The Awakened.

As Ryan collapsed to his knees, the pain searing through his body, a different kind of fire began to burn within him.

His vision blurred, but his thoughts sharpened with crystal clarity.

"You know," he rasped, causing the woman to pause, "I've always wondered what it would be like to be on this side of things".

Whoosh—!

The woman turned back, her expression a mixture of surprise and annoyance.

Ryan didn't care. The dam had broken, and years of pent-up frustration and disillusionment poured out.

"All my life, I've watched contractors like you strut around like you own the world. You think that spirit by your side makes you special? Makes you better than the rest of us?".

He coughed, tasting blood, but the words kept coming, fueled by a growing rage.

"I became a contractor because I thought it would give my life meaning. That maybe, just maybe, I could make a difference. But you know what I found instead? A system so corrupt, so broken, that it makes the regular world look like a utopia."

Ryan's voice grew stronger, even as his body weakened. His eyes, once filled with pain, now blazed with a fierce intensity.

"You spirits and high-level contractors, you're all the same. Playing your little power games, destroying everything around you. And for what? Some ancient grudge? A bit more power? Do you even care about the lives you ruin in the process?"

He gestured weakly at the destroyed parking lot around them. "Look at this. All this destruction because you couldn't settle your disputes like rational beings. And now you're going to kill me, an innocent bystander, just to cover your tracks."

A bitter laugh escaped his lips.

"You know, I used to think I was the problem. That I wasn't trying hard enough, that if I just worked a little more, trained a little longer, I could be like you. But now I see the truth. The problem isn't me. It's this whole sick system."

As he spoke, something stirred within him. A warmth that started in his chest and began to spread, pulsing through his veins with each angry word.

"The spirits, the contractors, the regulations, the politics - it's all rotten to the core. You parade around as protectors, but you're nothing more than glorified thugs with fancy powers. And the rest of us? We're just collateral damage in your grand schemes."

Ryan's voice rose, filled with a conviction he'd never felt before.

"Well, I'm done. Done with trying to fit in, done with playing by rules that only benefit the powerful. If this is what being a contractor means, then the whole system needs to burn."

He fixed his gaze on the woman, who now looked far less confident than she had moments ago.

"You wanted to tie up loose ends? To silence a witness? Well, congratulations. You just created something far worse."

As the last word left his lips, the warmth within him intensified, becoming a searing heat that raced through his body.

Ryan Hanley gasped, his back arching as energy began to crackle around him. His green aura flickered, then flared brightly, shifting and changing.

Flashbacks appeared before him like he was sitting right in front of a giant screen.

The woman took a step back, her eyes widening in shock. "What... What is this?... What's happening?".

Ryan barely heard her. The energy was consuming him, filling every cell of his body.

It hurt, but it also felt right, as if something long dormant was finally awakening.

His eyes snapped open, glowing with an inner light.

The wound in his abdomen began to close, energy knitting flesh and bone back together.

As Ryan slowly rose to his feet, the air around him crackled with power.

His aura pulsed, no longer the faint green of a novice, but a swirling mixture of colours that defied classification.

The parking lot fell silent, save for the gentle patter of rain and the hum of energy surrounding Ryan.

Silence…

And then came the dangerous stare, one so fierce it sent a huge storm of energy that threatened to send the women flying.

A small barrier was quickly opened by the wind spirit to protect its master.

And then it spoke-

"My lady… I don't know how to tell you this but… every energy in my body is telling me to run".

"What?"

"The boy before us… unless I am mistaken… that is of the same aura of the Spirit king … I remember it so well?".

"The spirit king?... You're joking." The woman turned her focus back at Ryan.

And there he stood, his shirt stained with blood but his eyes glowing bright red. Spirit energy danced around him, as if welcoming his presence.

"Ahh… so that's what happened." Ryan suddenly spoke, before looking at the two individuals in front of him.

Then he pointed at the spirit, "You there… how long has it been since I got stabbed?".

The wind spirit trembled visibly, its ethereal form rippling with fear. It responded hesitantly,

"T-three minutes, perhaps four…"

Ryan's eyes narrowed, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "Is that so? Interesting."

He took a step forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet.

The sound echoed through the empty parking lot, amplified by the eerie silence that had fallen.

The woman stumbled back, her earlier bravado replaced by naked fear.

"What... what are you?" she stammered, her eyes darting between Ryan and her spirit. Inir swirled anxiously around her, its ethereal form rippling with unease.

Ryan didn't respond immediately.

He lifted his hand, palm upward, and watched as tendrils of multi-colored energy began to coalesce above it.

The swirling vortex of power grew slowly, pulsing with an otherworldly light that cast strange shadows across the rain-slicked pavement.

The woman's eyes widened in horror as she recognized energies that shouldn't be possible for any single being to control.

She took another step back, nearly tripping over debris from their earlier battle.

"Inirr," she called, her voice trembling, "protect me!"

The wind spirit hesitated, torn between obedience and self-preservation.

It could sense the overwhelming power emanating from Ryan, a force that dwarfed anything it had encountered before.

Ryan's gaze shifted to the spirit, his crimson eyes gleaming with interest. He spoke, his voice unnaturally calm, "Yeah that's right wind boy… protect her".

He reached out slowly, his hand passing through Inir's form.

At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then, gradually, the spirit's essence began to flow into Ryan.

Wisps of ethereal energy streamed from Inir into Ryan's outstretched hand, picking up speed as the process continued.

"No!" the woman cried, her voice cracking with desperation. "Stop it! Please!"

But her pleas fell on deaf ears.

Ryan stood motionless, his expression one of mild curiosity as he absorbed the wind spirit.

Inirr's form grew fainter and fainter, its cries of anguish fading along with its visible presence.

As the last traces of the spirit disappeared into Ryan, he flexed his fingers experimentally.

The air around him stirred, responding to his slightest movement. "Fascinating," he murmured.

The woman had fallen to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she watched her spirit partner vanish.

She looked up at Ryan, her expression a mixture of fear, grief, and dawning recognition.

Step! Step!

Ryan approached her slowly, each step deliberate and menacing.

He reached down, grasping her by the throat and lifting her off the ground with inhuman strength.

Cough—!

Her feet dangled helplessly as she gasped for air.

As Ryan held her there, studying her with detached interest, the woman's eyes widened.

Despite her fear, despite the life being choked out of her, a look of awe crossed her face.

With her last breath, she managed to whisper, "You're really him..."

Her body went limp in Ryan's grasp. He let her fall to the ground, a flicker of confusion crossing his face at her final words.

Suddenly, the energy surrounding Ryan began to fluctuate wildly.

The crimson glow in his eyes flickered, then faded. He stumbled, his legs giving way beneath him.

"What's... happening..." he mumbled, his vision blurring. The world seemed to tilt and spin around him.

Ryan collapsed to the ground, his body no longer able to contain the immense power he had absorbed.