Early morning sunlight slowly rose over New York City.
Cars moved through the busy streets while people rushed to their daily jobs.
But inside a hidden underground facility…
The atmosphere was completely different.
Large monitors displayed surveillance feeds from across the city.
Several agents moved around the control room, analyzing reports and data.
On the central screen, a video recording played.
The footage showed a dark alley.
Three criminals collapsing.
And a man standing calmly in the middle of it.
Shadows moving around his body like living creatures.
The video paused.
A bald man wearing a long black coat stood in front of the screen.
His single eye stared at the frozen image.
Nick Fury.
Director of SHIELD.
Beside him stood Natasha Romanoff.
She watched the footage silently.
Nick Fury crossed his arms.
"You saw this personally?"
Natasha nodded.
"Yes."
The video replayed.
The shadows pierced the criminals again.
Fury narrowed his eye.
"That's not technology."
Natasha shook her head.
"No gadgets."
She paused before continuing.
"Whatever that was… it came directly from him."
Fury studied the screen again.
The figure of Arata stood clearly in the video.
Calm.
Composed.
Dangerous.
Fury finally spoke.
"Name?"
Natasha answered immediately.
"Arata."
Fury raised an eyebrow.
"Just Arata?"
Natasha shrugged.
"That's all he gave me."
Fury turned toward another agent.
"Run facial recognition."
The agent quickly typed on the keyboard.
A few seconds passed.
Then the result appeared.
NO MATCH FOUND.
The agent looked confused.
"Director… he's not in any database."
Fury frowned.
"Not in police records?"
"No."
"Immigration?"
"Nothing."
Fury looked back at the screen.
A man who didn't exist.
With abilities that defied logic.
He didn't like mysteries.
Natasha leaned against the table.
"He's dangerous."
Fury nodded slowly.
"Maybe."
He paused.
"Or maybe he's an opportunity."
Natasha looked at him.
"Recruitment?"
Fury smirked slightly.
"If possible."
He turned back to the screen.
Arata's frozen image stared back.
"But first…"
His voice became colder.
"I want to know exactly what he is."
Meanwhile…
Across the city.
Arata walked calmly through a quiet street.
Morning sunlight reflected off the tall buildings.
The city looked completely normal.
But his mind was focused elsewhere.
'Someone is watching me.'
His Demon Sense had been active since morning.
A faint presence followed him from a distance.
Not hostile.
But definitely observing.
Arata smiled slightly.
'SHIELD works fast.'
He stopped walking.
Then suddenly—
He stepped into a nearby shadow.
'Shadow Movement.'
His body dissolved into darkness.
A moment later…
He appeared on the rooftop of a nearby building.
From there, he looked down at the street.
A black SUV slowly drove past.
Inside the vehicle, a man held a pair of binoculars.
Clearly an agent.
Arata chuckled softly.
'Too slow.'
The agent suddenly noticed something.
He looked up toward the rooftop.
But Arata was already gone.
The rooftop was empty.
Only shadows remained.
Somewhere far away…
Felicia Hardy sat on the balcony of her apartment.
She tossed the diamond necklace in the air lazily.
Her thoughts drifted back to the mysterious man from last night.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"Shadow boy…"
She leaned back in her chair.
"You're definitely not boring."
Back on the rooftop…
Arata looked at the city skyline.
New York was full of secrets.
But now—
So was he.
A faint dark aura slowly spread around his body.
Power.
Growing stronger every hour.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
'Let the game begin.'