Chapter: The Reckoning

San and Leo stepped out of the courthouse into the cold, rain-soaked evening. The air was heavy with the scent of wet asphalt and the faint metallic tang of blood that San swore wasn't just in his head. The city hummed around them, neon lights flickering like a dying heartbeat, but there was an unnatural stillness a warning they failed to notice.

Leo, trying to lighten the mood, slapped San on the back. "Man, that cross-examination was brutal. You had that werebeast's lawyer squirming like a rat in a trap."

San forced a faint smirk, his mind still replaying the events of the day. "It's not over. You saw the note. We're swimming in deeper waters than we thought."

Leo shrugged, pulling his jacket tighter against the cold. "We've handled worse."

They turned into an alley that served as a shortcut to their car. The rain trickled down in steady rivulets, forming tiny streams that snaked around their feet.

"Handled worse?" San muttered. "This isn't some petty gang or backroom deal. This is"

A sound, sharp and metallic, cut through the air.

San froze mid-sentence, his eyes darting to the source. A pipe rolled out from the shadows, clattering against the ground.

Leo laughed nervously. "Just some junk. You're getting paranoid."

San didn't respond. His instincts screamed at him to turn back, but it was already too late.

The first blow came from behind a steel bat crashing into Leo's side with a sickening crunch. He let out a strangled cry, crumpling to the ground.

"Leo!" San shouted, spinning around, but another figure emerged from the darkness, swinging a chain.

The chain lashed across San's chest, the impact driving him into the brick wall. He gasped for air, the cold sting of the rain mixing with the burning pain of torn skin.

Three figures stepped into the dim light of the alley. Their faces were obscured by hoods, but their movements were calculated, predatory.

"Should've stayed quiet, lawyer," one of them growled, his voice dripping with malice.

San's mind raced, but before he could react, they descended on Leo.

"No!" San shouted, lunging forward, but a boot connected with his stomach, sending him sprawling back.

Leo tried to fight back, but he was outnumbered, the attackers striking with ruthless precision. Blood splattered against the wet ground as one of them drove a knife into Leo's side.

San scrambled to his feet, his vision blurring with rage and fear. "Get off him!"

Another attacker swung the bat at him, but this time San was ready. He ducked, the weapon smashing into the wall behind him. He countered with a wild punch, catching the man in the jaw, but the others were on him in an instant.

A fist collided with his temple, and the world spun. He hit the ground hard, his head splitting open against the pavement.

Through the haze of pain, he saw Leo lying motionless, his chest heaving shallowly, blood pooling beneath him.

Something inside San snapped.

A deep, primal fury surged through him, drowning out the pain, the fear, everything but the need to fight back.

And then it happened.

A blinding light erupted from within him, searing through the darkness of the alley. The rain seemed to freeze midair, droplets suspended like shards of glass.

San felt it a presence deep within him, ancient and unyielding.

[SYSTEM ACTIVATED]

The words appeared before his eyes, glowing faintly in the frozen air.

"Justice Awakening: Level 1 Initiated. Codex of Sovereignty Unlocked."

The attackers hesitated, their confusion turning to terror as the air around San grew heavier, suffused with an invisible force that pressed against their lungs.

San rose to his feet, his eyes burning with an eerie light. The pain was gone, replaced by something darker, colder.

"Task Initiated: Deliver Sanction to Those Who Defy Equity."

The system's voice echoed in his mind, calm yet commanding.

The first attacker swung his bat again, but San caught it mid-swing with a single hand. His grip crushed the steel, bending it like putty.

"What the....." the man stammered, but he didn't get to finish.

San's hand shot out, grabbing him by the throat. A surge of energy coursed through his fingers, and the man screamed as his body convulsed, his muscles locking in place. San flung him into the wall with a sickening crunch.

The other two backed away, but there was no escape. San moved faster than they could react, his movements precise, merciless.

One tried to run, but San's hand shot out, and an invisible force dragged the man back, slamming him into the ground. The pavement cracked beneath him, blood pooling from his mouth.

The last attacker fell to his knees, begging for mercy. "Please! We were just following orders!"

San loomed over him, the light in his eyes growing brighter. "Orders don't absolve you."

The system chimed again.

"Verdict Delivered. Sanction Imposed."

The man let out a strangled cry as his body convulsed, his skin burning with unseen marks scales of black that spread like a curse. He collapsed, unconscious but alive.

San stood amidst the carnage, his chest heaving. The rain resumed its fall, washing away the blood but not the weight of what he'd done.

He turned to Leo, who lay motionless, his breathing faint.

"Stay with me," San whispered, kneeling beside him.

The system's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Emergency Protocol Activated: Minor Restoration Available for Ally."

A faint glow enveloped San's hands, instinct guiding him as he pressed them against Leo's wound. The bleeding slowed, the torn flesh knitting itself together.

Leo's eyes fluttered open, his voice weak. "What... what the hell just happened?"

San didn't answer. He couldn't. His mind was still reeling, the system's presence lingering like a shadow.

This wasn't just an awakening.

This was a reckoning.