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It happened later that afternoon.
Jiwoo was still on the couch, leg extended over a pillow, one hand holding the feather toy while the cats staged a small war across the living room floor.
The black cat had claimed the toy twice.
The tabby had stolen it once.
The black-and-white cat had rolled onto its back and attacked it upside down with great enthusiasm.
The grey scarred cat remained in Asuka's lap, not quite playing yet, but watching everything with wary interest. Every now and then, its tail twitched like it wanted to join, but then it settled deeper against Asuka's knees.
Asuka sat beside Jiwoo on the floor, one hand resting lightly over the grey cat's back.
Her eyes were covered.
Jiwoo noticed immediately.
Not because Asuka never covered her eyes.
Sometimes she did.
When the light was too sharp. When too much information gathered at once. When her Six Eyes pressed too deeply into the world and refused to stop showing her every layer of everything.
But she did not do it often at home.
Especially not with bandages.
The white cloth was wrapped neatly over her eyes, tied behind her head, her pale cream hair falling around it like moonlight around snow.
Jiwoo lowered the cat toy slightly.
"Asuka?"
She turned toward his voice.
"Yes?"
"Are your eyes hurting?"
"No."
"Then why…"
Asuka's fingers brushed over the grey cat's fur.
"I felt like covering them."
Jiwoo looked at her.
Asuka smiled faintly.
It was small.
Gentle.
Completely unhelpful.
Jiwoo frowned a little.
Kayden, seated near the sliding glass door, had gone still.
Not cat-still.
Awakener-still.
His ears angled forward. His eyes sharpened. The lazy irritation from earlier vanished beneath a focused awareness that made even his round orange body look dangerous.
Jiwoo noticed that too.
"Mr. Kayden?"
Kayden did not answer.
He stepped closer to the glass door, staring outside.
There was something beyond the apartment.
A presence.
Controlled. Concealed, but not perfectly. Stronger than the trash they had dealt with yesterday. Not hostile yet, but definitely awakened.
Kayden's tail lowered.
"Tch."
Jiwoo's phone rang.
The sound made him jump.
The cats scattered behind the couch.
Kayden's eyes snapped toward the phone.
Asuka did not move.
Jiwoo picked it up.
Unknown number.
He hesitated.
Then answered.
"Hello?"
A calm male voice came through.
"Is this Jiwoo Seo?"
Jiwoo sat a little straighter.
"Yes. Who is this?"
"My name is Inhyuk Gu. I'd like to speak with you, if you have a moment."
Kayden's cat eyes narrowed.
Jiwoo glanced at Asuka.
She was calm.
Too calm.
Jiwoo held the phone closer.
"About what?"
"There is advice I'd like to give you," Inhyuk said. "You and your sister."
Jiwoo's grip tightened slightly.
"My sister?"
"Yes."
A pause.
Then Inhyuk continued, voice steady.
"Advice regarding awakened users."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Kayden's eyes sharpened fully.
Jiwoo went still.
The feather toy slipped from his fingers onto the blanket.
The cats remained hidden behind the couch, only a few ears visible over the edge.
Inhyuk continued gently, "I believe it would be better if we talked in person."
Jiwoo swallowed.
"In person?"
"Yes. I am already outside your house."
Kayden moved like a shadow toward the glass door.
Jiwoo turned.
And there he was.
A man stood just beyond the sliding glass, phone in one hand, the other visible at his side. He did not look aggressive. His posture was relaxed, but not careless.
He had clearly allowed himself to be seen.
Inhyuk Gu looked through the glass and gave a small, polite nod.
"I'm not here to fight," he said through the phone, then lifted his voice slightly so they could hear him through the door. "If I intended to harm you, I wouldn't have taken the time to contact you first."
Kayden's fur bristled.
"That is exactly what someone would say before an ambush."
Jiwoo glanced toward Asuka.
Asuka sat calmly with the grey cat in her lap, eyes covered, one hand still moving soothingly over the cat's back.
No tension.
No warning.
No fear.
Jiwoo trusted that more than anything.
He slowly lowered the phone.
"Asuka?"
She nodded once.
"He means no harm."
Kayden's ears flicked toward her.
Jiwoo breathed out.
Then looked back at Inhyuk.
"Okay."
Kayden hissed under his breath.
"Ridiculous."
Jiwoo carefully shifted, wincing as he reached for his crutch.
Asuka stood first and opened the door.
Inhyuk stepped inside.
And immediately froze.
Not because of Jiwoo.
Not because of Asuka's covered eyes.
Because of the cats.
Several pairs of eyes stared at him from behind the couch.
The tabby's ears barely peeked over the cushion.
The black cat's tail vanished behind a pillow.
The black-and-white cat crouched under the table.
The grey scarred cat remained in Asuka's arms, watching him with intense suspicion.
And Kayden—
Kayden sat on the couch.
Like a person.
His fat orange body leaned slightly against the armrest, front paws positioned near the cushion's edge, chin lifted in a posture so arrogant and human that it would have been funny if it were not deeply unsettling.
Inhyuk stared.
Kayden stared back.
Jiwoo sat awkwardly on the couch with his injured leg extended, hands folded in his lap.
Asuka sat beside him, graceful and quiet, the grey cat tucked securely against her.
The room remained silent.
Inhyuk cleared his throat.
"You have… a lot of cats."
Jiwoo looked around.
"Uh. Yeah."
Kayden's eye twitched.
Inhyuk seemed to remember why he had come and took the seat Jiwoo offered.
The atmosphere was strange.
Very strange.
Inhyuk sat upright, serious and professional, but his gaze kept drifting toward the cats.
Especially Kayden.
Kayden did not blink.
Not once.
He looked like a fat orange king judging an intruder in his court.
Inhyuk looked away first.
Kayden's internal smugness increased by twenty percent.
Jiwoo shifted carefully.
"So… what's the problem?"
Inhyuk coughed lightly into his hand.
"Excuse me. The cats caught me off guard."
Kayden's tail flicked. "They should."
Jiwoo quickly pretended not to hear that.
Inhyuk leaned forward slightly.
"I'll be frank. We would like to become your supporters so that you and your sister can live safely as awakeners."
Jiwoo blinked.
"Become our supporters?"
"That's right."
Inhyuk's gaze moved briefly to Asuka.
Even with her eyes covered, something about her presence made him careful.
Then he looked back at Jiwoo.
"We learned about your situation and conducted a background check on you both. I apologize in advance for doing so without your consent, but it is part of my responsibility to keep track of ability users within this territory."
Jiwoo's expression became openly confused.
"Ability users…"
Asuka remained still.
Kayden, meanwhile, shifted slightly on the couch, front paws resting on the cushion in a way that made him look like he was about to conduct an interrogation.
Whose territory?
That was what mattered.
An awakened user showed up politely, claiming support, speaking about responsibility and territory rules. That meant organization. Structure. Authority.
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
Which top ranker held this area?
Jiwoo looked at Inhyuk.
"Are you an ability user too?"
Inhyuk nodded.
"Yes."
He lifted one hand.
A soft current of air gathered around his palm, visible only by the way it stirred the nearby papers and lifted a few loose strands of Jiwoo's hair. Wind curled neatly above his hand, controlled and smooth.
Jiwoo's eyes widened.
"Whoa."
Asuka did not react.
She had already seen it.
A few minutes before he arrived.
And also in the path that had unfolded behind her covered eyes.
Kayden reacted differently.
Wind.
Controlled.
Professional.
Part of a group.
His pupils sharpened.
Jiyoung Yoo.
So that was whose territory they were in.
Interesting.
Jiwoo leaned forward, forgetting his leg for a second before Asuka's hand immediately touched his shoulder.
He froze.
"Right. Sorry."
Inhyuk blinked at the automatic obedience.
Jiwoo smiled sheepishly.
"That's so cool. I can move really fast."
Silence.
Kayden closed his eyes.
Asuka, behind the bandages, also went still.
The emotional force of two simultaneous internal facepalms filled the room.
Inhyuk stared at Jiwoo.
Then he laughed softly.
Not mockingly.
Almost fondly.
"You really are new to this."
Jiwoo blinked.
"What?"
"You just said your ability out loud."
Jiwoo looked startled.
"Oh. Is that bad?"
Kayden muttered, "I am going to die from stress."
Asuka said nothing.
Inhyuk smiled faintly, then lowered his hand, the wind fading.
"My ability is already well known. What I showed you was simple, so it doesn't matter if you know. But in your case, and your sister's, it is more advantageous if others do not know your abilities."
Jiwoo listened carefully now.
Inhyuk continued.
"If your ability is speed and close combat, then once enemies know that, they can prepare defenses. They can create distance, set traps, restrict your movement, or attack before you get close. Your advantage is surprise. If they do not know what you can do, you can catch them off guard."
Jiwoo's eyes widened slightly.
Then his gaze dropped.
"I see."
Inhyuk looked toward Asuka.
"I don't know what your sister's ability is, but I can feel she is an awakener as well."
Kayden's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Asuka only tilted her head.
Inhyuk did not press further.
"That advice applies to both of you. Keep your abilities hidden as much as possible. There will be times when you have no choice but to reveal them, but until then, say as little as you can."
Jiwoo nodded seriously.
"Yes, sir."
Kayden stared at him.
Sir?
He had never gotten a sir.
Actually, no, Jiwoo did call him Mr. Kayden.
That was acceptable.
Inhyuk's expression softened.
"This kind of ignorance is common among awakeners who grow up without guidance. That's why we try to contact new users early."
Jiwoo looked up again.
"Why are you helping us?"
Inhyuk folded his hands.
"In the awakened world, territory leaders are responsible for teaching newly discovered awakeners the basics. It is a rule agreed upon between awakened groups. If ordinary society discovered people with abilities, the world would become chaotic. We don't want incidents in our area."
He paused.
"And we also hope new awakeners won't use their abilities negatively."
Jiwoo absorbed that.
Then nodded with earnest seriousness.
"Ah. Yes, sir."
Kayden's tail twitched.
This boy was too polite.
It was offensive.
Inhyuk stood.
"I said we would support you, but in reality, it is only basic help. Information. Guidance. Enough so that you understand how to avoid trouble. You do not need to feel burdened."
He bowed slightly.
"I'll be on my way."
Jiwoo looked startled.
"Already?"
"Yes. I don't want to overwhelm you."
His gaze flicked once more toward Kayden, who continued sitting on the couch with deeply suspicious authority.
Then toward Asuka, whose covered eyes made her unreadable in a different way.
Inhyuk hesitated for only a moment.
"If you have questions, you can contact me."
Jiwoo nodded quickly.
"Thank you."
Inhyuk smiled faintly.
"You're welcome."
He left through the glass door, closing it gently behind him.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
Kayden remained seated like an orange statue.
The cats slowly emerged from behind the couch.
The grey scarred cat relaxed slightly in Asuka's lap.
Jiwoo looked from the door to Kayden.
"So… what do we do now?"
Kayden sighed.
It was a long, tired sigh.
The sigh of an awakener who had fought dangerous enemies, survived assassination attempts, transformed into a cat, been taken to a vet, suffered domestic humiliation, and now had to explain politics to a boy with a broken leg and the survival instincts of a wet leaf.
"You live as awakeners now," Kayden said.
Jiwoo's face grew serious.
Kayden's gaze moved toward the door Inhyuk had left through.
"I didn't want you involved in this world. Either of you."
Asuka's hand paused lightly on the grey cat.
Kayden continued.
"But they've noticed you. That means it's too late to avoid everything."
Jiwoo looked down.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. It was inevitable."
Kayden flicked his tail.
"Still, you're lucky."
Jiwoo blinked.
"We are?"
"Yes. This is Jiyoung Yoo's territory."
The name meant nothing to Jiwoo.
Asuka tilted her head slightly, listening.
Kayden noticed.
"She's one of the few top rankers in Korea," he explained. "Strong. Young, but capable. More importantly, she has a decent reputation."
Jiwoo looked relieved.
"That's good."
"It is. Territory is divided among top rankers and organizations. The man who came here is a wind user from her group. If this had been a shady organization, they wouldn't have politely offered basic support."
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
"They would have approached you smiling, convinced you they were protecting you, and then used you until you were no longer useful."
Jiwoo's expression dimmed.
"Oh."
"Yes. Oh."
Asuka sat very still.
Kayden looked at her.
"You were too calm."
Jiwoo looked between them.
Asuka turned her bandaged face toward Kayden.
"I was on guard."
"That is not what I said."
"I am always on guard."
"That," Kayden said, "is exactly my point. Usually when someone shows up, you look like you're deciding where to bury them if things go wrong."
Jiwoo choked.
"Asuka doesn't—"
Kayden stared at him.
Jiwoo paused.
Then looked at Asuka.
Asuka said nothing.
Jiwoo whispered, "Asuka?"
She gently stroked the grey cat's fur.
"I knew we were not in danger."
Kayden's eyes sharpened.
"How?"
The room quieted.
Jiwoo looked at his sister.
Asuka's fingers stilled.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then she reached up and slowly untied the bandage covering her eyes.
The white cloth slipped away.
Her blue eyes opened.
Clear.
Too clear.
The Six Eyes caught the afternoon light, bright and impossible.
Kayden felt, not for the first time, that he was looking at a sky that did not end.
Asuka folded the bandage neatly in her lap.
"I saw him coming."
Kayden stared.
Jiwoo's expression softened with recognition, but he remained quiet.
Kayden's tail stopped moving.
"You sensed him?"
"No."
"You detected his energy from a distance?"
"No."
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
"Then what do you mean, you saw him coming?"
Asuka looked at him calmly.
"I can see the future."
Silence.
Complete.
Absolute.
The black cat sneezed.
Kayden's jaw dropped.
Literally.
His mouth fell open so far that Jiwoo, despite his injured leg and the seriousness of the moment, leaned forward in concern.
"Mr. Kayden?"
Kayden did not answer.
He stared at Asuka.
A second passed.
Then another.
Finally, his mouth moved.
No sound came out.
Asuka blinked.
Jiwoo looked slightly worried now.
Kayden made a strangled noise.
"You can what?"
Asuka repeated, gently, "I can see the future."
Kayden continued staring.
Jiwoo raised one hand slightly.
"She doesn't see everything," he offered helpfully.
Kayden's head snapped toward him.
"You knew?"
Jiwoo froze.
"…Yes?"
Kayden looked personally betrayed.
"You knew your little sister could see the future and did not mention it?"
Jiwoo looked at Asuka.
Then back at Kayden.
"I thought she would tell you when she wanted to."
Kayden stared at him.
Then at Asuka.
Then at Jiwoo again.
"This family is going to kill me."
"You are already a cat," Asuka said softly.
Kayden whipped toward her.
"That is not relevant!"
"It seemed relevant."
"It is not!"
Jiwoo pressed his lips together.
Kayden pointed at him without looking.
"Do not laugh."
Jiwoo nodded rapidly.
Kayden turned back to Asuka, fur puffed, eyes still wide.
"Healing. Time manipulation. Space manipulation. Attraction and repulsion. Impossible force control. And future sight?"
Asuka considered.
"Yes."
Kayden's paw slowly dragged down his face.
"Of course."
He laughed once.
It sounded slightly hysterical.
"Of course you can see the future."
Asuka tilted her head.
"Are you upset?"
"Upset?" Kayden echoed. "No. Why would I be upset? I am merely processing the fact that the quiet little sister I agreed to teach apparently has enough rare abilities to make the entire awakened world collapse into a civil war."
Jiwoo looked horrified.
"Would it really?"
Kayden and Asuka both turned to him.
Jiwoo shrank slightly.
Kayden closed his eyes.
"Yes."
Asuka nodded.
"Potentially."
Jiwoo swallowed.
"Oh."
Kayden opened his eyes and looked at Asuka.
"How far?"
"It depends."
"How often?"
"It depends."
"How clear?"
"It depends."
Kayden stared.
"I hate those answers."
"They are honest."
"That does not make me hate them less."
Asuka lowered her gaze to the bandage in her lap.
"It comes in fragments. Sometimes near. Sometimes far. Sometimes clear enough to act on. Sometimes only symbols, feelings, possible paths."
Kayden listened now.
Fully.
Despite his irritation, despite the absurdity, despite the lingering image of his own jaw hanging open like an idiot.
This mattered.
Future sight was not simply rare.
It was dangerous in a way most powers were not.
Combat strength could be measured. Speed could be trained against. Fire, wind, electricity, barriers—all of them had patterns.
But future sight?
That altered decisions before battle began.
It turned uncertainty into preparation.
It made ambushes fail.
It made politics vulnerable.
It made the user terrifying even if they never lifted a hand.
And Asuka Seo already had more than enough power without it.
Kayden's gaze sharpened.
"Who knows?"
"Oppa."
Jiwoo nodded quietly.
Kayden waited.
Asuka added, "My mother knows I have unusual intuition. Not the details."
"No one else?"
"No."
"Keep it that way."
Asuka nodded.
"I intended to."
Kayden exhaled through his nose.
"Good."
Then he glared.
"And next time you reveal a world-shattering ability, warn me first."
Asuka blinked.
"I thought I did."
"When?"
"I covered my eyes."
Kayden stared.
Jiwoo looked at Asuka, then very slowly nodded like that made perfect sense.
Kayden saw it.
His eye twitched.
"That is not a warning!"
"It warned oppa."
"It did," Jiwoo said softly.
Kayden turned his glare onto him.
"You do not help."
"Sorry."
"Stop apologizing."
"Sorry."
Kayden groaned and dropped his head onto the couch cushion.
The grey scarred cat shifted in Asuka's lap.
The other cats resumed creeping around the room.
Outside, Inhyuk Gu walked away unaware that he had just stepped into the orbit of the most absurd household in the awakened world.
Inside, Kayden Break, famed destroyer, independent monster, current fat orange cat, lay face-down on the couch and wondered how many more impossible things Asuka Seo had neglected to mention.
After a long moment, his voice came muffled from the cushion.
"Anything else?"
Jiwoo and Asuka looked at each other.
Kayden lifted his head immediately.
"No."
Asuka looked back at him calmly.
"What?"
"You looked at each other."
Jiwoo smiled nervously.
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
"Asuka."
She folded the bandage once more.
"There are things I have not explained."
Kayden's soul briefly tried to leave his body.
He stared at her.
Then slowly lowered his face back into the cushion.
"I hate this house."
Jiwoo smiled gently.
"No, you don't."
Kayden's muffled voice rose.
"I am beginning to."
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