Ambush (Part One)

Neon’s eyes snapped open.

The room was dark, bathed in the faint, flickering glow of city lights filtering through the glass window. Outside, the megacity pulsed, distant but ever-present.

The room itself was silent, save for the low vibrations of the bubble shield around them as usual. Aria’s breathing was slow and even, her head resting lightly against his shoulder. He didn’t move for a second, just listening, feeling the weight of the air.

Something was wrong.

Carefully, Neon shifted, moving Aria’s head from his shoulder and leaning her very gently against the wall instead. She murmured something in her sleep but didn’t wake. 

His muscles tensed as he reached for his weapon, its edges glowing to life in his grip. The faint blue glow cast long, sharp shadows across the floor as he deactivated the shield surrounding them. The air inside the house suddenly felt colder, as if the protection it had offered had been stripped away.

Neon took a slow step forward, scanning the room. He listened, standing completely still. A shift in air pressure. A faint, nearly imperceptible creak in the flooring of the adjacent hall. 

Someone was out there?

Behind him, Aria stirred, rubbing her eyes as she woke. “Neon?” Her voice was groggy, laced with confusion. “What’s going on?”

"Not sure yet," he muttered, scanning the room.

She frowned, still groggy. "You’re acting weird."

Behind him, Aria yawned. "Neon."

"What?"

"Why didn´t you wake me up? What´s wrong?"

He glanced back at her. She was still rubbing at her eyes, still curled up where he had left her. His jacket was draped over her shoulders. He hadn’t really thought about it, just... done it.

"You looked tired," he said simply.

She paused for a second, studying him in the dim light. Her heart skipped a beat. "Huh."

His brows furrowed. "What?"

"I just thought you were supposed to be heartless."

He rolled his eyes, looking around again. "Shut up."

"I’m just saying, you’re bad at pretending you don’t care."

"And you’re bad at shutting up."

She laughed softly. "Ooh, touched a nerve, did I?"

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his eyes flicked to her, scanning her for any sign of injury or disturbance before turning his focus back to the door. “Get up,” he said, his voice quiet but firm.

She frowned. 

“Now.”

Something in his tone must have warned her, because she immediately obeyed, pushing herself upright. That was when she noticed the way his stance had changed— extremely tense, alert. The way his weapon was already drawn. “Neon—”

“I don’t like this,” he muttered. He had gone still again, that same unease creeping over him. His fingers tightened around his weapon.  

She watched him, unease curling in her stomach. The way he moved, the way his gaze flickered over the shadows, it wasn’t like him to be this on edge unless there was a real threat.

He hesitated for a moment, then handed her a smaller weapon from his belt. “Keep this on you.”

She caught it clumsily, staring at it reluctantly. “Neon, what—”

“Just do it.”

Her fingers tightened around the cool metal. “Is someone here?”

He didn’t answer. Just turned his head slightly, listening again. The silence stretched, and for a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, in the middle of their quiet, uneasy breaths—

A crash.

The windows shattered, glass exploding inward as figures dropped down from above, their dark cloaks glinting in the pink and green neon lights.

The moment stretched like elastic before snapping back into chaos. Aria flinched, throwing her arms over her head as jagged shards rained down, slicing through the air like tiny razors. A breathless shriek caught in her throat.

Neon was already moving, pulling her back, his weapon igniting in a sharp arc of blue light as he swung.

The first figure barely had time to react before Neon’s strike landed, sending him staggering backward. Another lunged forward, but Neon twisted, dodging with practiced ease. The confined space made it difficult to maneuver, but he had the advantage of familiarity—this was his home. He knew every corner, every blind spot.

Aria scrambled back, her pulse hammering in her ears. This wasn’t just some random break-in. They were being hunted by the same people again.

One of the figures turned toward her, raising a weapon. Her grip tightened around the one Neon had given her. Her breath hitched, fear tightening around her chest like a vise, but she forced herself to move. 

She ducked just as the shot fired, the impact searing the wall behind her. Without thinking, she threw the dagger with all her strength.

A flash of light. The soldier staggered, caught off guard, but not down. Aria swallowed hard. This wasn’t training anymore like the past 4 weeks—this was real. 

And real meant that if she hesitated, she’d die.

Neon dispatched another soldier with a vicious strike, his weapon slicing through the hand with a hiss. He turned toward her. “Move!”

She barely managed to dodge as another soldier lunged for her. Neon intercepted, grabbing the attacker by the wrist and twisting hard, forcing the weapon from his grasp before slamming him to the floor. The impact sent a deep, resonating crack through the room.

Aria stood there, breath ragged, hands trembling around her weapon.

She turned to Neon, eyes wide. “You knew.” The words barely escaped her lips. “You felt them before they even got in.”

Neon exhaled sharply, his eyes flickering toward the shattered window, to the neon-lit streets below.

“Doesn’t matter.” His voice was grim. “What matters is that they knew where to find us.”

Aria’s stomach twisted. “You think this has to do with those figures back in the ruins?”

Neon’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t answer right away. His breath was steady and controlled. The kind of control that came from barely keeping something in check.

Then his eyes flicked past her. His entire body went rigid.

A sharp inhale—like he’d just seen a ghost.

“Aria.” His voice barely made a sound.

Then it hit him all at once. His eyes blew wide, horror twisting his face.

“MOVE!” he bellowed.