-Kyle Vale:
I could still feel the aftermath of every kill sitting in my bones.
Not guilt.
Not hesitation.
Just… impact.
The kind that settles deep in your chest after something irreversible is done.
The first rogue went down, and something inside me finally unclenched for the first time since my father's death. Like I'd been holding my breath for days and only now was allowed to exhale.
The second and third didn't feel like decisions anymore.
They felt like inevitability.
Like my body already knew what had to be done before my mind even gave permission.
Each one of them looked at me like they finally understood too late.
And I made sure they did.
Because my mom was there.
Watching.
Crying.
Broken in a way I'd never seen her before.
But still looking at me like I wasn't just her son anymore.
Like I was what was left standing after everything collapsed.
And that did something dangerous to me.
It fed the rage instead of calming it.
It made everything sharper.
