The dry wind off the landfill howled through twisted heaps of iron, rattling loose metal and carrying sparks and dust with it. Somewhere in the distance, the clang of colliding steel echoed faintly, vibrating through the air like a warning pulse.

Rudo’s team moved forward with care. Enjin took the left flank, unhurried but alert, eyes constantly scanning. Zanka followed close behind, cradling the tracking equipment. Rudo led the advance, his expression set and unreadable.

“This sector’s been abandoned,” Rudo said, studying the deep gouges and scorched walls. “Raiders came through here.”

Enjin nudged a slab of iron with his boot, watching it clatter away. “‘Came through’ like… an hour ago? Or yesterday?”

Rudo crouched, pressing his fingers to the ground. Heat still radiated from it—faint, but unmistakable. “An hour. Maybe less.”

Enjin grinned. “Good. Means they’re still warm.”

Zanka shot him a sideways look. “You’re the only one who enjoys that.”

“Someone has to,” he replied, blinking innocently.

They pressed on. The path narrowed, choked with shattered machinery and exposed cables snaking across the ground. Then the air shifted—thick, charged, heavy against the skin. The distant machinery fell silent, swallowed by an unnatural hush.

Rudo raised his fist.

They froze.

And then—

You appeared.

Perched atop a mound of scrap metal, you were bathed in the dull red glow of flickering streetlights. Wind tugged at your hair as silence settled completely, suffocating and absolute. Your gaze locked onto the group below—steady, unflinching.

Enjin looked up.

For once, his smile faltered.

“…Huh.” A breathy, almost amused sound escaped him. “Didn’t see that coming.”

Zanka snapped her equipment up. “Visual confirmed! Raider—direct eye contact!”

Rudo stepped forward, voice sharp. “Don’t move.”

But Enjin barely heard him. His attention stayed fixed on you, surprise giving way to open intrigue. Dust and red light traced your silhouette—the effortless balance, the lack of fear.

“Damn,” he muttered with a quiet laugh. “Too pretty to be a raider.”

“Enjin,” Rudo warned. “Please. Focus.”

That’s when you struck. You launched yourself from the scrap heap, hitting the ground hard enough to send metal shards skittering in every direction. Dust exploded upward, swallowing the space between you.

Rudo staggered back, shielding his face. Enjin slipped aside just in time, movement smooth and instinctive, his grin slowly returning.

“Wow,” he said lightly. “No introductions? Straight to violence?” His eyes tracked you through the haze. “Respect.”

“She’s a raider!” Rudo snapped. “Don’t get careless!”

You lunged again.

Enjin caught your forearm, redirecting the force and spinning with you in one fluid motion. The impact rang out, sharp and loud. For a brief moment, you were close—too close.

His eyes gleamed, bright with provocation.

“You know,” he said softly, amused, “you’re gonna give someone a heart attack looking at them like that.”