Kaelen's morning had started like any other—groggy, disoriented, and in desperate need of more sleep. The dull light of dawn crept into the room at the Midnight Mirage Motel, casting faint shadows on the walls. He was sprawled across the bed, barely conscious, lost in his usual haze of post-sleep grogginess.
Then came the knock at the door.
Loren, ever the picture of perfection in her immaculate maid outfit, glided across the floor to answer it. The precise, graceful click of her heels was the only sound in the room as she opened the door with a calm, practiced motion. Normally, she would have expected the motel manager or some routine guest, but this time, it was not the manager.
It was the RPD.
They were not your average police officers. The Ravetham Police Department (RPD) specialized in dealing with supernatural threats, enforcing the law in a city riddled with crime, magic, and things most people didn’t even know existed. These were not rookies—they were elite, hardened men and women equipped to handle monsters and mercenaries alike. Their uniforms were a blend of tactical gear and arcane symbols, reinforced Kevlar plating woven with enchanted runes, giving them both protection and mystical shielding. Each officer’s helmet had a tinted visor, reflecting the morning light with a ghostly sheen, hiding their expressions behind an aura of silent authority.
They stepped past Loren without hesitation, their heavy boots thudding against the floor. They had a mission, and they were focused on one thing: arresting Kaelen.
Still half-asleep, Kaelen didn’t register the intrusion until the officers were nearly on top of him. By the time he did, it was too late. They were already grabbing him—he barely had time to react, blinking in confusion as strong hands yanked him from the bed, dragging him out from under the tangled covers. His bare feet hit the cold floor, and he realized too late that he was only in his underwear.
“What the fuck?!” Kaelen shouted, his voice hoarse from sleep. The suddenness of the situation jarred him fully awake. He thrashed, slamming his elbow into one of the officers’ stomachs with a satisfying grunt. Another officer reached for him, but Kaelen was quicker—he flung him aside using a burst of telekinesis. The man crashed into the wall, sending a decorative lamp shattering to the ground.
But there were five of them.
Before Kaelen could gather his bearings, three tasers were fired, the crackling sound filling the room as the prongs dug into his skin. The electric currents surged through him, but his body barely reacted. His muscles flexed in defiance of the voltage coursing through his veins, his supernatural blood dampening the effects of the tasers. He gritted his teeth, ready to rip the prongs out—
That’s when Delphinus appeared.
A laugh echoed in Kaelen’s head just as his vision blurred. Delphinus, with his psionic abilities, attacked Kaelen’s mind. The pressure was sudden, sharp, like claws digging into his brain. It took everything Kaelen had not to collapse on the spot, his knees buckling under the weight of the mental assault. The RPD took advantage of the momentary lapse and piled on top of him, shoving him into handcuffs with a forceful clang of metal.
In the background, Loren’s calm voice was already on the phone.
“Yes, milord. The RPD has arrived... Yes, Kaelen is resisting... No, they’ve already restrained him... Understood. I’ll ensure the situation is handled properly... Of course, you’ll be informed the moment we know more.”
The officers dragged Kaelen, now cuffed and furious, out of the motel room and toward a waiting, heavily armored vehicle. He cursed the entire way, spitting profanities at the cops holding him down.
“Pussy-ass rent-a-cops! Takes five of you just to drag me outta bed, huh? Pathetic! You think this shit’s gonna hold me? I’ll fucking crush you, you hear me?!”
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One of the officers grunted as Kaelen kicked at him, but they tightened their grip, manhandling him into the back of the vehicle. He kicked the door as they slammed it shut, his voice rising in a steady stream of vulgarities.
“You’re lucky, ya cowardly fucks! I’d have you crying for your mommas if I wasn’t cuffed up like this!”
He heard a familiar laugh in the background—Delphinus, enjoying the spectacle.
Inside the vehicle, the mood shifted. The RPD officers began to joke, their laughter mingling with the low rumble of the engine as they sped off.
“Caught him lacking in his underwear!” one officer cackled. “He really thought he was some big shot!”
“Yeah, no Red Dot. Not even a Link Up,” another chimed in, shaking his head in mock disappointment. “Kid doesn’t know he’s fucked. Big time.”
Kaelen’s anger simmered beneath the surface as he sat quietly, listening. He bit back his rage, his thoughts racing. This has to be about Cygnus, he realized. That damn bird...
Her words echoed in his mind. “We can make your life a living hell.” It all made sense now.
The vehicle came to a slow stop, the brakes hissing as they pulled up outside the police department. Kaelen’s muscles tensed—he knew they had reached their destination. The doors at the back of the truck swung open, and Kaelen was met by more heavily armored officers, this time in full SWAT gear, their machine guns slung over their shoulders. They grabbed him roughly by both arms, hauling him out of the vehicle with no care for his discomfort.
The Ravetham Police Department loomed before him—a cold, imposing structure of steel and concrete. The front entrance was guarded by thick metal doors reinforced with heavy locks and arcane wards. Barbed wire lined the perimeter, and surveillance drones floated overhead, their red lights blinking ominously in the early morning fog. The police crest—a raven’s wing crossed with a sword—was emblazoned on a large banner that hung from the side of the building, fluttering in the slight breeze.
Inside, the station was no less foreboding. The air was thick with the sterile smell of disinfectant and cold steel. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting a harsh, unforgiving light on the tiled floors. Metal bars lined the walls, each cell reinforced with thick, enchanted glass and reinforced doors. Officers moved around with military precision, their boots echoing against the floors as they processed criminals, questioned suspects, and kept watch.
Kaelen was shoved into a segregated cell—reinforced, like the rest, but with even more layers of protection. The bars were enchanted with runes designed to suppress magical abilities, and the walls were lined with a shimmering, almost invisible barrier that hummed with arcane energy. It was built to hold the dangerous and the powerful. Kaelen, still cuffed, glared at his captors as one of the officers handed him an orange jumpsuit through the bars.
"Put it on," the officer ordered, his voice flat and unyielding.
Kaelen almost threw it back in the officer’s face but caught himself when he glanced down, remembering he was still in his underwear. With a growl, he reluctantly put the jumpsuit on, the scratchy fabric clinging uncomfortably to his skin.
It wasn’t long before another officer appeared, opening Kaelen’s cell door. "Arms up," he ordered.
Kaelen complied, and the officer removed his cuffs, warning him, "No funny business, or I’ll shoot you. Understand? Now come on, we’ve got a meeting with the magistrate."
The magistrate’s office was nothing more than another cell, this one with a small window that allowed for communication. A stand had been set up inside, and on it were stacks of papers, pens neatly arranged beside them. The magistrate, a stern, unsmiling man with sharp eyes, slid a few sheets of paper toward Kaelen, instructing him to read.
The official documents detailed the charges against him:
Current Date: Thursday, September 12th
Court Date: Friday, September 20th, 10:00 AM
Vehicular Assault.
Hit-and-Run.
Attempted Murder.
The bond was set at one million dollars.
Kaelen's jaw tightened as he skimmed the papers. This was all for running over Cygnus. That damned swan had followed through with her threat. He was screwed.
After being ushered back to his holding cell, Kaelen was told he could make a phone call if needed, but before he could even consider it, another officer appeared.
"You're free to go. Bonded out already."
Kaelen stared at him, incredulous. “Already?”
“Yeah, no shit. Must have rich parents.”
He was led out of the cell, still in the orange jumpsuit. They didn’t bother giving him back his clothes—he had been brought in practically naked anyway. As he was escorted to the visitation area, he saw Loren waiting for him, calm as ever, holding a travel mug in her hands.
Her maid uniform was immaculate, not a hair out of place, her expression serene as she greeted him with a slight nod. She offered him the mug.
Kaelen took the mug, his anger barely simmering down, but he couldn’t help the small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.