The bruises still ached as Fury walked alongside Reo, their steps echoing through the now-empty school hallways. The last of the students had left, the evening sun casting long shadows against the walls. The cool air from an open window carried the distant sounds of the city, a stark contrast to the silence between them.


    Reo glanced at him, frowning. “You should’ve dodged that.”


    Fury exhaled through his nose. “I did.”


    Reo snorted. “You did not. You dodged the punch, sure, but you let Jake fry you like some rookie who’s never seen magic before.”


    Fury clenched his fists but didn’t respond. He should have dodged. But deep down, he knew it wouldn’t have mattered. Against magic, dodging was meaningless.


    Reo sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “You know, one day I won’t be there to pull your half-dead body off the ground.”


    Fury smirked. “You’re not that reliable.”


    Reo rolled his eyes. “Says the guy who gets his ass handed to him daily.”


    They stepped out of the school, the sky now painted in hues of orange and violet. The streetlights flickered to life as the last traces of daylight faded.


    Reo shoved his hands into his pockets. “So, heading home?”


    Fury hesitated. The thought of going back to that silent, empty house made his stomach twist. He could already picture it—the flickering ceiling light, the cold dinner left on the counter, the distant murmurs of his foster parents behind closed doors.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    “I think I’ll train for a bit,” he muttered.


    Reo gave him a look but didn’t push. “Just don’t get yourself killed,” he said before turning down his street.


    Fury stood there for a moment, watching his friend disappear into the distance. Then, with a quiet breath, he turned in the opposite direction—toward the abandoned lot.


    The Abandoned Lot


    A forgotten construction site at the edge of town. Rusted fences. Cracked concrete. The skeleton of an unfinished building standing against the night sky.


    Fury dropped his bag onto the ground and rolled his shoulders. His muscles were sore, his body aching, but pain was nothing new. He took a deep breath, grounding himself.


    Then he moved.


    He darted forward, weaving through imaginary attacks, his body a blur. His fists cut through the air, each strike landing with precision. His speed, his strength—these were the only things he had. If magic was out of his reach, he had to be faster. Stronger.


    He launched into a sprint, his feet barely touching the ground. A sharp turn—he spun, dodging an invisible enemy. His instincts guided him, honed from years of practice. He could feel it—the rhythm of battle. The flow of combat.


    Fury leaped, twisting mid-air—


    And then—


    The world shifted.


    A pulse. A snap.


    Like a thread unraveling.


    The air around him shuddered. A force—something—wrapped around his body, pulling, twisting—


    Then—


    Silence.


    The Void


    Fury’s eyes snapped open. His breath hitched. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.


    He was… falling.


    An endless white abyss surrounded him, stretching infinitely in every direction. There was no ground. No sky. No walls. Just emptiness.


    His body plummeted, weightless, stomach twisting. He reached out instinctively—


    Where am I?!


    The wind—no, there wasn’t wind. There was nothing. And yet, the sensation of falling was real. His mind screamed at him to wake up, to move, but there was nowhere to go.


    The emptiness swallowed him.


    Then—


    Impact.


    A force slammed him down onto… something. An invisible surface. Pain jolted through his limbs, but there was no floor. No texture. Just existence.


    Fury gasped for breath, his hands gripping the unseen ground beneath him. His fingers curled against nothingness, yet he felt resistance.


    His pulse was frantic, his body shaking. He scrambled up, heart pounding.


    "What… the hell…"


    His voice was swallowed by the void. No echoes. Just silence.


    He turned, but there was nothing. No landmarks. No horizon. Just the infinite stretch of nothing.


    A creeping dread slithered into his chest.


    Where… is this?


    A low growl shattered the silence.


    Fury’s body snapped into motion. His instincts screamed. His hand shot to his katana—


    From the emptiness, something moved.


    A shape crawled into view. Twisted, wrong, shifting like a shadow given form. Its body was vaguely humanoid, but its limbs were jagged, unnatural.


    And its eyes—


    Sickly yellow.


    Glowing.


    Watching him.


    Fury’s grip tightened on his weapon. His breath came in sharp gasps.


    Then the creature lunged.