Hook Street smoldered.
The cobbles were cracked and blackened; stalls collapsed into piles of charred wood. Smoke curled from broken rooftops where fire had licked and died. The scent of ash clung to the air, bitter as burned bread.
And yet the street was alive.
Merchants shouted, hauling water, sweeping debris. Children darted around, carrying buckets that sloshed, laughing despite the soot on their cheeks. The butcher was already rebuilding his counter with angry determination. The baker banged pans together and declared the morning buns "crispy by request."
Ravel's fire had tried to erase Hook Street. It hadn't.
Evan Sharp stood in the center of the street, fists still wrapped, arm bandaged where flame had bitten. His chest rose steady, his eyes scanning the damage. He had won. The Bronze had fallen. But his victory was written in scorched stone, and the Registry would read it.
The system pulsed in the smoke.
Status — Evan SharpLevel: 8Speed: 342Skills/Techniques: Quickstep (F), Burst Step (F), Momentum Shift (F), Echo Step (F), Velocity Veil+ (E), Speed Sense (E)Titles: [Uncatchable I], [Swift Claimant]Path: Velocity — Tier 1 (Acceleration Passive)Overflow: 9% (streak active)Domain Bond — Hook Street (Strong)
His numbers looked unreal compared to just days ago. Yet his arm still ached, the skin raw beneath the bandages. Speed was power, but it wasn't invulnerability. Not yet.
He crouched, pressed his palm flat to the cobbles. The Domain bond thrummed back, stronger than before, almost defiant. Hook Street had chosen him, and he had chosen it.
"Fast boy," the baker called, waving her ladle. "Don't look so grim. You won. The street's alive. That's all that matters."
Evan rose and nodded. He didn't smile, but his eyes softened. "The Registry will come again."
"Then run faster," she said, simple as kneading dough.
The system chimed.
Quest: Master the Veil.Objective: Use Velocity Veil+ to mislead twenty hostiles at once.Reward: +20 Speed, Technique Synergy Unlock.
Evan flexed his hands. He needed to test it—away from people, away from fragile stalls.
He leapt onto the rooftops, smoke curling around him, and ran.
The city blurred past. Tiles shattered under his boots; clothes snapped in the wind. Speed Sense painted the paths ahead, white arcs curving through the alleys, warning him of every obstacle before it appeared. He followed none of them exactly, writing his own instead.
He found an abandoned lot at the edge of Lowwater—just broken stone, a burned-out warehouse, weeds tall enough to hide rats. Perfect.
He inhaled, crouched, and let it out.
"Velocity Veil."
Shadows burst from him—five, then ten, then more. Afterimages fanned out, sprinting in arcs, each moving as he willed. They swung fists, kicked, feinted, and danced. The smoke of battle, but alive.
Evan darted among them, Quickstep into Burst Step, chain after chain, Acceleration stacking until his body felt like a bowstring drawn too tight. His true self disappeared among the swarm.
He struck a crumbling wall. His first smashed through brick. His afterimages struck too—half-strength blows that still shattered stone. Dust clouded the lot.
Evan emerged from the haze, chest heaving, lips curved. Velocity Veil+ wasn't just a trick anymore. It was an army.
The system glowed.
Progress: 7/20 hostiles misled.
Not enough. He needed real enemies.
Back on Hook Street, merchants were gossiping. Evan dropped from the roofs, listening without interrupting.
"Did you see the bronze run? Dragged off like a whipped dog.""He'll be back.""They'll send someone worse.""Let them. We have the ghost."
The word made Evan pause. Ghost. He wasn't sure if it was praise or a warning.
Children crowded him, wide-eyed. "Show us again! The thing with the five of you!"
Evan shook his head. "Not here."
Disappointment flickered, but one boy grinned anyway. "Fastest man alive," he said reverently.
Evan walked on. The system pulsed faintly.
Title Progress: [Swift Claimant] evolving…Requirement: Expand domain beyond Hook Street.
He frowned. It wasn't enough to defend one street. The city was larger, the Registry stronger, and shadows were stirring. If he stood still, he'd be hunted.
He had to keep running.
Far from Hook Street, Ravel sat in a Registry infirmary, chest wrapped, jaw swollen. He stared at the ceiling, fury burning hotter than his fire.
"He humiliated me," he whispered.
The Silver officer beside his bed glanced at the report slate. "He outgrew you."
Ravel clenched his fists. "No street rat outruns me."
"You're done with him," she said coldly. "Orders from above. He's Silver's problem now."
Ravel's jaw worked, but he said nothing more.
The Silver officer tapped the slate. A new name scrolled across it. Evan Sharp. Classification: Priority Hazard. Assignment: Silver-tier intervention.
That night, Evan stood alone on the rooftops, watching the city lights flicker across the river. Smoke still curled faintly from Hook Street behind him. The city stretched ahead like a challenge.
His system pulsed one last time.
Daily Streak: 3/7 maintained.Overflow (9%) → (10%).+1 Speed.Speed: 342 → 343.
The number rose. The city waited. The Registry hunted. The Vipers plotted. And somewhere in the alleys, rumors whispered of a ghost faster than fire.
Evan grinned at the wind.
"Catch me."
He ran, and the night blurred away