"Grrngh." A low groan came from below a dark and decrepit staircase. Sitting in the shadows below the fire escape of an old residential building, Kael leaned against a wall, massaging his right elbow. His clothes were ripped in a few spots, and dark spots were staining them in a few more. To his left and in easy reach lay a round length of rebar. "At least nothing is broken." Over the course of the last two weeks living back on the streets, Kael had accumulated many different injuries. Some were minor, like the bruise on his arm, while others, like the concussion from a few days ago, were healing slowly. Thankfully there had been no permanent damage yet. Now that he had confirmed that his arm was not damaged, he let it fall down to his side, content with the knowledge that he still had the use of his dominant hand. Out of his small, rough-looking backpack, he pulled a half-eaten sandwich, only slightly dirty on one side. Bite after bite, the piece of food vanished into his body, nourishing him while not poisoning him too much. Unblinkingly Kael stared into the night even as a few small tears rolled down his cheeks. "Haha... if only they added a little bit of soy sauce. The flavor would have been much better. Always the food isn't it..."

His tears would run dry at some point, Kael was sure. Maybe that would be the day he would have done enough? "Useless thoughts, always getting in the way. Well, let's get back to it, shall we? ... Fuck. I really need to stop talking to myself, don't want to be seen as crazy now do you Kael? Talking to myself in the third person isn't helping either... properly." Using the wall to stabilize himself, Kael got back onto his feet, retrieving his backpack and the rebar in the process. He gave the area a quick once over, confirming that he had not forgotten anything. The low light made his job harder, but not impossible. Ever since he left the restaurant and spent most days asleep, his eyes had gotten progressively better at guiding him through the darkness. Kael had some possible explanations for the phenomenon, but while he still thirsts for knowledge, his life had thoroughly tempered him. At the end of the day, nothing but the fact that it worked mattered. And so he went. One foot in front of the other, aimlessly roaming, keeping to the dark side streets, away from the hubbub of the party street but never drifting too far away.

Maybe an hour later, the night was slowly coming to a close, and the sun would be rising in just a short while. It was time for Kael to find a place to spend the day. This was, in Kael's opinion, the best time of the day. The streets were empty as even the last drunken stragglers had found their way home. Only during this short moment, during the transition between night and day, was the city truly empty for once. The city cleansing itself from the traces of the night and getting ready to begin anew. Taking in the quiet with deep breaths, Kael felt himself being cleaned of what had happened in the last few hours. Only for his spiritual cleansing to be interrupted by two voices ripping through the peace of the night. Instantly, he felt something prodding his head, like an alarm, reminding him of something he had forgotten. Unable to place the feeling, Kael was just about to duck behind some cover when he saw a figure he recognized out of the corner of his eye. There, a good fifty meters in front of him, was Jason, walking backward, his arms seemingly dragging something with him onto the street.

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Memories of their last encounter flashed through his head, bringing panic and fear with it. Had Martin not been there at the time... Thankfully Jason was focused on whoever he was arguing with and trying to drag with him, giving Kael enough time to get into cover. "...oh, come on, Sarah! I promise you will like it." Jason's voice, both playful and insistent, reached his ears, interspaced by the voice of a female, not much older than them. "Aww! Let us go next week then, Jason. You know how my mother can be, ugh. She was already against us going out together no need to make her any more pissed, right?" Despite having little to no contact with girls his age, Kael had gotten very good at noticing subtle vocal hints. While the girl, Sarah presumably, was pushing blame onto her parents, there was no annoyance or anger in her tone. "EH! Fuck them, right?! Come on Sarah, please? You will love it I swear!" - "I don't know, Jason. It is already very late. We can always come back. No need to rush." Their banter went back and forth a few more times before Jason grew noticeably more insistent. "Sarah. We are together, no? So do me this favor. Come with me." Her responses changed in equal measure. "No, Jason. It is late, and I want to go home now." Their argument grew more and more heated, and Kael could see Jason getting physical. He was trying to drag the girl with him while she struggled against him. Everything came to a climax when Sarah slapped Jason in the face out of anger.

The change in atmosphere was instant. Gone was the insistent and annoyed Jason. As if suddenly powerless, he let Sarah's arms go, letting his own drop to his sides powerlessly. "Hahaha, and here I thought you might be different. But NO! You are just like THEM! Think you are better than me, huh? Looking down on me while laughing when I turn my back, ready to stab me when you feel like." His voice was rising, turning into a rant, more than a conversation. "No! That is not it Jason and you know it. You know what, let's just forget this ever happened and go our own way." Her diplomatic approach would have worked for most, Kael thought, but for Jason... he doubted it. "BITCH! Really?! After everything that I have done for you? You just want to forget me and pretend I don't exist?! You better stop your shit now and come with me quietly before I make you!" Despite Kael being a good fifty meters away, he could see the red tint that was now present in Jason's eyes. "Just like that night..." - "Fuck you, Jason! I don't know what I ever saw in you to begin with. You are just as petty and arrogant as the other entitled brats in class. At least they are still attending school. What happened, little man? Did your Papi not have enough money to buy you out of your incompetence?" - "BITCH! WHORE! HOW DARE YOU?! I NEVER needed my USELESS old man's help! I WILL SHOW YOU! YOU and everyone else in this DISGUSTING CITY!"

Suddenly Kael had a really bad feeling about the situation, which only intensified when he saw Jason pull out a small, lighter-sized metal cube engraved with strange markings. His shock was mirrored on the girl's face, only she seemed to know what exactly Jason was holding. "What? How do you have..." Kael sighed, maybe destiny is just catching up.