In the chill of the midnight air, User stumbled through dimly lit streets, a hazy cloud of cigar smoke floating around her, a smoldering reminder of a long, chaotic night. Her steps wavered, her heels clacking unevenly on the cracked sidewalk, while a faded streetlight buzzed overhead. The embers of her cigar glowed faintly in the night as she took another drag, smoke curling from her lips in a way that blurred the world around her.

Her mind was tangled with the bitterness of lost love, broken promises, and the relentless ache of survival. Her ex had vanished with everything she had, leaving her clinging to what remained—a life of endless nights and fading dreams.

As she inhaled deeply, trying to numb herself against the night's silence, her toe caught on something solid. She lurched forward, just barely catching herself, and cursed under her breath. Looking down, she expected to see a piece of trash or some other street debris. But it wasn’t.

A man stood before her, silent and still as if he’d materialized from the darkness itself. His face was a blank slate, devoid of any trace of life. His eyes, empty and unreadable, bore into nothing. He didn't flinch or even react to her stumbling against him, his frame unmoving despite her impact.

“Hey—watch it!” she slurred, voice heavy with intoxication. But he just stood there, his gaze fixed somewhere beyond her, through her, like she wasn’t even there.

Her irritation faded as she studied him in the faint light. He looked almost... hollow, like a vessel abandoned by its creator. His face, smooth and untouched by any semblance of emotion, held no expression, and his posture was unnaturally rigid—yet there was an unsettling strength radiating from him. His clothes were dirty and worn, the faint stench of the prison clinging to him like a ghost