Nightborn Evolution

Kairo barely had time to react before the second assassin turned in his direction, eyes gleaming beneath the mask.

"Target identified," the assassin muttered, voice distorted by some kind of vocal modulator.

Kairo moved on instinct. Phantom Step. His body blurred to the side as a gleaming dagger slashed through where his head had been just moments ago. The assassin was fast—faster than a normal human.

But Kairo was faster.

His muscles coiled, and he retaliated. Nightborn Strike.

His fist, burning with dark energy, slammed into the assassin's ribs. The force sent the masked figure skidding back, but he didn't go down. Instead, he rolled with the impact, landing on his feet like a seasoned killer.

Kairo's chest heaved. This wasn't like fighting a Voidborn beast—these were trained professionals.

And they weren't done.

Another shadow moved from the rooftops, and before Kairo could react—

BANG!

A sniper shot rang out.

Kairo twisted, barely dodging as the bullet grazed his shoulder, tearing through his jacket. Pain flared, but he forced himself to keep moving. If he had been just a fraction of a second slower…

The Eclipse Syndicate wasn't here to capture him.

They were here to kill him.

Inside the warehouse, Lena gritted her teeth as she heard the gunshot.

"Damn it, Kairo."

She reached into her bag, pulling out an old but highly modified revolver. It wasn't standard military-issue, but it packed enough firepower to punch through light armor.

Moving swiftly, she climbed up a rusted ladder leading to the warehouse's upper level. Through a broken window, she spotted a sniper perched on the adjacent rooftop, lining up another shot at Kairo.

Lena narrowed her eyes, aimed—

And fired.

BOOM!

Her bullet struck true, slamming into the sniper's rifle and knocking it from his hands. The assassin flinched, turning towards her, but she was already reloading.

"You're not the only one who can shoot, bastard," she muttered.

Kairo, seeing his opportunity, didn't hesitate.

He dashed forward with Enhanced Speed, closing the distance between him and the first assassin.

A second dagger flashed toward him. This time, he caught the assassin's wrist mid-air, twisted hard—

CRACK.

A muffled cry escaped the masked figure as Kairo snapped his wrist backward. The dagger clattered to the ground, and before the assassin could recover, Kairo delivered a final blow to his temple.

The body hit the ground. Motionless.

One down.

Lena's voice crackled in Kairo's earpiece. "Kairo, I took out the sniper's rifle, but we need to move! There might be more coming!"

Kairo wiped blood from his knuckles, breathing heavily. "Got it. Let's go."

As Kairo and Lena sprinted through the alleys, sirens blared in the distance. Someone had reported the gunfire.

"This way!" Lena motioned toward an old drainage tunnel. "If we cut through here, we can—"

She stopped.

Kairo followed her gaze—and his blood ran cold.

A tall figure stood at the entrance of the tunnel, completely still. Unlike the assassins before, this one didn't wear a mask. He had sharp, inhuman features—almost vampiric—and his eyes glowed a faint silver in the darkness.

Lena took a cautious step back. "Kairo… who the hell is that?"

The figure smiled. "You're quite troublesome, Kairo Voss."

His voice was smooth, almost amused.

Kairo tensed. "Who are you?"

The man's silver eyes gleamed. "A Hunter."

Something about that word sent a chill down Kairo's spine.

Lena raised her revolver, but before she could fire—

The Hunter moved.

One second he was standing still. The next, he was right in front of Kairo.

Kairo barely managed to dodge as the Hunter's clawed hand slashed through the air, carving deep gashes into the concrete wall behind him.

He was faster than the assassins. Faster than Kairo.

The Hunter tilted his head. "Not bad. But you're still evolving, aren't you?"

Kairo didn't answer. He lunged forward with Nightborn Strike, aiming for the Hunter's chest—

But before the punch could land, the Hunter caught his wrist effortlessly.

Kairo's eyes widened.

The Hunter smirked. "Too slow."

Then he kicked Kairo in the stomach.

BOOM!

The force sent Kairo flying backward, slamming through a metal dumpster before crashing onto the pavement.

Pain exploded through his body. He could feel something inside his ribs crack.

"Kairo!" Lena shouted.

The Hunter sighed, dusting off his coat. "I expected more from a Nightborn candidate."

Nightborn.

That word echoed in Kairo's head.

"What… are you?" he gritted out, pushing himself up.

The Hunter smiled. "You'll find out soon enough."

He vanished.

Not ran. Not blurred. Just—gone.

Kairo gasped, scanning the area frantically. Where did he—

A whisper brushed against his ear.

"See you soon, Kairo Voss."

Kairo whipped around—but there was nothing there.

The Hunter had disappeared.

Lena ran to Kairo's side, gripping his arm. "We need to get out of here—now!"

Kairo clenched his fists. His whole body ached, but his mind was in chaos.

Who was that Hunter?

What did he mean by Nightborn candidate?

And why did Kairo feel like his words carried a terrifying truth?

Lena pulled him up. "Kairo, talk to me. Are you okay?"

He exhaled sharply. "No."

His eyes burned with determination.

"I'm done running."

Lena hesitated, then nodded. "Good. Because I think it's time we start hunting them instead."

Kairo smirked despite the pain. "Now you're talking."

As they disappeared into the shadows, Kairo knew one thing for sure.

This was only the beginning.