The city was alive with neon lights, yet the shadows whispered of something darker. Kai walked beside Lira, their footsteps echoing against wet pavement. It had been a week since their fateful meeting in the rain, and the fragile thread between them had already begun to tighten into something neither of them could deny.
"Are you sure we should be out here?" Lira's voice was soft, but her grip on the umbrella was tight. The way her eyes darted to every shadow made it clear—she felt it too. The tension. The watching.
Kai smirked faintly, hands buried in his jacket pockets. "If we keep hiding, they'll find us anyway. Better to move on our terms."
"'They'... you mean the men in black again, don't you?"
Kai didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stopped, glancing over his shoulder. The street was empty. Too empty. His voice dropped lower, firm. "Stay close to me."
Lira's heart pounded. Something about Kai's tone—serious, protective, yet almost vulnerable—made her chest tighten. She opened her mouth to speak, but then—
From the shadows, figures emerged. Five men, dressed in black coats, their faces half-hidden. Their steps were slow but deliberate, like wolves circling their prey.
"Well, well," one of them sneered. "The runaway finally shows himself."
Kai's jaw clenched. He stepped forward, putting himself between Lira and the men. "I told you before—I'm not going back."
The leader smirked. "You don't get to choose, boy. Orders are orders. And the girl…" His eyes flicked to Lira, sending a chill down her spine. "…she's coming with us."
"No!" Lira gasped, stepping back instinctively, but Kai's hand shot out, gripping hers firmly.
"She's not part of this!" Kai's voice burned with anger. His pulse raced, his body trembling with adrenaline. He could feel the heat rising in his veins, the familiar surge he had been trying to suppress for years.
The men advanced. One lunged forward—fast. Too fast. But Kai was faster. In an instant, his fist shot out, colliding with the man's chest. The impact sent him crashing into the wall, coughing blood.
Lira's eyes widened. "Kai… your eyes…"
She wasn't wrong. His dark eyes glowed faintly crimson under the neon lights, flickering like embers. The fire inside him was waking up.
The other men hesitated, unnerved, but their leader barked, "Don't just stand there! Take him down!"
They charged. The night exploded with movement—fists, blades, shouts. Kai fought with terrifying precision, every punch and kick laced with the heat that seemed to ignite from within him. Sparks almost seemed to dance with every strike.
But even as he fought, he felt it slipping. The control. The fire in his veins threatened to consume him, to turn him into something he feared.
Lira's voice cut through the chaos. "Kai! Please—don't lose yourself!"
Her words anchored him, like a lifeline. His breath came ragged, his fists trembling. He glanced at her—her terrified yet determined eyes—and for a moment, the fire calmed.
With a final blow, the last of the men crumpled to the ground. Silence fell. Only the rain and neon lights remained.
Kai staggered, his body still trembling. Lira rushed to his side, gripping his arm. "You… you saved me again. But what was that? Your eyes… your strength…"
Kai looked away, shame flickering across his face. "…It's the reason they're after me. And now, because of me, you're in danger too."
Lira shook her head, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. "No, Kai. Because of you, I'm alive. And I don't care what they're after—I'm not leaving you."
For a moment, the world fell silent. Their eyes locked, and in the storm of blood and rain, something unspoken burned brighter than fire itself.
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