Kyon's First Person Point Of View.

The room groaned under the strain of their battle, each impact sending tremors through the floor beneath us. The air was heavy with heat and steam, making it hard to think, hard to breathe. Sia’s hand clutched my arm, her grip trembling.

“Kyon,” she said, her voice barely audible over the chaos. “We have to go. Now.”

She was right. Harvey’s battle with the vampire was tearing this place apart, and we were too close. If the ceiling gave out or another pipe burst, we wouldn’t survive it. My legs felt like lead, but I forced myself to move, stumbling through the swirling mist as Sia pulled me forward.

I could still hear the hum of Harvey’s Flux, steady and unyielding, a beacon of power in the chaos.

But I couldn’t see him.

The fog swallowed the shapes of the room, distorting everything. My Echo Flux flickered, struggling to grasp the outlines of Harvey and the vampire as their battle shifted. It felt like being trapped in the heart of a storm—roaring, violent, and utterly disorienting.

Then Harvey’s voice cut through the mist, sharp and commanding. “Hiding won’t work. You can’t escape me.”

For a moment, there was silence, broken only by the hiss of ruptured vents and the faint crackle of electricity from damaged equipment. Then, from somewhere in the fog, the vampire’s voice echoed, low and mocking.

“Escape? Oh, you’re still so naïve. Winning this little fight was never my objective.”

Harvey’s hum faltered for just a fraction of a second, a hesitation so slight it might have gone unnoticed—except I felt it. Even through the dense mist and overwhelming noise, I could sense the shift in him.

He understood.

And so did I, a moment too late.

A blur of movement erupted from the fog, faster than my Echo Flux could register. Sia screamed as the vampire materialized out of the mist, his crimson eyes gleaming like molten fire. His hand shot forward, claws curved and glinting as they reached for me.

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I stumbled back instinctively, my legs sluggish and unresponsive in my weakened state. The steam burned my lungs, making every breath feel like dragging air through a furnace. Before I could react, the vampire’s grip closed around my arm, cold and vice-like.

“Don’t move,” he hissed, his breath cold against my ear.

“Kyon!” Sia’s voice was shrill with panic, but she froze, her eyes darting between me and the vampire. She knew. One wrong move, and this wouldn’t end well.

“Let him go!” Harvey’s voice boomed from the mist, laced with fury. The copper glow of his Flux pulsed brighter, cutting faint streaks through the fog as he advanced.

But the vampire only tightened his grip, pulling me closer. His claws hovered dangerously near my throat, and his other hand darted toward Sia, gripping her by the shoulder.

“Stay right there,” he snarled, his tone cold and sharp. “Or the girl dies first.”

Harvey stopped.

The air was still for a moment, save for the faint hiss of steam and the flicker of sparking wires. I could barely see Harvey now, his coppery glow diffused by the fog. He was close, but not close enough.

The vampire chuckled, low and triumphant. “You see, Flux-wielder, that’s your problem. You’re strong, I’ll give you that. But you can’t multitask.”

His claws pressed just slightly against my skin, a cruel warning. “You’re so busy focusing on me, on our fight, that you didn’t notice your little charges wandering out of your range. And now? Now they’re mine.”

I swallowed hard, my pulse pounding in my ears. He was right. Harvey had been locked in battle, his focus singular and unyielding. And we—me and Sia—we had moved, thinking we could slip away from the chaos.

We played right into his hands.

“Kyon…” Sia’s voice trembled, barely a whisper. Her wide eyes were locked on the vampire, her hands shaking as she clutched at her Echo Amplifier.

“Smart girl,” the vampire murmured, his voice almost a purr. “Stay quiet, and you might just survive this.”

Harvey’s glow pulsed again, brighter this time, his Flux humming like an engine on the verge of overload. “Let them go,” he demanded, his tone icy.

“Ah, ah,” the vampire taunted, jerking me slightly for emphasis. “Not another step. Or do you want to see how quickly I can rip them apart?”

Harvey froze again, his fists clenched at his sides. For the first time since this battle began, I saw him hesitate, uncertainty flickering in his stance. He couldn’t risk it. Not with us so close to the vampire’s claws.

And the vampire knew it.

“See? That’s the beauty of it,” he said, his tone almost conversational. “You’re so strong, so focused. But you can’t protect them and fight me at the same time. A little distraction, and you lose everything.”

He leaned closer, his breath icy against my skin. “You’re the prize, Kyon,” he said softly, his voice almost a whisper. “Do you know how many want you? How many would kill to have you in their grasp?”

My throat tightened, and I tried to pull away, but his grip was iron.

“Don’t struggle,” he warned, his claws pressing just slightly against my throat. “It’ll only hurt more.”

Harvey took a slow step forward, his glow dimming slightly. “What do you want?” he asked, his voice low and measured.

The vampire smiled, his teeth gleaming in the faint light. “What I want is simple. You step aside, and I walk out of here with him. Do that, and the girl lives.”

Harvey’s fists clenched tighter, his Flux humming louder as if in protest. But he didn’t move.

“Tick-tock,” the vampire said, his tone sing-song. “Decisions, decisions…”

Suddenly, a new voice crackled through the air, sharp and authoritative.

“All units, spread out. Find the target.”

The vampire stiffened, his eyes narrowing. I recognized the voice—it was one of the hunters. They were still in the building, and now they were closing in.

Harvey’s head turned slightly, as if he’d heard it too.

The vampire’s grip tightened on me, his claws biting into my skin. “Looks like we’re out of time,” he muttered. “Pity. I was enjoying this.”

And then he moved.

Faster than I could process, he dragged me backward into the mist, his movements a blur. Sia screamed, her voice cutting through the fog, but she was left behind, her cries growing fainter as the vampire pulled me farther and farther away.

“Kid!” Harvey’s voice roared through the mist.