The dark sky loomed over the city like an abyss, threatening to engulf everything and everyone. It was too quiet. Even the wind had died down, as if waiting for the resolution. Kaine, breathing heavily, stood amidst the ruins, rubbing his stiff neck. The fight was over, but the feeling of unease lingered. On the contrary, it only intensified, like a harbinger of what was to come.

“It was... too easy,” he muttered, recalling the recent encounter. The demon had fallen surprisingly quickly, hardly putting up a fight. As if it hadn’t even tried to win.

Cautious footsteps emerged from the darkness ahead. Kaine tensed, preparing for a possible attack. But from the shadows stepped Laura, clutching an amulet to her chest. Her face was tense, and her eyes were filled with worry.

“Kaine, we need to talk,” her voice was barely audible, but there was a sense of desperation in it.

“About what?” he asked, though deep down he already knew the answer.

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“It’s not just demons,” Laura met his gaze, and in her eyes reflected the same fear that gnawed at him. “They are looking for you. But not just for any reason. They want to acquire your power.”

“My immortality?” Kaine echoed with a bitter irony. “Is it not enough for them that I kill them one by one?”

“No, it’s not just that,” she shook her head. “Something in you attracts them like a magnet. I felt it the day we first met. Your presence... it’s like a vortex, pulling everything around it.”

Kaine fell silent, trying to comprehend what he had just heard. He had always known he was different from others, but to this extent... Everything was becoming even more complicated.

“Are you saying this is some kind of trap?” he said slowly.

“Yes, and they are ready to sacrifice hundreds of their own to get to you,” her voice trembled, revealing her hidden anxiety.

“What should we do then?” Kaine smirked, though inside, he felt a knot of worry tightening. “If I really am a vortex, maybe I should just stand still and wait for them to pounce on me?”

“You know that’s not an option,” Laura said softly. “We need to find answers, and only then will we understand how to stop this.”

At that moment, something clicked in Kaine’s mind. Just a second ago, he had felt lost, cornered, but now... Why run? Why not face this challenge head-on?

“Well then, let’s start searching,” he declared resolutely, looking into her eyes. “But before we set out for answers, we need to prepare.”

Laura nodded, a faint smile appearing on her lips, and then she turned to the horizon, where the first rays of dawn were beginning to emerge.

“I hope we still have time,” she whispered, as if to herself.

And they both knew that time was running out.