He didn't sleep that night.
Every time he closed his eyes, the blue system message burned behind his eyelids:
[Target Identified: Yelena Belova]
He knew exactly who she was.
Black Widow's successor.
Elite assassin.
Not someone you "accidentally bump into" in a friendly way.
By morning, he half expected his window to explode or his room to be filled with smoke grenades.
Instead, it was quiet.
Too quiet.
A Normal Day… With Unseen Eyes
At school, he tried to act normal — hood up, headphones in, blending into the crowd. But he could feel eyes on him. Not student eyes. Something sharper.
Sabrina walked next to him, excited.
"I practiced last night after you left! I think I'm getting the high notes finally."
He smiled, trying to focus. "Told you you'd get it."
But deep down, his stomach twisted.
Because as she spoke, he saw her — a blonde girl in a dark jacket, leaning casually against a far wall, pretending to scroll through her phone.
Most people wouldn't notice anything odd.
He did.
Yelena Belova was watching him.
The Encounter
After school, he took the long way home, cutting through an alley behind a quiet strip of shops. Normally, he'd avoid places like this.
Today, he needed space to think.
He didn't get it.
A voice with a Russian accent drifted from behind him.
"You know, for someone trying to lay low… you are very bad at it."
His heart stopped.
Slowly, he turned.
Yelena stood there, hands in her pockets, expression annoyingly calm.
"I don't want trouble," he said quickly.
"That is good." She tilted her head. "Because if I wanted to kill you, you would not be standing."
"…Comforting."
She walked closer, circling him like she was examining a strange new animal.
"You have… abilities," she said. "I saw your little spark show in the woods."
His pulse jumped.
So she had been the one watching.
"But you are not enhanced… not exactly."
She narrowed her eyes. "So tell me. What are you?"
His mind scrambled.
He couldn't reveal the system.
He couldn't reveal his reincarnation.
He couldn't even reveal that he had powers from other universes.
So he said the safest thing he could:
"I'm nobody."
Yelena stared at him for a long moment… then actually laughed.
"Wrong answer. But cute."
A Dangerous Offer
She stepped closer, now only a foot away.
"I am not here to take you," she said quietly. "Not here to hurt you. If that was my mission, it would be done."
His shoulders loosened slightly.
"But…" She leaned in. "Others may not be so gentle."
His stomach tightened again.
"There are organizations — some old, some new — who want to know how a teenage boy can suddenly produce viral songs, gain strange powers, and appear where Black Widow herself is operating."
"I didn't ask for any of this," he muttered.
Yelena shrugged. "Neither did most people in this world. But you have it now. Which means you must be careful."
He looked at her carefully.
"Why tell me this? Why help me?"
She hesitated.
"…Consider it a professional courtesy," she said. "The world is getting messy. Natasha would not like powerful kids being hunted."
He felt something cold and heavy settle in his chest.
"So what do I do?" he asked.
Yelena slipped a folded piece of paper into his hoodie pocket.
"You avoid certain areas. Certain people. You do not get caught using your abilities in public." She paused. "And you should release your next song anonymously. Do not let them connect your voice to your face."
He blinked.
"You know about my music?"
She smirked.
"Please. Even assassins have TikTok."
A Final Warning
She took a step back.
"One more thing," she said. "Someone else is watching you. Someone not from S.H.I.E.L.D., not from any government. Someone… independent."
His mouth went dry.
"Who?"
Yelena shook her head.
"I don't know yet. But find out before they do."
Then she turned away, blending into the shadows like she had never been there.
But just before she disappeared, she called over her shoulder:
"Do not die. I hate wasting warnings."
And then she was gone.
The System Reacts
The moment she vanished, the system screen appeared again.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
Threat Level: ELEVATED
New Quest Unlocked: Identify the Unknown Observer
Reward: 500 Points, New Universe Power Draw
He stood there in the alley, breathing hard.
This world was closing in on him faster than he could run.
But one thing was clear:
He wasn't invisible anymore.
And whatever was coming next…
It was already watching.