Ren Ashfall didn't wake up to alarms.
He woke up to noise.
Someone shouting.
Metal clanging.
A baby crying somewhere in the distance.
Cinder Row was loud like that.
Not alive.
Just… loud.
Ren opened his eyes slowly, staring at the cracked ceiling above him. A piece of it had fallen sometime during the night. Light slipped through the gap, cutting across his face.
He didn't move at first.
Just listened.
"…Still alive.
That was enough.
He sat up, stretching his shoulders. His body ached, but he ignored it. Pain didn't mean anything here.
If anything, it meant you were still breathing.
The building he slept in wasn't his.
Nothing was.
Just another empty place nobody cared about.
Just another spot to get through the night.
Ren stood and walked to the edge of the broken wall, looking out over Cinder Row.
Same as always.
Broken buildings stacked on top of each other.
People moving like they had somewhere to be—but didn't.
Smoke rising from places it shouldn't.
Nobody here was living.
They were just trying not to fall behind.
Ren climbed down, landing lightly on the street below.
Dust kicked up around his shoes.
People passed by him.
Or around him.
No one spoke.
No one looked.
That was normal.
If you weren't useful…
you didn't exist.
🩸 Survival
Ren moved through the streets like he always did.
Calm. Quiet. Watching everything.
His eyes landed on a small stall.
Food.
The man running it looked tired.
Distracted.
That was enough.
Ren walked past like anyone else.
Then—
quick.
His hand moved.
Gone.
He didn't run.
Never run.
Running makes people notice.
He turned into an alley, finally taking a bite.
Dry.
Cold.
Didn't matter.
As long as it kept him moving.
He leaned against the wall slightly, chewing slowly.
Then—
he heard it.
A louder noise.
Different.
Ren's eyes shifted toward the main street.
"…Another one?"
Fights weren't rare.
But this one felt… different.
He pushed himself off the wall and walked toward it.
⚔️ The Strong
A crowd had already formed.
Not close.
Never close.
People here knew better.
Ren slipped through just enough to see.
Two men stood in the middle of the street.
Something felt wrong immediately.
The air was heavier.
Thicker.
Like something invisible was pressing down on everything.
Ren narrowed his eyes.
"…Them."
Not these exact people.
But people like them.
The ones who had that… thing.
Power.
One of them moved.
Ren barely saw it.
A blur—
then impact.
The other man blocked—
but the ground beneath him cracked.
Ren's eyes widened slightly.
«"…What the hell…"»
They kept going.
Faster.
Stronger.
Every hit shook the air.
People stepped back even more.
Some turned away.
But Ren didn't.
He couldn't.
It was the same feeling.
The same one from years ago.
🔥 The Memory
Fire.
Too bright.
Too violent.
Too wrong.
Voices.
Calm.
Unbothered.
Then silence.
And people…
walking away.
Ren's hand tightened slightly.
«"…"»
Back then… he couldn't do anything.
Now…
he still couldn't.
⚔️ Back to Reality
The fight ended.
Just like that.
One man dropped.
Didn't move again.
The other stood there for a second…
then turned.
And walked away.
No one stopped him.
No one even tried.
The crowd slowly broke apart.
Like nothing happened.
Ren stood there.
Still watching.
«"…So that's it."»
His voice was quiet.
«"That's what decides everything."»
Not fairness.
Not rules.
Power.
🧠 Something Changes
Ren turned away.
Started walking.
The noise of Cinder Row came back.
Like the fight didn't matter.
"…Tch."
«"If you're weak… that's it, huh."»
No one helps you.
No one saves you.
You just survive.
Or you don't.
Ren stopped.
For a moment, everything around him felt distant.
He looked at his hand.
Scarred.
Thin.
Weak.
Then slowly—
he clenched it.
«"No."»
His voice was low.
But steady.
«"I'm not staying like this."»
He looked back toward where the fight happened.
«"If power decides everything…"»
A pause.
His eyes sharpened.
«"Then I'll take it."»
No shouting.
No anger.
Just a decision.
Final.
«"And when I do…"»
His grip tightened.
«"I won't ignore people like they did."»
🌆 The Rumor
It happened later.
Near evening.
Ren was passing by when he heard voices.
«"I'm telling you, it's real."»
He slowed.
Just a little.
«"A place where they train people like that."»
Ren stopped.
«"…Train them?"»
«"Yeah. Some academy or something."»
«"Only people with that power can get in."»
Ren didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Just listened.
«"If you get in… your whole life changes."»
«"You become one of them."»
One of them.
Ren's eyes darkened slightly.
«"…An academy…"»
For the first time—
it felt real.
Not just survival.
Not just anger.
A path.
🌙 Night
Ren sat on a rooftop that night.
Same place.
Same view.
Cinder Row stretched endlessly below him.
Broken.
Loud.
Unchanging.
But his mind wasn't on it anymore.
«"If it's real…"»
His voice was quiet.
«"Then that's where I start."»
He stood up slowly.
«"I'll get stronger."»
A pause.
«"No matter what it takes."»
The wind blew softly.
Then—
Ren felt it.
Something.
He froze.
"…What was that?"
The air changed.
Just slightly.
But enough.
His chest tightened.
Like something invisible had just brushed past him.
Slow.
Cold.
Watching.
Ren turned sharply—
But there was nothing there.
Just the empty rooftop.
The broken city.
Silence.
Then—
A voice.
Behind him.
Low.
«"So… you want power?"»
Ren's eyes widened slightly.
He didn't hear anyone approach.
Didn't feel anything.
And yet—
Someone was standing there.
Watching him.