Magnus raced through the claustrophobic maze of alleyways, leaping over the remains of a long dead vending machine. His eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, searching for an escape route.

  “GET BACK HERE!”

  A quick glance over his shoulder revealed that his two pursuers were still hot on his tail, and gaining fast. Even from a distance, their furious expressions made him redouble his efforts at getting away.

  “Damn, did they upgrade their hardware again? Fucking augmented!”

  Ducking down an adjoining alley, Magnus furiously tried to recall a path through the maze-like structure that was the slums. He needed to lose the two muscleheads and hide, outrunning them was an impossibility. A metallic screech followed by a grunt made him turn, just in time to see something glint in the white artificial light. Instinctively Magnus jumped, a spinning shard of the vending machine sailing through where his legs had just been.

  Grimacing, he landed and continued running. The piece of metal had been thrown with such force that it had embedded itself in the concrete wall, leaving broken shards scattered across the floor. Resisting a shiver, he tried to ignore the intrusive image of his leg mangled by the metal projectile.

  Making turn after turn, his eyes lit up, and a flash of rapid calculations ran through his mind. Coming to a decision in an instant, Magnus rushed the stack of rusted metal crates, quickly ascending the pile. At its summit he didn’t slow down, leaping forward through the air. Hand outstretched, he grabbed onto the rusted metal pipe, tiny shards digging into his skin. Ignoring the pain, Magnus scaled the wall as quickly as he could.

  The pair of pursuers were just reaching the crates as he summited, crouching precariously on the thin sliver of wall that sectioned off another of the endless alleyways. Leaping down, he shimmied down the narrow walls, dropping the final few metres. The wall behind him turned into a web of cracks before he could recover, bursting outwards. Lifting up his arms to protect his head, the barrage of debris knocked him down.

  “Boo yeah!”

  “Grab him idiot, the little runt’s tryna run again!”

  Multiple spots flared with pain, but Magnus still scrambled forward to escape. Or tried to. A large hand gripped his shoulder tightly, bones scraping against each other. He let out a muffled groan. Struggling to escape the vice-like hold to no avail.

  “Got him.” His pursuer flexed his hand, making his bones creak even more, and spun him around. A wide sneering grin greeted Magnus, which looked almost comical seeing as the man’s face was still stained with bright red paint. “Can’t scurry away now!”

  “Think you run from us?” The other man had a cold look on his face, slate eyes glinting dangerously. “You’ll wish you had.”

  Magnus opened his mouth to reply, only for a fist to bury itself in his stomach. Gasping, the air left his lung, long gasping coughs the only sound he could make. Through tear filled eyes, he stared up at the two men, unable to stop the grin from appearing. When they saw his expression, he was tossed to the floor hard, everything going blurry.

  “Think it’s funny, do ya? We’ll see if you’re still laughing in a minute,” Red-face spat, looming over him. “Messin’ with our rounds, thinking you’ll worm your way out of it cause of the Boss.”

  A large boot pressed him into the ground, cold on his cheek. A sharp metallic taste filled his mouth. Unbidden, the wave of disdain and anger surged through him, and he wished he’d done something even worse to them. The two were part of the Goldlight Gang that controlled the local district, and their leader made sure to maintain a tight leash on his operations. A man Magnus knew very well.

  “I did you a favor, the new look suits you.” Magnus spat through gritted teeth. “Stooped so low you’re harassing old people for money now. You should be embarrassed!”

  His remark earned him a sharp kick in the ribs, and because his chest hadn’t been reduced to a smear he knew they were holding back a lot. “Fucking figures.” It still hurt like hell.

  “Funny guy!” Red-face shouted, grinning as he kicked Magnus again. “That old bag owes us two whole months. Safety aint free yaknow.”

  “Still think you’re a hero?” Slate eyes said coldly. “Though you’d have realised you’re nothing but a toy the boss keeps around for his amusement.”

  “Yeah, just a toy!”

  Gritting his teeth, Magnus tried to push himself up, disgusted by the two thugs before him. Everything hurt, but he didn’t want to give them the satisfaction. He’d reacted instinctively when he’d visited Aunty Linda’s store and seen them tearing the place up, but the only thing he regretted was not going further. They both deserved lasting damage. He never saw the blow that slammed him against the wall. A scream died in his throat, barely suppressed. It felt like a rib was broken.

  “What are we gonna do with ya,” Red-face muttered, grabbing a handful of hair and holding him up. “Maybe if you beg for forgiveness, I’ll let you go with just the beatin’.”

  Magnus’s reply was to spit in the man's face, his own contorted into a feral grin. That act of defiance earned an even worse beating, everything beginning to turn blurry. He didn’t let out a sound save for his gasping breath, unwilling to give them an ounce of satisfaction. The taste of metal was strong, mouth wet with blood.

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  “Should’ve thought it through. Beaten over a can of paint… what a joke.”

  Magnus’s blood boiled, anger washing over him like a violent storm. His every choice was corrupted from the moment of birth thanks to his parents. He had no escape, no light at the end of the tunnel. Screw these idiots, screw the Goldlight Gang, and screw that pair of scum who left him behind to pay for their crime. Swallowing a mouthful of blood, he pushed himself up slowly,

  “Still tryna escape still Magnus,” Red-face said, but the sound was distant and muffled, as if he were speaking through a water. “Can’t have that.”

  Magnus blinked rapidly, trying to clear away the blur. The bright red paint was the only thing he could focus on, drawn in like a raging beast. Hand curling into a fist, his mind distantly questioned what he was doing. The seething anger whispered like a devil, beckoning him forward. He knew he wouldn’t be able to hurt the man. The gap between a normal human and an Enhanced was too wide.

  “Why’d I have to come in while you two idiots were there. Why couldn’t you just have not trashed Aunty’s store. Why won’t you bastards just let me die…”

  The thoughts swirled around unbidden as he wound his arm back, mustering what little strength remained and threw a punch at the bright red target. Full of anger, he wanted nothing more than to knock the man down. The Goldlight Gang had been terrorizing the district for as long as he could remember, and no one could stand up to them. All Magnus wanted in that moment was to pay back a little of that pain and terror.

  It never landed…

  Caught easily, his punch must have looked sluggish before the Enhanced man. Red-face laughed heartily, and though he could not see his expression, Magnus could imagine the sneering grin all too well. Like with most things, he’d failed to do anything meaningful. He didn’t notice the devastating punch that came his way.

  “I hope… they don’t mess with Linda again after this,” he thought, blood running down his face. Every inch of his body screamed in pain. Praying his actions wouldn’t affect Linda, or anyone else for that matter. What happened to him didn’t matter.

  Unbeknownst to him, something strange was forming far up in the sky far above the slums. At first, he thought it was the rage that burnt like fire, but quickly the temperature rose within him. Unable to stop himself, a feral scream tore free from his throat. It felt as if molten metal had found its way into his bloodstream, flowing towards his heart. His bones creaked and shuddered, burning white hot.

  “Jeez, I barely even hit him,” Red-face muttered, stepping back in surprise.

  “Fucking Oaf, you know the Boss doesn’t want him getting too damaged. What are we gonna do about this?”

  As the two men bickered, Magnus' bloodcurdling screams continued. His chest had become unbearably hot, fingers clawing at the skin vainly. It felt as if he were on fire, a thousand tiny ants crawling beneath his skins and devouring him from within. Try as he might, no matter how deep he tore the pain was unrelenting. Time slowed, each second feeling like hours.

  “I. Don’t. Deserve. This.”

  Even thinking was agonising. Was this some wicked twist of fate, a death Magnus had longed for, but made cruel. He wanted nothing more than for it to end. But it didn’t.

  “Do we- do we kill him?” Red-face muttered, watching the young man writhe and scream until his throat gave out. “Ah, but the boss will string us up if we do. So troublesome.”

  “Can’t anyway, multiple witnesses saw us chase him.” Slate-eyes shook his head slowly, staring coldly at Magnus’s twitching form. There were still signs of life, but whatever was occurring seemed immensely painful. It was… pleasing to watch.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Red-face said, shrugging. “Kids barely fun to beat anyway.”

  The pair turned and walked away, leaving Magnus alone in that alley. The pain had grown too vast for him to handle, welcoming the sweet salvation of oblivion with open arms. Even still, the agonising process that had befallen him continued its gruesome work, warping him into something… new.

  Far above the alley, past the overcrowded slums and the glittering skyscrapers, past even the barrier of metal and glass that protected the city from the cold void of space, a grand sight was revealing itself. Clear to all, recorded by thousands of cameras and telescopes, the video was uploaded and sent out, travelling across the entire solar system. Everyone watched with horror and amazement, witnessing something not seen in 60 years.

  Impossibly large, an illusory shape sprung forth within the void, glowing a myriad of colours. It was almost as if the sky itself had come alive, covered in shining scales and wings that blotted out the stars. The titanic dragon— for it was most certainly a dragon, of that there could be no doubt— opened its maw and let loose an almighty roar that made reality shudder. Reverbating deep in the chests of all who lived in the floating city, an entire people was brought to a standstill.

  The dragon looked forward, its eyes glowing golden, brighter than even the sun, staring at something contained within the floating oasis of humanity. And then… it faded away, dispersing into a billion motes of iridescent light and disappearing without a trace. The only evidence that it hadn’t been a collective nightmare, was the multitude of recordings. All around the solar system, people erupted into frantic conversation, their voices echoing throughout civilization. It was all anyone talked about, for they knew what was to come.

  Far below the void and the barrier of steel and glass, far beneath even the glittering skyscrapers and manicured gardens, Magnus lay on the cold concrete of the slums, alone. His wounds had vanished, rivers of pure gold flowing interconnected beneath his porcelain skin, all converging at his heart, which now glowed like molten metal. His chest rose and fell slowly, as if he were asleep. The changes continued unimpeded.

  He was blissfully unaware of the clamour gripping humanity.

  ---

  Throughout the solar system, eleven individuals watched the grand appearance of the dragon with far more interest than any other, for to them, it was the final domino they had all been waiting for. These eleven marveled at the new sense they had gained, a vague and omnipresent knowledge of where each other was. One of those points was Magnus himself.

  Separated by the cold void and scattered across the vastness of human occupied space, they shared the same exact thought.

  “It’s finally beginning."