The city of Leviathan burned under a blood-red sky. Smoke twisted through the air, carrying the scent of ash and ruin. The sound of boots hammering against the stone echoed through the alleys, followed by the distant cries of the desperate. Titan Hunters federation soldiers moved in ruthless formations, sweeping through the slums, dragging away anyone who looked like an orphan or a rogue Titan User.


    Zoren ran.


    His breath came in ragged bursts, his vision blurred by the sting of sweat and smoke. Talis and Linda, two of the other orphans, clung to his sides, their hands gripping his tattered cloak. Behind them, the heavy clang of armored boots grew louder.


    "They''re gaining!" Talis cried, his voice cracking in panic.


    "Shut up and run," Linda snapped, though fear laced her words.


    Zoren clenched his teeth. He had to keep moving. If he stopped, if he hesitated for even a second—


    A shriek.


    He whipped his head around just in time to see a soldier grab Lina by the collar, yanking her off her feet. The young girl thrashed, kicking and clawing, but the soldier''s grip was ironclad.


    "linda!"


    Zoren lunged, but a flash of steel forced him back. Another soldier, clad in the Titan Federation''s dark insignia, stepped between them, a blade raised to strike.


    "Keep running!" Linda shouted. "Don''t stop—"


    A sharp blow cut her off.


    Zoren''s legs moved on instinct, his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms. But before he could charge, something heavy slammed into his side, sending him tumbling across the stone pavement. Talis hit the ground beside him, gasping in pain.


    Through the ringing in his ears, he caught a final glimpse of Linda being dragged into the shadows.


    And then she was gone.


    The world blurred. His chest heaved with ragged breaths, his heart hammering with helpless fury. Another friend lost. Another failure.


    A rough hand grabbed his wrist, yanking him to his feet.


    "Move," a voice hissed.


    Zoren barely registered the person dragging him before they broke into a sprint. The shadows swallowed them whole, concealing them from the Hunters'' sight.


    When Zoren''s senses steadied, he found himself hidden beneath the collapsed frame of an abandoned market stall. The stranger who had pulled him away crouched beside him, peering through the cracks in the wooden debris.


    A woman—young but hardened, with sharp violet eyes that flickered with intelligence. Her dark, shoulder-length hair was messy, half-tied back in a loose braid. She wore a reinforced leather coat, and her fingers rested casually on the hilt of a dagger at her waist.


    "You''re lucky I found you," she muttered.


    Zoren''s muscles tensed. "Who—"


    "Not the time for questions." Her eyes flicked toward the street. The soldiers were still nearby, scanning the rubble. "If you want to live, stay quiet."


    Talis whimpered beside him, his breath shaky. Zoren wrapped a protective arm around Talis , forcing himself to calm down.


    Minutes crawled by. The soldiers eventually moved on, their heavy boots fading into the distance. Only then did the woman relax, exhaling sharply.


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    "Alright. We should be clear." She turned to Zoren, raising an eyebrow. "You''re the kid they''re after, aren''t you?, Or the orphans that they are looking for ?."


    Zoren scowled. "What''s it to you?"


    The woman smirked. "You''ve got some fire. Good." She leaned back against the broken stall, folding her arms. "Name''s Nyssa."


    Zoren hesitated. He wasn''t sure if he trusted her, but right now, he didn''t have much of a choice.


    "…Zoren."


    "Figured." Nyssa''s gaze lingered on him. "That little pulse you let out earlier? Sloppy, but interesting."


    His eyes narrowed. "You saw that?"


    "Oh, yeah." Nyssa tapped the side of her head. "You''re not the only one with tricks."


    Something about the way she said it made Zoren wary. But before he could press further, a new voice cut through the air.


    "Well, well. What do we have here?"


    Some soldiers reveal Themselves


    Zoren, Talis and Nyssa spun around.


    Standing in the open street were three figures clad in dark Titan Federation armor. But unlike the other soldiers, these men exuded a different kind of presence. Their armor bore intricate engravings, marking them as elite. Their weapons, refined and deadly.


    And their faces—unmasked.


    The leader stepped forward, a man with sharp golden eyes and a scar running from his brow to his chin. His long dark hair was tied back, and he carried a jagged spear etched with glowing blue runes.


    "Took us a while to track you," he said, voice smooth but laced with amusement. "But the hunt''s over, boys."


    Zoren ams Talis tensed.


    Nyssa muttered under her breath. "Great. It''s them."


    "You know these guys?" Zoren asked.


    "Unfortunately."


    The second Hunter, a bald, stocky man with a mechanical gauntlet, cracked his knuckles. "Let''s make this simple. You come with us, we don''t break your legs."


    The third, a wiry man with a pair of curved daggers, grinned. "Or maybe we do. Just for fun."


    Zoren''s pulse pounded in his ears.


    He was outmatched.


    But he had no intention of surrendering.


    Nyssa sighed. "Guess we''re doing this the hard way."


    Then she moved.


    Everything exploded into motion.


    Nyssa darted forward, her dagger flashing as she clashed with the dagger-wielding Hunter. Sparks flew as steel met steel. The bald Hunter lunged at Zoren, his gauntlet whirring as it swung toward his skull.


    Zoren ducked.


    Instinct took over. His body moved before his mind could catch up, dodging left, then right. He lashed out with a kick, striking the Hunter''s knee. The man grunted but barely stumbled.


    Too strong.


    Too fast.


    The leader with the spear was watching. Studying, while Talis was also watching.


    Zoren knew he had seconds before the real attack came.


    "Nyssa!" he shouted.


    "Yeah, yeah, working on it!" she called back, slamming her knee into her opponent''s gut before twisting away. "Get moving!"


    She didn''t have to tell him twice.


    Grabbing Talis by the arm, Zoren bolted.


    The Hunters gave chase.


    They weaved through the ruined streets, dodging through alleys, leaping over fallen beams. The air was thick with smoke, the cries of the city''s people still echoing in the distance.


    Then, up ahead—


    A dead end.


    Zoren cursed.


    The Hunters closed in, their weapons glinting in the dim firelight.


    Then—


    Something snapped.


    A noise filled his ears—a low, unnatural hum.


    His legs shook. His breath stopped for a moment.


    His fingers curled into fists.


    Not again.


    Not again.


    They always took everything. The orphanage, his friends—


    No matter how hard he fought, how fast he ran—


    He always lost.


    ---


    "STOP TAKING THEM FROM ME!"


    His scream shook the air.


    The world cracked.


    A pulse of black and white energy exploded from his chest, rippling through the alley like a living storm.


    The ground split apart.


    Stone shattered beneath him. Buildings groaned, glass windows exploded outward.


    The soldiers staggered back, stunned.


    Even the golden-eyed commander stepped forward, intrigued.


    "There it is," he murmured.


    Zoren didn''t hear him.


    His mind was a void of rage and despair.


    The energy around him twisted.


    For the first time, his Core had fully awakened.


    A power he didn''t understand.


    For a moment, the golden-eyed leader locked eyes with him.


    Talis, still dazed, looked up.


    And his breath caught.


    Zoren''s eyes weren''t normal anymore.


    One glowed white.


    One glowed black.


    Like a Titan''s.


    Like something not human.


    Talis shivered.


    "Zoren…?"


    His voice barely registered.


    The power was too much—too wild.


    Zoren felt like he was drowning in it.


    Zoren manage to get himself in a split second shouted


    "NYSSA! NOW!"


    A blur of dark purple.


    A dagger flashed—slicing through the bindings before they could take hold.


    Nyssa had moved.


    "You''re a damn mess, kid," she muttered. "But you''re my damn mess now."


    She grabbed Zoren''s wrist—hard.


    "MOVE."


    Talis, still shaking, snapped out of it.


    Then they ran.


    Then the dust swallowed everything whole.


    When the air finally cleared, Zoren, Nyssa, and Talis were gone.


    The golden-eyed Hunter exhaled, brushing dust from his shoulder.


    His lips curled into a smirk.


    "This just got interesting."


    The hunt wasn''t over.


    Not by a long shot.


    ---


    To be continued.