The city hit me the moment we stepped outside the high-rise tower. Not all at once—but in layers.
The light was brighter, the air cooler. Sounds felt louder—cars in the distance, people chatting across the street, someone yelling about fresh bao buns. A bus wheezed by and made me flinch.
My steps were small at first. Kian didn't say anything. He just matched my pace, hands in his pockets, close enough to feel but not touch.
No one looked at us. We weren't in the poor district anymore. This part of the city smelled like fresh pastries and pavement, not burnt grease and rust. People walked fast. No one lingered. No one stared.
📢 System Notification[Task in Progress: 7/30 Minutes Logged Outside – Supervised][Bonus: Bonded Alpha Proximity – Stress Reduced 18%]
I took a slow breath and kept walking.
We passed a bookstore. A real one, with old spines and hand-written price tags in the window. I paused in front of the glass, eyes caught by the titles: A Thousand Ways to Fly, Omega Autonomy Act: A Legal Guide, and Rising from Below: Memoirs of Unregistered Youths.
"Do you like to read?" Kian asked, his voice soft beside me.
I nodded. "I used to. When I could borrow from school. Or find books left behind."
He hesitated, then said, "You can take anything you want."
I shook my head. "It's enough just being able to look."
📢 [Comfort Level Outside: 42% → 58%]🧠 Memory Triggered: "Quiet joy from simple freedoms."
After about fifteen minutes of walking, we turned onto a quiet side street lined with small bakeries and flower carts. The scent of sugar and fresh-cut roses blended in the air, soft and strangely nostalgic.
"Do you come here a lot?" I asked.
"Sometimes. Usually when I need to clear my head."
"You don't seem like the type who needs to clear his head."
He glanced at me, amused. "That's because I've already walked half my stress off."
I smiled, just a little. The first real one in days.
Then we reached a small park—a narrow stretch of green nestled between buildings. It wasn't big, but it had a fountain, stone benches, and a line of tall trees shading one side.
Kian gestured to one of the benches. "Want to sit for a while?"
I nodded.
We sat.
The silence here was lighter. Softer. Like the kind that didn't demand to be filled.
For a long moment, I just listened to the wind rustle through the leaves, the faint sound of water trickling from the fountain.
I hadn't been this calm outside in… I didn't know how long.
📢 System Notification✅ [Task Complete: Left the Penthouse (Supervised)]+100 Points💫 Bond Energy: 16.3%🎁 Bonus Unlocked: Public Adaptability Metrics (Unlocked)
A warm pulse moved through my chest—not unpleasant. Just a reminder: You did it.
"You're not scared anymore," Kian said quietly.
"I'm still scared," I admitted. "But not of you."
The wind picked up slightly, cool and crisp, brushing past my ears.
📢 New Task Unlocked"Touch your Alpha in public."🎯 Reward: +60 Points🧩 Emotional Thread Progress (3/5)
I froze.
My hand twitched slightly.
I glanced at Kian—his arms were resting casually on the back of the bench, relaxed. He hadn't noticed the internal chaos.
It didn't have to be dramatic, right?
Slowly, like my fingers were moving through syrup, I reached over and lightly brushed his sleeve.
Kian turned to me, eyebrows raised.
"I just… wanted to say thanks," I mumbled.
✅ [Task Complete: Touch in Public]+60 Points💫 Bond Energy: 17.4%
Kian didn't say anything. But his arm shifted just slightly… brushing mine back.
We sat like that for another minute—touching, not speaking.
And for the first time in forever, I felt like I wasn't just a shadow watching the world.
I was part of it.