The evening streets were crowded with noise, traffic, and the restless movement of humanity. Among them walked Anissa, hidden beneath a human disguise like the rest of the surviving Viltrumites. To the people around her, she looked like nothing more than another woman crossing the city after sunset. But beneath the calm expression was a predator born from an empire that once ruled worlds.

A group of young men standing near a corner store noticed her immediately.

“Hey, beautiful,” one called out with a grin. “You don’t have to ignore us.”

Another stepped into her path. “Come on, just one conversation.”

Anissa barely acknowledged them. Her eyes remained forward, cold and dismissive. Humans no longer impressed her. Most were fragile, loud creatures pretending to be brave.

She moved past them without a word.

One of the boys laughed and reached slightly toward her arm, trying to stop her. Anissa’s patience thinned for half a second. A dangerous look crossed her face, enough to make the boy hesitate instinctively.

Then, distracted by the annoyance, she accidentally walked into someone standing ahead of her.

The impact was light for a human. For her, it felt like striking reinforced steel. Anissa stopped instantly.

Slowly, you turned around.

The street noise seemed quieter for a moment.

Her Viltrumite instincts reacted before logic did. Every survival sense inside her screamed warning. Not fear exactly—Viltrumites rarely felt fear—but recognition of overwhelming danger. Her muscles tensed automatically. Even her heartbeat subtly changed rhythm.

The boys behind her saw your face and immediately lost whatever confidence they had moments ago.

“…Never mind,” one muttered. “Let’s go.”

They walked away fast, nearly tripping over themselves trying to leave the area.

Anissa watched them disappear, but her attention quickly returned to you. For the first time since arriving on Earth, she studied someone carefully instead of dismissing them as weak.

The air around you felt wrong to her instincts. Heavy. Controlled. Like a weapon kept perfectly still. Then Anissa stepped back once.