Chapter 28: The archive

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Archive

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Kael didn't think. He just moved.

His body bent low, instinct driving him as a strand of his hair flew up — sliced cleanly by a blade that passed through the space where his head had been a heartbeat before.

Shit.

His eyes locked onto the black-masked man hovering an inch above him. Kael twisted his legs, rolling away just as the man landed, boots scraping against the concrete.

"Woohoo! Shadow is so cool!" Crucify giggled in his skull.

Kael panted, his heart hammering. He forced himself upright.

"Who the hell are you?"

The man stared at him, white hair moving with the wind. His mask hid everything but his eyes — cold, empty, assessing.

"None of your business."

Boost.

The man vanished.

Kael barely registered the shift in the air before a blade slashed toward him. He dodged by an inch — too late. A thin line of blood appeared on his cheek.

He backflipped, rotating in the air, and landed — only to find the man gone.

Then a knee drove into his spine.

Kael groaned, the impact sending shockwaves through his bones. A hand grabbed his head, dragging him sideways, and hurled him across the street.

CRASH!

He landed hard, curling against a pile of collapsed building blocks. Dust filled his lungs. Pain lanced through his ribs.

"Oh my, Kael, feeling pain is really fucking fun!" Crucify's voice was ecstatic. "Come on, Shadow. Come on!"

The man walked toward him slowly. Kael gritted his teeth and tried to stand, his legs trembling beneath him.

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The man squatted beside him.

"No need. You can't match me."

Kael spat blood onto the ground. "Say that to yourself."

The wind blew, neon signboards casting their glow across the quiet street. Night had settled over Neon Hollow, the district silent and still.

The man's hand stretched out, palm open.

"Look. I only want one thing. The Sacred armor beast soul. The one you stole. Give it back."

Kael's eyes narrowed, moving from the man's palm to his face. A cute smile seemed to curve beneath the hidden mask.

His own smile curved.

"Keep dreaming."

He nodded sharply, then boosted upward, suspending in the air for a split second. He rotated, fist aimed at the man's head.

The man tilted his head.

Then his eyes widened as the man grabbed his leg and flung him sideways. Kael hit the ground hard, skidding across the concrete.

"You're too strong," he groaned, blood spilling from his lips.

"Told you. There's no point." The man walked toward him slowly, laughing. His smile was cute. Caring. Almost fatherly.

"You know, I would love to have fun with a talented puppeteer like you."

He stood up straight, looking up at the stars as if admiring the night sky.

"Who would believe the almighty Lion's Dude got fooled by an old brown-skinned kid?"

Kael's eyes scanned the space above the man. A loose metal pole hung from a broken structure, its joint barely holding. A plan formed.

He stood up quickly, staggered, took a deep breath — and boosted.

His legs swelled with power as he activated his Sprint Boost. His hoodie flapped behind him as he grabbed a stone from the ground, hurling it at the loose joint with perfect precision.

The pole slid free, dropping toward the man.

The man looked up at the falling metal. The pole nearly touched his neck — then shattered to pieces against an invisible force.

No way.

Kael stared, shocked.

The man turned around. "Whoa!" He clapped slowly, mock applause filling the empty street.

His wristwatch chimed. He glanced at it.

"Awww. Enough with the play. Give it now." He raised his hand, fingers counting down. "Five. Four. Three—"

Kael frowned. He boosted toward the man, fist aimed at his face.

The man dodged. Grabbed him by the neck. Slammed him down.

Three fast punches connected with Kael's face.

Blood poured from his nose. He dove up, spinning in the air, leg aimed at the man's head — a devastating kick.

A fist blocked it.

BOOM!

The impact cracked nearby windows. The man's fist had met the kick, stopping it cold.

The man stared at the figure who had intervened.

Tracy stared back at him.

"Tracy?" Kael muttered.

Tracy snorted. "Shut up."

She glared at the man. They both boosted at the same time, clashing in the center of the street.

The man swung his knife, aiming for her throat. Tracy dodged, her legs a blur of motion as yellow light blazed from her back. She dashed, spun around, grabbed Kael, and boosted away.

Shit.

The man landed on the ground, watching them disappear.

Slowly, he reached up. His fingers found the edge of his mask. He pulled it down.

White hair. Cold eyes. A face Kael had seen before.

At the Orbital Station. Seven heads falling. A blade half-drawn. The man who killed without blinking. The man who watched from the trees.

Shanyuan smiled.

"Next time, puppeteer. Next time."

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The EL Roads — Minutes Later

The high-tech bike hummed beneath them as Tracy and Kael raced through the neon-lit highways. The wind roared past.

"You'll be relocating," Tracy said. "That place is no longer safe for you."

Kael stared at her. "How did you find me?"

Tracy smiled, but it was thin. "Think of me as an agent who monitors and takes care of the new recruits. Nothing much."

Kael's eyes narrowed. "You and Percy are up to something. What's your motive? Why are you using me and Calvin? It seems you're a powerful hunter or gang leader in disguise with networks everywhere."

Tracy rolled her eyes and sighed.

"I always get tired of your stupid questions. Calvin doesn't bother me, but you're too nosy." She paused. "First of all, you don't need to know our motives. Second of all, I am not a hunter. Point of correction."

The bike turned, entering Kley's District. A holographic screen welcomed them, glowing in the night.

"I, Calvin, and Keith possess the same bloodline," Tracy continued. "The Archive. Humans who don't need biogenes for their body to support any beast soul. We can absorb any beast soul all the way to Sacred rank and Elemental class. That's why Calvin is very important."

Kael listened, his mind racing.

"But as for you..." Tracy glanced at him. "Your mystery is something I don't know. But I'm sure Percy and the Beyonders know why they're using you."

"The Beyonders?" Kael's voice was sharp. "What do you mean?"

Silence stretched between them.

The bike hummed.

Then Tracy's smile returned. It was colder now.

"People who can dissolve a lowly mortal like you out of existence in a millisecond. Just by a thought."

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End of Chapter Twenty-Eight.