The city never slept, but Kai wished it did. His mind raced as he hurried through the crowded streets, every shadow feeling like a predator stalking him. The alley encounter replayed in his head Aria's silver eyes, the blade, the pulse of power inside him. None of it made sense.
He had questions, but no answers. And worse, now he knew someone was watching.
It started with the feeling an almost imperceptible prickling at the back of his neck. Then came the footsteps behind him soft, measured, endless. Kai spun around in the crowded plaza, but no one met his gaze. Just faces, strangers.
Then a voice, low and cold, whispered in his ear:
"Running won't help, Keyholder."
Kai froze. Heart pounding. He wasn't alone.
From the shadows stepped two figures tall, dressed in black suits, faces hidden beneath dark sunglasses even at night.
"Who what do you want?" Kai demanded, trying to sound braver than he felt.
The taller one smiled thinly. "We are the Watchers, guardians of balance. And you've tipped the scales."
Before Kai could react, the other pulled a small device from his pocket a strange, glowing orb humming with energy.
Kai's body tensed, a fiery surge bursting forth as the orb activated. The Watchers flinched.
"This is your first warning," the tall man said, voice cold. "Control your power, or it will control you."
With that, they vanished into the crowd like ghosts.
Kai was left alone, trembling but alive.
His life had just become a battleground.