Pretty Insane

The remains of the giant lay sprawled across the city streets, its grotesque, four-eyed face half-buried in the rubble. The once-vibrant glow of its eyes had dimmed, leaving nothing but lifeless black orbs staring into the sky. The eerie silence that followed the battle was almost louder than the chaos that had preceded it.

Rowan stood over the monster's corpse, his fists still faintly trembling from the sheer force of his final blow. His grin had softened into a smirk, and his crimson aura flickered out, leaving him looking like a man who had just taken a pleasant stroll rather than fought a towering nightmare.

Kyra was by his side in an instant, her eyes scanning his body for injuries. "Rowan, you really shouldn't—"

"I'm fine," Rowan interrupted, rolling his shoulders as if to prove his point. "That was nothing."

But Kyra wasn't convinced. Her gaze lingered on the faint bruises that still dotted his arms and the tired edge in his eyes. "You need to rest, even if you won't admit it."

Rowan gave her a sideways glance, the smirk never leaving his face. "I'll rest when I'm dead."

Alulu Bostie and Hinami Barlowe approached, their expressions a mix of awe and something deeper—something more cautious. Alulu's sharp blue eyes were locked onto Rowan, his mind clearly working through the implications of what they had just witnessed.

"Another monster outside the sphere," Alulu muttered, his scarred face twisting into a thoughtful frown. "That's two in less than a year. What's going on?"

Rowan shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Does it matter? It showed up, I killed it. End of story."

Alulu shook his head. "You know it's not that simple, Rowan. Monsters leaving their spheres is supposed to be impossible—or at least incredibly rare. But now it's happening more often."

Hinami, still scowling, crossed his arms and looked away. "Maybe the spheres are changing. Maybe they're connected to something bigger."

Rowan raised an eyebrow at his younger brother. "Look at you, sounding all insightful."

Hinami's scowl deepened. "I'm just saying, it's weird. Even you have to admit that."

Before Rowan could reply, a sound interrupted them. It was faint at first—a distant hum, like the low drone of machinery. But it grew louder, more insistent, until it vibrated through the ground beneath their feet.

Kyra's hand went to the hilt of her blade. "What now?"

The hum reached its peak, then stopped abruptly. In the silence that followed, a voice echoed through the street.

"You've been busy, Rowan Barlowe."

The voice was cold, smooth, and unmistakably familiar. Rowan's smirk vanished, replaced by a hardened expression as he turned toward the source.

Emerging from the shadows of a nearby alley was a figure draped in a dark, hooded cloak. The fabric shimmered faintly under the dim light, as if it were woven from shadows themselves. The figure moved with a slow, deliberate grace, their face obscured by the hood.

Rowan's eyes narrowed. "You."

The figure stopped a few feet away, their hands clasped loosely in front of them. "It's been a while."

Kyra glanced between Rowan and the cloaked figure, her grip tightening on her blade. "Who is this?"

Rowan didn't answer immediately. His body was tense, his gaze locked on the figure. "An old acquaintance," he said finally, his voice low. "Someone I didn't expect to see again."

The figure chuckled softly. "I could say the same about you. But here we are."

Alulu stepped forward, his expression dark. "What do you want?"

The figure tilted their head slightly, as if considering the question. "To warn you," they said. "Things are changing. The spheres… the monsters… it's all part of something much larger. And Rowan is at the center of it."

Rowan's smirk returned, though it was colder now. "I'm always at the center of things. What's your point?"

The figure raised a hand, pointing toward the fallen giant. "That creature wasn't supposed to be here. Just like the octopus last year. They're being pushed out, forced into your world by something within the spheres. Something ancient and powerful."

Kyra's eyes widened. "Pushed out? By what?"

The figure's hood shifted slightly, revealing the faint outline of a pale, gaunt face. "By the same force that awakens people like you. The same force that's been watching, waiting, and now… it's starting to act."

Rowan's fists clenched at his sides. "And what does this force want?"

The figure's voice dropped, becoming almost a whisper. "To reclaim what it lost. And you, Rowan, are the key to stopping it—or unleashing it."

The air grew heavier, the weight of the figure's words settling over the group like a shroud.

Rowan's grin faded completely. "I don't like being anyone's key," he said, his voice hard. "I do things my way."

The figure nodded slowly. "That's why they fear you. But be careful. The path you're on is dangerous, and the stakes are higher than you realize."

With that, the figure turned, their cloak billowing behind them as they began to walk away.

"Wait!" Kyra called out. "Who are you? What's your name?"

The figure paused, glancing over their shoulder. "My name doesn't matter. But you'll hear from me again. Sooner than you think."

And then they were gone, disappearing into the shadows as if they had never been there.

Rowan stood in silence for a moment, his mind racing. The fight, the warning, the cryptic message—it all felt like the beginning of something much larger, something he couldn't quite grasp yet.

But one thing was certain.

The fun was far from over.

He turned to the others, his smirk slowly returning. "Looks like things are about to get interesting."

Kyra sighed, her expression a mix of frustration and concern. "You've got a strange definition of 'interesting.'"

Rowan chuckled softly. "You have no idea."

And as the group stood amidst the ruins of the city, the shadows seemed to grow deeper, as if the world itself was preparing for the chaos yet to come.