The wind moved between them.
Cold.
Quiet.
Heavy with something unspoken.
Kael didn't look away.
His eyes stayed locked on the stranger.
"…The core."
He repeated it slowly.
"…That's what this is about?"
The stranger didn't answer immediately.
Instead, they stepped closer—
Just enough for Kael to feel it.
That pressure again.
Not like the Hunters.
Not aggressive.
But deeper.
Controlled.
Dangerous in a completely different way.
"…You don't even know what you're carrying."
Kael's jaw tightened slightly.
"…Then explain it."
A pause.
The stranger studied him for a moment—
Like measuring something invisible.
"…It's not a weapon."
"It's not power."
"…It's a key."
Kael frowned.
"…A key to what?"
The stranger's gaze shifted briefly—
To the sky.
"…Everything that shouldn't be here."
Silence followed.
Kael's thoughts slowed.
Processing.
Hunters.
That pressure.
The way they moved.
"…They're not human."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…Figures."
His gaze sharpened again.
"…And you?"
A small pause.
Then—
"…I'm someone who deals with them."
Not an answer.
Not really.
Kael noticed.
But he didn't push it.
Not yet.
"…Why didn't you kill me?"
That one mattered more.
The stranger's eyes met him directly this time.
Calm.
Sharp.
"…I might."
Kael didn't react.
He just stared back.
"…But you didn't."
A faint smile formed.
Barely there.
"…Because you're useful."
The words landed heavier than any attack.
Kael's expression didn't change.
But something behind his eyes did.
"…I'm not working for you."
"I didn't ask."
Silence again.
Tension.
Neither of them moved.
Then—
The stranger spoke again.
"…Right now, you have two problems."
Kael said nothing.
Listening.
"…One—"
"You don't understand your own power."
"…Two—"
"Everything that does… is coming for you."
Kael's chest tightened slightly.
Not fear.
Recognition.
He already knew that.
But hearing it—
Made it real.
"…So what's your solution?"
The stranger stepped closer again.
Close enough now—
That Kael could feel the difference between them.
The gap in experience.
The gap in control.
"…You come with me."
Kael's eyes narrowed instantly.
"…That sounds like a bad idea."
"It is."
The answer came without hesitation.
"…But it's the only one where you survive."
Silence stretched between them again.
Kael looked past them—
Toward the city.
Normal.
Unaware.
Then he looked back.
At the person who could erase Hunters like they were nothing.
"…And if I say no?"
A pause.
The stranger's expression didn't change.
"…Then next time—"
"I won't interfere."
The words were calm.
Certain.
Absolute.
Kael exhaled slowly.
His mind ran through it quickly.
The Hunters.
The power inside him.
The lack of control.
The fact that he almost died—
More than once.
His fists clenched slightly.
"…I'm not following you blindly."
The stranger nodded once.
"…Good."
"That would've made you useless."
Kael frowned slightly.
"…Then we do this my way."
A pause.
The air shifted again.
Interest.
"…You have terms?"
Kael met their gaze directly.
"…You answer my questions."
"…You teach me control."
"…And you don't touch the core."
Silence followed.
Then—
The stranger smiled slightly.
Not mocking.
Not impressed.
Just… interested.
"…You're learning."
Kael didn't respond.
He just waited.
The answer mattered.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
"…Fine."
Kael blinked once.
"…That was easy."
"No."
The stranger turned away slightly.
"…That was necessary."
Kael's chest tightened slightly again.
Something about that tone—
It wasn't just about him.
"…Then where are we going?"
The stranger stepped toward the edge of the rooftop.
The city stretched out below them.
Endless.
But hidden beneath it—
Something else.
"…Somewhere you'll either survive…"
A brief pause.
Then—
"…or break."
The air shifted again.
Space itself… bending slightly.
Kael felt it instantly.
Not fear.
Not excitement.
Something in between.
He stepped forward.
"…Lead the way."
And the world—
Changed.