Empire of the Unseen

The First Strike

The narrow alley smelled of damp concrete and smoke. Renji stood in the shadows, a cigarette dangling between his lips, while Crow leaned against a rusted dumpster, adjusting the strap of a leather satchel slung over his shoulder.

"This is your partner," Renji said, gesturing toward Crow. "We call him 'Crow.' He's your shadow now, so learn to trust him."

Crow gave a curt nod, his dark eyes scanning the protagonist. "And what do we call you?"

The protagonist hesitated for a moment. "…Hajime," he lied.

Renji smirked but said nothing. Crow didn't seem to care, only shrugging. "Fine. Hajime it is."

Renji exhaled a stream of smoke, his expression turning serious. "Tonight's job is simple. There's a gang operating out of an old warehouse near the docks. They've been skimming off our operations. You're going to remind them who owns this city."

Crow tossed the satchel at Hajime, who caught it awkwardly. "Inside are tools. Non-lethal, for now. A knife, a stun baton, a few smoke bombs. Use what you need, but keep it clean. This isn't a slaughterhouse."

Hajime nodded, his pulse quickening.

The Warehouse

The three of them approached the warehouse under the cover of night. Crow took the lead, moving with the quiet precision of a ghost, while Renji stayed close to Hajime, his presence a silent reminder of the stakes.

"Remember," Renji whispered, "this is about sending a message. Fear is a weapon—use it wisely."

Hajime tightened his grip on the stun baton, his mind racing. He could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on him.

Inside the warehouse, voices echoed—gruff men laughing, the clink of bottles, and the scrape of chairs against concrete.

Crow signaled for them to stop. "I'll take the far side. Renji, keep the exit covered. Hajime, you're with me."

Hajime nodded, his jaw clenched.

Unleashing Power

As they moved deeper into the warehouse, the air seemed to hum with tension. Hajime's heightened senses kicked in, a side effect of his first power. Time seemed to slow, and he could feel the faint vibrations of footsteps, the distant sound of laughter, and even the subtle shifts in the air around him.

Crow glanced back at him, his sharp gaze narrowing. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Hajime said quickly, though his pulse raced.

The first confrontation happened in an instant. A guard rounded the corner, his eyes widening as he spotted them. Before the man could react, Hajime's body moved on instinct. The stun baton cracked against the guard's wrist, disarming him, and a swift kick sent him sprawling to the ground.

Crow raised an eyebrow. "Not bad."

But the real test came moments later. As they entered the main room, five men turned toward them, their expressions shifting from confusion to aggression.

"Who the hell—"

Hajime's second power activated without warning. His vision blurred, and for a split second, he saw a flash of the immediate future: Crow taking down two men, Renji covering the exit, and himself lunging at the leader.

When his vision cleared, the scene began to unfold exactly as he'd seen it. Crow moved like lightning, his fists and a knife a