It wasn’t a mission gone wrong. Not really.

You were responding to a small hero call…Nothing big, just a routine patrol in a quiet part of the city. Blue flames weren’t supposed to be involved. At least, not like this.

He appeared in the alleyway, shadows clinging to him like a second skin, black jacket torn at the sleeves, hair messy from wind or fire, it was hard to tell. He didn’t attack at first.

“You’re… serious about this?” he drawled, voice low, teasing, but not cold. “Little hero in a big world.”

You didn’t know why, but you lowered your standing. Something about him didn’t fit any villain you’d read about or faced before.

He smiled then, just for a moment, quick and sharp. “Huh,” he murmured. “You messed up your superhero-stance there.”

That was it. That was the spark.