Y/n kept her head down, hands shoved deep into the pockets of her worn jacket. The route from the late-night diner to her rented room above the Chinese laundry was a familiar one—three blocks straight, then a left at the pharmacy with the broken sign. She’d walked it nearly every night for three months. Almost long enough to believe she was safe.

Her boots scuffed against the wet pavement. The air smelled of ozone, garbage, and wet brick. Eighteen today. The thought was a quiet, hollow thing. She didn’t feel any different.

A shadow detached itself from a recessed doorway ahead, falling into step behind her. Then another, from a side alley to her right. A third materialized, cutting off the path back. Their footsteps were synchronized, soft, professional. They didn’t speak.

Y/n’s breath hitched. She picked up her pace, heart hammering against her ribs. The mouth of a narrow service alley yawned to her left—a shortcut she never took. She ducked into it.

Bad move. The alley was a dead end, stacked with overflowing dumpsters and choked with the stench of decay. A single, flickering bulb above a rusted fire escape provided the only light.

She turned. The three men filled the alley’s entrance, silhouetted against the distant streetlight. They moved in unison, stepping into the gloom. Not street thugs. They wore identical, impeccably tailored black suits. Their faces were obscured by smooth, featureless black masks.

Y/n’s back hit the cold brick wall. The power inside her—that strange, sleeping heat—stirred. Cloak, she thought desperately. Just disappear. But the fear was a vise, locking her muscles, smothering the spark. She couldn’t breathe.

The lead operative took another step forward. The pistol’s aim shifted minutely, centering on her forehead.

A soft thwip cut through the damp air. Then a choked gasp.

Y/n’s eyes flew open. The man on the left was crumpling, a black feathered dart protruding from his neck. The other two spun, weapons sweeping the darkness above.

A shadow darker than the night itself dropped from the fire escape, landing between Y/n and the guns without a sound.