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Kairos broke into a sprint once again as he reached a sharp corner, his breath coming in fast gasps. He clutched Kaela tightly against his back, her limp body bouncing slightly with each hurried step. Every muscle in his body scread, but he pushed harder, trying to wake her up with desperate shakes along the way.
She was completely unconscious.
The weapon’s effect had hit her harder than expected—likely a result of her hastily healing herself monts before. That rapid recovery must’ve triggered a backlash, leaving her body unable to resist the aftershock.
Every few seconds, Kairos would glance backward, his eyes sweeping the empty streets behind him as he turned another corner, trying to spot the shadows stalking him.
It was obvious now.
They knew.
They knew he had seen them.
They knew he was trying to escape.
But still... they remained hidden.
Kairos turned his attention forward again, mapping out his next route on the fly. In his usual routine, he would choose streets with so foot traffic—so life—knowing full well that empty alleys were traps waiting to be sprung.
Despite the surge of adrenaline flooding his veins, he remained composed. His thoughts raced but never spiraled out of control.
He needed an exit. A plan. A mont to breathe.
But more importantly, he needed to get Kaela sowhere safe—anywhere but with him—before things got even bloodier.
There was no true escape.
Not after what had happened at the stadium.
Not with every safe zone now compromised.
’How far are they from us?’ Kairos asked silently, reaching out to his summoned companion—the shadow wolf bound to his soul.
The beast snarled low, the sound echoing through his mind before it finally replied,
[They are very close... about 18 ters.]
Kairos turned his gaze behind him once more. Still nothing.
But then his instincts flared.
A sudden, piercing itch crawled down his spine, urging him to look upward.
He obeyed.
There, leaping across the rooftops in unison—dark figures clad in black. They moved like shadows, swift and rciless, their movents precise and inhuman.
’Fuck, they’re after from the ceilings.’
Without hesitation, Kairos veered to the right and dashed toward a roadside stall. He slowed just enough to slide Kaela off his back, placing her gently onto one of the empty seats at the counter. He adjusted her posture, resting her head against the wood.
"Don’t lay a finger on her. Don’t wake her, or I’ll kill you!" he barked at the stall’s owner, not waiting for a response.
The man behind the stall stood frozen, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. He probably thought Kairos was so boyfriend running off in a panic. But what did it matter to him? Once the girl woke up, he’d just charge her for occupying the seat.
With Kaela safely out of the crossfire—for now—Kairos took off again, this ti veering away from his previous strategy.
Now alone, he chose a different route. No more crowded streets.
He slipped into an alleyway, one void of light or sound. The air grew heavier. Sinister.
Then, he turned into another alley, just as deserted, before abruptly stopping.
He could hear them.
Light footsteps—barely audible—echoed around him like whispers.
"Now, now... it’s nice to see you picked the venue," a voice said as one of the figures stepped forward from the shadows, stopping just a few feet from Kairos.
The man stretched out a gloved hand, the leather creaking as he did.
"We have an offer for you."
"From the military?" Kairos asked, narrowing his eyes.
’They don’t look like the military. Their clothing... and that creature crawling on his shoulders? No... This has to be another faction. But why ?’
"I’m from the Thorne family," the man replied smoothly. "And I’m here to take you to seek an audience with the Head."
Kairos studied them more carefully this ti.
The masks. The cloaks. The way they moved. Every one of them was clad in Core Armor, head to toe. Even their boots looked reinforced.
Fighting them would be suicide.
That left him with only one path: stall and talk his way out.
"I’m not going. Probably I’ll consider your offer when I graduate."
His words, however, were like leaves blown into the wind. None of them flinched. None reacted.
That’s when he knew.
Only battle would settle this.
Kairos lifted his arms and summoned his shadow wolf. The massive beast erged from the void, cloaked in writhing shadow energy that crackled with restrained fury. As it landed beside him, Kairos reached forward and pressed both hands against the beast’s hide.
Instantly, the shadows surged.
They wrapped around him in thin streams, like a thousand slithering tendrils. They crawled along his arms, his chest, his legs—until he was fully engulfed.
Then, in one breathless mont, the shadows faded.
Kairos stood, now clad in the core weapons forged by lvin. His power surged.
One of the Thorne mbers stepped forward, unbothered by the transformation. He walked past the others and stood directly before Kairos.
"Be careful," Kairos warned.
He made the first move—firing a beam of shadow energy from his palm. It surged like black fla, hungry and fast.
It was a strike ant to kill.
But just before impact... sothing impossible happened.
The beam dispersed—splintering into a thousand flickering lights. It hadn’t hit anything. It hadn’t been countered. It had simply... ceased.
Kairos froze.
This man... was dangerous.
His ability—whatever it was—couldn’t be identified.
Kairos charged in anyway.
As he drew closer, he noticed sothing disturbing about the man’s stance. His steps seed real and not real, like flickering between existence and illusion.
Kairos looked down. The ground had vanished.
It was all shadows—swallowing the alley, his path, and his summon.
He spun around—only to find the wolf gone. Everything was swallowed by darkness.
Then, it hit.
The air turned to water. Heavy. Thick.
He couldn’t breathe.
He choked violently, grabbing his neck as though trying to pry off invisible hands strangling him. He gasped. Staggered.
His body trembled, his knees gave out, and...
He collapsed.
A loud thud echoed through the alley.
Kairos’ body lay motionless on the cold ground.
The summon dispersed into smoke.
"Nice work, Agent 5," the leader said, placing a firm hand on the man’s shoulder.
Agent 5 nodded silently. He walked up to Kairos’ limp form, crouched, and placed two fingers gently against his chest.
After a pause, he stood up, turning to his superior.
"He’s dead. The target has been killed successfully."
The leader’s expression remained neutral. He gave a single nod.
"Our mission here is complete."
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