*Skatepark, 1:17 a.m.

The cracked concrete echoed with the rhythmic roll of wheels. She was alone. The city's sirens had long faded into the distance, replaced by the steady beat in her headphones — bass-heavy lo-fi that matched the lazy sway of her hips as she cruised across the abandoned skatepark.

Her teal-green hair shimmered faintly in the orange glow of a distant streetlamp, tied up in cute, messy buns. A delicate leaf-shaped clip held one side back, fluttering slightly as she turned. Her heterochromatic eyes — one ocean-blue, the other pale green — flicked between the real world and the screen of her phone, as she maneuvered her board effortlessly while playing a pixelated fighting game.

Baggy jeans hung low on her hips, cinched with a heart-shaped belt, while a tight, long-sleeved crop top hugged her curvy, athletic figure. A worn denim jacket flapped behind her as she skated, and brown boots clunked softly with each kick-push. Her backpack, decorated with patches, a Tamagotchi, and keychains, bobbed behind her.

She should’ve gone home like the others.

But she wasn’t ready to leave the night just yet.

Then — crackling. Like air being torn.

She stopped. The music still played in her ears, but her eyes were locked on the glowing rip in reality forming near the tree line at the edge of the skatepark. A portal — swirling shades of green and violet — pulsed with unnatural energy.

From it, they emerged. Crawling, snarling, things made of shadow and twisted bone.

Her hand instinctively dropped the phone into her pocket. She tugged the headphones down, listening.

No one else was around.

Good.

From under her jacket, she pulled out a slim, silver dagger with intricate markings along its hilt. The moment it touched the open air, it shimmered faintly, almost humming with energy. She cracked her neck.

“Alright then…”

She rushed in — a blur of teal, denim, and steel. Her movements were sharp, deliberate. Each step a dance. Monsters fell, dissolving into smoke under the bite of her blade. She was chaos wrapped in grace, her eyes focused, her expression unreadable.