Vajr's eyes widened as the weight of the words settled in. A twisted chuckle escaped his lips. "Oh… So now a human thinks he can kill me?"
Kael didn't even look back. He turned toward his house, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white and his fingernails bit deep into his palms, drawing thin lines of blood.
Vajr glanced down at Kael's bleeding hands and smirked. "Fine. Then I guess you won't be seeing Renjiro anytime soon."
Kael froze, throwing a lethal, ice-cold gaze over his shoulder. The silent fury in his eyes spoke volumes, a wordless promise of violence that Vajr understood perfectly.
Before Kael could react further, Vajr vanished into thin air. The surrounding townspeople, who had gathered hoping for a dramatic show, looked at Kael with raised eyebrows. "Are you hallucinating, kid?" one of them asked, disappointed by the lack of entertainment.
Kael swallowed the lump in his throat, staring at the empty space. "No..." he muttered.
The crowd slowly dispersed, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Storming into the house, Kael slammed his bedroom door shut and locked it tightly. The walls felt like they were closing in on him. "Where is Renjiro?!" he roared, throwing a desperate, blind punch straight through the window pane.
The glass shattered into a waterfall of jagged shards, slicing deep, ugly cuts into his hand.
Almost instantly, a frantic knocking echoed from the door. Panicking, Kael shoved his bleeding hand behind his back and cracked the door open. "Mother... a ball broke the window," he lied, trying to keep his voice steady.
Elara looked at him, her eyes dropping to the floor where fresh, crimson drops were staining the wood. She looked past him to the shattered window, noticing the shards painted with blood. Finally, her gaze locked onto Kael, who was awkwardly trying to hide his arm.
Without a word, she grabbed his wrist, pulling his blood-slicked hand into the light.
Smack.
She slapped him across the face. But before the shock could even register, Elara pulled him into a fierce, desperate embrace, tears streaming down her face. "If you ever dare to hurt yourself like this again," she choked out, "I will hurt myself too. Don't you dare do this to me, Kael."
A single tear slipped from Kael's eye, and in an instant, his roaring anger dissolved into pure grief. He collapsed into his mother's lap, sobbing uncontrollably.
Elara held him tight, stroking his hair. "You need to take care of yourself," she whispered gently. She fetched the first aid kit, meticulously cleaning and dressing his wounds before sweeping up the broken glass.
Sitting back down beside him, she asked softly, "Kael... why did you break the window? What's happening?"
Kael gripped his freshly bandaged hand, his voice trembling. "I lost them."
Elara tilted her head, a shadow crossing her face. "Do you... do you remember Tatsuka and Shiya?"
Kael gasped, the memories hitting him like a physical blow. He lunged forward, hugging her tightly again. "Mother, now Renjiro is missing too," he sobbed into her lap.
Outside the room, Adrian stood in the shadows of the hallway. He had listened to everything without making a sound, his eyes fixed on the floor. Kael, he thought heavily, your life is going to suffer through so many brutal phases.
Turning away, Adrian walked silently down to the library. He pulled a few ancient texts from the shelves, but his eyes were drawn to one specific book—the one Kael hadn't dared to touch since that night.
Adrian opened it. A passage caught his eye: 'This space hides something far deeper than infinity itself.'
As he turned the page, his breath hitched. There was an illustration of a black-haired, blue-eyed boy standing beside a girl. Right underneath, a name began to form: Ar...
Before he could read further, Adrian snapped the book shut, shoved it back onto the shelf, and walked out to prepare dinner.
At the dinner table later that evening, the air was thick with unspoken tension. Adrian broke the silence, glancing at Kael's wrapped fingers. "Are you okay, Kael?"
Kael just nodded numbly. "Hmmm..."
Suddenly, a sharp, heavy knock rattled the front door.
Elara stood up quickly to answer it. From the table, Adrian shouted, "Who's there?"
There was no reply.
Kael exchanged a tense look with his father. Adrian stood up, pacing cautiously toward the entrance, with Kael following closely behind. When they opened the door, the porch was completely empty.
Kael's eyes widened as he spotted a lone piece of paper resting on the welcome mat. He picked it up. It was an address.
"What the heck is this?" Kael muttered, frustration boiling over. "I just want to find my parents!"
Suddenly, Sara materialized into her physical form beside him. She snatched the paper, studying the address closely. "This isn't anywhere near here, Kael. It's deep in the mountains. You'll have to fly."
Kael sank to the ground, burying his face in his hands as loud, desperate tears took over. "What does he want from me?! Why is he dragging my family into this?"
"He wants a fight," Sara said coldly, her eyes fixed on the horizon.
Kael's crying stopped. He looked at his bandaged hand, a dark resolve washing over him. "At this stage... he will die by my hands."
Unfurling his fractured, broken wings, Kael stood up. He locked the front door behind him with a sharp click. "Safety first," he whispered darkly.
With a powerful leap, Kael launched himself into the night sky, leaving the ground behind. He soared through the clouds, his eyes scanning the dark landscape below.
And suddenly, the sky above him began to tear open, and something massive loomed overhead.