Kyon's First Person Point Of View.

The weight of the night pressed down on me, thick and suffocating. My body trembled, my limbs felt heavy, but the moment I laid eyes on Faraday’s broken form, something shifted inside me.

Something dark.

My breath hitched as I took a step closer. He was barely holding on, his body twisted at an unnatural angle, his chest rising and falling in shallow, uneven breaths. But I didn’t see a dying man anymore. I saw something else—something raw and irresistible.

Blood.

The scent hit me like a tidal wave, thick with iron, sweet and metallic. It was everywhere—pooling beneath him, splattered on the walls, staining my hands, my clothes. Had it always been this strong? Had it always smelled this... intoxicating?

I hadn’t noticed before. My mind had been moving too fast, locked in survival mode, too focused on staying alive to feel it. But now, with the battle over and my body still humming from the Flux, I couldn’t ignore it anymore.

I was thirsty.

A deep, primal hunger clawed its way up from the depths of my soul. It wasn’t like before—the dull, manageable cravings I had learned to suppress. No, this was different. It was like a monsoon crashing over me, drowning me in need. My throat burned, dry and raw. My hands shook at my sides. My pulse quickened as my gaze locked onto the steady, rhythmic movement of Faraday’s throat.

His carotid artery.

I saw it. I saw the blood flowing beneath his skin, warm, vibrant, alive. The world around me bled into a haze of crimson, the colors shifting until I wasn’t looking through my own eyes anymore. Everything pulsed, turned red—no, infrared. I could see the heat of his blood, feel its presence like a second heartbeat calling to me.

What was this?

I had always known I was different. Always fought against the urges, the instincts that whispered at the edges of my mind. But never had they screamed like this. Never had they threatened to consume me whole.

I was panicking.

My breathing came fast and shallow. My nails dug into my palms, longer than before—sharp. My teeth ached, my fangs pressing against my lips, desperate to sink into flesh. I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt.

No.

But my body wasn’t listening.

I took a step forward.

Faraday’s half-lidded eyes barely registered my movement, but he knew. He had to. His lips twitched in something that could have been a smirk or maybe just a final resignation.

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He knew.

The hunger roared inside me.

Another step.

I couldn’t stop myself.

Another.

I was going to drink. I was going to take his life, not because of duty, not because of necessity, but because I wanted to.

And then—

"Kyon!"

The voice cut through the haze like a blade. My body jerked to a stop, the bloodlust momentarily disoriented by the sudden break in the atmosphere. My vision swam, colors bleeding back into reality.

Footsteps. Three pairs, approaching fast.

I turned sharply, my instincts flaring, my body coiled like a predator ready to pounce.

Harvey. Sia. Lawrence.

They had arrived.

Sia’s eyes widened at the sight of me. Her mouth opened, maybe to call my name again, maybe to rush forward—but Lawrence held out an arm, stopping her.

“Let me handle this,” he said quietly.

Something in his tone kept them both still. He took a careful step forward, his eyes locked on me, reading me like an open book.

I knew what he saw.

The state of the staircase, the black stains where bodies had been erased from existence. The blood soaking my hands, my clothes. The sharpness of my nails. And, most of all—

My eyes.

They weren’t mine anymore. They had gone red, bright red, glowing like the very creatures I fought against.

Lawrence’s face remained calm, but I saw the flicker of concern in his gaze.

I bared my fangs, still riding the wave of adrenaline. “Stay back.” My own voice startled me—rough, guttural. Not mine.

Lawrence ignored the warning. “Kyon,” he said, voice even, measured. “You don’t want to do this.”

I exhaled sharply, my chest rising and falling too fast. “You think I don’t?” My lips curled, my voice laced with something almost unfamiliar—anger, frustration, desperation. “I’ve already killed tonight, Lawrence. You think one more will make a difference?”

“You didn’t kill them,” he countered. “Not really.”

I laughed, but it was hollow. “Tell that to Vincent’s ashes.”

“That wasn’t your fault.”

My fingers twitched. “Wasn’t it?”

Lawrence took another step closer, his presence steady, grounding. “You didn’t know you could do that, Kyon. You were desperate, fighting to survive. It wasn’t a choice.” His voice softened. “But this? This is a choice.”

My body tensed. My eyes flickered between him and Faraday’s broken form. The hunger hadn’t faded, but now it warred with something else—a deep, gnawing unease curling inside me.

Lawrence knew. He knew me. He had trained me, guided me, seen every strength and weakness I carried. And now, looking at me like this, he saw the breaking point.

“If you do this,” he said carefully, “you won’t come back from it.”

I clenched my jaw. “You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do.” His voice was unwavering. “You’re not a killer, Kyon. Not like this.”

The words hit harder than I expected.

I swallowed, but my throat was still dry, still aching with thirst. I wanted to deny it. I wanted to tell him he was wrong.

But he wasn’t.

The hunters—their deaths had happened in the chaos, in the heat of the fight. I had used Faraday as a weapon, but I hadn’t planned it. I hadn’t chosen to take lives.

This, though... this was different.

If I killed Faraday now, it wouldn’t be out of necessity. It wouldn’t be a mistake or an accident. It would be because I had given in.

Because I wanted to.

And that scared me more than anything.

My hands were still trembling, my breath still ragged. My gaze flickered back to Faraday’s throat, to the steady rhythm of life pulsing beneath his skin.

I could still do it.

One bite. One taste.

My fangs ached.

But Lawrence was still there. Still watching. Still believing in me.

And damn it, I wanted to believe in me too.

My fists clenched, nails biting into my palms. Slowly—painfully—I took a step back. Then another. The hunger screamed in protest, but I ignored it.

Lawrence let out a slow breath, his shoulders relaxing just slightly.

Sia took a hesitant step forward. “Kyon...?”

I exhaled shakily, running a hand over my face, over my still-burning eyes. My voice came out hoarse, strained.

“I’m fine.”

A lie.

But right now, it was the best I could do.

And for now, it would have to be enough.