Chapter 4: Awakening the Predator

Kieran stood over the twitching corpse, his breath uneven. His body still crackled with unstable energy, but the rush of power was intoxicating. His fists clenched, the remnants of the red and blue lightning flickering away.

He had killed something.

Not in self-defense. Not by accident. He had reacted, attacked, and… won.

[System Synchronization: 2.4%]

[First Combat Experience Gained. Instinct Calibration in Progress.]

Kieran’s fingers twitched. Instinct Calibration?

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Before he could process it, a new sensation surged through his nerves. His muscles tensed, his vision sharpened. The cold night air felt warmer, the sounds of the city clearer. Even the scent of burnt flesh from the mutant’s corpse registered in his mind.

It was as if his body had… adjusted.

[Adaptive Combat Reflexes Unlocked.]

His breath hitched. The system wasn’t just giving him power—it was evolving him.

Then, he felt it.

A new presence. Stronger. Closer. Watching.

He turned sharply. At the end of the alley, two figures stood in the shadows. One was a man in a sleek black coat, eyes sharp as knives. The other…

A woman. Tall, poised, her gaze unreadable.

But Kieran felt it—the pressure she radiated was unlike anything before.

The man smirked. “Well, well. Looks like we found something interesting.”

The woman tilted her head, analyzing him. “No recorded Awakening. Yet he took down a mutant in one hit.”

Kieran’s heart pounded. Who were they?

And more importantly…

Were they friend or foe?