The mansion door slammed against the wall.
Kael had kicked it down.
He stepped in, sword in hand, heart pounding so hard he could barely think.
Silence.
"ISMAEL!" he shouted. "Come out right now, you coward!"
Nothing.
He walked slowly down the hallway. Broken glass crunched beneath his boots. Torn curtains fluttered in the wind. The rooms were empty. Chairs overturned. Half-filled glasses.
He climbed the stairs, breathing hard.
Something felt wrong.
At the top, he saw him.
Ismael stood by the railing, a crooked smile on his face.
"I knew you'd come," he said, not moving.
Kael clenched his jaw.
"I didn't come to talk."
"But I did. One last time."
"You really thought you could destroy my home and walk away alive?"
Ismael shrugged.
"Of course I did. I've killed people far more dangerous than you. But I'll admit—I underestimated you. Never thought you'd make it this far. Guess that makes me the idiot."
"No. That makes you a dead man."
Kael lunged without warning.
The sword whistled through the air.
Ismael reached for a knife at his belt, but he was too slow.
The blade sliced deep across his chest, diagonal.
He dropped to his knees, gasping.
His eyes widened, stunned—as if he couldn't believe he was really dying.
He coughed blood.
"I'll... ruin your life... from the depths of hell…"
Kael said nothing.
He stared down at him with cold eyes—and let him fall.
The body hit the marble.
No screaming.
No glory.
Only death.
Kael lowered the sword.
Looked at his hands.
They were shaking.
He turned and walked out the way he came.
⋆⭒✧༺༻✧⭒⋆
Four hours later, the road dust covered him head to toe.
He'd walked non-stop.
No turning back. No thinking.
The sun was setting, but the heat still burned.
His legs ached. His back was heavy.
His chest hurt—though he didn't know if it was from exhaustion or what he had done.
He reached the town and headed straight to Sara's house.
He knocked.
She opened quickly—and froze.
"Kael…"
His face was dirty. Dried blood on his clothes. His eyes—empty.
Not a word.
"What did you do?"
Kael looked down. Tried to speak, but it was hard.
"I went to the mansion."
"What?"
"Ismael's mansion."
Sara stepped back, hand over her mouth.
"Tell me you didn't…"
"I killed him."
The words dropped like a stone between them.
Sara closed her eyes.
Tears spilled before she could stop them.
"Why?"
"Because I couldn't take it anymore. He took everything from me, Sara. Everything.
And if I didn't stop him now… he might've come after you."
Sara looked at him, heart breaking.
"And what do you have left after doing it?"
Kael swallowed hard.
Said nothing.
"Do you feel better?" she asked, her voice cracking.
"No," he whispered. "I feel worse. Like now I really am empty."
She didn't move at first.
Just breathed. Slowly.
Then she walked up to him.
And hugged him. Tight.
Like she was trying to put him back together.
Kael didn't move right away.
But slowly—he wrapped his arms around her.
"I don't want to lose you," Sara whispered. "I don't want this world to strip away the last good parts of you."
"I don't even know if there's anything left."
"There is. It's broken—but it's still there. I'll protect it until you can."
Kael shut his eyes.
The tears came on their own.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do. I don't want to kill again. I don't want to live with this."
"Then don't. You don't have to keep fighting. You don't have to carry everything alone."
"I'm scared, Sara."
She held him tighter.
"Me too. But I'm here. I'm not letting go. Not again."
Kael clung to her like his life depended on it.
"Thank you for staying," he murmured. "You're all I have."
"And you're the best thing in my life," Sara said.
They stayed like that.
For long minutes.
Until the world grew a little quieter.
⋆⭒✧༺༻✧⭒⋆
Far away, a satellite feed showed Kael walking through the ruins of the mansion.
A woman in black crossed her arms, watching the footage.
"He just killed a man with a sword. Cross-referencing... the dead man is Ismael. High-profile businessman."
An agent behind a monitor took notes.
"Do we authorize intervention?"
"No. Not yet."
"Capture?"
"Not now. Keep observing. But if he uses that power again…"
"Terminate?"
She paused.
"Only if necessary. But don't underestimate him.
It's not just strength—there's something else in him.
His movements…
aren't human."