Chapter 7: Shadows in Motion

  The evening air was thick with noise—engines rumbling, footsteps echoing, voices blurring into an unrecognizable hum. The city pulsed like a living thing, lights flickering against the darkening sky.

  Rei walked alone, hands in his pockets, his gaze sharp but relaxed. The clock read 5 PM, but time hardly mattered to him. He wasn’t heading anywhere in particular—just moving, thinking.

  What should I do? he mused, his smirk barely visible in the dim light. Oh. I should do ‘ THAT ‘

  Something clicked in his mind. His smirk deepened slightly, a ghost of amusement passing through his cold eyes.

  By 8 PM, he found himself in the busiest part of the city. People flooded the streets, rushing in and out of stores, engaged in their own meaningless lives. A perfect place for someone like him—someone looking to test a theory.

  Then it happened.

  A small bump, barely noticeable to an ordinary person. The slight pressure against his side, the faintest tug at his pocket. A classic move, executed with precision.

  “Oh, sorry about that,” the stranger muttered, barely making eye contact before attempting to blend back into the crowd.

  Pickpocket, huh? Rei’s mind sharpened in an instant. Amateur.

  His fingers moved before his brain fully processed the act. He let the man take his wallet—just for a second. Then, in a single seamless motion, he slipped his hand back, fingers grazing the pickpocket’s wrist, feeling the leather slide right back into his grasp. The thief never even noticed.

  It was almost disappointing.

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  Rei took a step forward, tilting his head slightly as his lips moved. A whisper—just for the thief. But the words never reached the reader. The camera of reality blurred out his voice, leaving only the movement of his lips.

  The pickpocket stopped. Blinked. Then let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “Is this some kind of joke?” he scoffed, shaking his head and scurrying off into the night.

  Rei followed, not because he needed to, but because he was curious.

  The thief worked fast, slipping through crowds, bumping into people just enough to make contact but not enough to draw attention. A wallet here. A phone there. Smooth, practiced movements, like an artist at work. The people never noticed—they were too distracted by their own lives.

  They never notice anything until it’s too late.

  Then, after some time, he broke away from the crowd, disappearing into a narrow alley. I didn’t follow immediately. Instead, I leaned against the wall near the entrance, waiting. Patience. Let’s see how this unfolds.

  The alley was dimly lit, shadows stretching long against the cracked pavement. At the end of it, the pickpocketer pushed open a rusted metal door and stepped inside. His home, most likely.

  I exhaled slowly, my breath visible in the cool night air.

  Then came the noise.

  A sudden crash—glass shattering, wood splintering—a body tumbling through a second-story window. The pickpocket’s scream barely lasted a second before it was cut off by the sickening crunch of impact.

  Silence followed.

  Rei didn’t move at first. He simply stood there, staring at the crumpled body on the pavement. His hands trembled slightly, but not from fear. Something else.

  A slow realization crept up his spine, curling into his thoughts like a whisper.

  My breath hitched.

  What... just happened?

  My fingers twitched, my hands trembling slightly. A cold sensation crawled up my spine.

  Did... did my words do this?

  Then, slowly, a grin stretched across my face.

  It works.

  A shaky breath. Then a low chuckle.

  It works… Haha… Hahaha…

  His lips curled into something between a grin and a snarl. His pulse quickened, but his mind stayed eerily calm.

  I see…

  The laughter faded, replaced by something quieter, something colder. He tilted his head, looking down at the body one last time.

  “I’m a killer,” he murmured, then paused. His smile returned—smaller, but sharper.

  “Nah.”

  He stepped back into the night, letting the darkness swallow him whole.

  I helped people…

  ---

  I killed him. Just by speaking.

  The thought should disturb me. It doesn’t.

  I exhale, slow and measured. This wasn’t murder. This was balanced. A thief who preyed on the weak, now erased. The city is cleaner without him.

  A smirk tugs at my lips. The red haze in my mind flickers, growing.

  He will never pickpocket anyone again.

  I helped people.

  Didn’t I?

  The question lingers, unanswered, as I step forward, letting the dark swallow the rest.

  ---

  I glanced at the lifeless body one last time before turning away. The street swallowed me whole as I walked back into the night, my m

  ind alight with the realization.

  He will never pickpocket anyone again.

  And that was enough.

  End

  ---