The boot connected with Banyu’s ribs again, a dull impact that rattled his teeth but didn't dislodge the cough in his throat. He tasted dust, gritty and metallic. Three of them, dressed in the crisp, indigo tunics of the Akademi Puncak Awan, surrounded him. Their Batin flared with arrogant disdain, a shimmering haze around their fists, while his own, meager reserves felt like a sputtering ember. His arm, wrapped protectively around a small, bundled satchel, throbbed where a punch had landed minutes ago. “Still clutching that dirty little pouch, low-caste?” sneered the tallest of the trio, a youth with sharp, haughty features named Tulus. “Your sister truly is a blight on Kota Hujan’s air, needing so much attention.” Banyu didn’t speak, didn’t even look up. His focus remained on Tulus’s polished, leather-bound boot. His sister, Lestari, was tucked away in their cramped dwelling below, her breathing shallow, her small body wracked by the Sima fever. This satchel held the last vial of Kembang Hati drops, purchased with a week’s meager earnings. “What’s the matter, mute?” another bully, Ketut, a burly boy with a perpetually sneering lip, kicked Banyu’s side. “Can’t even defend your own name, much less that pathetic urchin sister of yours?” Banyu pushed himself to his knees, his muscles screaming. His eyes, usually placid and deep brown, now held a dangerous glimmer. He met Tulus’s gaze, not with defiance, but with a quiet, unyielding promise. “Leave Lestari out of this,” he rasped, his voice rough. “This is between you and me.” “Oh, it is, is it?” Tulus’s smile was a cruel twist. He gestured, and Ketut snatched the satchel from Banyu’s weakening grasp. Banyu surged forward, a primal cry tearing from his throat, but the third bully, Bayu, a quick-handed blur, slapped him back to the grime-slicked cobblestones. His head hit the pavement with a sickening thud. Tulus unstoppered the small, crystal vial. The precious Kembang Hati drops, a shimmering amber liquid, caught the dim light filtering through the megacity’s upper districts. “This is what all your begging and groveling bought, isn’t it?” he mocked, holding it aloft. “A single drop of hope for your little invalid. How touching.” Banyu scrambled, his fingers clawing at the air, his vision blurring. “No!” he bellowed, the sound raw with desperation. “Give it back!” Tulus simply laughed. With a flick of his wrist, the vial arced through the air. It glittered for a moment against the vast, terrifying drop from the span, then plunged into the churning currents of the Celah Sungai below, hundreds of feet down. A cold, hollow dread seized Banyu’s chest, colder than any blow. That medicine was Lestari’s only chance. He saw her pale face, her weak smile, her unwavering trust in him. He saw the life draining from her eyes, the fever claiming her. Without a thought, without a second’s hesitation, Banyu launched himself over the railing. The wind roared past his ears, snatching his hair, whipping at his threadbare clothes. The stone arches, the bullies, the entire towering megacity of Kota Hujan receded into a blur of grey and shadow. All he saw was the tiny, glinting vial, a speck of light falling faster and faster towards the churning river. His body plummeted, a desperate, flailing marionette. The river rushed up to meet him, a hungry maw of white water and dark currents. He could feel the vibration of his fall, the kinetic energy building, accelerating. It was a strange, pervasive hum that started deep in his bones and spread outwards, tingling through his skin. Then, a sudden, blinding flash. A voice, clear as a mountain spring, echoed not in his ears, but in the deepest core of his being. [Echo Step System Synchronization Complete] [Batin Core +1,000] [Batin Core +2,500] [Batin Core +5,000] [Batin Core +10,000] [Batin Core +20,000] [Batin Core +40,000] [Batin Core +80,000] [Batin Core +160,000] The notifications flashed, a dizzying cascade of numbers, each one a jolt of unimaginable energy surging through his veins. The fall, which should have ended in a splattering impact, became something else entirely. He felt the air itself turn solid beneath his descending feet. He drifted, a feather, not falling, but settling. His bare feet touched the water with barely a ripple. The current, strong enough to tear apart a small skiff, felt like a gentle caress. The crystal vial, bobbing serenely just within reach, reflected his focused gaze. He reached out, his hand steady, and plucked it from the water. He pushed off the water’s surface, a single, effortless leap that carried him back towards the massive support pillar. His body thrummed with a power so vast it felt alien, yet perfectly natural. The energy coursed through him, a silent symphony of unimaginable strength. He ascended the slick stone pillar, not climbing, but simply moving upwards, each touch a new anchor. In moments, he stood on the bridge again, the vial clutched safely in his hand. The three bullies, frozen in disbelief, stared at him as if he were a ghost. Their faces, seconds ago contorted with cruel mirth, were now slack with shock. Tulus, his haughty expression shattered, took a hesitant step back. “What in the— how did you…?” Banyu didn’t answer. His eyes, no longer just quiet, now held an immense, placid depth, reflecting the raw fear blossoming in Tulus’s face. He took a single, silent step forward. The distance, perhaps ten paces, vanished. He simply *was* there, before Tulus, his hand gently resting on the bully’s shoulder. It was not a grip or a shove, but the pressure descended like a collapsing mountain. The ground beneath Tulus’s feet, the ancient, reinforced cobblestones of the walkway, groaned. A spiderweb of cracks erupted from beneath Tulus’s expensive Akademi boots, spreading outwards with a dry, grinding shriek. The stone shattered, pulverized into a fine powder, revealing the sheer drop below. Banyu removed his hand, leaving Tulus trembling on the crumbling edge, staring transfixed at the yawning abyss. High above, in a secluded tower of the Akademi Puncak Awan, bathed in the ethereal glow of crystal lanterns, Jati watched. His usually calm features stiffened. His eyes, the color of twilight, glowed faintly with an internal light, reflecting the distant, shimmering disruption on the bridge below. “It’s begun.”

A Single Step