The city was alive.
Not with people. Not with lights.
With tension.
Hunters, exorcists, rogue spirits—all moving, all watching, all waiting.
---
I hovered above a crowded district.
From my vantage point, I could see the subtle shifts in behavior.
Hunters patrolled rooftops, talismans glowing faintly.
Exorcists walked the streets, chanting soft prayers, symbols floating around them.
And rogue spirits… roaming freely, curious and chaotic.
---
> [World Scan:]
— Hunter Units: 5 active teams
— Exorcist Patrols: 3 groups
— Rogue Spirit Activity: High
— Observer Nodes: Tracking
"…Great," I muttered.
"Everyone's here, just to watch me die—or make me a problem."
> [System Alert: Yes]
---
A wraith lunged from a rooftop.
Hunters reacted instantly.
Exorcists stepped forward, chanting containment spells.
The wraith screeched.
And I intervened.
---
> [Skill Used: Emotional Grounding + Chaotic Signature Boost]
A pulse of controlled emotion rippled outward.
The wraith faltered.
Hunters and exorcists froze mid-action.
Rogue spirits hesitated.
The chaos… slowed.
---
"…You're annoying," a deep voice said.
I looked up.
> — Rogue Spirit Lord (Fragmented)
It hovered high, massive, watching my movements with interest.
---
At the same time, a hunter shouted.
"Contain the anomaly!"
Talismans shot like lightning.
---
> [Spirit Core Response:]
— Defensive Mode Activated
— Core Integrity: 92%
---
I didn't fight.
I didn't run.
I moved.
---
A flash of insight:
The arrays—hunters' talismans, exorcists' symbols—didn't overlap completely.
Gaps. Small but consistent.
---
I twisted through the gaps, dodging chains of light, stepping between pulses of energy.
Rogue spirits moved with me, curious, orbiting my path.
---
> [Observation:]
— Multi-faction coordination imperfect
— Predictable patterns logged
---
Above, the fragmented Rogue Spirit laughed.
"You dance well, little one."
"…Thanks??" I muttered mid-twist.
---
One hunter tried to flank me.
I anticipated.
Not force. Not attack. Just presence.
> [Skill Used: Emotional Camouflage – Prototype Adaptive]
The hunter misstepped.
Talisman misfired.
---
> [System Update:]
— Hunter Movement Patterns Cataloged
---
I paused briefly on a rooftop.
Chest heaving.
"…This is exhausting."
---
Mira appeared silently beside me.
"Enjoying the lesson?" she asked.
"…Not really," I admitted.
"You will," she said, fading.
"And soon, you'll have to teach it."
---
Below, chaos simmered.
Each faction regrouped.
Watching me. Testing me.
---
> [New Insight:]
— Multi-faction response predictable with proper timing and presence control
— Rogue spirits act as wildcards
---
I took a deep breath.
Core steadying.
"…Alright. Let's make them work for it."
---
The city waited.
I moved.
Chaos followed.
And somewhere, unseen, the Observers recorded everything.
---