"Do you remember the time of Abraham, when I told him to leave his father's house and start on his own?" Abel asked, leaning back with that familiar look on his face.
Kane didn't turn to him. "How could I forget. You pushed him because he reminded you of Dad."
Abel chuckled softly. "Yeah… and it ended up being one of the best things I ever did. Abraham was sharp back then. Quiet. Calculated. One of the few who actually understood what I was trying to do. We became close."
"Abraham, God's best friend," Kane said, the words coming out flat.
Abel nodded. "After him? The rest were… whatever. Nothing special." His smile faded. "Some tried. Most didn't."
Kane let out a slow breath. "And what does this have to do with our situation?"
"Well," Abel said, tapping his finger against the table, "you know how a good number of those guys are still alive. Divine sparks kept them from fading. Some are hiding. Some are living quietly. Some are still acting like their stories matter."
Kane went still. "You're saying either a few of them grouped up and decided to mess with me… or you're suggesting we go find the ones smart enough to know who hired Viktor."
Abel pointed at him. "Exactly."
Kane rubbed his forehead. "Great. Now we have to narrow down the list of people who weren't you."
A slow grin spread across Abel's face. "What's a better brotherly bonding moment than this?"
Kane shot him a glare. "You make everything annoying."
Abel shrugged. "And yet you'd be bored without me."
Kane didn't bother replying. He pulled a sheet closer and set a pen on it. Abel did the same.
They began writing names—old names, heavy names.
Abraham.
Moses.
David.
Elijah.
Samuel.
Jonah.
Daniel.
Job.
Noah.
Isaac.
Jacob.
And many more.
Kane paused at one point. "Do we really need all of them?"
"Yes," Abel said. "Some of these idiots survived way too long. Some because of me. Some because of their own tricks."
Kane looked at Abel. "You were Jesus that time."
"Yeah." Abel didn't even blink. "And before you start, no, I didn't like the job. Too much pressure. Too many emotional people. But a spark is a spark. The ones who followed me still walk around. A few of them learned how to hide properly."
Kane crossed out a handful of names. "These five were harmless. They wouldn't dare."
Abel leaned over and crossed out three more. "These ones were cowards. They'd never work together."
Kane moved down the list. "This one hated you."
"Which one?"
"Both of these."
Abel nodded. "Fair. Remove them."
Minutes passed. Scribbles. Cross-outs. New names added. Old ones scratched out again. They kept going, the list shrinking little by little.
Kane tapped the table. "This is ridiculous."
Abel smirked. "Now you're feeling alive."
Kane gave him a tired look. "This is not being alive. This is stress."
Abel laughed under his breath and wrote another name. "Stress is part of life, brother."
Kane ignored him and went back to the paper. "Okay. These three… they're smart enough. They know how to move in shadows. They know how to stay unseen. They could've hired Viktor."
Abel nodded. "They could. And they're bold enough to poke you."
Kane sighed. "I hate this century already."
Abel leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. "Well… ready to go hunting?"
Kane stared at the list, looking like he regretted every decision that led him to this moment.
"Let's just get this over with," he muttered.
Abel grinned wide. "Now we're talking."
Elsewhere—
"I thought he'd be here by now," Katie muttered, lifting her glass and taking another slow drink. She was on her third already, trying to look casual while keeping an eye on the entrance.
A woman slid onto the stool beside her, calm, almost too calm. "Waiting for someone?" she asked, ordering a drink of her own. Her voice was soft, but it landed with weight.
Katie glanced at her. "And who might you be?" She didn't hide the edge in her tone.
"No one important," the woman said with a small smile. "Just someone here to warn you not to get close to Cain… or Kane, as he calls himself now."
Katie turned fully toward her, eyes narrowing. "Excuse me? And why should I listen to you?"
The woman chuckled, light and amused. "Because I'm looking out for my descendant, that's all."
Katie froze. "What?"
"And if you're too stubborn to back off," the woman continued, swirling her drink, "then that's on you. But understand this—the people after Kane aren't normal. And the ones backing them…" She shook her head. "Not something you want to test."
She finished her drink, placed the glass down, and stood. She started to walk away.
"Wait."
The woman paused.
"Who are you?" Katie asked, not blinking.
The stranger slowly turned her head, a smirk pulling at her lips.
"Delilah."
Katie's breath caught—
And then the woman vanished into the crowd.
Back to Kane
Kane and Abel stood outside the high-end restaurant.
"You really think Esau knows anything?" Kane asked, eyeing the sign.
Abel nodded like it was obvious. "Of course. I was Jacob then, remember? I stole his birthright, not his cooking. His meals were insane back then, and they're even better now. People from the old days still come here just to eat."
Kane raised a brow. "And you think they gossip while eating?"
Abel smirked. "Please. This place is basically a hotline for rumors. If anyone knows who's moving in the shadows, it's Esau."
Kane sighed, already regretting the idea. "I hope this isn't another one of your bad plans."
Abel grinned. "Relax. Worst case, we get a good meal."
They walked inside.
The moment they stepped inside, someone shot to her feet.
The vampire girl from the other night.
She blurred across the room and stopped right in front of Kane, eyes locked on him like she'd been waiting hours for this.
"Hello, handsome," she said with a smile that tried too hard. "I knew you weren't normal. So go on—what are you?"
Kane stared at her, tired already. "You again."
She leaned closer. "Don't play dumb. You walked away from my charm like it was nothing. No human does that. Spill."
Abel stepped beside Kane, grinning. "Oh, she's still on you. Cute."
Kane ignored him. "I'm busy. Move."
The girl crossed her arms. "Not until you answer me."
Abel chuckled. "He's not gonna. Trust me, he barely talks to me and I'm his brother."
Her eyes widened. "Brother?"
Kane sighed. "Abel, stop talking."
Abel shrugged. "What? She asked."
The girl stared between them now, confused, curious, and way too excited.
And Kane could already feel the headache building.