---
Rain tapped against the rooftop like ticking glass.
It slid through the cracks in the wood, pooling under the table legs and soaking into the cracked floor. The wind outside groaned against the rotting siding like a dying animal.
Raegal sat by the window, cigarette burning low between two fingers. His gun lay on the table beside a map and a radio—both silent.
The safehouse was quiet.
Too quiet.
Then—
Knock.
Three short raps against the door. Soft. Careful.
He didn't move.
"Who's here?" he called out, voice low.
The door creaked open.
A familiar figure stepped inside. Rain dripping off her hood. Eyes sharp behind wet strands of hair.
Nila.
Raegal stood up slowly. "You…"
"How the hell did you find us?"
Nila gave a half-shrug. "It was easy."
She reached into her coat and pulled out a small piece of metal—dented and singed at the edge. She held it up.
"The transceiver in Kael's neck. It sent a final signal the second it was pulled out."
Raegal's jaw tensed. "It didn't explode."
She nodded. "We didn't want to kill the boy."
Click.
Raegal's gun was in his hand, aimed at her chest.
She didn't flinch.
"I'm not after the boy," she said quietly. "But someone else is."
Raegal didn't lower the gun.
"Who?"
Nila looked him in the eye. "The White Room's No. 2."
For a second, Raegal didn't react. Then his brows twitched.
"No… 2?" he repeated. Like he didn't want to believe it.
She nodded again. "He's alive. And he's coming."
Raegal exhaled slowly through his nose, like air leaking from a cracked pipe.
"Damn it…"
"He'll do anything to kill Kael," Nila added. "You need to run."
---
Ten minutes later.
Bags were slammed into the backseat. Guns loaded. Blueprints folded into pockets. Rain still fell.
Kael sat in the back with Aira, confused but quiet.
As Raegal got into the driver's seat, Nila leaned into the window.
"Tell the boy…" she said quietly.
"…he owes me."
Raegal nodded once.
The car roared to life, tires splashing through water as they peeled off into the night.
---
Highway – 6:32 PM
The rain came down like nails. The highway was choked with traffic—bumper to bumper. Horns blared. Windshields fogged.
Kael stared out the window, breath clouding the glass.
Then he saw it.
A tall boy in a long coat. Standing right in the center of the road.
Still. Calm.
Behind him: SWAT trucks. Dozens of armored men with assault rifles, moving methodically between the lanes.
"That's… him," Kael muttered.
Raegal's knuckles went white on the wheel.
The boy raised a hand.
"Search every car," he ordered. "Anyone suspicious—shoot."
Raegal swore under his breath.
Without a word, he opened the car door.
"What are you doing?" Aira snapped.
Raegal didn't answer. He just walked to the edge of the overpass, glancing over the railing.
Below: a freight truck rumbled beneath them—thirty feet down.
"Hold on," he muttered.
Then—he turned around.
And shoved Kael and Aira off the ledge.
"WHAAA—!"
"WHAT THE HELL—"
They landed on the truck's roof with a bone-jarring thud.
"Ow!"
"Ugh!"
Raegal jumped down after them, coat flaring behind him.
Up above, the boy's calm expression shattered into rage.
"They've escaped!" he barked. "AFTER THEM!"
---
Parking Garage – Moments Later
They leapt from the freight truck into a crowded underground parking lot. Tires screeched. Alarms went off.
"That one!" Raegal shouted, pointing to a black sedan.
Aira didn't hesitate. "On it!"
Kael blinked. "We're really stealing—"
VROOOOOOM.
The car roared to life. Aira slammed it into gear. They tore through the ramp.
"Children!" Raegal barked. "Hold tight!"
"Wait—wait, Dad—!"
"NO NO NO—"
AHHHHHH! Aira screamed.
The car launched off the top ramp—slammed onto the next rooftop with a sickening crunch.
Then silence.
"Oh god…" Aira gasped. "We're alive."
"Sure we are," Kael muttered.
Raegal didn't slow down. He floored the gas again.
---
"Target sighted," a voice crackled in the SWAT comms.
"Copy," said the boy. He stepped into his red car, calm again.
He drove.
---
Five Minutes Later
The stolen sedan skidded sideways. One tire blew.
"Shit," Raegal said. "We're almost out of fuel!"
"They're on us," Kael shouted.
Raegal tossed him a pistol. "Shoot the tires. No body count."
Kael nodded, leaned out, and fired.
BANG—BANG—
One SWAT van spun out. Another crashed into the divider.
"Down!" Aira shouted. "More behind us!"
Their car swerved again—then jolted.
POP.
A second tire gave out. The vehicle spun and stopped.
Smoke rising from the hood. Rain falling hard.
Kael looked up.
A red car pulled in front of them.
Same boy.
Kael's heart slowed. He stepped out into the rain.
The boy did too.
They faced each other in the downpour.
---
The boy smiled.
"…I remember you."
"You don't recognize me?"
The boy stepped forward. His coat dripped rain. His eyes shimmered with something twisted.
"You were No. 1," he said. "The golden child. The one they praised."
Kael's fists clenched.
"…You were in the White Room?"
The boy's expression darkened. "I survived it. While you slept, I bled. While you ate, I starved."
He mimicked a voice:
"Why can't you be more like him?"
He pointed at Kael.
"I didn't get food for days because of you."
Kael lowered his gun.
"What's your name?" he asked.
The boy twitched. "…What?"
Kael stepped closer.
"I don't want to fight you. Not unless you force me."
He raised a hand.
"You can walk away. Come with us. We're building something new. You don't have to carry this anymore."
Rain fell harder.
The boy stared at him.
Then—he laughed.
"Join you?"
He spat on the ground.
"You think this is about peace?" His voice cracked.
"I want REVENGE."
And he lunged.
---
The fight was fast. Brutal. Real.
Kael ducked a flying punch. Countered with a low knee.
The boy responded with a spinning back elbow—Kael barely dodged it.
Fists. Knees. Grabs. They switched between taekwondo, boxing, judo, like muscle memory from hell.
Left jab. Hook. Back kick—
Same stance as in training. Left foot forward. Tight shoulders. He's faster on his right side. I can use that.
But I can't kill him. Not yet.
Roll left. Twist. Grab the leg—
CRACK.
The boy screamed and collapsed.
Kael stood over him. Soaked. Bloodied. Shaking.
He raised the gun.
Didn't fire.
"This is your last warning," Kael said coldly.
"If you ever come near me… or the people I care about again…"
"…I'll kill you."
---
The boy looked up at him, breathing hard, face bruised.
"Traitor," he hissed.
Kael turned and walked away.