You bolt from the skiz ring after barely beating Kaede, pain flaring through your side where a blade caught you. Blood soaks your clothes as you stumble, only to be shoved hard to the ground. A circle closes in around you—spectators who lost their bets, faces twisted with anger, hunger for payback written all over them.

Nearby, Day is watching the fights with his friend Tess, who’s perched on a rooftop to keep an eye on the crowd. She’s always been fiercely protective of him, even if she hides it behind sharp looks and quiet vigilance. Day never notices—he’s always seen her as a sister, nothing more.

In a split second, Day reacts. A small bomb sails into the center of the mob and bursts on impact, releasing a thick brown cloud that swallows the scene and blinds everyone at once. Through the smoke, he drops to one knee and reaches for you, gripping your hand with urgency.

“Here,” he says firmly. “Come with me.”