The first light of dawn barely touched the grimy windows of the safe house when the call came. The encrypted line buzzed with urgent static, slicing through the fragile calm like a blade.
Ryan answered before the second ring ended. "Talk."
Luca's voice was tight, sharp. "Elira's made her move. A raid on the west side. Felix's men are pushing hard — heavier firepower than we expected. They're after Kai. They're willing to burn the city to the ground if they have to."
Ryan's fingers tightened on the phone, knuckles white. "We move now. Get Maria and Kai ready."
He ended the call and found Maria already pulling on her jacket, eyes steady, determined.
Kai sat quietly, his expression distant, but there was something new in his gaze — a dark flicker, a restless energy simmering just beneath the surface.
Maria caught Ryan's eye and said softly, "We can't just keep running. We have to fight."
Ryan nodded. "I know."
---
The streets were a maze of shadows and flickering neon as they slipped through back alleys toward the warehouse where the raid was reported. The air was thick with tension and the smell of smoke.
"Stay close," Ryan whispered, his pistol drawn.
Maria was silent but alert, the wound on her arm still raw but forgotten in the adrenaline surge.
Kai moved between them, silent and watchful, his eyes scanning every corner.
Suddenly, gunfire erupted — sharp, echoing — and the chase was on.
Ryan's world narrowed to the staccato rhythm of shots and footsteps, the pounding of his heart, the desperate need to protect.
They rounded a corner and found themselves face-to-face with Elira.
Her blonde hair was pulled back tightly, face cold and expressionless. In her hands, a high-powered rifle glinted ominously.
"Elira," Ryan growled. "You're not getting Kai."
She smirked. "I don't need to. He's already mine."
With lightning speed, she fired. Ryan dove, bullets pinging off the concrete behind him.
Maria pushed Kai behind a dumpster, shielding him as she returned fire.
But then Kai stepped forward, and everything changed.
The air around him shimmered, a faint electric hum rising. His eyes glowed—an unnatural, piercing blue that cut through the smoke.
"Elira," Kai said, voice low and charged, "You're about to learn why you should have stayed away."
The ground trembled slightly beneath their feet, dust falling from the cracked walls.
Elira's smirk faltered for a split second.
Ryan's jaw tightened. "Kai, what are you doing?"
The boy's hand shot out, fingers trembling with raw energy.
Suddenly, Elira was thrown backward as an invisible force slammed into her with brutal power.
She crashed into a stack of crates, groaning but alive.
Maria stared, breath caught. "What the hell was that?"
Kai's chest rose and fell rapidly. His glowing eyes faded back to their normal shade, but the intensity lingered.
"I don't know," he admitted, voice trembling with something between fear and exhilaration. "It's like the drug... it's waking something inside me. Something I can barely control."
Ryan's heart pounded—not just from relief but from a surge of something darker.
"This is bigger than any of us thought," he said. "Kai's not just enhanced. He's becoming something else. Something dangerous."
Maria reached out, gripping Ryan's arm. "And we're the only ones who can keep him grounded."
Ryan looked down at her, the unspoken bond between them stronger than ever.
"Whatever comes next," he said quietly, "we face it together."
Outside, the city stirred, unaware of the war brewing in its shadows — a war that could consume them all.