| DABI | Echoes in the Midnight Ember | Book 1 |

| 16 |

Rina shut the door behind her, locking it with an automatic, experienced click. The quiet hum of her apartment settled around her as she dropped her keys on the counter, feeling her limbs grow heavy with exhaustion. But despite the weariness, she couldn't shake the thoughts that had been gnawing at her, lingering since she and Hawks had parted ways.

Dabi.

She felt ridiculous even thinking about him, much less wasting her time searching for him. He was just a face in the crowd of dark, chaotic souls that had drifted through her life. But something about his absence this past week—it felt like a void she hadn't anticipated. And now, her mind was tangled with curiosity and questions she couldn't seem to ignore.

Before she could second-guess herself, Rina sank onto her couch, pulling her laptop over and opening a search engine. Her fingers hesitated above the keys for a second, as though typing his name might make it all feel more real. Finally, she typed "Dabi sightings," hitting enter before she could change her mind.

The page loaded, filling her screen with articles, some fresh, some old.

A few recent reports caught her eye—short blurbs in online news feeds with rumours of villains sighted in the outskirts, mentions of blue flames seen flaring up in abandoned neighbourhoods late at night. Nothing solid, nothing concrete. But it was clear he and the League weren't lying low entirely.

She clicked on one article, her eyes scanning it quickly: "Unconfirmed Sightings of League of Villains in Downtown District—Pro Heroes Investigate."

Her chest tightened at the mention of a "pro hero investigation." She knew it would only be a matter of time before they zeroed in on him, on all of them. With how often they crossed paths, part of her felt absurdly connected to this tug-of-war between the villains and the heroes, as though she'd been caught between two halves of a world that didn't fully accept her. But she'd kept herself on the sidelines for a reason.

Her fingers tapped the side of the laptop as she skimmed through more articles, her eyes narrowing. There were no reports of direct confrontations, no solid evidence of the League's movements, but she could tell they were still very much in action, moving in the shadows just beyond the reach of the heroes.

One article included a photograph, grainy and unfocused, of a figure that looked just enough like Dabi to make her stomach tighten. He was there, standing at the edge of a dark alley, his silhouette framed by what looked like faint blue flames licking at his sides. She stared at it, unable to tear her eyes away, wondering what he was doing, and where he was planning to go next.

It was strange, feeling the weight of someone else's absence. She had spent so long keeping people at a distance, carving out her life in the shadows, only to find herself now feeling drawn toward someone whose own darkness seemed to match her own. She closed the laptop, leaning back with a sigh, feeling the pull of curiosity tempered by an unsettling sense of attachment.

She didn't know why she'd even bothered searching for him; it wasn't like he owed her anything, or that she was someone he would think about in return. But still, the idea of him somewhere out there, moving through the city like a ghost in the night, lingered in her mind.

Rina sat behind the bar, leaning over a notepad as she tallied up last night's sales numbers and restock needs. The quiet murmur of the TV above provided a background to her thoughts, news reports flashing across the screen in a constant stream.

She flipped through the receipts, scribbling numbers into a small ledger she kept just for Tat's bar. It was a routine task, something that usually didn't demand much attention, but tonight she found her eyes drawn to the TV every few moments. The anchor's voice was crisp, reporting on incidents of villain activity with a solemn tone.

"...And in related news, authorities are still investigating the recent increase in villain activity along the downtown district. Multiple sightings of the League of Villains have been reported by witnesses, though pro-heroes are urging the public to remain cautious and avoid the area..."

The mention of the League had her pausing, pen hovering over the paper. Despite herself, her focus shifted to the television as they cut to the footage—a shaky video captured by a passerby showing blue flames flickering in the distance, casting eerie shadows on an otherwise quiet street. It was just a glimpse, but it was enough to send her thoughts spiralling back to Dabi. She remembered the article she'd read last night, the blurry images that had kept her awake, and the odd pull of her curiosity.

Sighing, Rina forced her gaze back to the notepad, grounding herself in the familiarity of her work. Numbers, receipts, and invoices—things that didn't question her, didn't ask anything from her, didn't judge. She jotted down a few notes about inventory needs, ticking off boxes to keep herself from getting lost in those images on the screen.

The news droned on, the anchor moving on to a report on the heroes. Hawks' name came up, a headline flashing on the screen with his image.

"Hawks is currently working closely with authorities to track the movements of several high-profile villains. Sources report that he's leading surveillance efforts, though specific targets remain classified..."

Rina couldn't help but feel the tension prickling at her, a reminder of the delicate balance she was maintaining. Between Hawks and Dabi, between the law and the shadows, she found herself stretched thin, feeling an odd kinship with people on both sides.

With another sigh, she refocused, pushing away the thoughts of heroes and villains and the chaos that came with them. She finished the tally, closing her notepad with a firm snap, and finally looked away from the screen. Whatever was going on out there, it was none of her business—or at least that's what she told herself.