"Down here—get in the sewer!" Emma's voice was sharp, urgent. She didn't hesitate.
But Ethan didn't move.
She looked up—and saw him. Blood dripped from his nose. His fists slammed into an atom, beating him into the ground.
"You thought you could take my life from me!" Ethan's voice cracked, trembling with fury.
The atom gasped, hands raised, graveling on the ground.
"I—I don't know what you're talking about!"
Ethan's glare burned through him.
"So you don't remember hiring the masked guy to kill me? My family Killed in some accident? Jake—huh?!"
His head felt like it was about to explode. Pulses hammered behind his skull. The world blurred at the edges.
"I—I swear, I don't know! My name is Wyatt!" the atom sobbed.
Emma grabbed Ethan's shoulder.
"Ethan."
His breath stalled. Wyatt. Not Jake.
The world flickered—just for a moment. And in that instant, he saw something else. Something that shouldn't be there.
Jake. Watching. Smiling.
His chest tightened. The weight pressed down. But Emma's voice cut through the haze.
"What's going on?! We don't have time for disputes!"
Ethan exhaled sharply, pulling away.
"You're right. Let's go."
He headed for the sewer—but even as he ran, he swore he still felt eyes on him. Not just watching. Judging.
"Sorry. That guy reminded me of someone." His voice was quieter now, strained.
Emma glanced at him.
"Did he remind you of your killer?"
Ethan's jaw tightened.
"Yeah. But let's not worry about me. Let's get out of this town."
Emma hesitated, watching him.
"Okay… if you say so."
When Ethan and Emma were no longer visible, Wyatt began to laugh. Not human. Not sane.
"I can't believe he thought I was his killer…"
His joints twisted in unnatural ways. Eyes rolled to the back of his head. His sockets bled.
Then—his body crumpled into a ball. And exploded.
The scene shifted. A dark, fiery world. Ash fell like snow.
"I've got to play with this, I will rot his brain and make him my obedient soldier;" the Devil said, grinning.
---
Ethan gained EXP from Wyatt's death. But he didn't feel stronger. He felt… watched.
Ethan looked back for a moment "How did I get EXP, maybe from walking" Ethan whispered, as he turned back and opened his stat window.
"Emma… what is the evolution button?" Ethan asked, curiosity rising.
"It lets you evolve into a higher species. But that's all I know," Emma replied honestly.
"Why do you ask?" Emma questioned,
"Because right here on my window—it says I can evolve."
His mind raced. What would it feel like? To become something more?
"What? How is that possible? You need to kill at least Six atoms—it took me four months to get that many!"
"So you can evolve too. Why don't we evolve together?"
Emma hesitated.
"I guess we can. But If we evolve we have a chance we will become nothing but if we do… maybe we can escape what's coming."
"I don't care, if you don't but I will take that chance I will become stronger, but will you," Ethan shouted, Catching some atoms attention
"Okay fine, But first we need to give you an alias," Emma continued,
"What do you mean" Ethan asked
"If people evolve they might come for us;" Emma answered,
"Your right" Ethan whispered,
"How about Taizen???" Ethan asked, Emma cringed at the name
"No, How about Seido???"
Ethan smiled "Yeah, I like it" He said
"I think Found them" A atom yelled,
Ethan stared at the button. He didn't know whether to feel fear or excitement. Relief or dread.
No—he felt exhilarated.
"3,2,1" Emma and Ethan yelled in unison
As soon as they touched the button, both of them began to pulse blue. "Run they're evolving" The light grew brighter. filling the entire sewer system, then it grew too bright.
They couldn't see. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't scream.
Then—silence.
Ethan woke up. Not in his body. Not in his form.
He was a spirit orb. Floating. Contained.
A cage surrounded him. Emma was beside him—also changed.
Their voices were gone. Their powers… unknown.
And somewhere, far away, the Devil watched. Smiling.