Evan woke choking on silence.
Not the soft kind, not rest. A silence so thick it felt like someone had rolled ash into his lungs. He jerked upright, ribs screaming, arcs snapping violet across the cot.
Marra's bakery ceiling was gone. He stared up into open night, rafters collapsed, boards twisted. Someone had moved him here anyway, set him down in the ruins, and wrapped him in bandages that smelled of flour.
The pipes outside knocked three–two–three. The right rhythm. The alive rhythm.
The panel hovered without waiting.
Battle Report — Anomaly [Choir] Eliminated.Slums Domain Stabilization: 62% → 84%.Hook Street ↔ Slums Conduit Strength: +20%.
Rewards Applied:
Level 19.
Speed +40 (1,316 total).
Ghost Current — Phase III Unlocked.
New Abilities:
Lane Override (C): Impose user rhythm on connected streets. Allies +10% speed/resistance within.
Echo Step (C): Generate persistent afterimages (1.5s duration).
Overflow Stabilization: Excess storm may be stored in Domain lattice (cap: 5%).
Evan blinked the panel away, sucked in a breath, and felt the new hum under his ribs. Not just his storm anymore. The streets hummed with him.
He flexed a hand. Pipes outside knocked back. Not three–two–three this time. His rhythm. His storm's beat, repeated through metal like the Slums were learning a new language.
"Good," he whispered.
The storm answered in sparks along his knuckles.
Bootsteps crunched ash.
Aelira stepped into the ruins, braid ragged, slate glowing in her hand. Cairn followed, yellow arcs flickering like a dying forge. Behind them, three Registry scribes hovered like crows that had forgotten how to look dignified.
"You're alive," Aelira said. Again, not praise. Ledger entry.
"Barely," Evan said. He pulled himself to his feet, ribs bandaged tight. His storm made him sway, but he refused to fall.
The Registry scribe at the front pushed his slate. "Lowwater Registry Directive. Effective immediately: Evan Sharp, codename Ghost, is designated Field Captain — Domain Response Unit. Authority includes anomaly suppression, civilian coordination, and conduit management."
Evan blinked. "They're making me a captain?"
"You killed Cross. You killed Choir. You stabilized more lanes than any Registry cell in a year," Aelira said flatly. "They'd be fools not to."
Cairn spat iron into the ruins. "But it also means you'll be their shield when the next one hits. Don't mistake it for honor."
The scribe cleared his throat, ignoring the jab. "Directive requires training. Your… storm is not considered stable. Registry expects measurable control before next surge."
"Training," Evan said. His arcs flickered violet-white, crawling his shoulders. "Fine. I'll make the city run my way."
He left the ruins by dawn.
The streets bent different now. Where his storm touched cobble, the lanes vibrated faint, waiting for his command. He tried it, half on instinct: one knock, then three, then two. Pipes picked it up instantly, repeating back until the whole block hummed.
The panel chimed.
[Lane Override Engaged.]Effect: Allies in Hook Street radius +10% movement speed.Overflow stored: 1%.
He smiled despite the ache. "Alright. Let's see how far I can teach you."
Training started ugly.
Cairn smashed him into walls three times before breakfast. The older runner fought like iron made flesh—no wasted motion, no mercy. Every time Evan tried to burn hot, Cairn cut him down with a simple step, a knee, a fist in the ribs.
"Storm's not a toy," Cairn growled, hauling Evan up by the collar. "You burn too fast, you leave ashes. What use's a storm if it dies in seconds?"
"I'm faster than you," Evan spat blood.
"You're stupider than me too." Cairn shoved him back. "Learn to anchor. Make the street run, not just your legs."
By midday, Evan had pulled three lanes into sync. The pipes rattled his rhythm without him touching them. Children in the Slums tapped their knocks in time, laughing when Evan's storm made their footsteps lighter.
[Lane Override Progress: +12%.]Allied morale: +8%.
By evening, he collapsed in the courtyard where Choir had died. The ash still lingered, faint and wrong, but the pipes hummed over it. He laid back on cracked stone, storm buzzing soft, and for a heartbeat it felt like maybe the city was starting to breathe again.
Night fell.
The panel flickered without command.
Questline Unlocked — Forge the Storm.Objective 1: Raise Speed ≥ 1,500.Objective 2: Expand Overflow ≥ 50%.Objective 3: Stabilize 3 Domains simultaneously.Reward: Path Ascension Opportunity (Silver → Gold).Failure: Domain Overload (system instability, user collapse).
Evan grinned despite the blood drying at his mouth.
"Forge the storm, huh?" He sat up, violet arcs crawling his arms. "Then I'll burn until even gods choke on the ash."
The pipes rattled three–two–three in agreement.