"Where am I..."
Her voice gets lost in the muggy night. The alley is narrow, dark, with damp, graffiti-covered walls. Trash cans overflow, rats scurry between shards of glass, and puddles of dirty water reflect the flickering light of a streetlamp. The air reeks of mold, cigarettes, and something metallic. Everything is way too quiet. Almost... wrong.
"What is this place...? Wait... that voice... that's not mine."
Startled, I look around and pick up a shard of broken mirror from the ground. The reflection staring back at me isn't familiar.
In the cracked glass, I see a pale-skinned girl with long black hair tied into two short pigtails, striking eyes, and a fierce expression — the face of...
"I've seen this face before... but where?"
I glance down at the clothes — definitely not mine. And then, suddenly:
"Ah!"
A chill runs down my spine. For a moment, my left eye glowed an intense purple. The mirror, as if reacting to it, shatters completely in my hand.
"What the hell is this..."
"Why the hell am I in a girl's body...? Where even am I?"
I look around, trying to find anything to clue me in. But all I see is garbage. A filthy, dark alley that smells like something old and wet.
"This..."
A newspaper tossed on the ground catches my eye. On it, a man dressed in black, with a flowing cape. I snatch it up and read the headline:
"Batman once again saves hostages in Gotham bank."
"...The hell? What's going on here? This has to be a prank."
I bring my hands to my chest — or rather, her chest. The warmth, the touch, the weight... no doubt, it's a woman's body. I'm not dreaming.
I crouch and look again at the shards on the ground. The face reflected back... I recognize it instantly.
"Juri Han...? No way..."
One of my favorite game characters. And now... I'm in her body. I glance back at the newspaper. Batman. Gotham. This isn't my world anymore.
Only one thought comes to mind:
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WHO THE HELL GAVE ME THIS SECOND CHANCE?! HAHAHAHA!"
A wild laugh escapes my mouth, like it doesn't even belong to me anymore. I don't know how I got here... and honestly? I don't care.
From a regular guy, too shy to do what I always wanted... to the body of one of the sexiest and deadliest characters in gaming.
"Gotham, huh...? Hahaha... Let's go for a walk."
At the end of the alley, I see a sliver of light — probably the exit. I move, and my body responds with insane flexibility. I could almost bend backward and touch my toes with my head.
I throw a few light kicks in the air — and I can feel the strength.
"I didn't have this strength. I always wanted to train... but I never had the courage. But now...? Now I can."
I have the body of the greatest female fighter in Street Fighter.
And if I'm right... I'm in a world full of perfect targets to practice on.
I focus on my left eye... and suddenly, I feel a strange energy coursing through my body. It's like something awakened inside me. I feel... more alive.
"This is... ahhhh!"
A searing pain explodes through my body, as if every cell is burning from the inside.
"What the hell is happening?!"
I grab my left eye — the heat there is unnatural, almost unbearable. Like I'm holding fire in the palm of my hand.
And then... just as suddenly as it came, the pain vanishes.
"Ahh..."
I take a deep breath. Try to understand... "Understand...? I don't understand a damn thing."
The Feng Shui Engine... I know about it. It should be working. But something's off.
"Later. Focus."
I look around. Still in the alley. Still filthy, dark, muggy.
"If I stay here another second, I'll go insane."
"Let's take a walk."
...
Leaving the alley, I find myself facing wide, dark streets. Most of the streetlamps are broken, but at least it smells better than that cursed alley.
I have no idea where I am, so I just start walking aimlessly, hoping something interesting shows up along the way.
But the streets only get worse. At first, a few lights still worked... now, I'm surrounded by complete darkness.
My body trembles. Even in the body of an assassin, I have no idea if I can use her skills. Juri trained since childhood. Me? I can barely throw a punch.
But... my body moves forward with a confidence that's definitely not mine. Every step seems to say, "This place is mine."
Suddenly, I hear voices in the distance.
"I told you already..." — I can't catch the rest, but it's coming from an abandoned warehouse.
The doors look older than my voice. No locks, no chains, just leaning against the frame. Easy to push... but way too noisy. I could look for a window, climb in from above. In this body, that'd be easy.
But I'm too lazy for that.
Inside the warehouse
Five men are gathered around stacks of cash.
— Like I was saying, half of this is mine, man. Stop whining. I sold more — one of them complains.
It's been a profitable day. Now they're trying to split the money "fairly."
— Shut up, Matt. This should be mine. I finished selling first — Julio snaps.
— Yeah, because you use more than you sell. I told you to stop with that crap. If the boss finds out you're...
BOOM!
An explosion cuts the argument short. The warehouse doors fly off like they were hit by a bomb.
— Batman...? — one mutters, tense. — No... that's not his style.
Then who...?
A second of silence.
Then she appears.
A girl. Can't be more than fifteen. Smiling like she was born in the chaos. A wild smile.
— Knock knock... Party's on and no one invited me? — she says, eyes gleaming with malice.
Back to my perspective
I didn't bother with windows. I chose the fastest, loudest way.
I kicked those doors with everything I had. Something I never could've done in my old body. They flew inward, crashing with a deafening bang.
I walked in, calm and steady. In the middle of the warehouse: five guys, and a pile of money.
A smile curls onto my lips. Natural. Wild. Unstoppable.
— Knock knock... Party's on and no one invited me?
The smile only grows.
They look at me like I just escaped from an asylum.
— These guys... — I mutter.
— Hey, brat. Get lost before I break you — says the biggest one, probably the leader.
Another one stumbles closer. His eyes are vacant — high as hell.
— Chill, Matt... Look at her. Doesn't she make you wanna have some fun? — he says, leering.
— Yeah, yeah... A little R&R wouldn't hurt, right guys? — adds another.
They exchange glances... and silently agree.
— Fine... but make it quick — the leader says, groaning as he stands.
— Quick why? Who's coming here? This is the middle of nowhere — one grumbles, walking toward me.
At that moment, my body heats up. My muscles loosen. I feel relaxed... weirdly at home.
But only one thing's on my mind:
And what I want most right now... is to kick these assholes' faces in.
Oh, and — yeah — take the cash.
The first one to approach is the junkie, tripping over his own feet.
Before he can touch me, I grab his wrist.
— "What the...?"
I don't let him finish. A sharp kick to his knee folds him in agony.
— "AHH!"
He falls. I grab his head with both hands and slam a knee into his face.
Three seconds. Down one.
And I... loved it. The feel of the body moving, making it sing. I want more. So much more.
— "You bitch, I'm gonna—"
I don't wait for him to finish. I'm already sprinting. Fast. Straight at the next one.
I throw a weak punch with my right hand. He dodges to the side — just like I wanted. My elbow meets his face with a solid crack.
— "AHH, MY FACE!"
He stumbles, and the second guy comes in with a kick.
I catch his leg midair and sweep the ground with mine. Two bodies drop.
Still holding his leg, I drive my other foot straight between his thighs.
— "AHHHHHH!"
He screams... and blacks out.
Two down.
The elbow guy's back up, but now... he's afraid.
— "What's wrong? Think I'm cute? I know I am."
The three of them step back — almost in sync.
— "Who the hell are you? Another masked freak? Get lost before we end you!"
Might've been scarier... if he wasn't backing up while saying it.
— "How about this — you give me the cash, and I pretend you didn't try to hit me?"
I grin. Like I'm not accusing them of anything at all.
They exchange glances. Classic.
— "Go fuck yourself!" — snarls the elbow guy, charging in. Sloppy.
Didn't even have to try.
I duck under his swing, punch his chest. Kick to the knee. Crack. Punch to the face.
Boom. Out cold.
Two left, and they're shaking.
I move to the fourth. He's slow. Barely reacts.
I spin. Kick to the face. He twirls midair like a top and drops like a bag of trash.
— "Only one left? Really...? Don't ruin the fun, scumbag."
I was enjoying this. 5v1. A fair fight — for me. But the last one ruins it. He pulls a knife.
— "STAY BACK! GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU DEMON! I'LL KILL YOU!"
I look at him. Bored.
Pathetic.
I walk slowly. He tries to back up — but there's nowhere left to go.
Feint. Kick to the face.
He drops like someone yanked his plug.
— "That was... disappointing."
I scan the warehouse.
— "But what did I expect from low-tier drug dealers hiding in this dump...?"
I smile.
— "If I want a real fight... I need to find tougher prey. And in this world..." "...there's plenty of it."
...
"So... you're telling me a girl — no older than fifteen — kicked in the door, beat the crap out of all five of you, and took the money?" said the cop, incredulous. "You really think I'm that stupid?"
"I'm serious! That demon came outta nowhere and beat the hell outta me and my friends!" Matt cried, handcuffed and shaking.
"Yeah, yeah... save it for Gordon. He'll love this one," the cop grumbled, clearly over it.
"Sir, do you think they're lying?" a rookie asked, glancing at Matt with hesitation.
"In this godforsaken place, anything's possible... but my shift's over, and I'm not wasting another second in this shithole," the cop muttered, grabbing his coat.
Maybe... maybe that demon really could help this city abandoned by God.Or maybe... she'll just turn it into hell on Earth.