Serein tucked herself deeper into Kai's hoodie, hood pulled low, mask covering her face.
The jacket was worn thin, seams frayed from years of use, but it was spotless. It carried the faint scent of fabric softener, now clashing with the acrid tang of burnt levo that clung to Kai's skin.
He walked beside her toward the building that housed Maledictus, lips pulled up in an irrepressible grin ever since she had stepped out of the car.
Every few steps, a chuckle slipped out of him—so carefree, so maddeningly confident, as though victory were already his.
Inside her pocket, Serein's fist clenched. She couldn't tell if she was more furious at his blind optimism, or at her own reckless stupidity for coming along.
"Fighting Awakeners isn't like fighting orcs." She muttered between clenched teeth.
The excitement on Kai's face faltered. "…I know."
He drew in a shaky breath, and in that crack of silence she glimpsed it, the fear hidden beneath his bravado.
"I kno…" He repeated, quieter.
Not every Awakened chose the path of heroism. Where there were those who stood in the light, there were also those who lurked in the dark, and those who simply stood aside, indifferent.
Some hunted monsters. Others hunted people.
And with Kai's meager abilities, even with her guiding, Serein could not guarantee victory.
"But it's still worth trying." Kai said firmly.
Behind him lay nothing but a cliff's edge. Whether he stepped forward or turned back, it made no difference. Except that by fighting, at least he would thrash against fate instead of waiting to be swallowed whole.
They stopped at the building's entrance. Two men in black suits flanked the door, checking slips of paper from every entrant.
Kai produced his own quickly. One guard studied it, then eyed Serein with suspicion. She instinctively hunched her shoulders. They were ordinary humans, unable to sense her levo, yet her pulse still spiked.
"And this is…?"
"My sister." Kai replied evenly.
But Serein noticed his fist tighten behind his back.
"Someone has to bring my body home, right?" He joked half-heartedly, lips tugging into a brittle smile.
The guard stared at her for a long moment, then returned the paper to Kai with a flick of his chin.
"Go."
They passed through the security gate. Every muscle in Serein's body screamed, pulling taut as if ready to tear itself apart.
Kai led her down a long hallway where their footsteps echoed like tolling bells, each beat pounding against their ribs, reminding them that time was running out.
They descended the fire escape into the basement. Silence gave way to a swelling roar—cheers and cries, savage and intoxicating, like beasts wallowing in the ecstasy of blood.
Scarlet light spilled from the arena ahead, painting Serein's face as her senses drowned beneath the tidal surge of levo. Wild. Frenzied. Hungry. Her lungs forgot how to breathe.
It wasn't chaos. No—their levo was perfectly controlled. They were reveling in their brutality, savoring the destruction clutched within their hands.
Beside her, Kai stumbled, his breath catching.
"You can still run." Serein whispered, vapor thin.
If he turned back, she would bolt without hesitation.
But even through his trembling, Kai pulled out a red balaclava and tugged it over his face.
"I am running." He said, with a dry, cracked laugh.
Serein frowned at the ridiculous mask but swallowed her words. If she spoke now, she might shatter the fragile courage he had pieced together.
He led her into the stands, where they sat in shadow to wait for his turn.
The ring was a glass cage, designed to contain the fighters' levo so the audience could revel without consequence.
Inside, two Awakened tore at one another like rabid beasts. Water against earth.
No rules. No restrictions. Weapons, levo, anything was permitted—so long as one of them fell. Rank meant nothing the moment they stepped inside.
From the corner of her eye, Serein studied the balcony above. Well-dressed silhouettes, faces hidden behind masks, laughing as they bet fortunes on lives below.
A philanthropist, perhaps. A kind physician. A saintly benefactor.
Here, they were all the same. Humans—ugly creatures desperate to play noble in the daylight, only to bare their teeth in the dark.
A single gaze cut through the decadence, cold as a blade. It locked on Serein.
Her heart lurched. She whipped her face away, burying herself in the hood. Every hair on her body bristled. She hadn't seen their face, but it felt as though she had already been dragged into hell and spat back out.
Just one glance, and her soul quailed. Whoever it was, she would not face them.
Heat flared beside her. She turned to see Kai trembling, veins pulsing faintly with leaking levo. He was forcing it out, trying to prepare.
But he didn't know how.
Serein slipped her hand into his, lacing their fingers. Kai jolted, staring at her in confusion.
"What are you—"
"Quiet." she hissed.
Levo slid from her into him, steady and invisible to the crowd.
Guiding was swifter, stronger with touch. Bit by bit, she fed her energy into him until his levo steadied, his breathing evening out.
Understanding dawned in his amber eyes. He schooled his expression into calm and turned back to the fight.
His levo steadied. Understanding, Kai straightened in his seat, face blank beneath the mask as he kept his eyes on the match.
Heat surged in her veins in response, molten threads of his levo weaving into her own. A Guide was not untouchable. Their currents twisted together, binding.
Suddenly, a scream ripped through the air. On the stage, the earth wielder had encased his opponent in crushing stone. The water wielder thrashed, muffled cries fading as the weight thickened.
Then, with a vicious grin, the victor clenched his fist.
The cage exploded with blood. Limbs slackened, lifeless.
The stands froze in a heartbeat of silence. Then one voice rose, and another, until thunder rolled across the arena. Cheers. Whistles. Clapping for slaughter.
Levo surged in waves. Wild. Bestial. Aroused.
Only Serein and Kai sat frozen, unable to breathe.
She gripped his hand tighter, damming her own power before it spilled loose. He clutched her back, knuckles digging into her skin as if to anchor himself.
From the shadows, a man strode into the light, his voice booming through a microphone, drowning the crowd.
"What a spectacle, wasn't it?"
The earth wielder bellowed, pounding his chest, drunk on his triumph.
"Are you ready for the next challenger? Will he topple the mighty Quake, or crumble like Tsunami?"
"Bring them up!" The crowd roared.
"Our next contender—the daring fool—Reeeeed Beaaaaan!"
Laughter split the air. Jeers rained down. Even Quake spat on the ground in contempt.
"He'll be smashed to paste!" Someone shouted.
Kai ignored them. He rose. His expression hidden behind the red mask, but his hand trembled violently in Serein's grip, betraying the storm inside.
Her stomach knotted. His opponent towered over him, muscles corded, levo radiating a solid B-rank.
Even with her guidance, Kai wasn't ready. Not enough time. Not enough power.
He cannot win. He will die.
When Kai tried to pull away, Serein yanked him down instead.
He stumbled, then froze as something soft and warm sealed over his lips.
Kai's amber eyes went wide. Around them, the stands erupted in whistles and hoots.
"Seems we've got ourselves a little side-show romance!" The announcer crowed.
Serein had no space left for shame. One hand clutched the back of Kai's neck, forcing him to stay. Her tongue parted his lips, and with that intimacy, her levo poured into him, stronger than ever before, saturating every nerve and vein.
Contact amplified guiding. The more intimate, the more potent. The bond deepened.
When she had given all she could spare, she pushed him back, palm flat against his chest.
"Go." She ordered.
Kai's amber eyes were wide, bewildered, his skin flushed beneath the scarlet glow of the lights. But he didn't ask. He couldn't.
There was no time.
Kai turned away, stepping toward the cage. Toward a battle he had signed his own death warrant for.
No retreat. No surrender.
He had to win. Whatever the cost.
***