Too late.
That's what it felt like.
The moment we turned—
He was already there.
Right behind us.
"Move—!"
I grabbed her arm—
Pulled her with me—
We barely escaped.
The ground where we stood—
Cracked.
Hard.
"…Fast."
She whispered.
No.
Not fast.
Too fast.
I clenched my fist.
"…Stay close."
"I wasn't planning to run."
Good.
Because running wouldn't save us.
He stood there.
Calm.
Like none of this mattered.
"…You reacted."
He said.
"…Better than I expected."
Silence.
"…Who are you?"
I asked.
He tilted his head slightly.
"…Someone who survived longer than you."
That told me everything.
"…So you kill people."
"…I survive."
Same thing.
He stepped forward.
"…Let's see how long you last."
And then—
He disappeared again.
"—!"
Left.
I turned—
Blocked—
The impact—
Stronger than anything before.
"—!"
I got pushed back hard.
My arm shook.
"…Too slow."
He moved again.
Right.
I tried to react—
But—
Too late.
His kick hit my side—
"—!"
Pain exploded through my body.
I dropped.
Hard.
"…You're not ready."
I tried to stand—
My body didn't listen.
"…Get up!"
Her voice.
Sharp.
I forced myself up.
Barely.
"…Focus!"
I looked at him.
Tried to track his movement.
Tried to breathe.
But the gap—
Was too big.
He moved again.
Faster.
Cleaner.
More precise.
Like he wasn't even trying.
"…This is bad."
She whispered.
Yeah.
I knew that.
She rushed in.
Attacked.
Fast.
But he blocked.
Easily.
"…You're better."
He said.
"But not enough."
He pushed her back.
Hard.
She slid across the ground.
"…Aya!"
She stopped herself.
But I saw it.
Her breathing.
Heavy.
She was reaching her limit.
"…We can't win like this."
She said.
"…I know."
My hand trembled.
The mark burned again.
Hot.
Stronger.
"…Come on…"
I whispered.
"Do something…"
The voice came back.
Cold.
"Condition critical."
My breath stopped.
"Survival probability: low."
"…No kidding."
"Emergency adaptation available."
My eyes widened.
"…What?"
"Accept?"
Everything slowed.
One second.
That's all I had.
"…Yes."
"Adaptation initiated."
Pain.
Sharp.
Like my body was tearing itself apart.
"—!"
I dropped to one knee.
"…What's happening?!"
She shouted.
"I—don't—know—!"
The world blurred.
My vision shook.
But then—
It cleared.
Everything became sharper.
Cleaner.
Faster.
"…What…"
I stood up.
Slowly.
My breathing—
Calm.
Too calm.
"…Something changed."
He noticed it too.
"…Oh?"
He smiled.
"…Now that's interesting."
He rushed again.
Faster than before.
But now—
I saw it.
Clear.
Every movement.
Every step.
I moved.
Perfectly.
Dodged.
Turned.
Countered.
My fist hit him—
Solid.
He stepped back.
Surprised.
First time.
"…So you evolved."
I didn't answer.
I moved again.
Faster.
Stronger.
Not enough to win—
But enough to fight back.
She looked at me.
Shock in her eyes.
"…You did it…"
"…Not yet."
He wiped the blood from his lip.
Smiled wider.
"…Good."
A pause.
"…Now I can go a little serious."
My chest tightened.
"…What?"
His mark—
Exploded with light.
Stronger than before.
The air changed.
Heavy.
Crushing.
"…This is bad."
She whispered.
Yeah.
I felt it too.
Even with this new power—
He was still above us.
"…We can't stay."
She said.
"…We have to run."
Silence.
I clenched my fist.
I didn't want to.
But—
She was right.
"…Fine."
He stepped forward.
"…Running won't save you."
"…Maybe not."
I said.
"…But dying here won't either."
I grabbed her hand.
"…Let's go."
And we ran.
Fast.
As fast as we could.
Behind us—
I could feel it.
His presence.
Still there.
Still following.
Still hunting.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.
They survived… but they couldn't win.
When the gap is too big… is running the only choice? 👀