“Run!”

Kai didn’t need to be told twice. He bolted down the narrow alley, following Baiyan as they wove through the labyrinth of paths. The sound of boots pounding against the pavement grew louder behind them—more soldiers were closing in.

Kai vaulted over a crate of fruit as shouts erupted behind him. The sharp crack of a gunshot rang out, the bullet striking the wall to his right. Shards of concrete sprayed against his face, forcing him to duck instinctively.

“Keep moving!” Baiyan’s voice cut through the chaos.

Ahead of him, Baiyan veered sharply to the right, and Kai followed without hesitation, trusting his companion to lead the way. They sprinted through the narrow alley, their steps echoing in the confined space, until they burst onto an eerily empty street. The usual bustling energy of Chinatown had vanished; everyone had retreated indoors, leaving the streets deserted.

Gunfire erupted again behind them, the shots growing closer. Kai dived for cover behind a weathered electrical box, his breath coming in sharp bursts. He glanced at Baiyan, his expression asking the question he couldn’t voice: What now?

Baiyan’s grim expression was all the answer he needed. He waited for a break in the gunfire, then leaned out and fired a few rounds in return.

“We have to keep moving!” Baiyan yelled as more bullets struck the electrical box, sending sparks flying. The overhead streetlights flickered and died, plunging the street into a dim, tense gloom.

Kai nodded, gripping his pistol tightly. As Baiyan gave the signal, the two bolted from their cover, darting across the street. Bullets rained, peppering the pavement dangerously close to Kai’s feet. One grazed the edge of his boot, but he didn’t stop, his focus locked on keeping pace with Baiyan as they ran into the alleyways again.

There was no way they could outrun the elites at this rate. Every entrance was covered, and Kai could feel it in his gut—they were being surrounded, slowly but surely.

As if his thoughts had materialized, two figures emerged from an alleyway to their right. Neither side had expected the confrontation, and Kai watched in what felt like slow motion as the elites’ expressions shifted from urgency to surprise.

Baiyan, a step ahead of Kai, narrowly avoided a head-on collision with the leading man. He sidestepped smoothly, raising his pistol to fire, but the elite was just as fast. The soldier slapped the gun downward, causing the shot to hit the ground at their feet.

Baiyan pulled the trigger again, but the elite had already gripped the barrel, preventing the slide from cycling. They struggled, locked in a battle for control.

Kai raised his own pistol to help, but the second elite was already raising his rifle. The long barrel slowed his movement in the confined space, giving Kai the opening he needed. He shifted his aim and fired. The shot hit true, and the second man crumpled to the ground, his weapon clattering uselessly beside him.

From the corner of his eye, Kai caught movement—more elites pouring in from the street they’d just left. He shifted his aim again, his pulse racing. This time, he felt the strange liquid inside him awaken, surging to life. Just like in the simulation with Robert, the world around him sharpened. The enemies were outlined faintly in his vision, their movements almost predictable.

Without hesitation, Kai raised his gun. He didn’t bother to aim, trusting his instincts instead. The first shot hit center mass, dropping the elite instantly. The second found its mark as well, forcing another soldier to duck behind cover.

Baiyan was still locked in a brutal struggle with the first elite. Abandoning the pistol, he delivered a sharp punch to the man’s neck—the only exposed area not protected by armor. The soldier grunted, staggering slightly, but he recovered quickly, his hands scrambling to bring his rifle up.

Using the brief opening he had, Kai turned and pistol-whipped the elite soldier on the head. The blow sent the man reeling, giving Baiyan just enough time to regain the upper hand. Baiyan delivered another powerful punch, followed by a brutal kick to the soldier’s knee, bending it at an unnatural angle. The man screamed, dropping both his rifle and Baiyan’s pistol. Baiyan snatched the falling weapon mid-air and fired a single, decisive shot. The fight was over.

Kai turned and fired a shot of his own, forcing their pursuers to stay behind cover. “Go!” he barked, nudging Baiyan forward. The two were moving again, sprinting down the narrow alleyway.

But the few precious seconds they’d spent in the skirmish had sealed their fate. Now, shouts rang out from every direction, hurried footsteps echoing ominously in the confined space. The elites were closing in.

Baiyan came to a sudden stop, and Kai followed suit. They both knew the truth—there was no point in running anymore.

Kai reloaded his pistol, the weight of the last magazine pressing on his mind. He moved to stand back-to-back with Baiyan, each of them aiming down their respective sides of the alley. For a moment, everything was silent. Kai could hear nothing but the rapid pounding of his own heartbeat.

Then, he saw the first faint outline of an attacker in the distance. He fired, the shot ringing out like thunder. At the same time, Baiyan unleashed a volley of shots from his side. The deafening bangs reverberated through the narrow space, drowning out everything else.

Kai kept firing, each shot forcing the elites to slow their advance, but his ears were ringing now. The sound of the gunfire became muffled, fading into a high-pitched whine that dominated his senses.

The situation was dire. Kai’s pistol clicked—his magazine was empty. He glanced at it, knowing this was his last. No bullets left. He guessed Baiyan was in a similar position, and the thought made his stomach twist.

If it came to it, he would have to make his final stand with the sword at his side. He rested his hand on its hilt for a moment, steeling himself for the inevitable.

The ringing in Kai’s ears grew deafening, drowning out every other sound. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly as the next elite rounded the corner, raising his weapon. Kai lifted the blade in front of him, chuckling bitterly at the absurdity of bringing a sword to a gunfight.

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Then, as if by some miracle, the elite suddenly jerked backward and collapsed to the ground. Kai’s eyes widened as he watched the man behind him follow suit, crumpling without a sound. He hadn’t heard a single shot, but he could see the unmistakable precision in their falls.

Looking up, Kai spotted the silhouette of a figure perched on the rooftop above. Dressed in the dark and silver uniform of the Black Swan, Teresa knelt on one knee, her rifle steady in her hands. Relief surged through him like a tidal wave. Somehow, his friends had come for him.

He turned to share the news with Baiyan, but his breath caught in his throat. Baiyan was on the ground, a dark pool of blood spreading beneath him.

“Fuck. Teresa, help!” Kai shouted, his own voice sounding distant and muffled, as though it belonged to someone else. He dropped to his knees beside Baiyan, his hands immediately pressing against the wound on the man’s chest. Blood poured out from the gash on Baiyan’s right side, soaking through Kai’s fingers and spreading across the ground. The ringing in his ears persisted, but Kai didn’t care. He wasn’t about to let the man who had fought so hard to protect him die.

A firm hand gripped his shoulder, startling him. He looked up to see Commander Grayson standing over him, rifle in hand, his expression hard yet focused.

Then Eliana appeared beside him, her face etched with both worry and relief. She said something, but Kai couldn’t make it out. Her lips moved, but the sound was lost in the persistent ringing. She knelt beside Baiyan, pulling out a red and white medical kit from her satchel. Her movements were swift and careful as she began stabilizing Baiyan.

Kai frowned, frustrated by his inability to hear or understand what was happening. He pointed to his ear, the blood from his hands streaking his face as he gestured. Eliana leaned in close, her breath warm against his ear.

“Hes hurt badly, but he’ll be fine,” she said, her voice soft yet firm. She offered him a reassuring smile.

Kai exhaled shakily, his own lips curving into a faint smile in return. Relief flooded through him, but before he could process it, darkness crept into his vision. The world blurred, then vanished.

---

“So, how did you manage to find us, Commander Grayson?” Baiyan asked, his voice raspy but steady as he sat up in the Black Swan’s medical bay. He had just woken up, the pain in his chest dulled by medication. On the bed beside his was Kai, lying unconscious but unhurt, his body simply succumbing to exhaustion.

Commander Grayson chuckled, arms crossed as he leaned against the doorway. “Kai’s uniform has a built-in tracker that monitors his location in real time. We were able to map his path as soon as he entered the station. I’m sorry, but we weren’t about to sit back and do nothing.”

Baiyan nodded, his expression thoughtful. “Makes sense. But how did you know we were in trouble?”

“Teresa noticed the ship first,” Grayson explained. “It didn’t bear any call signs and failed to hail the station before landing in someone else's spot. It nearly collided with the pad’s owner during descent. After that, we kept an eye on it. Sure enough, armed men disembarked shortly after.”

“That must’ve been the ship sent by the council,” Baiyan said, his brows furrowing as his mind raced. “They knew where to find us. Now the question is what their next move will be.”

Grayson’s face grew serious, his casual demeanor giving way to the measured focus of a seasoned leader. “Whatever their plans are, they’ll be looking for Kai. If he’s as important as they seem to think, they won’t stop until they take him out.”

Baiyan grimaced, his hand brushing against the fresh bandages on his chest. “I just didn't think they will attack inside Mama Mo's territory.”

Eliana stood nearby, listening half heartedly to the conversation. Her mind was elsewhere—on Kai, still lying unconscious on the medical bed. While he was only supposed to be out from exhaustion, he hadn’t woken up yet, and that gnawed at her. She suspected it had something to do with the mysterious liquid flowing through his body.

A sudden gasp escaped her lips, drawing the attention of both Baiyan and Commander Grayson. They turned toward her as she cried out, “Kai!”

She rushed to his side, throwing her arms around him as his eyes fluttered open. Still groggy and only half-awake, Kai managed a lopsided smile when he saw her.

“Hey, Eliana, calm down,” he said, his voice raspy but teasing. He patted her back gently, though he winced as her grip tightened. “You’re going to break my neck if you squeeze any harder.”

Eliana pulled back slightly, her face a mix of relief and embarrassment. “You scared me!” she scolded, though her eyes were shining with unshed tears.

Kai chuckled softly, the sound weak but warm. “Didn’t mean to worry you,” he said, giving her a reassuring look. “I’m okay. Just needed a little nap, I guess.”

Baiyan and Commander Grayson exchanged amused glances as they watched the nice moment between the two.

Kai turned his head toward Baiyan as if a thought had struck him. Seeing him sitting upright on the medical bed, Kai’s expression softened with relief. “I’m glad you’re okay too, Baiyan. You saved my life.”

“No, it was the crew of the Black Swan that saved us,” Baiyan said. “They brought us back to safety.”

Commander Grayson nodded in agreement, his gaze steady on Kai. “It’s best for Baiyan to stay with us for the foreseeable future. He protected you from the True Kin and is likely to be seen as a traitor by the council now. Besides, we need someone with his knowledge of the True Kin’s history to help us untangle this mystery.”

Baiyan waved a dismissive hand in front of him, his voice humble. “I just did what I could,” he said.

Kai nodded, reassured. He was more than fine with Baiyan staying aboard the Black Swan—he would be a valuable ally moving forward.

Commander Grayson’s tone grew more serious. “There’s one more thing. We’ve confirmed that the Empire is assembling a massive fleet near the jump point—one much larger than we initially estimated. War is coming, and it’s going to unfold in the surrounding space of Drakmoor.”

Kai frowned, his thoughts turning to the divisions within the True Kin that Mama Mo had described. Already outcasts from the rest of humanity, they were fractured even within their own ranks.

He still struggled with the idea that humanity’s survival rested on his shoulders. But his visit to Chinatown had revealed one undeniable truth: there was a looming threat out there, a danger that couldn’t be ignored. And now, on top of that, war between the Federation and the Empire seemed inevitable.

Eliana’s hand slipped into his, grounding him amidst the weight of his thoughts. Her kindness had always been a constant in his recent life, a light that soothed the chaos around him. Kai glanced at her, feeling the warmth of her presence, and remembered the unspoken connection they shared.

He owed her an answer. There was something undeniable between them, a chemistry neither had acknowledged outright. Every time they met, Kai felt as though an invisible string connected his heart to hers. Her every move, every word, tugged at that string, making him want to say what he held back for so long. But doubts always crept in—was it too soon? What if she didn’t feel the same?

Yet, after everything they’d been through, after nearly losing everything, Kai knew he couldn’t wait any longer. It was time to take the leap.

“Eliana,” he began, his voice steady but filled with emotion, “I like you… I—”

Before he could finish, Eliana leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was soft, warm, and everything Kai had hoped for. If he hadn’t said it, she was going to—and this moment was all the confirmation either of them needed.

When they finally pulled apart, Eliana’s cheeks were flushed, and her smile was radiant. “I like you too, Kai,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I know it’s early to say something like this, but I couldn’t stop myself. I didn’t want to waste another chance.”

If Kai had felt drowsy earlier, he was fully awake now. Every single cell of him was fully activated, treasuring this moment. It was the best thing in his life had just happened. For the first time in what felt like forever, he didn’t feel alone. The pressure weighing on him seemed lighter, and for a brief moment, he allowed himself to bask in the joy of her presence.

So what if the road ahead was going to be rough? At least Eliana would be on it with him. And because of that, Kai was ready.