The rooftop wind whipped around them, scattering dust and loose papers.
Bren's silhouette stood at the edge—too tall, too still, like a puppet held by invisible strings.
Luna didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Her eyes stayed locked on him, cold and sharp like glass.
"Why show yourself now?" she asked quietly.
Bren tilted his head, the same eerie smile carved across his face.
"Because it's more fun this way."
His voice didn't sound natural anymore.
It layered—like two voices speaking at once.
One was Bren.
The other… something darker.
---
The Attack
Without warning, Bren lunged.
Not human-fast.
Faster.
Luna reacted instantly, twisting to the side as his hand slashed past her face—too long, too sharp, like his fingers had stretched into claws.
Her coat ripped.
Her cheek was cut—a thin, clean line.
It was the first time in years she had been touched.
Luna stepped back, breathing steady, emotionless.
"You're not Bren," she whispered.
"Not anymore."
The figure laughed—a broken, glitching sound.
"You made me this, Luna."
---
Luna Fights Back
Luna reached into her coat and pulled out a collapsible combat baton.
Click.
It extended with a cold metallic snap.
Her stance was perfect.
Firm.
Silent.
Calculated.
She swung.
Bren dodged easily, bending his body at impossible angles.
His arm twisted completely around as he countered.
But Luna was faster than she looked.
She ducked, spun, and struck the back of his leg.
A normal person would have collapsed.
Bren didn't even flinch.
Instead, he leaned close to her ear and whispered:
"You should've finished the job seven years ago."
Luna's eyes narrowed—
the slightest crack in her mask.
---
The Edge of the Roof
Bren grabbed her by the throat.
Not tight enough to choke—
just enough to hold her.
"You gave us silence," he hissed.
"Now I'll return the favor."
He dragged her toward the edge of the rooftop.
The street below twisted—almost… shifting, like the city itself was warping.
"Look down, Luna," he said.
"See what you made?"
Luna didn't look.
Instead, she pressed a hidden button on her baton.
CRACK.
A surge of electricity shot through Bren's body.
His scream tore through the night—
human and inhuman at the same time.
He released her.
Stumbled back.
Smoke rose from his limbs.
But when Luna tried to strike again—
He vanished.
Not ran.
Not jumped.
Vanished.
Like the shadows swallowed him whole.
---
Alone Again
Luna stood on the rooftop, breathing slowly, calmly…
but her heartbeat was pounding—for the first time since childhood.
She touched the cut on her cheek.
Blood stained her fingers.
That was the proof.
He was real.
Alive.
Changed.
And hunting her.
Luna wiped her blood on her coat sleeve.
"…So," she whispered,
"one of you survived."
She didn't say the rest out loud:
Or came back.
She looked up at the sky.
The moon was thin, sharp, almost smiling.
The silence felt heavier.
The past felt closer.
And Luna knew—
This was only the beginning