Nightborn Evolution

The alley was silent, save for Kairo's unsteady breathing. His fists clenched as he stared at the spot where the Voidborn had disintegrated, the last traces of its dark mist fading into the night.

His heart was still racing.

He had won.

For the first time in his life, Kairo had stood his ground and fought back—and he hadn't just survived. He had overpowered something that should have easily killed him.

But the questions swirling in his mind wouldn't stop.

"How…?"

Lena's voice pulled him from his daze.

"Kairo," she whispered, her wide eyes locked on him. "What the hell just happened?"

Kairo turned to her, still struggling to find the right words. How could he explain something he didn't even understand himself?

"I… I don't know," he admitted. "I just… moved. And then my body—"

He stopped. Even as he tried to explain, he felt different. His muscles no longer ached like before, and there was a strange energy lingering beneath his skin—an almost unnatural vitality.

Then, another system message appeared before his eyes.

[ System Update: Evolution Process at 5% Completion ]

[ New Status Unlocked: Evolution Points (EP) ]

[ +10 EP Earned ]

[ Would you like to view your status? ]

Kairo hesitated. This had happened during the fight, but now he actually had a moment to think. He glanced at Lena, who was still staring at him, concern and confusion etched on her face.

He had to make sure he wasn't losing his mind.

"Status," he thought.

Immediately, a translucent blue screen appeared in his vision.

[ Status Window ]

Name: Kairo Voss

Race: Human (??? – Evolution in Progress)

Level: 1

Evolution Points: 10

Abilities:

Phantom Step (Unlocked)

Nightborn Strike (Unlocked)

More abilities pending…

Kairo's breath hitched.

This was real.

He wasn't hallucinating, wasn't dreaming. Something had awakened inside him—a system that was now part of his very existence.

But why him?

And what did evolution in progress mean?

Before he could process it all, Lena grabbed his wrist, snapping him back to reality.

"Kairo, we need to get out of here," she urged, her voice still shaking. "Someone must have heard that thing screeching. If the city patrol finds us here, we'll be in trouble."

Kairo blinked, then quickly nodded. She was right. If they got caught here, they'd have to explain why a Voidborn had been roaming the city.

And he wasn't ready to answer those questions.

Without another word, they ran.

The city was eerily quiet as they hurried through the dimly lit streets. The usual late-night crowds had long since disappeared, leaving only the occasional patrol drone humming overhead.

Neither of them spoke for a while.

Kairo could tell that Lena was shaken. She kept glancing at him, as if trying to figure out if he was still the same person she had known all these years.

Finally, she broke the silence.

"You were… fast," she said hesitantly. "Like, faster than a normal person should be."

Kairo hesitated. "I know."

"And that punch… it wasn't normal either."

Kairo sighed. He couldn't deny it. "I don't know how to explain it, Lena. Something just… changed."

Lena frowned, her brows furrowing. "Kairo, people don't just suddenly change overnight. What's really going on?"

He considered telling her everything—the system, the status window, the strange Evolution Points—but something held him back.

Would she even believe him?

Would anyone?

"I don't know," he said again, shaking his head. "But whatever's happening… it's not normal."

Lena studied him for a long moment before sighing. "Yeah. No kidding."

They walked in silence again, the weight of what had happened pressing down on them.

Then, a new thought struck Kairo—one that made his stomach twist.

"If that Voidborn was here… does that mean more of them are appearing in the city?"

His hands clenched. If the city wasn't safe anymore, then how long before people started dying?

Before someone he knew died?

He exhaled sharply. Whatever was happening to him, he needed to understand it—fast.

He couldn't just sit back and wait for more monsters to appear.

Kairo Voss had been weak his whole life.

But not anymore.

Far from the quiet city streets, in the depths of an underground chamber, a group of figures sat around a dimly lit table. The air was thick with the scent of blood and something far more sinister.

A man in a crimson cloak leaned forward, his sharp eyes gleaming in the darkness. "One of our scouts detected an anomaly," he said. "A disturbance in the evolutionary energy field."

Another figure, cloaked in black, chuckled darkly. "Could it be another failed experiment?"

The first man shook his head. "No. This one is… different."

He placed a small, flickering device on the table. A grainy image appeared—a still frame of a young man standing in an alley, his fist glowing with unnatural power.

The group went silent.

Finally, one of them spoke, voice low and dangerous.

"Find him."