Bloodweaver Chapter 28: What Now?

Kai walked aimlessly, eating his apple in the cold as he took in his surroundings.

He hadn't been outside since escaping the facility, so he wasn't sure what to expect. But stepping out into the open, roaming the quiet streets of the broken, quiet town, the reality of things started to sink in.

The world felt... different.

From what Isaac had told him and from what he had read online, everything had changed in 2020. The outbreak of the Z Virus had reshaped the world in ways that no one could have predicted. What started as a strong flu created mutants and opened up the doors to the supernatural in a mass awakening.

Cities had either thrived or collapsed.

So places had beco highly advanced, practically dystopian, with cutting-edge technology and Association mutants patrolling the streets. Others - like the one he was in - felt like they had regressed into sothing more primal. Rogue mutants, slums, underground networks of fighters and criminals.

'Seven years,' Kai thought, walking past a cluster of old buildings, their walls covered in faded graffiti. 'In just seven years, the world beca sothing unrecognisable.'

Of those seven years, Kai could only recall the last few months which had been spent in Nyx's facility. It was disconcerting, but he had co to terms with it.

"It'll all co back to eventually, right?" he laughed.

But on a more serious note, he couldn't help but admit. "It doesn't seem like there is anything good to rember anyway."

Sighing, he continued wandering around and absentmindedly listened to the conversations of those passing by. As he did, he slowly began picking up on words and phrases. That's when an unusual realisation dawned on him.

He understood Russian.

It caught him off guard. The words flowed naturally in his mind, but he had no mory of ever learning the language.

'I'm pretty sure I'm not Russian. Must've picked it up in my soldier days,' he reasoned. 'Muscle mory of the brain, or sothing like that.'

Still, the fact that he had no conscious recollection was unnerving.

But it wasn't like he could complain about knowing another language, as he began to notice sothing else - people were looking at him.

Not just casual glances. So outright stared. A few even muttered among themselves, whispering the sa thing.

"Red Eyes."

His unique eye colour was drawing attention, and his moniker in the fight club seed to have caught on.

It put him on edge. The last thing he wanted was to beco recognisable. If word got out and soone like Nyx put the pieces together...

Without hesitation, he ducked into a small shop and picked up a pair of sunglasses, slipping them on before stepping back out. He kept his head low after that, moving with more caution.

Thankfully, Isaac had given him so money. He used it to buy more food as he wandered around, taking in the quiet. It was surprisingly rural, far more so than he expected. It seed like they were on the outskirts of Moscow, tucked away from the chaos of the more central areas.

'Makes sense,' he thought. 'The deeper into the city you go, the more likely you are to run into the Association and other troubles.'

It was oddly peaceful here - aside from the massive underground fight club, of course.

Kai exhaled slowly, chewing on a piece of bread he had bought.

Everything felt new to him, and the world had changed.

But so had he.

'So what now? What do I do with my life?'

-

It was almost laughable - Kai, clad in a black tracksuit and sunglasses, roaming through a rural town on the outskirts of Moscow. Snow still clung to the streets despite it being early spring, and the air was crisp with lingering winter chill.

He stuck out like a sore thumb.

Locals wrapped in thick jackets and layered scarves shuffled past, throwing wary glances his way. No one approached him. So had witnessed his fight the other night, while others instinctively recognised him as an outsider. There was an unspoken tension - an awareness that he didn't belong.

Kai exhaled, watching his breath fog up in the cold air. The snow was finally clearing, but he could only imagine how brutal winter had been at its peak. And yet, despite the icy streets and guarded stares, there was a sense of community.

The town felt... peaceful.

'Why does a place like this have an underground fight club?'

It didn't fit. A remote, quiet town, and yet a brutal, well-established fighting ring thrived here. People had to be travelling from all over just to attend.

'I'll ask Nadya about it later.'

His gaze landed on a small park ahead. A handful of children were playing, bundled up in oversized coats, their laughter ringing through the air. He slowed his pace, settling on a bench and reaching into his pocket.

He pulled out a cigarette box - the one he'd taken from Isaac. Funny thing was, Isaac rarely actually smoked them, just kept them on hand like so kind of habit. Kai placed one between his lips but didn't light it right away.

'These taste like shit, but they feel... familiar. Maybe I smoked before.'

With a flick of a lighter, he took a slow inhale - only to choke on the smoke imdiately. A rough cough rattled his chest before he burst into quiet laughter, shaking his head.

"Yeah, definitely not. I don't know how Gramps does it. Wonder if he's still alive?"

That thought lingered. He couldn't recall much about him - just scattered fragnts, blurred and incomplete. But wherever or however he was... Kai knew the old man had played a massive role in his life.

His fingers tightened around the cigarette. As the haze of mory drifted, images surfaced - a towering figure, gruff yet disciplined, drilling combat techniques into his mind. The precise movents, the brutal efficiency. The steps to facing mutants.

'So the guy that trained ... was my grandfather?'

There was no way to confirm it. His past was still a puzzle with too many missing pieces. But Kai didn't dwell on it for too long. Instead, he took another drag of the cigarette.

'These things can't do any harm to this body of mine, right?'

His healing factor made wounds aningless, and no matter how much he drank, alcohol did nothing. So what was a cigarette going to do? Leaning back on the bench, he let the smoke drift from his lips, watching the kids in the park from a distance.

Their laughter, their innocence - it was grounding as he collected his thoughts.

'I guess I don't have much choice but to stick around with Nadya and Isaac for now. They're willing to let stay, and I can learn more from them about what's really going on.'

He'd also get to et more of the Mutant Outlaws they were part of. That alone was worth sticking around for.

No point in overthinking things.

His mories, his abilities, his vengeance against Nyx - it would all co in ti.

With that in mind, he flicked away the cigarette, realising only then that he had burned through it entirely. He stomped out the glowing ember and turned to leave.

'I'll head back and see what Nadya and the others are up-'

But before he could take a step, he was suddenly alard.

Screams from behind.

His heart sank.

Kai's head snapped toward the playground where the cries were coming from.

And what he saw made his blood run cold...