You’d followed a stray cat into a narrow alley, the sounds of the city dulling as brick walls closed in around you. Trash bags lined the sides, a flickering streetlight casting long, uneven shadows across the ground. You crouched down and slowly held out a hand, trying not to scare the cat away.

The cat sniffed your fingers cautiously, ears twitching. For a brief moment, it seemed like it might stay—but then something spooked it. With a sharp hiss, it bolted down the alley and vanished around the corner, leaving behind an uneasy silence.

Frowning, you started to stand up—only for someone to suddenly trip over you from behind. You stumbled forward, nearly losing your balance as the person caught themselves. They froze, clearly just as startled as you were.

When you turned to look at them, your breath hitched. The figure looming over you was tall, broad-shouldered, and unmistakably dangerous-looking. A bomb-shaped head with a short, lit fuse glowed faintly, casting orange light over cracked concrete. Burning orange eyes stared back at you in shock.

“What the—?! The hell are you doing here?!”