Vanished in the Night

Keon continued walking through the darkness, his footsteps echoing softly against the damp stone beneath him. The tunnel stretched endlessly, the stale air thick with the scent of mold and sewage. Each step felt heavier than the last, not just from exhaustion but from the uncertainty clawing at his mind.

Where does this path even lead?

He tried to recall what he knew.

Some tunnels led to ruins, abandoned and forgotten by time. Others opened into construction sites, half-built structures left to rot. And then there were those that led to graveyards, silent and eerie, filled with nothing but the whispers of the dead.

But this one?

I can't remember.

The lack of clarity irritated him.

It felt like he had been walking for hours, but that was probably just his mind playing tricks on him. His legs were starting to ache, a dull soreness creeping in from all the running earlier.

Then—

CLANG.

His forehead smacked into something hard and metallic.

"Shit—!"

He stumbled back, rubbing the sore spot as he squinted up at the obstacle in his way.

A ladder.

It stretched upward, disappearing into the shadows above. Keon hesitated only for a second before gripping the cold metal bars.

Up it is, then.

He climbed, each movement slow and deliberate. The rungs felt slippery, worn by time, but he pushed forward, ascending toward the unknown.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, his hand touched a surface. A hatch.

With a deep breath, he pushed it open.

The first thing he expected to see was light—the golden glow of street lamps or even the dull haze of city pollution.

But instead, he was met with—

Darkness.

A vast, open sky filled with stars.

It's already night…

Keon let out a quiet sigh, his breath visible in the cold air. The temperature had dropped significantly, and while his cloak shielded most of his body, his face was left exposed, the crisp wind biting at his skin.

Stepping out completely, he took a moment to scan his surroundings.

The road ahead was cracked and broken, nature slowly reclaiming what had been abandoned. Grass and vines had grown over the pavement, swallowing parts of it whole. Rusted street signs stood crookedly, long forgotten by those who once relied on them.

An abandoned road.

A place long untouched by civilization.

Keon exhaled, his breath lingering in the air.

"Great… Now where the hell am I?"

The cold night air wrapped around Keon like an unseen force as he took cautious steps forward, his boots crunching against patches of overgrown weeds sprouting through the cracked pavement.

The road ahead stretched into the unknown, a forgotten place, swallowed by time. No signs of life. No sounds of cars or distant city noise. Just silence.

The stars above blinked like distant watchers, indifferent to his situation.

Keon exhaled, his breath misting in the frigid air. He needed to move. Staying still wouldn't get him anywhere, and he didn't want to linger near the sewer exit for too long. There was no telling if the police would check underground tunnels.

One step at a time.

With that thought, he adjusted his cloak, tucking it around him as he began walking toward the only visible path forward—deeper into the abandoned landscape.

---

Shift in Scene: The Hideout Raid

Back at the criminal hideout, the aftermath of chaos still lingered.

The once-hidden base was now exposed, overrun by officers searching every corner. Flashlights swept through the underground corridors, illuminating the ruins of what had been a safe house for criminals.

Some officers checked bodies, confirming fatalities. Others restrained the captured, dragging them out of the hideout in cuffs.

Despite the scale of destruction, the police operation had been a success—mostly.

Yet, one thing remained unsettling.

A single loose thread in an otherwise clean raid.

Among the officers, a man entered—his presence shifting the entire atmosphere.

He wore a dark overcoat, the fabric heavy and well-tailored, suggesting both status and authority. Beneath it, his crisp military-style uniform bore a badge, polished enough to reflect light.

His eyes, sharp and calculating, swept over the scene as he walked with an air of unshakable confidence.

The officers nearby straightened instinctively, aware of who had just arrived.

He stopped near a group of officers who had been discussing something in hushed voices.

"Report," he ordered, his voice calm but demanding absolute clarity.

One of the officers, a lieutenant, immediately stepped forward and saluted.

"The raid was successful, sir," he confirmed. "Most of the criminals have been neutralized or captured with minimal resistance."

The man in the overcoat nodded slightly. "Any difficulties?"

The officers exchanged glances. Then, one of them hesitated before speaking.

"Not much, sir... except for one case."

The high-ranking officer's brows lifted slightly, a flicker of interest in his otherwise unreadable expression.

"Explain."

The officers began recounting the strange event that had taken place during the raid—

A teenager, moving unnaturally fast, evading every obstacle thrown his way.

Walls raised to block his path? Bypassed effortlessly.

Officers with enhanced speed trying to catch him? Outpaced.

Bullets fired? Dodged.

And then—he vanished.

"Vanished?" the man in the overcoat echoed, his voice laced with intrigue.

"Yes, sir," one officer confirmed. "By the time we reached his last known position, there was no trace of him."

The high-ranking officer remained silent for a moment.

"...And his appearance?" he finally asked.

Another officer hesitated before responding. "We couldn't get a clear look, sir. He was wearing a cloak the entire time."

Some officers began discussing theories—

"He might've had a stealth ability."

"Or maybe some high-tier Espria."

"But there's no record of a criminal that powerful in this hideout..."

"Could he have been a big shot in disguise?"

One officer, still skeptical, added, "Or maybe he just had insane physical attributes. But that shouldn't be possible—no normal human moves like that."

The high-ranking officer listened without interruption, his expression unreadable.

Then, without another word, he turned on his heel, his coat swaying slightly as he began walking away.

Before he disappeared from sight, he uttered a single word, barely above a whisper—

"Interesting."