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Everything hurts. Kayden can taste the brewing rage in the form of blood; all warm, and thick, and metallic in its taste. It fills his mouth as he lays on the ground twitching.
Dark eyes strayed over to the man standing a few feet away, bathed in the pale moonlight.
He knew the man from when he was picking fights with awakeners left and right. The damn bastard stalked Kayden for days on end before he showed up in front of him and introduced himself, saying his name was Sergei and swearing that Kayden would pay for what he did to his son.
Kayden had laughed in his face, you should be ashamed. That son of yours was pathetic he said, mocking the sorry excuse of a powerful tyrant the young man was rumored to be.
Well, before Kayden had killed him, that is.
Sergei had cursed at him in return.
“One day, I’ll return the pain you’ve given me — then you’ll understand.”
Kayden remembered the way those words had lingered in the cold air, carrying a featherlight touch of grief, and promise, and something far more cruel, drifting through the sharp winds and leaving a shallow cut across his cheekbone.
It was a threat clear as day, but Kayden Break had never been one to turn down a challenge.
So, he merely scoffed and lifted a hand to wipe away the blood, never once taking his eyes off the man. The silence had fallen tense in those dreary woods before Sergei nodded at him with a face full of disdain and disappeared.
That had been years ago, now here they were.
Kayden dug his hands into ruined asphalt, and coughed; blood spewing out from pale cracked lips.
A weak smile slipped onto his face, navy eyes narrowing in on Sergei.
“That's the best you've got? Thought you were gonna get revenge for your son.” He taunted, watching the blood drip down the side of the man's face as Sergei lifted a hand high in the air.
Kayden prepared for an attack or a blast of light to knock him to the ground, but nothing happened.
Instead, the man waved his hand almost leisurely.
“Bring him in.”
A silhouette moved behind the glass and suddenly, the stadium doors flew open.
Two guards walked in, dragging someone behind them. Cuffs tight on slim bruised wrists. Head wrapped in a brown hood, held tightly in place by a wire around the throat. Deep slashes lay across broken legs and skinned arms. A guard stood on either side, pulling each arm back roughly and forcing the person to kneel.
One of the men dragged the clothed head back, ripping off the bag and revealing a head of cream-blonde hair.
Kayden's heart stopped.
No.
Sergei stared straight at the boy. A hint of joy swirling in those beady blue eyes.
No no no no no—
“For years, the thought alone haunted me. My poor boy,” Sergei whispered, eyes shining with unshed tears, “dying by your hands.”
Tears streamed down his face as he turned and glared at Kayden.
“I told you, Kayden Break. I will make you understand." he said, before aiming a blast of power at Jiwoo.
The scream that ripped out of Kayden's throat was guttural. The pain that coursed through every inch of his body in that moment had nothing to do with his wounds, or the blood leaking out of him.
But, it was so much worse.
It tore through his chest, splintering him apart as he watched his apprentice fall, body crumpling onto the floor in a pile of blood and limbs. Unmoving and oblivious to his mentor’s screams.
Something stirred inside him as he stared at Jiwoo's still form in the asphalt.
Kayden surged forward and fell a few feet away from the boy. Barely breathing as he crawled to his apprentice, skin splitting from pieces of broken ground and asphalt digging into his aching hands and legs.
“It’s no use, Kayden Break. Your pathetic excuse of an apprentice is no more.”
Shaky fingers pressed hard into the side of Jiwoo’s neck as he knelt over the boy.
He didn't move until a faint thrum pulsed under his fingertips. Slowly, dark lashes fluttered against bloodied cheeks, eyes dazed and filled with so much undeserving pain sluggishly peeled open.
A crash echoed somewhere behind them.
“No, no! You were supposed to suffer — he was meant to die. How did that child survive?” Sergei screamed, outrage spilling out of his voice as he launched another attack.
Kayden let a small blue bubble form around Jiwoo, deflecting the attack by using his own body as a shield. He barely flinched when he felt the wave of power hit his back. Eyes solely fixed on the boy in his arms.
Jiwoo blinked at the burst of light, slow and barely conscious. He looked so scared and… defeated, like he didn’t believe Kayden was real.
Kayden gazed down at him. Carefully, he rested a hand on Jiwoo's hair, smoothing down the unruly strands with trembling fingers. It was a silent promise; everything would be okay, and Kayden would protect him.
A lone tear slipped out of the corner of Jiwoo’s eye before he slumped in Kayden’s hold. A thumb traced the curve of the boy’s cheek, eyeing the swelling and fingerprints on the skin of his neck.
Kayden set Jiwoo down gently and dragged himself up.
Bright blue electricity crackled in the tense air around them as he gathered his power while keeping the shield steady.
In half a second, Kayden was across the stadium, hand clasped around Sergei’s neck while he held him high in the air. The cocky expression fell off the man’s face, as Kayden stared up at him, smiling.
A pale hand pierced through tan skin, tearing through flesh and muscle while Sergei let out a bone-chilling scream.
Kayden's smile only grew.
He pulled back his bloody hand, slowly, wringing out every bit of the wretched man’s pain, revelling in the coppery stench of blood filling the stadium. The warm heavy feeling of it drenching the divots of his palms.
Sergei didn’t scream when Kayden ripped out his organs one by one, squashing and stomping them into piles of twisted flesh. He barely flinched, eyes roaming around the colourless walls now smeared in shades of sickening red.
But he begged and cried when Kayden tossed him across the stadium floor, twitching as wet splotches of blood splattered on the asphalt near him.
Electricity seeped out of cold dark eyes as Kayden dragged him up, and threw him against the wall. The sickening crack of bones shattering rang through the stadium as Sergei lay lifelessly against the cold concrete, a puddle of blood leaking underneath his torn body.
The low echo of footsteps whistled across the broken ground as Kayden made his way over to the trembling guards huddled around their pathetic boss.
He could see it in their eyes the closer he got.
That fragile fear, blooming in the form of desperate pleas when Kayden threw his head back and laughed at the sight.
They knew they couldn't run, not from him.
So, they begged, and screamed. Pleaded for their measly lives, tripping over themselves and crawling to the doors while throwing weak, pitiful attacks at him.
Kayden cherished each scream on the tip of his tongue, relishing in the bittersweet taste before sending a shockwave through each of their bodies.
He looked down at them, writhing on the floor. At the arms that had forced down his apprentice, tightened their grip enough to pull out small rasps of pain from the boy. That had hurt the kid, his kid, for who knows how long before dragging him here, and dangling him out like a piece of meat.
Something wrapped around Kayden’s heart, festering and squeezing tight like a familiar vice.
He reached down, a pale hand grasping onto each guard's arm.
Their bones snapped like wet paper under his touch, so easy to fold and tear. Flesh twisting and tearing in his hands as muscles ripped apart with each arm he tore off. Static electricity oozed into their trembling bodies with each scream while they wretched, and pleaded, and wept near his feet.
In a matter of minutes the two men who had hurt his apprentice — who had looked like they were worth something — now lay piled on top of each other. Tossed aside like limp puppets, drenched in blood and missing half sides.
Kayden stilled, breathing in the metallic scent of blood filling every inch of the godforsaken stadium, soaking it into every inch of his being. A vile coppery tang overpowering all of his senses in the hunger for more.
“You’re a monster… ” Sergei croaked out, after he helplessly watched Kayden shred and destroy his men. Rip them apart like the insects they were.
Kayden peered down at him, then, at his reflection rippling in the pool of blood.
Navy hair loose and untamed, white shirt dyed red; sleeves a darker maroon. Pale hands dripping with blood and a sick grin stretched across his face as small sparks of electricity leaked out of him.
He looked like a maniac, like a man who had lost all sense of sanity.
Kayden glanced over at Sergei and knelt down beside the man. One knee digging into rubble as a bloody hand rested on the man’s back. Breath hot and heavy as pale lips leaned close to his ear, feeling him flinch from the proximity.
“You were going to kill me because I killed your kid.” Kayden whispered, pulling back only slightly to look the man dead in the eyes.
“What made you think I wouldn't do the same?”
Sergei’s eyes widened as he tried to speak, but he couldn't. A pale hand soaked in blood had struck right through his throat, fingers clasping around his esophagus and tearing it out.
Wet gurgles spilled out from thin lips as the man choked and clawed at Kayden’s sleeve, before falling face first into the ground.
Kayden barely spared him a glance and stood back up. Tossing the body into the far wall with the rest.
He turned away, walking over to his apprentice, and crouching down beside the boy. Jiwoo let out a small gasp, tears streaming down his cheeks as bloody hands tried to lift his body.
“Shhh, I know, I know.” Kayden murmured. Fingers stained with blood, dripping with hints of cruelty and death gently brushed off the heaps of the rubble stuck in the boy’s hair. “I know, you’re okay.”
Whatever energy had helped him destroy those insects was quickly draining out of him as he gingerly coaxed his apprentice into his arms. Kayden stood up, groaning at the sudden wave of pain, and inching toward the door, before stumbling through it.
Distantly he heard footsteps and he stilled, arms tensing around his trembling apprentice.
He blinked, staring blankly as he took in the many awakeners rushing down the hall, all heaving and out of breath.
A hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder and dragged him over to a bench, he blinked and turned to see Kartein staring in worry. Eyes flitting between him and Jiwoo in his arms.
Pluton stood right behind him, towering over the group with Inhyuk, and Seongha a few feet away. There were more people behind them, but Kayden’s brain was too foggy from the pain to recognize any of them.
“What were you thinking? You idiot, you absolute imbecile — we have to get back to the hospital. Don’t move.” Kartein snapped, and despite how harsh his words were, he seemed almost desperate.
Kayden only nodded, resting his head on the wall behind him as the warm golden glow of Kartein’s healing washed over him. He heard the low whispers of Pluton shooing everyone out, claiming that Kartein needed privacy to heal now more than ever.
He felt a twitch and glanced down at his apprentice in his arms. The boy was sobbing quietly, tears streaming down his face as he tried to move his arms.
Kayden lifted a hand — swiftly ignoring the pain stinging through every part of his arm — and set it on Jiwoo's head.
Jiwoo's arms were skinned and broken, he couldn't hold anything much less even move, no matter how hard he tried. So, for now, Kayden would hold him. He would give the boy any comfort he could, even if every inch of his body begged him to just lie still.
Gently, he tugged his apprentice close, fingers tangling in strands of cream-blonde hair caked in blood and grime. Letting out a low breath when the boy’s sobs subsided.
Seconds later he was fading into darkness.
Kayden woke up to a low beeping in his ear. He squeezed his eyes shut, blinking before slowly tilting his head to the side to blearily look around the room.
Kartein stood next to a window, clipboard in hand. As if sensing dark eyes lingering on him, the man glanced over and let out low breath in almost tangible relief.
“Good, you're awake. How do you feel?” he asked.
Slow shallow breaths seeped out of pale lips as Kayden looked down at his bandaged hands and body.
The pain was still there, but now it was only a small ache compared to the clawing sensation that had torn through his flesh and bones.
His mind was still blurry, bits and pieces of his memory foggy.
Kayden blinked, slow and languidly.
“What happened? How am I still in—” Kartein cut him off, shaking his head and looking back at the clipboard.
“Your body somehow managed to retain human form, even when you passed out. So, Pluton had to carry you both out when you wouldn’t let go.”
Kayden blinked, mind scrambling to process the words.
Both?
He narrowed his eyes and Kartein stilled, “Kayden, do you not remember what happened?”
Kayden just stared at him, and that seemed to be answer enough for Kartein who huffed out a heavy sigh, bringing a hand to his temple while glaring daggers at Kayden in disbelief.
“Of course! You go on a rampage during a fight and the adrenaline makes you blackout and then somehow you still keep human form-” Kartein mumbled under his breath, irritation bleeding into his tone as he cut himself off.
Rampage? What rampage? What is even he talking about—
Then it hit him. Everything came back to him all at once, flowing through his mind like a flood and drowning out his senses.
“Jiwoo.” Kayden whispered, breathless in worry.
He almost didn't recognize his own voice with how borderline hysterical it sounded, clawing out of his throat, twisting his breathing into something haggard and hoarse.
“Where's Jiwoo?”
Kayden watched Kartein's expression darken as he stared down at the clipboard in his hands, gripping it tight.
“He's in the room down the hall. I checked on him a few minutes ago.”
With a pained grunt Kayden ripped off his sheets, stumbling a few steps off the bed before Kartein rushed to his side, hooking an arm underneath Kayden’s bandaged one.
He heard the faint creak of the door opening and saw Pluton standing in the doorway. Heavy steps echoing the man's sullen expression as he quickly moved to Kayden’s other side and held an arm against his bandaged back, steadying him.
Both of them slowly moved with him, dragging him down the hall until they eventually made it to Jiwoo’s room.
A long second passed as Kayden tried to collect himself, head resting on the cold door. Both men had long since let go, stepping off somewhere to the side to offer him a semblance of privacy.
He just needed a minute. To breathe. To convince his mind that the image of Jiwoo lying limp and bloody in that stadium wasn't real anymore.
The boy was alive, his apprentice was alive. Right behind this door.
Kayden swallowed roughly and grasped the long steel handle, hand shaking as he slid the door open.
There he was, lying on the side of a large bed. Chest rising and falling with each labored breath, bandages wrapped tightly around every visible inch of his body, and a thick wool blanket neatly tucked around him.
His hair was cleaner now, that familiar shade of cream-blonde, all tousled on the colourless pillow. Expression peaceful despite the oxygen mask fastened to his face and the wires seeping into his skin.
Forcing his feet to move, Kayden stepped closer to the bed. Falling into the chair beside it. Sunlight streamed in through the open window casting a soft glow on the boy's face.
At that moment, Jiwoo looked so much younger than he was. It tugged and tore at the guilt stewing in Kayden’s chest.
He lifted a hand, resting it on the boy’s cheek. A second passed before Jiwoo tilted his head toward the touch, leaning into it.
The man sucked in a harsh breath, and pulled back as if he had been burned.
He bit his trembling lip hard enough to taste blood, dropping his head in his lap. Hands shaking with how tight he was gripping them together.
I’m supposed to protect him. I told him I would always be there to protect him. I left to fight that damn bastard to protect him. So how the hell do I keep failing—
Suddenly, he felt a hand on his hair and Kayden froze, gingerly raising his head to look at a pair of drowsy amber eyes shining a warm hue of golden bronze under the sun's gentle glow.
The hand weakly smoothed back his hair, fingers brushing through dark strands to act as a delicate imitation of how he usually comforted the kid. Now, Jiwoo was giving him that same comfort. Brows furrowed in concentration as the boy tried to keep his hand as steady as possible.
Kayden gasped out a small laugh, dragging bandaged fingers over his damp eyes.
“What are you doing, kiddo?” he muttered, voice choked up with emotion as he smiled at his apprentice.
Jiwoo slowly blinked at him and drew back his hand, fingers reaching for the oxygen mask before Kayden caught them. Setting the hand back down on the bed before pulling away.
“You have to keep that on.” He said while Jiwoo just stared at him.
Kayden looked down at his hands, he could feel both Kartein and Pluton’s presence outside the door. He didn’t know when he had started letting down his guard around those two, but he realized at that moment, he didn’t mind it.
He glanced back at his apprentice who just blinked at him in the warm sunlight, regarding the man with a soft sleepy look on his face.
Jiwoo was probably too tired to even move right now and Kayden knew he should leave, head back to his room to focus on his own recovery.
But some part of him grew restless at the thought of letting Jiwoo out of his sight right now.
The memory of Jiwoo lying dead, with skinned arms, and blood leaking out from beneath his broken body all clear in his mind. The small noises of pain the boy had made still played on repeat in his head like a broken recording meant to torture him.
Kayden closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose and dispelling the thoughts. A shallow breath seeped out of his lips as he let the crackles of blue light envelop him, replacing his human body with his tabby cat one.
He hopped onto the bed, tucking himself into a pillow near the crook of the boy’s neck.
The wind blew a cool breeze into the room, billowing the dark curtains, and brushing over the soft fur on his back.
Minutes later Kayden heard the jostling of wires around him before soft hair and smooth skin leaned against his furry chest.
He sighed, curling over the boy, drifting off to sleep with a warm feeling in his chest, the sounds of Jiwoo’s low laboured breaths and the wind rustling the leaves outside filling his ears.