Where Shadows Walk

The moment Leo's blood touched the cold concrete, they turned black and the world shifted. The shadows in the room didn't just turn darker, they shook wildly as if freeing themselves from shackles. 

They reached toward him like hungry creatures awakening from hibernation. The darkness seemed to let out shrieks as it approached him.

He held his head tightly as a bone-chilling sensation spread from his wound like ice through his veins, crawling down his neck and seeping into where his heart and lungs lay. 

His heartbeat slowed down to a thunderous rhythm that sounded in his ears. Each pulse sent waves of shadow rippling beneath his skin, covering his whole body with shadows that moved and swirled.

The pain was excruciating, yet somehow exhilarating, like every cell in his body was dying and being reborn in the same instant.

His vision blurred and became clear again only it seemed slightly darker this time, this process repeated several more times, and in that moment reality seemed fake to Leo. The normal world began to fade, replaced by complete darkness. 

Then his vision came back, this time he could suddenly see shadows everywhere - in corners, cracks, and spaces he'd never noticed before.

The swirling shadows that covered his skin before was replaced by dark lines that moved under his skin like black veins, creating strange patterns.

With each breath, he drew more darkness into his body, filling him with a powerful sensation that both terrified and amazed him.

Below, Kaori prepared to end the fight. She brought her hands together with a sharp clap, and the sound rang through the room.

All her crystal barriers shattered at once, creating thousands of sharp fragments that floated in the air above them like frozen raindrops. Time seemed to pause as the crystal pieces hung there, glinting in the dim light.

With a graceful but deadly motion, Kaori launched her crystal storm at the mercenaries. Their confident smirks vanished as thousands of sharp crystal pieces flew at them from all sides.

In seconds, they were pinned to the walls, the crystal shards stopped just short of their throats. Their powers looked weak compared to what Kaori could do.

But Leo barely noticed what was happening below. A cold feeling was spreading through his body, changing him with each breath and heartbeat. The shadows in the room seemed drawn to him, reaching for him like they could sense something in his blood calling to them.

Something powerful was awakening inside him. It felt like looking into a deep, dark pit and seeing something looking back – something that promised incredible power but would demand a heavy price. The shadows weren't just around him anymore, they were becoming a part of him.

This wasn't the normal process of how others would get their powers. Other than the fact that Leo was too old for this, this whole process was different. 

Every shadow in the room seemed connected to him now, like he had become a magnet for darkness itself. Whatever was waking up inside him was like the green light that had given others their powers.

As he started to black out, Leo knew one thing for certain: his old life was over. Now he just had to find out what he would become.

The shadows continued to spread, and the last thing he saw before passing out was his own reflection in a shattered window, his eyes were now endless pools of swirling shadow that seemed to hold all the darkness in the universe.

Below, Vale tried to run, but the briefcase flew from his hand into Kaori's grasp. "Thank you for your contribution to the cause."

Above, Leo's unconscious body was dangerously close to falling as it hung on the ledge he had been crouched on. His body shifted slightly, causing a small piece of stone to break loose and tumble down.

The sound was tiny, but in the aftermath of the fight, it might as well have been an explosion.

Kaori's head snapped up, her eyes searching the darkness above to spot someone. She raised her hand, and the air around her began to crystallize.

"We have an audience," she announced, waiting for the person to reveal themselves.

Five seconds passed, then ten, then a whole minute, and Leo still hadn't responded.

Kaori stood silently, her patience wearing thin as the silence stretched on. With a graceful motion, she lifted her arm upward. The air in front of her shimmered briefly before solidifying into a massive crystal shard. Its edges were wickedly sharp and glinted in the dark room.

She kept the crystalline weapon suspended in the air, its sharp point aimed directly at Leo's position. The threat in her posture was clear - she wouldn't ask again.

As if he could sense the danger in his unconscious state, Leo abruptly opened his now normal eyes and struggle to get himself away from where he had nearly fallen.

Once safe, he stood up quickly, his whole body aching. The pain was everywhere, but he ignored it and focused on figuring out what was going on and how he had been compromised.

Not knowing what was going on or what situation he was in, he made a split-second decision, he raised his hands. "Kaori Yamashita. I've been trying to get an interview with you for months."

Kaori's eyes narrowed. "A journalist? In this part of town?"

"Leo Voss, independent press." He forced his voice to remain steady. "I go where the stories are."

"The stories?" Vale spat blood from his position on the ground. "You're interfering with matters beyond your understanding, boy."

Kaori studied Leo with an intensity that made his skin crawl. "Show me your footage."

Leo had no idea how they had noticed him or what was happening but he knew one thing, "I can't do that." He said, his aura growing intense.

"Can't? Or won't?" Energy crackled around Kaori's fingers.

"Either way, my answer is the same." Leo met her gaze. "The public deserves to know what's happening behind their backs."

A smile played at the corners of her mouth. "Brave. Stupid, but brave." She turned to her associates. "Bring him."

Leo tensed, getting ready to run, but something slammed into him from behind. As he fell forward, he caught a glimpse of a figure materializing from thin air – another powered individual he hadn't detected.

"Sorry about this," a young female voice whispered in his ear. "But you're about to get the biggest story of your career."

The world spun as he hit the ground. His camera fell and clattered away, and as his consciousness faded, he saw Kaori picking up the device.

"Welcome to the resistance, Mr. Voss," she said. "I hope you're ready to see how deep this rabbit hole really goes."

Then everything went dark.

------

Leo awoke to the smell of antiseptic and the soft beeping of medical equipment. Opening his eyes, he found himself in what appeared to be an underground medical facility.

Advanced monitoring equipment lined the walls, displaying statistics he didn't understand.

"Good morning, Mr. Voss." a youthful female voice came from the side.

Leo turned to see a young woman with white hair perched on a nearby counter, typing on a holographic interface. She didn't look up from her work.

"Where am I?" His throat felt dry and his tongue bitter.

"Somewhere safe." She finally met his gaze, and Leo was struck by her beauty and heterochromatic eyes – one a deep brown and the other, a mesmerizing green. "I'm Neo. And you're currently in the most secure resistance medical facility in Neo-Tokyo."

"Medical facility?" Leo sat up, noticing the electrodes attached to his chest. "I'm not injured."

"No," Neo agreed, "but your biology is changing. Started about six hours ago. Your cellular structure is... fascinating."

The tingling sensation he'd felt earlier was back, stronger now. Looking down at his hands, Leo watched in horror as shadows seemed to swirl on his hand.

"That's not possible," he whispered. "I'm too old for manifestation."

"Normally, yes." Kaori's voice came from the doorway. "But you, Mr. Voss, are proving to be full of surprises."

She walked in, his camera in her hands. "Excellent footage, by the way. Though I think you'll find your next story much more interesting." She set the camera down beside him. "How does it feel to become what you've been investigating?"

Leo, shaken by her presence, wanted to respond, but shadows began spreading under his skin again. It was blurring his vision and slowly taking his consciousness away.

In the background, he heard Neo shouting something about power spikes, felt Kaori's energy trying to contain whatever was happening to him.

But the shadows were stronger. And before he could pass out, everything around them turned black.