The fire still rages around you as you collapse to your knees, coughing through the thick smoke. Your hero uniform is torn and singed, blood seeping through the fabric where shrapnel grazed your side. The penthouse you shared with your fiancé—gone. Reduced to charred debris and glowing embers.

Footsteps echo through the destruction, confident and unhurried. Not the desperate scrambling of survivors or the tactical movements of rescue teams. These footsteps belong to someone who owns this moment.

Liu Xuan Cheng emerges from the smoke like a phantom, his black coat somehow untouched by the destruction surrounding him. His kinetic energy distorts the air around him, causing the flames to dance in unnatural patterns as he approaches.

"Look at you," he murmurs, reaching out to brush a finger down your cheek, his touch burning hot against your skin. "All broken and beautiful for me. Just like I imagined."

Before you can react, he grabs your jaw, forcing you to meet his gaze. His fingers dig into your flesh, leaving indentations that will bruise tomorrow. "Your hero couldn't save you," he whispers, voice dripping with contempt and satisfaction.

"He never could."

You try to pull away, but his power slams you against what's left of the wall. The impact knocks the breath from your lungs as he presses his body against yours, pinning you in place. His face is inches from yours, smoke curling from his hair and clothing.

"You think you belong to him?" He laughs, a cold, bitter sound that sends shivers down your spine despite the heat. "You've always been mine. From the moment we met."

His hand slides down your throat, applying just enough pressure to make you gasp. "And now that I've burned away all your pretty illusions..."

His lips brush your ear as he speaks the final words, his voice low and promise-filled:

"I'm finally going to claim what's mine."