It was like running after a crazy thing.
Yet Asap wasn't a target.
He ran hard, gasping, fiery lines pulsing beneath his skin. Around him, roads twisted into strange corridors. Levelhaven? More than just a place -
It was reacting.
Changing shape.
Refreshing, almost like a software update aiming to hold him back.
Streams of bright code moved across the surfaces, then disappeared.
Error: F-class beyond limits.
RECONTAINMENT IN PROGRESS.
"Great," Asap muttered. "Even the buildings hate me."
A gust tore through - Trey dropped fast from the sky, feathers slicing air like sharp blades. His laugh bounced off walls, loud, wild.
"Run faster, newbie! You're almost making me sweat!"
He dove.
Asap dug his heels into the soil, sliding sideways. Instead of hitting him, Trey's steps crushed empty space - stone exploded on impact.
Trey stood up, wiping dirt from his high-end coat - then flicked a speck off the sleeve.
"Cute reflexes," he hummed. "Let's see how long that lasts."
He clicked his fingers.
A shiver through the system raced along the dirt.
The world glitched—
Houses elongated.
Lamp posts leaned sideways, twisted out of shape.
Shadows reached out, forming thin, creeping lines.
RECONFIGURATION COMPLETE.
No way out possible.
"Really?" Asap hissed. "You're letting him cheat?"
Trey pressed a hand to his chest, letting out an exaggerated breath.
"Cheat? Buddy— I am the system. It listens to me."
His grin sharpened.
"But you… it hates."
Asap's skin prickled. But the murmurs fought to crawl back inside his head -
Obey. Help. Contribute.
He clenched his jaw, forced them away.
Not again.
He stepped back quickly, yet Trey moved closer with that teasing smirk again - same one making Asap's gut churn. No acting now. Nobody watching mattered.
This was the actual Trey from Topgun.
The person everyone overlooked.
The twisted one.
"You've got spark," Trey said softly. "But spark isn't enough. You're F-Class now. That means the system owns you."
His eyes glowed.
"You don't get to struggle."
A burst of energy blasted off from Trey's wings.
It broke the earth apart.
The blast slammed into Asap, tossing him backward into a flimsy wood stand. Shards shot out when he tumbled over cracked rock.
Everything went fuzzy one more time.
His limbs twitched.
The whispers surged—
Rise. Then move. Follow orders. Do what's needed.
His fingers twitched, moving without meaning to.
No - ! Asap pushed up, yet his legs gave way. Something pulled him under, pressing hard along his back.
Trey moved closer, unhurried yet sure of himself.
"See? F-Class instincts kicking in. Even your soul knows where it belongs."
He bent down a bit, checking out Asap as if he were a researcher watching an insect.
"You're not meant to fight. You're meant to break."
Asap coughed up blood, staining the ground. He wiped his lips. Then slowly lifted his gaze.
"I'm not breaking for you."
"Hmm," Trey said quietly. Not backing down
Then he grinned—
A broad, wild, joyful smile.
"Let's fix that."
He lifted a single hand.
A glowing yellow ring appeared in his hand -
like a ring turned sharp, slicing through air.
He swung.
Asap dodged sideways fast - close call. That strike ripped a bright gash across rock, liquid bits steaming. He wobbled up, unsteady yet upright.
His red glow twitched now and then.
Dimmed.
Then flared.
His hands balled up tight.
"I don't care what class you stuck on me," Asap said. "I'm nobody's tool."
Trey's smile faded - turned icy instead.
"Oh, I know," he said quietly. "That's why you're interesting."
He lunged.
Asap shot his hand out -
a surge of crimson force burst out, hitting Trey's torso hard - like an impact blast shaking through him.
Trey got hurled backward, sliding along the dirt.
He glanced at the burnt spot on his coat.
Then laughed.
Loud.
A little unstable.
"Ohhhh, I like you."
He clicked his fingers once more.
The system flickered above.
BATTLE MODE ENABLED.
S-CLASS PRIORITY: TREY.
TARGET: ASAP ASHTON.
STATUS: ELIMINATION.
Trey opened up his wings like he was ready to fly
spacious, glowing - nearly stunning.
A predator's wings.
"Round two," Trey growled, baring his teeth. "Let's see your limits."
Asap's red glow flared up, just like flames leaping into the air
The whole area turned into a battleground.
He had stopped dashing.
Trey stopped acting too.
This was what the system really looked like -
Then Asap got ready to dig in.
Trey smirking, as if the outcome was his by default.
Trey lunged ahead, his wings cutting through the wind -
Yet a shout echoed through Levelhaven.
A sound that stayed close. Yet never bounced back.
It commanded.
"Enough."
Everything froze.
Wind stopped.
Glitches stilled.
Even the machine's amber alerts blinked unevenly.
Trey's boots hit dirt, missing A$AP's neck. His smile flickered - pissed off, distracted.
A lanky guy moved through the blur as if it opened up ahead.
He had on a long coat threaded with gold, every line glowing like sunbeams in motion. The crown sat soft on his scalp - nudged off-center, though more from boldness than rudeness. Blond locks dropped down in clean cuts, shaping pupils so bright they seemed sliced from daylight itself.
KING KRIS.
Just not born into royalty.
Royalty since the setup spotted pure power.
Each symbol close by shook, fading as he got near.
Trey tapped his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
"Oh, come on. I was having fun."
King Kris kept his eyes away from Trey initially.
He looked at Asap - just a second - checking him out like he was figuring out something way bigger than just wounds.
He looked at Trey next, speaking quietly - yet firmly.
"He ran from you, Trey."
Trey blinked. "And—?"
"That alone should be enough proof he's not a weak F-Class."
A shiver ran across the stadium - then silence fell like a shadow.
The system responded right away.
DISPUTE DETECTED.
HIGH-LEVEL ARBITER PRESENT.
PROCESSING…
Trey frowned, his wings twitching from annoyance.
"Oh, please. Anyone can run."
Kris stepped closer.
"Not from you."
Every term hit hard.
Measured.
Sharp.
Trey's grin slipped - just a flicker. Yet right away it was back.
Kris went on, voice steady:
"You chased him across three sectors. Two elites with you. You reshaped half the district."
He tilted a bit ahead.
"And he's still standing."
Asap's heart hammered.
He had no idea who this man was.
But the way Kris spoke…
It was as if one person just stepped off the path all the others kept walking without thinking.
Trey laughed it off - only the noise felt empty.
"He's unstable. A danger. A system reject. You know how F-Class works—"
"F-Class is your excuse," Kris cut in. "Not his identity."
He spoke as if cutting right through steel.
The screens on the machine blinked off and back on.
RE-EVALUATING: SUBJECT ASAP ASHTON
POTENTIAL MISCLASSIFICATION?
Trey's head jerked up suddenly.
"Oh no. Don't you start that."
He looked straight toward Asap.
"He resisted system override. That alone makes him a threat!"
Kris turned toward Trey at last - meeting his gaze straight on.
"And why," Kris asked quietly, "does an S-Class fear a threat… unless it's real?"
A quiet fell across the place.
Even the setup paused for a sec.
Trey's jaw flexed.
Kris stayed quiet. Without a sound, he held control. No effort was required.
"You push too far, Trey," he said. "You break for pleasure. You hunt F-Class like toys. And now you fear a single boy who refuses to kneel."
He turned his head slightly.
"That says more about you than him."
Something shifted in Asap's chest, like a knot coming undone.
Someone—finally—saw the truth.
Trey's wings shot open, sending power ripping through the dirt underfoot.
"Oh, you want a fight, your majesty?"
Kris raised a single hand.
Not to attack—
but to suppress.
The air near Trey dropped hard, weight crushing down on his wings, holding them partway out.
Trey staggered backward, his eyes growing wide.
"Kris—?!"
I said it again, Kris spoke quiet-like,
"Enough."
The machine flickered - like it was unsure.
ARBITER HAS PRIORITY.
HOSTILITY LOCKED DOWN.
Trey growled, fierce as a cornered beast.
Asap could at last take a deep breath.
Kris looked his way.
"Come with me," he said simply. "You don't belong on the ground floor of this broken system."
He held out his hand.
Not ordering.
Inviting.
Behind Kris, Trey hissed:
"You're making a mistake, Kris. He's going to break the balance. He's a glitch."
Kris grinned a little - sharp enough to get under Trey's skin.
"Or," Kris said,
"he's the first one who can fix it."
Asap glanced at Kris's hand.
He wasn't completely sure about that guy.
Never met the guy before.
Yet something inside him just knew - there was only one answer
Kris told the truth. Although Trey didn't - he lied instead.
The whole planet was.
A soft buzz ran down Asap's back - as if the machine noticed, checked his moves, eager to trap him again -
Then Trey shifted position.
No sound.
No warning.
A blur flickered right behind Asap.
FWIP—
A sharp flash of blue-white light zipped at Asap's head from behind.
He barely turned—
Kris glanced quickly to the left.
He didn't shout.
Didn't panic.
He just got in touch.
Pulled Trey's wings suddenly.
Right when Kris grabbed hold -
They crunched.
Not like bone.
Not like flesh.
Like plastic.
Fake.
The glowing blue wings stuttered, their borders sparking then falling apart into dull streaks of glow-dust.
Cosmetic.
Kris grabbed the limp figure by a shattered arm, holding Trey out like a misbehaving kid.
"Huh," Kris said, smiling wide. "Trey - fake makeup again, huh?"
Trey twisted around, thrashing as if something deep inside had snapped.
"S–Shut up! It's not a knockoff—it was limited edition!"
Kris chuckled, really did, loud and surprised.
"Limited edition? Trey, I can buy the entire cosmetic shop you crawled out of."
He yanked harder.
The phony wings ripped right off, vanishing into tiny dots near Trey's shoulders.
Trey dropped headfirst into the soil.
The system chimed:
SYSTEM NOTE: Cosmetic 'Skywing Sovereign'
Quality — COUNTERFEIT
Refund Denied.
Asap almost choked.
The setup was burning him up.
Trey shot to his feet, cheeks flushed from anger, guilt flickering in his stare.
"You… you bastard—!"
Kris set a foot gently against Trey's spine - holding him down like it was nothing.
"What was that?" Kris said casually. "A sneak attack on a new arrival? Tsk, tsk."
He pressed harder.
Trey gasped, air tearing from his chest like broken glass.
"Get… off me—"
Kris ignored him.
He looked again at Asap, tone calm but firm this time.
"He's not like the others."
Asap blinked. "What?"
Kris pointed his way with two fingers, like showing off something one-of-a-kind.
"You resisted system override. F-Class conditioning failed. You accessed unregistered power. That's not a malfunction, Asap."
He tilted a bit ahead.
"That's a trait."
Trey flailed beneath his foot, struggling to break free.
"He's a threat to the structure! He should be wiped—!"
Kris pushed a bit harder - Trey choked, then went quiet.
"As always," Kris muttered, "you're thinking too small."
He glanced toward Asap once more, his gaze hard like steel.
"You're not F-Class. You never were. F-Class isn't a rank—it's a prison cell."
He poked at the space in front of him.
"And you broke the door."
The machine stammered back, puzzled.
WARNING: SUBJECT ASAP ASHTON
UNCLASSIFIABLE TRAITS DETECTED
ANALYSIS FAILED
Kris spoke quieter now, almost a whisper, yet somehow sharper than before.
"You're what this world used to call a Wanderer."
The moment it came, silence broke fast.
Asap's arm prickled, each hair lifting slow - but sudden.
"A… Wanderer?"
Kris nodded once.
"Not tied to the system. Not bound to class rules. Capable of bending the code instead of obeying it."
He smirked.
"People like you aren't killed."
He paused.
"They're studied."
The machine twitched like it was broken.
ALERT: ARBITER KRIS REQUESTING SPECIAL CLASSIFICATION
STATUS: PENDING
Trey hacked a cough - his words shaky.
"Y-You can't protect him, Kris. Wanderers get dissected—"
Kris flipped him over - looked half-asleep while doing it.
Trey," Kris said, crouching down till they were eye to eye,
"If an S-Class coward like you couldn't kill him…"
He looked over at Asap, then shifted his gaze to Trey.
"What makes you think the researchers can?"
Trey swallowed hard.
Kris got back on his feet, brushing the dirt from his palms.
"These lands," he said to Asap, "are afraid of anything that doesn't follow the script."
His eyes got darker - only a bit.
"And you? You're the first unscripted thing they've seen in decades."
Asap stared, chest tight, mind racing.
Wanderer.
Unbound.
Outside the system.
If it were real…
After that, no group was big enough to hold him.
No order built on force could hold him down.
No sense of status ever fooled him.
Yet it pointed to just one idea:
Everyone in power
would need him gone.
Kris bobbed his head, like he could see the worry building up inside Asap's stare.
"Come with me. There's a place where the system can't reach. A place that wants Wanderers alive."
Trey hacked a cough - sharp taste hung around.
"Run with him if you want, kid… but they'll still hunt you. The whole nation will."
Asap locked eyes with Kris.
Kris said what made it real - just like that, everything clicked
I don't promise protection. Instead, I give honesty.
A chance to view life beyond appearances
He reached forward one more time.
Asap's heart pounded.
The system trembled.
Trey froze, eyes wide.
Kris waited.
Asap just looked at Kris - his blond hair, that quiet strength, how he seemed to steady everything with his words. Meanwhile, Trey didn't move; teeth clenched, feathers crumpled under Kris's hold like something flimsy picked up by mistake.
Kris' smile sharpened. "A wanderer, Trey. Not some throwaway F-class. You don't kill something like him—you study him."
Trey growled, jerking away - yet the imitation wings snapped sideways with a flimsy pop. Kris burst out laughing, wild and without holding back.
"Oh, Trey… you actually tried to fight with these?" He tapped the broken wing. "Cosmetics are for the Arena terminals, not for real combat. Did you glue these on?"
A couple of Trey's thugs glanced off, feeling awkward about the whole thing.
Asap stayed frozen. Yet his heart kept racing, fueled by that lingering heat beneath his flesh. Still, he observed them as if floating apart from himself.
Kris wiped off his palms, then faced the guy. "Alright... ASAP Ashton. Need to chat."
"What's this about?" Asap said, his voice wobbling at first, then firming up.
Kris clasped his hands behind his back, tilting his head. "About where you're going next. I'd like you to come with me."
Asap's instinct was immediate. "No—I just… I want to get away from all this. I'll figure something out on my own."
"Oh?" Kris said gently. "You think you have a choice?"
Asap froze.
Kris smiled—kind, but the kind that hid fangs. "I simply wanted you to feel like you had one. That's all. You're coming with me."
Trey cracked up behind them, gripping his gut. "Dude - he actually believed - "
"Hush now, Trey," Kris muttered - Trey fell silent right away.
Kris kept moving, waving Asap over close. "Got someone you should know about - girl's involved."
Asap blinked. "Who's that girl?"
"Green hair. Fell out of a portal near the Wanderers' prison. Caused quite a stir," Kris said casually, as if describing the weather. "We found traces of her aura. Unstable. Uncatalogued. She's like you—an anomaly."
Asap stopped walking.
A flash, sudden - like a spark in his head - and there it was: a face. Hair like green flames blowing sideways. Eyes sharp and alive. She stretched out, or maybe he did - he couldn't tell - then nothing but glare, just blinding white
Gone.
Asap stumbled ahead, clutching his skull.
Kris studied him - like someone spotting a strange animal in the wild. "Huh. Look at that. It's clicking now."
"T-That girl…" Asap muttered. "If I meet her… maybe she knows something. About before. About who I was."
Kris nodded once. "Precisely. That's why we're going to her."
Asap glanced up, breathing shaky - yet something firm sparked in his gaze. "Guess I'm heading out."
Kris' smile widened. "Good. I enjoy when wanderers cooperate. Saves me energy."
Asap looked over his shoulder - Trey plus crew stomping close, eyes sharp like starving mutts. Everything seemed slower now, the ground slanting sideways, yet one thought kept him moving - her smile burned bright in his head.
"Time to go," Kris muttered, glancing at the distant skyline.
Asap followed.
Far off they went, Trey muttered something to one thug, his glare sharp with rage
"Watch him. Next time… King Kris won't be there."
The Wanderers' Prison wasn't some structure - it cut deep into the ground like a wound left open.
Metal beams curved up from the floor, almost like bones of some fallen giant, vibrating softly under locks meant for creatures no one could describe. Electricity prickled in the air, as if the universe was pushing back just by being here.
Kris moved forward, arms folded at his back, softly whistling a melody fit for royalty. Behind him came Trey with his crew, strutting like they'd won something, drunk on past meanness.
Asap lagged, breath shaky.
They moved down a narrow passage lined with rooms - chilly, barely lit, every doorway sealed by glowing force fields flickering in odd hues. A few held nothing. Others contained figures Asap couldn't quite make out.
And then—
They reached her.
A cell midway down, glowing with harsh, shaky green light. In it, moving restless as a trapped tempest, the girl strode - her steps sharp, her breath heavy. Not waiting, not still.
Her green hair spills over her shoulders - shimmering, wild. The black dress? Ripped along the edge. No shoes on her feet, like someone yanked her straight from somewhere else.
The second she spotted them, her palms hit the fence hard - no hesitation.
"Hey! Let me go, you idiots!" she shouted - her tone so harsh it could slice rock.
Kris chuckled softly. "She's been delightful all afternoon."
Trey leaned in close to the barrier, smirking. "Look at you. Little weak wanderer. All that power and you can't even break out of a baby-tier prison? Pathetic."
She bared her teeth at him. "I swear, when I get out of here, I'm ripping those stupid fake wings off your back and shoving them—"
"Ah, ah," Trey taunted. "You can't do anything right now. So keep barking. It's cute."
That look from her might've burned right through him.
Asap moved ahead without a sound.
She wasn't aware of his presence right away.
Yet suddenly - it was like an unseen string pulled at her focus - her mad look faded. Uncertainty crept into her gaze. Moving ahead little by little, her arms dropped down.
"…Asap?" she whispered.
He froze.
She gripped the force field tight. Her eyes stretched wide, trembling slightly. "Hurry up... Ashton..."
Trey blinked, his gaze shifting from one to the other. "Hold on - huh?"
Kris' smile deepened with satisfaction. "Oh yes. They know each other."
Asap gulped loud. A feeling in his ribcage clenched up - then shifted, then heated, all sudden-like.
She whispered his name once more - quiet, shaky, almost like it might crack if she spoke too loud.
"Asap Ashton… you're… you're really here?"