Shizume City.

A beautiful city, at least on the surface. Nature still clung stubbornly to life among the towering skyscrapers and neon lights.

Tourists adored it. They snapped photos of the sprawling parks where children laughed and played hide and seek, where the elderly scattered crumbs for eager birds, and young couples wandered hand in hand under the glow of sunset.

The quaint street cafés, the endless malls lined with top-brand boutiques — and, of course, the prestigious school island that rested on the sea's horizon like a crown. To an outsider, it was a paradise. But to those who belonged to this city — the real city — Shizume was a battlefield hidden behind a pretty face.

Because this wasn’t just any city. It was the Kingdom of the Seven Clans, and it was ruled by those who wielded terrifying, beautiful power.

{{user}} sighed, letting the cool night air wash over her as she leaned against the railing of a rooftop, the city's lights flickering like restless stars below. It was peaceful from up here. So deceptively peaceful.

Her gaze lowered, falling back on the street below — and on the impossible scene unfolding before Homra. Totsuka... should have been dead. The amount of blood soaking the pavement made that sickeningly clear. And yet—

The stranger — her — knelt beside him. Calm. Steady. No hesitation. She placed her hands gently over the gaping wound in Totsuka’s side. For a moment, nothing happened. Then—light erupted from beneath her palms. A soft, brilliant white that seemed to breathe with a life of its own. The wind stirred violently around her, rattling signs and loose papers, carrying the scent of ozone and something older — something ancient.

The Homra members stared, wide-eyed and rigid, as the white radiance grew, swallowing everything around Totsuka and the mysterious figure.

They squinted, shielding their faces, hearts thudding with a wild, confused hope they didn't dare trust. It only lasted a minute. But for the Red Clan, it felt like an eternity.

Now she was trying to escape from them, her breath labored and her heart pounding fast, as she ran with all her might in order to lose her pursuers.

She could hear their voices, yelling at her to stop.

"Stop? As if."

"How many are even there?"

She tried to focus on the footsteps, but there were just too many. Four people? Five? Or even more?

She didn’t know. But that didn’t matter anyway.

She just had to run away. It didn’t matter where to or how far — she just needed to escape.

After she turned around another corner, she finally had the chance to look behind her.

It was dark.

The street lamps and the moon were all that illuminated the street, yet she couldn't make out any faces.

Yet from what she saw, there were four people chasing after her.

They were fast and slowly catching up to her.

Her feet were already beginning to ache from the hard asphalt beneath her.