No one moved.
Not us.
Not them.
The distance between us wasn't large—
but it felt like a line drawn in blood.
"Stay in formation," Kat whispered.
The figure stood still.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then—
a second figure appeared behind them.
Then a third.
Another team.
"Great…" Adrien muttered. "Just what we needed."
But something felt off.
They weren't rushing.
They weren't attacking.
They were… studying us.
Just like the creature had.
My fingers tightened around my weapon.
The first figure stepped forward.
Slow.
Deliberate.
A long coat.
Dark.
Edges brushing against the broken ground.
Their face—
hidden.
Masked.
But their presence—
unmistakable.
Strong.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
"Turn back."
The voice cut through the silence.
Low.
Calm.
Familiar.
My breath caught.
Why did that sound—
so… known?
"Or what?" Xiara snapped back.
The masked figure tilted their head slightly.
"Or you won't leave this place."
No anger.
No threat.
Just—
certainty.
"Yeah? Try us," Xiara stepped forward.
"Wait—" I tried to stop her.
Too late.
She attacked first.
Fast.
Precise.
But—
the figure didn't even move.
At the last second—
they stepped aside.
Effortless.
Xiara's attack missed completely.
Before she could react—
they struck.
One move.
Clean.
Xiara hit the ground.
Hard.
Silence.
No one expected that.
"Xiara!" Adrien rushed forward.
The rest of the opposing team still hadn't moved.
They didn't need to.
Their leader alone—
was enough.
My heartbeat grew louder.
That movement.
That timing.
That control.
I had seen it before.
But where?
"Next one won't be a warning," the masked figure said.
Kat stepped forward now.
"We don't want unnecessary conflict," she said firmly."We're just passing through."
A pause.
The figure looked at her.
Then—
slowly—
their gaze shifted.
To me.
Everything stilled.
Even the air.
Why me?
Why was he—
looking at me like that?
Like he knew me.
My chest tightened.
Something inside me reacted.
Not fear.
Not danger.
Something deeper.
Recognition.
The card in my pocket—
vibrated again.
This time—
longer.
The figure noticed.
I saw it.
That slight shift.
That tiny reaction.
They took a step closer.
"Interesting…" they murmured.
That voice again.
My mind raced.
Who are you…?
"Rose—don't," Adrien warned softly.
But I was already stepping forward.
I didn't know why.
I just—
had to.
"Do we know each other?" I asked.
Silence.
The figure froze.
Just for a second.
Then—
they laughed.
Soft.
Barely there.
"No," they said.
But their voice—
wasn't convincing.
"Not yet."
My breath hitched.
Before I could respond—
they stepped back.
"Leave," they said again."This is your last chance."
Kat looked at me.
Then at the team.
We weren't ready.
Not for this.
Not for them.
"…We move," she decided.
Slowly—
carefully—
we stepped back.
No one turned their back completely.
Not until we were far enough.
Only then—
did the figure turn away.
Like we were no longer a threat.
Or maybe—
never were.
We walked in silence for a long time.
Until Adrien finally spoke.
"What was that?"
No one answered.
Because no one knew.
Except—
maybe me.
I touched my pocket again.
The card was still there.
Warm now.
Alive.
And for the first time—
I realized something terrifying.
That person—
wasn't a stranger.
They knew me.
Even if I didn't know them.