The stairs creaked under each step.
Old.
Worn.
Unstable.
Blaine moved upward without hesitation.
Behind him—
The man followed.
Slower.
Breathing heavily.
But alive.
That was enough.
Step by step—
The darkness behind them faded.
And then—
Light.
A door stood at the top.
Half broken.
Slightly open.
Blaine stopped in front of it.
For a moment—
Silence.
Then—
He pushed it open.
Creaaak…
Light flooded in.
His eyes adjusted slowly.
And then—
He saw it.
A city.
Massive.
Endless.
Tall buildings stretched into the sky.
Neon lights flickered in the distance.
Vehicles moved across wide roads.
People—
Walking.
Talking.
Living.
Normal.
As if nothing had happened.
"…what…?"
The man behind him whispered.
Blaine stepped forward.
The air felt different here.
Cleaner.
Lighter.
No monsters.
No blood.
No chaos.
Just—
A normal world.
But something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Blaine's eyes scanned the street.
Observing.
Analyzing.
Then—
He saw it.
A man walking casually—
stopped.
Another man stood in front of him.
They looked normal.
Until—
Boom.
The ground cracked.
The second man moved—
Faster than the eye could follow.
In an instant—
The first man was thrown across the street.
CRASH.
A car flipped.
Windows shattered.
People screamed.
Chaos.
But—
No one seemed surprised.
Some ran.
Some watched.
As if…
this was normal.
"…powered individuals…"
The man behind Blaine muttered.
"…this city… it's full of them…"
Blaine said nothing.
His eyes remained fixed on the scene.
The attacker stood calmly.
Unbothered.
Then—
He walked away.
No consequences.
No punishment.
Nothing.
"…"
So this was the world.
Strength…
above all.
Laws?
Meaningless.
Only power mattered.
A faint smile appeared on Blaine's face.
He understood now.
Completely.
This wasn't chaos.
It was order.
A different kind.
One where the strong decided everything.
And the weak…
accepted it.
Behind him—
The man collapsed to the ground.
"…I… I'm safe…"
Blaine glanced at him once.
Safe?
No.
There was no such thing here.
He turned away.
And walked forward.
Into the city.
Without hesitation.
Because now—
He had a direction.
Not survival.
Not escape.
Growth.
Real growth.
His eyes moved across the towering buildings.
Somewhere out there—
Were people far stronger than him.
Far beyond him.
And that meant—
Opportunity.
The system flickered faintly.
[Strength: 5]
Still weak.
But not for long.
Blaine stepped onto the street.
Blending into the moving crowd.
Invisible.
For now.
But that wouldn't last.
Because one day—
This city…
Would know his name.