Of course, now that he had decided he was going to do something, he had to act.

  But what the hell was he going to do?!

  The world was collapsing in front of his eyes. The ground split like shattered glass, jagged fragments rising into the air as though gravity itself had lost its grip. Buildings flickered in and out of existence, their foundations trembling under the weight of something that shouldn't be. The sky churned with unnatural light, hues bleeding and twisting into colors that didn't belong.

  How the hell was he supposed to stop this?

  After all, he was only human.

  Ryu's breath came hard and fast as he scanned the chaos. People were screaming, scrambling for cover, their terror a raw and tangible force. A man tripped over a chunk of broken asphalt and went sprawling. Others shoved past him in blind panic.

  Instinct screamed at Ryu to run too—to find a way out before the whole street crumbled beneath his feet. But something deeper, colder, kept him rooted in place.

  This wasn't just an accident or a freak natural disaster.

  This was a fracture in reality itself.

  And somehow, it was tied to him.

  He clenched his fists, forcing his breathing to steady. If he panicked, he was dead. That much was certain.

  The asphalt underfoot trembled violently, cracks spiderwebbing outward with a deafening roar. A section of the road caved in, swallowing cars and streetlights into the abyss below.

  Ryu's instincts roared to life. He darted to the side, narrowly avoiding a chunk of debris that smashed into the pavement where he'd just stood. The impact sent shards of asphalt flying past his face.

  His heart thundered in his chest. Adrenaline surged through his veins, sharpening his senses.

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  Stay sharp. Stay alive.

  A woman's scream cut through the chaos.

  Ryu's head snapped toward the sound. She was pinned beneath a collapsed streetlight, blood seeping from a gash on her forehead. Her face was pale with terror as the ground beneath her cracked and groaned, threatening to give way.

  Every instinct told him to leave it.

  He was no hero.

  Survival came first. Always.

  But his legs were already moving.

  He sprinted toward her, dodging falling debris and fissures that threatened to swallow him whole. The air crackled with a strange energy, making his skin crawl.

  "Hold on!" he shouted, though the words felt absurd against the backdrop of chaos.

  The woman's eyes were wide with panic. She clawed at the ground, trying to free herself, but the weight of the streetlight pinned her down.

  Ryu skidded to a stop beside her, muscles taut. The metal was warped and heavy, but there was no time to think. He planted his feet and wrapped his hands around the edge of the streetlight. His arms burned as he heaved upward, veins bulging with the effort.

  The ground trembled beneath them, cracks widening with a sickening groan.

  "Move!" he snarled through gritted teeth.

  The woman scrambled out from under the streetlight, gasping for breath. Ryu released his grip, the metal slamming back down with a jarring thud.

  She clung to him, trembling. "W-what's happening?"

  Ryu didn't have an answer. His own thoughts were a chaotic blur.

  Another deafening crack split the air, and the fissure beneath them widened. Ryu's eyes locked onto the edge of solid ground just a few feet away.

  "Just go, woman!" he ordered, pushing her toward safety.

  The woman hesitated, fear paralyzing her.

  Ryu grabbed her arm, yanking her forward. "Go!"

  They sprinted across the crumbling street, dodging collapsing debris. The ground lurched beneath their feet, but somehow they made it to solid ground.

  The woman collapsed, sobbing.

  Ryu's chest heaved as he scanned the street. The chaos showed no sign of stopping. If anything, it was getting worse.

  Jagged tendrils of light snaked through the air, warping everything they touched. Buildings shimmered, their forms twisting and flickering like mirages.

  Ryu's pulse pounded in his ears.

  This wasn't just a disaster—it was a complete unraveling of reality.

  And it wasn't going to stop on its own.

  Well, no shit.

  He clenched his fists, muscles taut with a volatile mix of fear and determination. If he was going to survive this—if anyone was—he had to find the source.

  The flicker.

  It had started with that faint distortion, subtle and almost imperceptible. But now it had grown into a full-blown rupture, tearing the fabric of existence apart.

  Ryu's breath steadied as resolve hardened in his chest.

  He didn't know what the flicker was or how to stop it.

  But he was damn sure going to try.