The Neon Market district had finally grown quiet.
Repair drones had finished sealing the worst of the damage, and most of the curious bystanders had already returned to their nightly routines. The bright neon lights resumed their constant glow, reflecting across wet pavement and glass storefronts.
But the street where the battle had taken place still felt different.
The air carried a faint tension.
A lingering presence.
Kael stood beside the broken security barrier where the creature had crashed earlier. The monster itself had already been removed by city security teams—specialized containment units that arrived quickly once the threat had been confirmed.
Yet something about the scene remained unsettled.
Perhaps it was the silence.
Or perhaps it was the two men standing nearby.
Orion Stormfang leaned against a metal support beam, arms folded across his chest, watching the street with a thoughtful expression.
Lucien Nightvale stood several steps away, his posture relaxed but elegant, crimson eyes reflecting the glow of the surrounding city lights.
The three of them had not spoken for nearly a minute.
But none of them had left.
Finally, Orion broke the silence.
"Well," he said, glancing between the other two, "this is getting awkward."
Lucien tilted his head slightly.
"You are free to leave at any time, Stormfang."
Orion smirked.
"And miss whatever strange thing is happening here? Not a chance."
Lucien's eyes flicked toward Kael.
"Then perhaps we should address the obvious question."
Kael met his gaze calmly.
Lucien continued.
"Why did that creature target you?"
Kael shook his head.
"I told you already. I don't know."
Orion studied him carefully.
"You really don't?"
"No."
Lucien crossed his arms behind his back.
"Curious."
He stepped closer to the barrier and looked down at the cracked pavement where the creature had landed.
"Demons do not wander randomly into Neo-Astra," he said quietly.
"They appear for a reason."
Orion nodded slightly.
"Usually summoned."
Lucien glanced back toward Kael.
"Exactly."
Kael frowned.
"You think someone summoned it to attack me?"
Lucien shrugged lightly.
"It is a possibility."
Orion pushed himself off the support beam.
"But that doesn't make sense either."
Both men looked at him.
Orion continued.
"If someone wanted him dead, there are easier ways."
Lucien smiled faintly.
"You are assuming death was the goal."
Orion raised an eyebrow.
"What else would it be?"
Lucien's crimson eyes moved slowly back to Kael.
"Capture."
The word hung in the air.
Kael felt the strange warmth inside his chest stir again.
Lucien continued calmly.
"A demon powerful enough to appear inside the city would not normally waste time chasing random civilians."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"But it chose you."
Orion nodded thoughtfully.
"I noticed that too."
He looked directly at Kael.
"It ignored me until I hit it."
Kael remained silent.
Lucien watched him carefully.
"You truly do not know why it reacted that way?"
Kael hesitated.
Only for a moment.
"There may be… something unusual about me."
Orion laughed lightly.
"I figured that part out already."
Lucien's smile was smaller.
But more intense.
"Yes," he said softly.
"So did I."
For a few seconds, none of them spoke.
The quiet hum of distant air traffic drifted through the street.
Kael looked up at the skyline.
The floating towers of Neo-Astra shimmered beneath the night sky.
Part of him wondered if coming here had been a mistake.
His past had always followed him eventually.
Perhaps the city was no different.
But before he could say anything else—
Something happened.
The strange energy inside his chest suddenly flared.
Sharp.
Violent.
Like a spark hitting dry fuel.
Kael sucked in a breath.
Orion noticed immediately.
"You feel that?"
Lucien's gaze sharpened.
"Yes."
The air around them shifted.
Subtle at first.
Then stronger.
A faint ripple spread through the street like invisible heat waves.
Streetlights flickered.
Several repair drones hovering nearby suddenly lost stability and drifted sideways.
Orion straightened instantly.
"Okay… that's not normal."
Kael felt the pressure building.
The warmth in his chest expanded outward.
His heartbeat accelerated.
"I'm not doing this on purpose," he said quietly.
Lucien took a step closer.
His voice calm but serious.
"No one is accusing you."
But his eyes had become very focused.
"However… you should try to control it."
Kael clenched his fists.
"I'm trying."
The energy pulsed again.
Stronger.
A faint silver glow appeared around Kael's hands.
Orion's eyes widened slightly.
"Well that's new."
Lucien did not look surprised.
But his attention sharpened even further.
The glow spread slowly.
Thin strands of light moved through the air around Kael like drifting threads.
They weren't bright.
But they felt powerful.
Ancient.
The ground beneath Kael's feet vibrated slightly.
He closed his eyes briefly.
His breathing slowed.
But the energy continued building.
Like something inside him had finally decided to wake up.
Orion took a cautious step back.
"I'm going to assume this is the part where things explode."
Lucien shook his head.
"No."
His crimson eyes studied the glowing energy carefully.
"This is something else."
The silver light expanded outward.
It reached the broken barrier.
The cracked pavement.
The streetlights.
And as it touched them—
Everything reacted.
The damaged barrier suddenly repaired itself.
The cracked concrete sealed together like liquid stone.
Even the shattered glass scattered across the ground slowly lifted into the air and reassembled.
Orion stared.
"Okay," he muttered.
"That's definitely not normal."
Kael's eyes snapped open.
He looked around in shock.
"I didn't mean to—"
The energy pulsed again.
But this time it changed direction.
Instead of spreading randomly, it flowed toward the other two men.
Thin threads of silver light reached Orion first.
The moment they touched him—
A burst of electricity erupted around his arms.
Orion stepped back.
"Whoa!"
Lightning cracked through the air.
His storm energy reacted instantly.
The silver threads jumped again.
This time toward Lucien.
The moment they reached him—
Dark crimson energy flared from his body.
Like liquid shadows rising from the ground.
Lucien's eyes widened slightly.
Not in fear.
But in recognition.
The three energies collided in the air.
Silver.
Crimson.
Lightning blue.
For a brief moment—
They formed a glowing triangular pattern between the three men.
Kael stared at it.
Orion stared at it.
Lucien's expression turned very serious.
Then the energy collapsed.
The street returned to normal.
The lights stabilized.
The drones regained control.
Silence returned.
Orion blinked.
"…Did that just happen?"
Kael lowered his glowing hands slowly.
"I think so."
Lucien did not speak immediately.
He was staring at the spot where the triangular energy had formed.
His mind racing through centuries of knowledge.
Ancient texts.
Forbidden records.
Legends dismissed as myth.
But one idea kept returning.
A possibility so rare that most scholars believed it impossible.
Lucien exhaled slowly.
Then he looked at Kael.
His voice was calm.
But the weight behind it was unmistakable.
"You said earlier that something unusual about you might explain the demon's interest."
Kael nodded slowly.
Lucien's crimson eyes gleamed faintly.
"I believe you were correct."
Orion looked between them.
"Okay… I feel like I missed something important."
Lucien's gaze shifted to him briefly.
"You may have."
Then he turned back to Kael.
"For now," he said quietly, "I suggest you do not use that power again in public."
Kael frowned.
"Why?"
Lucien gestured toward the surrounding buildings.
Because although the street appeared empty—
Dozens of surveillance systems had just recorded everything.
Lucien's voice dropped slightly.
"In this city… power like that attracts attention."
He paused.
Then added softly—
"And not all of that attention will be friendly."
Above them, hidden cameras quietly continued recording.
And somewhere far away in Neo-Astra—
Those recordings had already begun reaching people who would soon become very interested in Kael.
People far more dangerous than a single demon.
And tonight's strange display of power—
Was only the beginning.