Kai woke up the next morning feeling… good.
Suspiciously good.
No nightmares. No jolting awake in a cold sweat. No bloodlust clawing at the back of his skull like a feral ghoul scratching at its cage. Just silence. Calm.
'This is going to be a good day…' he thought, dragging himself out of bed with a yawn and stretching with a deep exhale that almost felt like relief.
His muscles ached slightly, but not the kind that warned of injury - more like a deep burn from training, the type that said you'd survived something and came out stronger. His limbs felt lighter. His senses sharper. It was like every cell in his body had recharged overnight.
Maybe it was Amina's healing, maybe it was something inside him that he didn't yet understand. Either way, he wasn't complaining as he moved into the small bathroom.
Still blinking the last traces of sleep from his eyes, a sharp splash of cold water snapped him the rest of the way awake.
Cold morning showers carried the ghost of familiarity, which he attributed to being some kind of soldier. He didn't have much of a routine, but this - this little piece - felt like something etched into his bones.
After he'd finished, Kai scrubbed a hand down his face and stared at himself in the mirror. His reflection stared back - red eyes still faintly glowing, but less menacing than usual. More human and settled.
He looked… alive.
As for his body, it was still lean. Still cut. His muscles were defined but not bulky - more like a blade honed for function, not show. Physically, he looked fine. The deep gashes, burns, and torn flesh from yesterday were all gone, not even a trace left.
Except...
He leaned in.
Some scars hadn't vanished.
Across his chest, faint but permanent, were the claw marks. Not fresh ones - these had history. They looked... anchored. Like they belonged there, etched into more than just skin.
'So my healing factor picks and chooses, huh… Either the scars from before I mutated are here to stay, or some wounds stick around because of what they meant.'
He touched the marks lightly with his fingertips.
'Doesn't matter. Not really,' he thought to himself as his stomach growled loudly, reminding him he hadn't been getting much to eat.
Somehow, his body seemed to defy the laws of thermodynamics and transfer of energy since he expended much more than he could ever hope to eat. But then again, what mutant didn't?
'This chain of thought is too much after just waking up,' he laughed internally, as he began drying himself and putting on his underwear. It was quiet, and he took his time.
That was, until the door to his room suddenly slammed open...
Kai didn't hesitate and acted swiftly.
In one sharp movement, he ripped open the cabinet, slashed his palm with a razor, and stepped into the hallway with a blood blade already forming in his hand.
Nadya was standing there.
She glanced down at the forming weapon, then up at him with an urgent glare. "Put on some clothes and come with me. Now."
Kai blinked, still half-wired from the adrenaline spike. "What the hell is going on?"
"No time," she snapped. "Just move."
Her tone wasn't one he heard often. It wasn't her usual sarcastic drawl. She was rattled. Tense.
That alone got him moving. He slipped on a shirt, trousers, and boots and followed her without another word.
Something was wrong. Really wrong.
And Kai had a bad feeling that his "good day" had just ended...
-
Kai followed Nadya, his blood blade still held tightly in his hand, his muscles tense.
She was fast - faster than expected - and the urgency in her stride set him on edge. She led him to the familiar balcony they'd hung out on before, back when things were... calmer.
'What the hell's going on now?'
He stepped out behind her, eyes scanning the surroundings. At first, nothing seemed out of place - no enemies, no immediate threat. Then he saw where Isaac was looking.
'Up.'
Floating high in the air was a swarm of circular drones, all glowing with pulsing light. They weren't like anything Kai had seen before - spherical, sleek, and eerily silent. The light they emitted joined together, forming a large, flickering hologram in the sky.
And right in the centre of it - Nyx's face.
A blue-hued, semi-transparent projection, slightly shaky but unmistakable.
Kai's stomach twisted.
One of the drones wasn't contributing to the hologram. Instead, it hovered lower, a single red lens aimed directly at the balcony. It blinked once, adjusting focus - then Nyx reacted.
"Subject 357! Or should I call you Red Eyes now?" Nyx's maniacal laugh echoed from the sky. "Hahahaha! Oh, I've missed that glare."
'Can't I get away from this fucker?' Kai clenched his jaw.
It wasn't just the fact that Nyx had found him. It was the why that had Kai's blood running colder than the morning shower he'd just had.
"I'm blowing that smug face to hell," Nadya snarled, forming explosive orbs in her palms, fingers twitching.
"Don't," Isaac said sharply, stepping in front of her. "Not yet. Not with him."
Nadya looked ready to argue, but the way Isaac's voice cracked on the last word made her pause. He'd seen more of Nyx's cruelty than anyone and could only imagine what contingencies he had in place if things didn't go his way.
"I'd listen to the one-armed phaser if I were you," Nyx drawled, brushing a hand through his wild white hair. "You wouldn't want me to force my hand on this quiet little town of yours."
Nadya's glare could've burned through steel, but she didn't throw the orbs.
At least, not yet.
Meanwhile, Kai stayed calm and quietly watched. Waiting.
Nyx grinned wider. "I hope you enjoyed my little gift yesterday."
Nadya and Isaac exchanged confused glances.
But Kai knew. He knew exactly what Nyx was talking about.
"That weak kid… I turned him into something beautiful. A creature beyond human. And then my dear 357 had to kill him before he even got to live as an evolved being."
'He caused the monsterfication...'
It hadn't made sense - how such an uncommon phenomenon happened in a backwater town with such a small population. But now it did. Nyx had somehow caused it.
Nadya's fists trembled, her orbs pulsing with unstable energy.
Isaac stood frozen, gripping the empty sleeve where his arm used to be, horror flickering across his face. The weight of the past was still pressing down on him.
And Kai? He just stared.
Silent. Cold. The red glow in his eyes sharpened like twin blades.
Nyx wasn't done. And whatever was coming next, Kai knew it wasn't going to be simple posturing.
The bastard had plans.
And this was only the beginning...