2025-11-29 08:18:12
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32. The First Duel
“Would you look at that,” Nervanine said softly. “Still standing.”She smiled as the black water beneath her feet began to move, climbing up her legs and wrapping around her like a living thing answering its master.She glanced at Tucker. “Deal with these low-lives here,” she said calmly. “I’ll take care of the others.”Before anyone could react, her body sank into the water and in the next instant, she was gone, vanishing into the darkness where the girl, Lance, and Decker had been dragged.“Where did she—” Kael stopped himself. He didn't need to finish the thought. He got the strange sense that she disappeared to finish off the rest of the group. He should have been worried but strangely, he wasn't. They had the girl with them, and that only served to reassure him. As reckless and irritating as she could be, she was equally as strong. At least, strong enough to survive. That thought alone steadied his breathing, even if only a little.He didn't have to dwell on it however. The oppon
31. New Quirk Unlocked
Every time Kael closed his eyes, the sound came back to him, far more often than he wanted to admit. The sickening… wet crunch. It wasn’t the screaming that haunted him, nor was it the chase through the store. It was that sound alone like a hammer meeting bone again and again. Kael sat with his back pressed against the van’s cold interior and his knees pulled to his chest, staring at nothing in particular. The road hummed beneath them as they drove, and the constant vibration only served to make him nauseous. His hands wouldn’t stop shaking. No matter how hard he clenched them into fists, the tremors stayed. And worst of all, he kept seeing the boy’s face. It wasn’t the monster’s face that haunted him for they were so vastly different that he had come to see them as separate beings entirely. What lingered instead was the boy’s face: the one he had seen, spoken to, and spent time with during that quiet journey. One of the few he had come to regard as familiar. Are monsters… sc
30. When Childhood Dies
Kael’s lungs had never felt heavier than they did in that moment, but he dared not breathe too loudly. Every little inhale felt like it might give away his position. The faint blue glow of the system hovered in front of him, like a judge delivering its final verdict. ─────────── 【 SYSTEM ALERT 】 ─────────── INFECTED IDENTIFIED – LOW-TIER VARIANT THREAT LEVEL: LOW STATUS: ACTIVE ─────────── 【 MANDATORY DIRECTIVE 】 ─────────── KILL THE CREATURE Kael swallowed, wishing the words weren’t there. ‘Kill… the boy?’ Oh, how he dreaded the legitimacy of the words. The system didn’t care whether or not it was a child. It didn’t care that Kael remembered the boy’s innocent laughter, or the way he’d asked about the fire with nervous curiosity. To the system, none of that mattered. A rule was a rule, and it had to be obeyed. Then something moved. Kael noticed it came from a dark corner of the store, only a few metres from where he was hiding. His entire body froze. The b
29. Kill Order
Kael’s voice came out softer than he meant it to. “H-Hey… it’s me.” The words sounded small and weak in the empty store. He took a cautious step back, his heart pounding so hard he was sure the thing in front of him could hear it. Every part of him wanted to run, but he forced himself to stay still. “You remember me, right?” He said carefully. “We were just outside together. You were scared. And you asked about monsters… about the fire.” The thing that had once been a boy twitched. Its shoulders rose and fell in a strange way, like his body wasn’t working right. His breathing sounded wrong. When he lifted his head, blood dripped from his mouth and splattered onto the floor. His eyes met Kael’s, but there was nothing human left in them anymore. They were no longer the eyes of a frightened child. In them, there wasn't an iota of fear, or recognition, not even a hint of hesitation; only a cold, insatiable hunger the boy could no longer resist no matter how hard he tried. Kae
28. Transformed
The van shook as it moved closer to the Flaming City. The heat was stronger now, and Kael could feel it even through the glass. The road narrowed, with burned buildings standing on both sides, watching them as they passed. They passed a gas station at an intersection. The pumps were bent and scorched, but the small store beside them still stood. Its sign hung crooked, blackened by soot. The girl glanced at it, expecting the van to slow, but to her surprise, they kept going regardless. Then… she screamed. “STOP.” Lance slammed on the brakes out of instinct. For a brief moment, he thought she had seen something horrific that would justify such an outburst. When the truth came seconds later, he felt foolish for reacting so fast. Kael turned toward her. “Why? What’s wrong?” The fear in his voice was real. She was already opening the door. “Don’t ask,” she said. “Just stop here.” Lance stared at her through the rearview mirror. “You’ve got to be kidding me. We’re minutes from
27. A Cockroach’s Journey
He looked left, then right, but no one was there. Everyone was gone, leaving him alone in the empty room. Still confused, Kael pushed himself to his feet and hurried toward the only other thing in the room besides himself: his own backpack. He unzipped it and searched inside, pulling out crumpled food wrappers and crushed soda cans he'd saved earlier. What he was really looking for however, wasn’t there. His heart sank. Had he misplaced it already? He was sure he’d put the map back into his bag before getting into the van with Lance. Yet no matter how hard he searched, it was gone. The only other item of importance was the small wooden box Madam Kaname had given him. Carefully, he took it out and studied it with a quiet curiosity and wonder in his eyes. He couldn’t help thinking about what Madam Kaname had meant when she said this small, old thing might protect him. Had she placed some kind of protective charm inside and handed it to him without explanation, hoping he would f
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