The night had fallen into an unnatural stillness. The streets of the Outskirts, usually teeming with the desperate, the criminals, the forgotten, were eerily empty now. Kael's footsteps echoed through the narrow alleys as he moved deeper into the ruins, away from the search parties that were still combing the area. The distant hum of generators, the flickering lights of damaged streetlamps—it all felt wrong. The city was alive, but it had become a predator, and Kael was its prey.
It wasn't just the enforcers who were after him anymore. The city's ruling faction, the House of Bloodlines, had issued a public announcement. Kael had become a target. A latent. A term for someone like him, someone with dormant bloodline power.
And the penalty for being marked as such was clear: death or conscription.
Kael's chest tightened at the thought of it. He didn't understand what it all meant—what kind of power was hidden inside him, or why it had woken up so suddenly. But he knew one thing for certain: he had to get away. If they found him, there would be no chance to answer questions or figure things out. They'd take him. They'd lock him away, force him to serve the bloodline wars, or worse… they'd kill him.
He quickened his pace, slipping through the shadows of collapsed buildings, avoiding the patrolling enforcers. They were everywhere now, their heavy boots crunching through the debris, their weapons drawn, their cold helmets scanning every inch of the streets. He had no idea how they'd pinpointed him so quickly, but it didn't matter. They would find him if he didn't get out.
The memories of the strange whispers, the pulsating crimson energy inside him, and the visions haunted him. He could still feel the heat of the bloodline's power in his veins, like an ember that had suddenly ignited a fire within him, and he had no idea how to control it.
But the truth was, he couldn't even let himself think about it right now. He had to survive. He had to escape the city.
The last few days felt like a blur. From the moment he'd woken up surrounded by unconscious bodies—his hands stained red, the ground scarred by his out-of-control powers—everything had spiraled. The enforcers had arrived too quickly, as if they had been waiting for him to make a mistake. As if they had known this would happen.
Kael's thoughts raced as he rounded another corner, sliding into a narrow passageway between two crumbling buildings. His breath was shallow, his heart pounding, but there was something more pressing now. The city wasn't just after him—he was wanted.
It was a quiet whisper at first. Just a rumor he overheard while hiding in the dark. But now, as he heard the ever-present hum of surveillance drones circling above, Kael realized just how deep the city's reach had grown. It had eyes everywhere.
The authorities had posted his image across every digital screen. His name—Kael Vyr—was branded as a threat. They didn't know who he was. The bloodline he came from. But they knew enough to fear him. A latent. Someone with potential. Someone who could tip the balance of power in the endless bloodline war.
Kael pressed a hand against his forehead, trying to block out the growing pressure in his skull. The pulse was getting stronger, and with it, the visions. The ancient throne. The crown. The whispers.
You are the heir.
A soft groan escaped his lips. What did that even mean? What kind of heir was he supposed to be? And why had this power suddenly surged in him, unbidden and out of control?
Kael stumbled, his legs threatening to buckle beneath him, but he kept moving. His mind was on fire, his thoughts scattering like sparks in the wind. He had no answers, and the more he tried to search for them, the more questions seemed to arise. He couldn't understand it.
He couldn't afford to be weak.
As he entered another long-forgotten alley, Kael stopped, hearing the unmistakable sound of distant voices. The enforcers were closing in. They were checking every building, every street corner, hunting for him like a pack of wolves. His pulse quickened, and instinctively, he slid deeper into the shadows, pressing his back against the cold stone wall.
His body burned with the sensation of that other pulse inside him. He had tried to ignore it, but it had only grown stronger since the incident in the street. The crimson energy that surged in his veins, it wasn't normal. It wasn't human.
Something—someone—had awakened inside him, and he could feel it now more than ever. He wasn't just a random kid from the Outskirts anymore. He was something else. Someone else.
A latent.
A weapon.
The thought made him sick.
He turned and slipped into an abandoned structure, its door hanging off its hinges. It had once been a factory, the broken remnants of machines still littering the dusty floors. The air was thick with the smell of mildew and rust. It was the perfect place to hide.
He crouched behind an overturned metal crate, his heart racing, his breath still coming in sharp bursts. He couldn't let himself be caught. If the enforcers found him now, there was no escaping. There was no telling what they would do to him. They wouldn't care about his reasons, his fears. They would only see the latent power coursing through his veins. And that made him a liability. A threat.
Kael closed his eyes, willing his pulse to slow, trying to control the surge of energy inside him. It was like a fire, flickering wildly, threatening to burn him from the inside out. He couldn't focus. His mind was a storm, the whispers loud, demanding.
Find the heart. Claim it.
The voice echoed in his mind. It was like a command, like a force he couldn't escape.
He reached up to clutch his chest, his fingers trembling, the crimson energy pulsing beneath his skin.
And then, he heard it.
The sound of boots approaching.
The enforcers had arrived.
Kael bit his lip, holding his breath. He didn't move. He couldn't.
Their footsteps grew closer, the creak of their armor and the thud of their boots in the dusty room. Kael squeezed his eyes shut, hoping they wouldn't spot him. He wasn't ready to fight again. Not like this.
You have no choice.
The voice whispered again, and Kael's eyes snapped open.
He felt it then—the pressure in his chest, the need to act. It wasn't just the enforcers closing in on him. It was something else, something far older, more dangerous, pulling at him, beckoning him toward something far beyond the slums, beyond this city.
Something inside him awakened.
The footsteps grew louder.
Kael moved without thinking..