The rain poured harder now, a relentless curtain that turned the bridge into a slick battlefield.
Elias didn't feel the cold.
He didn't feel the fear.
All he felt was focus.
He moved like a shadow — ducking, weaving, striking — his enhanced intuition allowing him to predict movements before they happened. A thug lunged with a knife — Elias sidestepped and rammed his elbow into the man's gut, sending him sprawling.
Another tried to grab Elira.
Bad idea.
Elias caught him by the collar and — without thinking — threw him over the railing.
A wet splash followed.
He'll live, Elias thought grimly.
---
Name: Elira Mendes
Age: 20
Profession: Journalism student, part-time café worker
Appearance: Olive skin tone, deep brown eyes always flickering with curiosity, athletic build from self-defense classes, usually dresses simply (hoodies, jeans, sneakers)
Attitude: Stubborn, witty, brave but reckless when it comes to protecting people she loves
Flaws: Trust issues, tends to shoulder burdens alone, sometimes jumps into danger without thinking
---
Elira crawled behind a rusted pillar, gasping for breath. She could barely believe what she was seeing — Elias, who used to trip over his own feet, now fighting like he had trained with elite soldiers.
What happened to him?
Who even is he now?
She didn't have time to wonder long.
Another black SUV roared onto the bridge.
More men. More guns.
Elias landed beside her, grabbing her hand.
"Can you run?" he asked, voice urgent.
"I can fly if we get out of here!" Elira shot back, her sarcasm flashing even under fire.
He cracked a small, tired smile.
Good.
That was still her.
---
They ran together, slipping between abandoned cars, dodging bullets. The world became a blur of rain, gunfire, and shouted orders.
Jonas — the traitor — tried to intercept them, guilt written all over his battered face.
"Please—! I didn't mean—!"
Elias didn't punch him.
Didn't yell.
He simply said, "Help us, or get out of the way."
The choice was Jonas's to make.
And with a strangled sob, Jonas turned and tackled one of the pursuers, buying Elias and Elira precious seconds.
---
They crashed through the door of a run-down warehouse Elias had scoped out days before.
Elias barred the door and sagged against it, panting.
Elira slumped onto a dusty couch, staring at him.
"Okay," she gasped, "someone needs to start explaining before I lose my mind."
Elias looked at her, dripping wet, battered, but still fighting.
He pulled the watch from under his jacket.
"This," he said simply, "changed everything."
The watch's glass face shimmered ominously.
---
Tonight wasn't just about betrayal.
It was about second chances.
About how even broken people — like Jonas — could still try to do the right thing when it mattered most.
And how sometimes, trust had to be earned again.
Maybe not forgiven instantly.
But... not given up on.
Just like in real life — where the ones who hurt us sometimes become the ones who save us, too.
---