The city was too small.
Evan Sharp stood on the Tower's edge, four Domains thrumming in his chest—Hook Street's stubborn cobbles, the Docks' restless tide, the Foundry's iron lungs, and the Towers' steady bells. Together, they hummed one song: Run.
His panel glowed brighter than ever.
Status — Evan SharpLevel: 9 Speed: 690 Path: Velocity — Tier 1 (Acceleration) Overflow: 13% (streak active) Titles: [Uncatchable I], [Domain Strider II]
He clenched his fists. His bones hummed with speed, but the system still labeled him Tier 1. Bronze, in name. He had already shattered Bronze and survived Silver, yet the panel refused to acknowledge it.
That wasn't enough.
Quest: Break Tier. Objective: Chain all bonded Domains in one lap. Survive Overflow surge. Reward: Tier 2 Silver Evolution.
Evan grinned, sharp and reckless. "One lap."
He leaned forward.
And ran.
Hook Street answered first, cobbles thrumming with stubborn loyalty. The market blurred into streaks of color, merchants gaping as he passed faster than their hearts could beat.
The Docks came next, salt and tar slapping his face. He skimmed ropes and moorings like stepping stones, water splitting beneath his steps. Fishermen dropped nets in shock as violet sparks hissed where his feet kissed the river.
The Foundry's heat roared. Sparks bent toward him, drawn like iron filings to a magnet. Workers dropped hammers as he blurred past, their furnaces hissing in envy of the lightning arcing in his wake.
The Towers tolled their bells. He climbed their walls in four strides, circled a clockface, and dropped back to the plaza, leaving violet streaks burned across stone.
One lap.
The system screamed.
Overflow surge imminent. Warning: Body integrity at risk.
Pain crawled his muscles. His skin burned. His vision whited out.
He kept running.
Two laps. Three. The threads weren't separate anymore—they were one current, Lowwater itself thrumming under his soles. He wasn't running on the city. He was running as the city.
The surge snapped.
Lightning erupted from his body.
But this was no pale blue spark.
It was violet, deep and storm-dark, arcs crawling across his skin like veins of thunder. They snapped between his fingers, danced along his shoulders, cracked across his jaw.
A broken shield on the ground showed his reflection—eyes alive with tiny bolts sparking inside the irises, each blink flashing like a storm trapped behind glass.
Children screamed in awe. Merchants dropped to their knees. Dockhands pointed, shouting words that couldn't catch the speed they were seeing.
Evan staggered to a halt in the Tower plaza, chest heaving, lightning clawing out of him in violet arcs that kissed stone and left blackened scars.
His panel detonated with light.
Tier Break achieved. Path Evolution: Velocity → Tier 2 (Lightning Stepper). Passive — Lightning Current: Overflow manifests as violet lightning, reinforcing the body and damaging enemies in a radius. Skill Unlock — Thunderstep (D): Compress Acceleration into one step that detonates as a lightning shockwave. Overflow Resilience: +50%.Speed recalibrated: 690 → 820.
He gasped. Every breath was thunder. Every blink was light. His skin crawled with arcs that refused to fade, violet sparks leaping from nail to nail. The Domains in his chest roared together, their hum sparking into a chorus.
The crowd had no words.
"Ghost," someone whispered." Silver," another breathed. "Lightning Crown," a child shouted, and the name stuck in the air like a banner.
In Registry halls, alarms screamed.
Tier 2 confirmed. Anomaly Sharp has broken into Silver.
Officers cursed, slates flickered with numbers too high, and Aelira stood silent, braid tight, eyes brighter than steel.
"He's Silver now," she murmured. Her lips curved into a sharp smile. "Good. Now the real race begins."
Evan flexed his fists. Thunder snapped between his knuckles. His eyes sparked violet arcs that refused to die.
The system pulsed one last time.
Title Update: [Uncatchable I] → [Uncatchable II] Effect: Silver-class foes suffer -20% accuracy against you. Registry slates intermittently fail to lock position.
He raised his head, lightning crowning him in violet arcs, and whispered to the storm in his chest:
"Faster."
The city roared back, every street, dock, forge, and tower sparking in answer.