The night air carried a damp chill. Kai had left the house without meaning to. One moment he'd been pacing the cracked tiles, the silence closing in like a noose; the next, his feet had carried him down the block, past the leaning lampposts and puddles reflecting jagged stars.
He kept his hands shoved in his pockets, eyes down, hood pulled up. The city hummed with distant traffic, a low, constant growl. But the streets here were quieter—too quiet.
Halfway past the corner store, he felt it.
A gaze.
He froze, breath caught in his chest. Slowly, he lifted his head.
Across the street, leaning against a rusted bus stop sign, stood a figure. Tall, dressed in a long coat too clean for this part of town. A cigarette glowed between pale fingers, the ember pulsing faintly with each drag. Their face was shadowed, but their eyes… their eyes caught the faintest light and reflected it back, sharp, unblinking.
Kai turned quickly, heart hammering. His pace quickened.
Bootsteps followed.
Measured. Calm. Never too close, never too far.
He cut across an alley, his shoes splashing through standing water. The smell of rot and oil clung to the air. Behind him, the steps grew louder, closing the distance.
"Voss."
His stomach dropped. He didn't remember telling anyone his name.
Kai spun, back pressed to the graffiti-stained wall, knife-sharp panic flooding his chest. The figure stepped into the alley's glow, cigarette smoke curling from their lips.
Up close, Kai saw more. The coat was immaculate, black with silver buttons. The figure was lean, features sharp, almost elegant. Their hair was slicked back, their jawline cut like stone. And their eyes—cold, searching.
"You've changed," the stranger said. Their voice was smooth, calm, but beneath it lay something taut, like a blade held just shy of a strike.
Kai stammered, "Who—who are you?"
The man smiled faintly, as though the question amused him. He flicked the cigarette to the ground, grinding it beneath polished boots. "That depends. Who are you now?"
Kai's throat tightened. His fingers twitched toward his pocket, where the coin lay hidden. It burned faintly against his thigh, pulsing in rhythm with his fear.
The stranger tilted his head, studying him. "You smell of blood. Fresh. Not the kind you spill by accident." He took a step closer, and Kai pressed harder into the wall.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kai whispered.
"Oh, you do." The stranger's eyes narrowed. "First blood is unmistakable. It marks you. I can see it in the way you breathe, the way you flinch."
Kai's mouth went dry. His body screamed to run, but his legs refused.
The man's voice softened, though the edge never left. "You killed someone. Didn't you?"
Kai's heart lurched. Images of the intruder flashed—the blade sinking in, the hiss of blood, the whisper in his ear. His hands shook, nails digging into his palms.
"I…" His voice broke. "I didn't want to."
The stranger's smile widened. Not kind. Predatory. "That's how it begins."
For a long moment, the alley was silent but for the drip of water and Kai's ragged breathing. The man reached into his coat slowly, deliberately. Kai tensed, ready to bolt.
But instead of a weapon, he pulled out a silver coin. Larger than Kai's. Etched with symbols that twisted faintly in the dim light, shapes that seemed to shift if stared at too long. He held it up between two fingers, letting it gleam.
"You've felt it, haven't you? The whispers. The burn. The knowing."
Kai's eyes locked on the coin. His own in his pocket flared hot, responding to the sight. His pulse quickened, his breath shallow.
The man watched him closely, noting every flicker in his face. "Yes. I thought so."
He slipped the coin back into his coat, the glint vanishing with it. "You're one of us now, whether you like it or not. Enlightened. Marked. Hunted."
The last word echoed, heavy.
Kai swallowed hard, his voice hoarse. "Hunted by who?"
The man's eyes gleamed faintly, though his smile thinned. "You'll learn soon enough."
He turned, stepping out of the alley, his boots striking softly against the wet pavement. Over his shoulder, he said, "Survive the week, Voss. If you can. Then we'll talk again."
And just like that, he was gone.
Kai stood frozen, chest heaving, the night pressing in on him. The coin in his pocket burned hotter, almost painful, as though trying to fuse itself into his skin.
He clutched it through the fabric, trembling, teeth clenched. His mind screamed questions—what did they want, who were they, what had he stepped into—but the only answer he had was the memory of the man's words.
Survive the week.
The silence of the alley thickened, shadows pooling deeper. Kai forced himself to move, stumbling out into the street. His legs felt weak, his breath shallow, but he kept going, head down, hood pulled tight.
The city looked different now. Every stranger a threat. Every shadow a hunter. Every step a countdown.
And though the streets were crowded, Kai had never felt more alone.
The sky was unnaturally clear.
Kai noticed it as he walked, hood low, hands buried in his pockets. Hours had passed since the encounter in the alley, but his pulse still hadn't calmed. Yet above him, the heavens stretched open, washed clean by the storm.
The full moon hung heavy, luminous, silver bleeding across the rooftops. Stars burned sharp, almost too sharp. He could trace constellations he hadn't thought about since childhood—the hunter, the serpent, the crown. They gleamed as if carved into the night with deliberate care.
It should have been beautiful. Comforting. But to Kai, it felt like an audience. The universe watching. Waiting.
He quickened his pace.
The streets had thinned, the last shops closing, windows shuttering against the night. His footsteps echoed unnaturally loud, bouncing between buildings. He tugged his jacket tighter, but the chill wasn't from the air.
Somewhere behind him, claws scraped against pavement.
Kai froze. Slowly, he turned his head.
At the far end of the street, a shadow slipped out from between two buildings. Too large to be a dog. Too wrong to be human. It moved low, shoulders rolling, eyes catching the moonlight with a predator's gleam.
A growl rolled through the empty street, low and guttural.
Kai's breath caught. He stumbled back, heart thundering, hand flying to his pocket. The coin burned against his thigh, so hot it hurt.
The creature stepped fully into the light. Its body was twisted, half-man, half-beast, fur bristling, claws glinting. Its mouth curled back, revealing teeth too long, too sharp. The full moon blazed behind it like a crown.
A werewolf.
Kai's body locked. His mind screamed to run, but his legs refused. The beast snarled once, then launched forward.
The world blurred.
Kai bolted, shoes pounding the wet asphalt. The monster's claws scraped closer with each stride, its breath hot on his neck. He turned a corner, nearly slipping, lungs burning. He could hear it gaining, faster, heavier, relentless.
He yanked the knife from his pocket—the same knife that had already taken blood. His grip shook, his throat tight. He spun, slashing wildly.
The werewolf barreled into him.
The impact knocked him off his feet, the knife clattering across the ground. His back slammed against concrete, the air punched from his lungs. Claws raked across his chest, tearing fabric, grazing flesh. He screamed, shoving against the beast's snarling jaws. Its saliva dripped onto his face, hot, stinking of iron.
"Get off!" he roared, shoving with everything he had.
The werewolf's strength was impossible. It pressed down harder, its teeth snapping inches from his throat. Kai flailed blindly, his hands scrambling across the ground until they closed around the knife's handle. With a desperate cry, he jammed it upward.
The blade struck flesh.
The creature howled, staggering back, blood dark against its fur. Kai scrambled to his feet, chest heaving, knife trembling in his hand.
But the wound didn't slow it. The werewolf snarled, its eyes burning with renewed fury. It lunged again.
Kai barely dodged, the claws tearing into the wall where his head had been. He slashed again, but the blade caught only air. His movements were sloppy, desperate. Each swing cost him strength he didn't have.
The beast batted him aside with a single swipe. He crashed into the pavement, pain screaming through his ribs. The knife skittered away, lost in the shadows.
The werewolf loomed over him, jaws open wide, breath hot and foul.
This was it.
Kai's eyes widened, his body frozen, every thought boiling into a single, helpless truth—he was going to die.
And then—
A shot cracked through the night.
The werewolf jerked, stumbling sideways. Smoke curled faintly in the moonlight. Another shot rang out, silver flashing, and the beast howled, thrashing violently before collapsing against the pavement.
Kai blinked, chest heaving, ears ringing.
Footsteps approached. Calm. Steady.
Out of the shadows stepped a figure, long coat trailing, rifle gleaming in the silver light. Their face was hidden beneath the brim of a wide hat, but their posture radiated control, practiced precision. They lowered the smoking weapon, eyes locked on the fallen beast.
"Messy," the stranger said, voice smooth but firm. "First blood's always messy."
Kai lay gasping on the ground, too shocked to move. His chest burned, his hands shook, his vision swam. The coin in his pocket pulsed violently, as though it recognized the newcomer.
The stranger glanced at him once, then at the beast again. "Get up, Voss. You're not dead yet."
The words cut through the haze.
Kai staggered upright, clutching his ribs, staring between the bleeding monster and the rifleman who had saved him.
The full moon burned above them, cold and brilliant.
And for the first time, Kai realized—he had stepped into a war he didn't understand.
The werewolf's body twitched once, then lay still. Smoke rose faintly from the ragged wounds, the air carrying the metallic sting of silver and blood.
Kai stood frozen, chest heaving, knife still trembling in his grip though it was useless now. The stranger's rifle gleamed faintly in the moonlight, its barrel lowering with a slow, deliberate calm.
The silence that followed was suffocating. Only the sound of Kai's ragged breathing and the faint hiss of the cooling barrel filled the air.
Finally, the stranger spoke.
"You should be dead."
Kai swallowed hard, his throat dry. "I… I almost was."
The stranger's eyes flicked toward him, sharp and measuring. "And yet, you're not."
Kai shifted uneasily, clutching at his ribs. Pain radiated with each breath, but adrenaline held him upright. He licked his lips, trying to form words. "What… what the hell was that thing?"
The stranger studied him for a moment longer before turning back to the corpse. "A werewolf. One of many. Drawn by blood. By you."
"By me?" Kai's voice cracked, louder than he meant. "Why the hell would something like that come after me? I'm nobody."
The stranger gave a short, humorless chuckle. "Nobody doesn't survive first blood."
Kai frowned, confusion tangling with fear. "First blood? What does that even mean?"
The stranger crouched beside the beast, checking the wounds with practiced precision. Up close, Kai saw their coat was worn but well-kept, lined with faint patterns almost like runes. Their movements were efficient, precise, not a gesture wasted.
"First blood is a threshold," the stranger said without looking at him. "The moment you cross it, the world notices. You become visible. And the things that hunt…" They trailed off, pressing a gloved hand against the beast's throat as though confirming it was truly gone. "…they notice too."
Kai's skin crawled. His hand brushed unconsciously against the coin burning in his pocket. "So because I… because I killed someone, I'm—what? Marked?"
The stranger rose, rifle slung back over their shoulder. Their gaze fixed on him, cold and unflinching. "Exactly."
Kai shook his head, stumbling back a step. "No. No, that doesn't make sense. I didn't choose any of this. I didn't ask for it."
"Choice is irrelevant," the stranger said flatly. "The moment steel met flesh, your path was sealed."
Kai's breath came fast, uneven. His mind screamed to deny it, but the weight of their words pressed down with undeniable truth.
He looked at the corpse again, the twisted form of the werewolf sprawled across the pavement. His stomach churned, bile rising. This was real. Too real.
He clenched his fists, forcing his voice steady. "Who are you?"
The stranger didn't answer. They only watched him, eyes gleaming faintly beneath the brim of their hat.
Kai took a step closer, desperation leaking into his voice. "Why did you save me?"
"Because you're not ready to die."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you'll get tonight."
Kai's frustration boiled. He bit down on it, teeth grinding. His chest still burned, his ribs ached, but something sharper pushed through the pain—anger.
Finally, he demanded, "How do you know my name?"
The question hung heavy in the night air.
The stranger's gaze didn't waver. They gave him nothing—no word, no explanation. Only silence. Their stare cut through him, colder than the moonlight, stripping him bare.
Kai's mouth went dry. He wanted to shout, to shake them, to force the truth out—but the silence itself was worse than any answer.
The stranger adjusted their coat, breaking the moment as if it never happened. "You have one choice now, Voss. Hide. Or fight."
Kai blinked, throat tight. "And if I hide?"
"You'll die."
"And if I fight?"
"You'll wish you had died."
The words landed like stone, heavy and final.
Kai staggered back, his mind a storm of questions, none of them answered. His breath fogged faintly in the cold night, the city around him silent, watching.
The stranger turned away, boots striking the pavement with slow, steady certainty.
"Wait!" Kai called, voice cracking. "You can't just leave me here. What am I supposed to do?"
The figure paused at the edge of the shadow, half-turned but not looking back. "Survive."
And then they vanished into the darkness, leaving Kai alone beneath the burning full moon.
He stood there, shaking, staring at the corpse of the beast, the silence pressing against his ears. His knife felt like a child's toy in his hand. The coin burned hotter in his pocket, pulsing with every frantic beat of his heart.
Above him, the constellations gleamed like watchful eyes.
Kai's knees buckled, and he sank onto the cold pavement, hands trembling. His thoughts splintered, looping endlessly on the same question:
Why him?
No answer came. Only the echo of the stranger's voice, circling like a curse.
Hide. Or fight.
The night stretched on, endless, merciless. And Kai, staring at the stars, realized he had no choice at all.