smashing through a stall, wood splintering, pots clattering. He coughed blood into the dust. [DING] Path Perk Evolved — Velocity Veil+ (E).
Effect: Duration extended to 8 seconds. Afterimages now mimic attacks for 50% damage. The crowd erupted. Merchants screamed Evan's name. Children shrieked with glee. Hook Street shook with their roar. Ravel staggered up, coat scorched, eyes burning hotter than his fire. He spat blood and sneered. "You think this makes you safe? You think Hook Street can protect you forever? Evan stepped forward, calm as the wind. "I don't need safe. I need it fast. "Ravel thrust his palms forward. A beam of fire tore down the lane, brighter than the sun, hotter than hate. Evan ran. Quickstep. Burst Step. Velocity Veil+. Momentum Shift. Every skill lit, every technique surged. Speed Sense screamed arcs, ghost-lines, and possible deaths. He cut through them all. The beam carved Hook Street into ash—but inside the ash, Evan blurred. His afterimages struck from all sides, fists hammering, kicks slamming. For eight seconds, he was everywhere. When the Veil ended, Ravel lay sprawled in the rubble, his coat in tatters, blood steaming on his lips. He groaned but didn't rise. The wardens dragged him back, terrified. The fire dragon guttered into sparks. [DING] Quest complete: Bronze Confrontation II.
+60 Speed.
Velocity Veil upgraded.
Level Up: 7 → 8.
Speed: 282 → 342. The system's glow faded. Hook Street roared again, louder, unstoppable. Merchants wept openly. Children screamed his name. The Domain thrummed stronger than ever, cobbles whispering beneath his boots. Evan lifted his chin. "Hook Street is mine. Registry, Vipers, anyone—come. I'll be faster. "The wardens dragged their officer away, faces pale. The Registry had failed. But far across the city, in a hall lit by banners, the Silver-ranked officer laid her slate down and whispered, "Then we'll send Silver. "Evan didn't hear it. He stood on the broken cobbles, fire still smoking, heart steady, and smiled. Speed was his. The city would learn.