The first shot rang out, shattering the silence of the neon-drenched alley. Blood splattered against the rain-slick pavement, glistening under the flashing holograms above. A body hit the ground. A woman, gasping, clutching her chest…eyes wide, lips parting as if to speak.
Luka stared down at her, the smoking gun trembling in his grip. His breath hitched. He didn’t know her. He didn’t know why he had pulled the trigger.
Then she smiled.
A slow, eerie curve of her lips, even as the life drained from her eyes.
And then…
She was gone.
Vanished.
No body. No blood.
Just the distant hum of the city.
Luka staggered back, panting, eyes darting to the towering screens flashing above. A news report played…static-ridden, glitching. A name appeared in bold, white letters: Luka Sato –WANTED FOR MURDER!
His heart slammed against his ribs.
He turned.
And there she was.
Across the street, standing under the red glow of a flickering sign. Perfectly alive.
No wound. No blood.
She locked eyes with him.
Then she ran.
Luka’s body moved before his mind could catch up. His feet pounded the rain-soaked asphalt as he chased her through narrow alleys, past faceless bystanders lost in their neon-lit realities. The city twisted around him, unfamiliar and infinite, like it was shifting with every step.
She moved fast…too fast.

Every time he thought he had her, she’d slip through his fingers, turning a corner, vanishing, only to reappear ahead, leading him deeper into the labyrinth.
Then, a flash…
She was inside a glass-walled building, an old hotel with golden chandeliers and velvet carpets. Luka followed, shoving past doors that swung open as if welcoming him in.
The lobby was empty.
Except for her.
She stood at the top of a spiraling staircase, staring down at him. Her expression unreadable.
Luka lifted the gun with shaking hands.
“Who are you?” he demanded.
She didn’t answer. Just smiled that same eerie, knowing smile.
Then, she raised her own gun.
The shot cracked through the silence.
Pain exploded in Luka’s chest. He staggered back, the world tilting as he collapsed onto the marble floor. Blood pooled beneath him, warm and real.
His vision blurred.
His last sight—
Her face, watching him, eyes dark and endless.
Then…
Nothing.
Darkness.
And then…
A gunshot.
Luka’s eyes snapped open.
He was standing in an alley.

A woman lay before him, gasping, clutching her chest…eyes wide, lips parting as if to speak.
His gun smoked in his trembling grip.
She smiled.
And vanished.
From across the street, she reappeared.
Alive.
And running.
His breath hitched.
He ran after her.
The city twisted. The chase began again.
And somewhere, in the sky above, the full moon hung still, caught in an eternal eclipse.