The next day, Kael was cornered in an abandoned warehouse by a gun-toting man in military-grade armor. Ryken Holt, a former mercenary, trained his rifle with precision.
"You're Kael Draven," Ryken said flatly. "The government says you're a threat. They want you contained."
Kael swallowed hard. "I'm not a threat. You're not even from my world."
Ryken narrowed his eyes. "I don't care what you are. If you survive, they'll kill more people. If you cooperate… maybe fewer die."
Aria appeared, brandishing her device. Kael felt an unexpected surge of confidence. Together, they could escape. Kael realized he trusted no one — and yet, these strangers were now his lifeline.
Ryken hesitated — something about Kael unsettled him. Kael felt it too: a strange resonance, a pulse connecting them, and perhaps, a hint that Ryken's future was tied to his own.
As they fled into the shadows of New Berlin, Kael finally whispered to himself:
I am no longer just Kael Draven… I am something else.