Newmark District – The Sonio Family Apartments. Inside the basement.
Nott and Stray returned home after their brutal confrontation.
Nott could barely walk, his body wrapped in bandages, and his right arm was covered in bruises and tears, encased in layers of medical tape. His chest was tightly bound with a compression strap, shielding his injured ribs from the impact of Stray's fierce blows. A small bandage rested on his brow, covering a wound that had yet to heal.
As for Stray, despite the injuries he had sustained, he stood like an old wall that refused to crumble. A thick bandage wrapped around his left shoulder, which had bled heavily, and his right hand was carefully dressed to conceal a visible skin tear. His cracked lips and swollen features couldn't wipe the sly smile from his face... as if pain were just another companion on his long road of battles.
Stray: "Oh... kid, could you get me a drink from the fridge?"
Nott, barely resting as he lay sprawled on the couch, his eyes half-closed and one arm dangling off the edge: Why don't you get up yourself? I can barely move too, old man.
Stray, giving a lazy wink and leaning back: "Use that silly ability of yours. Isn't that what it's for?...
Come on, I promise I'll buy you cocoa next time."
Nott, sighing heavily, slowly shook his head as if trying to shake off a headache: "...Stop using cocoa as a bargaining chip..."
With great effort, Nott rose to his feet, his joints popping softly from sheer exhaustion. He dragged his slow steps toward the fridge. Opening the metal door with a faint creak, the blue light from inside washed over his weary face. He scanned the contents with half-conscious eyes, grabbed a drink can, and tossed it lightly toward Stray without even looking.
Stray extended his hand and caught the can with unexpected agility for someone who seemed so lazy. He placed his finger slowly on the can's pull tab, savoring the moment, but suddenly, he stopped. His eyes locked onto the old wooden door, which had just trembled slightly, as if an invisible gust had passed through it.
Stray: "Kid..."
Nott turned his head slowly, a silent look of confusion on his face. His brows were slightly raised, and his voice came out thick and heavy.
Nott: "Hm? What is it?"
Stray stood up with an eerily calm air, brushed the dust off his pants, and started walking toward the door. Each step of his shoes made a faint crunch on the room's floorboards. His expression shifted from indifference to complete seriousness.
Stray: "Get out."
Nott, now leaning against the wall, shifted his posture: "What? Are you..."
Stray cut him off abruptly, his voice carrying a firmness that Nott had never heard from him before.
Stray: "Leave, now!!!"
Before Nott could process anything, the door exploded into pieces, the crash echoing like thunder, followed by a dense cloud of dust flooding the room. Curtains flew up, papers scattered, and through the swirling storm emerged four men in black uniforms, standing in a strange, disciplined formation. In their midst stood a man with a chilling, cold demeanor.
Stray, his voice sharp while his eyes stayed fixed on them: "...looks like you were right... kid, but it's already too late."
He exhaled through his nose, like a fighter preparing for an inevitable battle.
Stray: "Oi, brother Hughes, it's been a while... Good to see you again."
The man in the middle advanced with confident steps, his eyes locked solely on Stray as if he were the only thing in existence.
Hughes: "Don't call me brother, you bastard. I'll kill you here and now."
Stray sighed, tilting his neck side to side as if loosening stiff muscles: "...Hughes, you know, I just had a fight with my student. He's in a terrible state. I'm sure you knew that... you waited for the perfect moment to come here. No need to drag him into this."
The dust still filled the air, clinging to the faint beams of light coming through the shattered windows, making it seem as if time itself had frozen in this charged moment.
Nott turned quickly, his features taut like they were carved in stone, his eyes narrowing, and his voice shook with sharp anger.
Nott: "Oi! What the hell are you saying?!!"
Hughes continued forward, his steps slow but steady, each one sending a muffled thud across the cracked floor. His eyes never left his target. A crooked smile crept across his lips, brimming with mockery and contempt.
Hughes: "Heh... damn, you've gotten even more insolent than before. Fine. I'll make sure not to kill him. Tell him to stay put... like a corpse waiting for burial."
Stray glanced briefly at Nott, then replied with an unusual coldness.
Stray: "Got it."
In a flash, it was as if the very air had been torn apart... Hughes' body shot forward at an incredible speed, slicing through the dust like a blazing spear.
Nott couldn't even breathe before Hughes' fist crashed into Stray's face. The impact sounded like glass shattering under the blow of a hammer. Stray's body was literally sent flying, smashing into an old wooden chair that shattered into pieces along with him, and he collapsed onto the dusty floor, blood pouring from his mouth and staining the ground.
Nott stood frozen, his face flushed, his breathing rapid, before his voice burst out like thunder.
Nott: "Stray!!!"
He took a single step forward... but that was enough. Hughes' men, who had been standing still until now, raised their weapons toward him in perfect unison. The sound of safeties clicking off rang out, like an official announcement of death.
One of the men: "Didn't you hear what the boss said, kid? Be a good boy and stay where you are. Your turn will come after we're done with this traitor."
Veins popped on Nott's neck and arms, his fists trembling, and his eyes burning with rage. But he didn't move... His voice came out as a seething whisper.
Nott, whispering disdainfully: "...Hah?!"
As the tension thickened like a heavy wall pressing down on the room, Hughes lunged forward again. Every punch he threw was like a small explosion, pounding Stray's body, who could barely raise his arms to defend himself. Blood splattered with each blow, spraying across the floor and even onto Hughes' own face.
Suddenly, Stray gathered the last of his strength and slammed a solid punch straight into Hughes' gut, making him stagger and hunch over for a moment. Without giving him a second to recover, Stray drove a knee upward into Hughes' chin. The blow landed squarely, forcing Hughes back, stumbling and gasping like he was choking.
Stray didn't waste a second. He slipped behind him with surprising agility, grabbed Hughes by the waist, lifted him like he weighed nothing, and hurled him onto the table. The wood cracked and shattered beneath Hughes' body, the crash echoing loudly through the room.
Breathing heavily, dripping sweat, Stray looked around... and was stunned.
Nott, unnoticed by everyone, had taken down Hughes' men. One of them writhed on the floor, clutching his broken shoulder, while another lay completely motionless.
Nott charged toward the last man, seized him by the throat, lifted him effortlessly, and then smashed his head into the marble table. The man's nose shattered, blood bursting forth, and he collapsed lifelessly, silverware clattering across the floor.
Stray: "You idiot! You should've run!!"
But then... complete silence. The air changed, a strange chill creeping out from the walls.
Nott felt it before he saw it. A cold breathing sound behind him... soft, but heavy, like death's whisper.
From the shadows, a figure emerged... completely shrouded in black, like the embodiment of night itself. His movements made no sound, as if he walked upon illusions.
Even Stray, always alert, hadn't noticed his presence until just moments ago.
And then, without warning, a punch... straight into Nott's face.
The blow wasn't ordinary. Nott's head whipped violently to the side, the sound of a bone snapping echoing clearly. His balance gave out, and he began to fall slowly, as if time itself dragged out the sight of his helpless collapse.
Nott took the punch suddenly, his face slamming violently into the ground. For a moment, it felt as if an electric shock had pierced through his skull. His body rolled across the floor, a random motion, a desperate attempt to reclaim the balance that had vanished into thin air.
Varithan stood tall, a majestic silhouette at the center of the room, his stern features veiled in the dim lighting. He wore a dark formal suit, its threads woven with a precision that reflected his authority. His thick black hair, unruly in its strands, hung deliberately over his forehead, while dark tattoos adorned his neck and hand, their intricate details shimmering beneath the pale lights. He looked to be in his late twenties, but his eyes carried a weight far older than his years.
He was glaring at the group of people Nott had defeated, his gaze dripping with contempt... as if their very presence in his vicinity was an insult. One of them, his consciousness slowly returning, lifted his trembling head, only to find himself staring into Varithan's cold eyes.
Varithan: "...Pathetic."
In a chilling moment of silence, a massive black serpent rose from behind Varithan's neck, its body gleaming beneath the dim lights like a river of moving shadows. It looked like a living nightmare, undulating violently through the heavy air. Its crimson eyes burned with a predatory hunger. Stray stood in the background, his body tense, watching with sharp caution.
In a flash, the serpent lunged at the man on the ground and devoured him in one swift gulp. His muffled scream echoed through the room, then silence fell... dense and suffocating, as if the chamber itself had stopped breathing.
Varithan: "...Stray, seems we meet again."
A thick silence blanketed the space, as though the very air had frozen in his lungs. Cold sweat trickled down Stray's brow while his labored breaths echoed in the stillness like a distant, muffled cry. His eyes locked on Varithan, analyzing every twitch and movement... his cold smile, his eerily steady posture. Even the black serpent slithered behind him slowly, coiling around the void as if awaiting an unspoken command. In the corner of the room, its shadow twisted on the decaying walls like restless dreams of the dead.
A moment passed... too long for any human heart to bear.
Stray: "Ah... what a coincidence..."
Stray began walking heavily toward Nott, as if the ground itself resisted each step. His breaths were ragged, laced with a faint wheezing from his exhausted chest, and every movement betrayed an inner battle between caution and fear. His sweat-drenched eyes never left Nott's body... limp on the ground like a shattered doll.
Varithan noticed Stray's gaze. Slowly, he raised an eyebrow, as if an idea had just ripened in his mind. Then came that unmistakable wicked smile.
Varithan: "Oh... I see now."
In a sudden, nightmare-like moment, a new black serpent lunged from the shadows near the wall, darting toward Nott like a poisoned bullet. The air cracked with its sudden movement, leaving behind a trail of wind and dread. Stray screamed internally without a sound, hurling his worn-out body toward Nott, casting all caution aside. He grabbed the serpent's head with both hands, feeling the rough texture of its cold scales wrap around him like a tree of death feeding on fear.
With all his strength, he drove his knee into the base of its head. Bone struck scale with a dull thud, forcing the serpent to retreat for a brief second, hissing and writhing. But within seconds, two more slithered from behind Varithan, surrounding Stray like hellish limbs, moving with deadly grace.
Without hesitation, Stray pulled a small smoke grenade from his jacket pocket and yanked the pin. It exploded instantly, releasing a dense gray cloud that filled the battleground with a fog of chaos. Under the cover of smoke, he bent over Nott, lifted him onto his shoulder with tremendous effort, and turned toward the back door at the far end of the hall... panting, staggering, but not stopping.
The staircase was narrow, every step screaming beneath his feet. His right hand pressed against a wound in his side, blood slowly seeping through. Pain wasn't his only enemy... time was.
Halfway up the stairs, Stray shattered a small window with his knee. The glass burst like the pain fragmenting inside his body. Without thinking, he leaped through it and crashed onto a metal dumpster with a thunderous clang, then rolled onto the ground groaning from the impact.
But there was no time for complaint. He pushed his battered body out of the dumpster, ignoring the fresh bruises, and lifted his head slowly… only to find a shadow standing before him.
A man in his late twenties stood there, his features sharp as blades, and his silver eyes glowing faintly behind medical glasses that reflected a mysterious gleam. His short black hair looked as if it had been brushed by the wind, and a light beard added a touch of dignity to his presence. He wore a simple black shirt... yet nothing about him felt simple.
As the tension thickened in the air, Stray caught a sudden glimpse in the opposite direction. His eyes widened, and he gasped in shock, as if the world had stopped for a single second.
Stray, in a choked voice: "Dimitry...!?"
Just a few steps away, Dimitry stood with the same cold demeanor that had always defined him, leaning against the wall, arms folded.
Dimitry, calmly, after a moment of silence: "Stray... Why don't you surrender to our father? We've been fighting each other for years..."
Stray didn't wait long. He sprang to his feet in one swift motion and cast a quick glance toward the high window above him, as if his heart whispered of an approaching danger. Without hesitation, he stepped toward Dimitry with heavy steps.
Stray, in a low, firm tone: "Dimitry, I don't have time... take this boy."
Dimitri raised his eyebrows in utter disbelief, as if the words had shocked him.
Dimitri, stammering: "W-What? Are you joking? Stray, you're in no position to giv..."
He was cut off by Stray's sharp gaze, followed by his voice, which burst out quickly, giving him no chance to finish his sentence.
Stray: "He's the one the boss is looking for."
A heavy silence fell. Dimitri's features dropped their usual calm and were replaced with confusion.
Dimitri, hesitantly: "What...?"
With deliberate calm, Stray removed the blindfold covering Nott's eyes, then gently held his head and revealed them. Light reflected off Dimitri's stunned eyes as he looked into those glowing eyes... eyes that seemed to hold a secret that should never be revealed.
Dimitry's expression changed all at once; astonishment, shock, and a flicker of deep understanding. He stepped forward hesitantly, staring into the boy's eyes as if seeing a future shift before him.
In a hushed voice, Stray broke the moment.
Stray, whispering tensely: "I don't have time! Varithan could show up at any moment... don't let him find out anything. Take the boy to the boss, now."
Without another word, Stray pushed Nott toward Dimitry.
Dimitry needed only a second to grasp the urgency, then nodded and vanished into the shadows, taking Nott with him.
Stray stood still for a moment, catching his breath, then rushed to a nearby dumpster, grabbed a garbage bag without hesitation, and darted across the street.
And in the very next instant...
Varithan appeared at the window like a black specter, scanning the area with his sharp eyes. He saw Stray running with the garbage bag.
Varithan, with a fierce grin: "Heh... I won't let you escape this time!"
He leapt with astonishing smoothness, his power activating naturally. A massive black snake coiled around his arm, writhing repulsively. He grabbed a metal pole and slid down like a slow-falling droplet of water. Upon landing, he sprinted at a furious speed, tearing through the crowd that echoed with voices and screams.
Stray turned left, panting as he tried to keep distance between himself and his pursuer. The crowded streets served him... temporarily.
But Varithan didn't lose track. He clearly saw Stray toss the bag into one of the dumpsters at the side of the street before continuing his escape.
Varithan, smirking sarcastically: "Hahaha... you fool. Do you think I'm that naive?"
He approached the dumpster with confident steps, summoning his giant serpent from his neck and commanding it to swallow the bag whole. A strange gulping sound filled the air.
Varithan, laughing maniacally: "Hahahaha! I'll tear your boy into pieces... and send him to you as a reunion gift!"
But moments later, the serpent began to squirm and then vomited the bag's contents in front of Varithan.
Varithan, furrowing his brows: "W-What...?"
He stepped up to the dumpster, digging through its contents with furious hands. All he found were food scraps and dirty plastic containers.
His expression morphed into pure rage. His voice rose as he screamed with all his might:
Varithan, in an explosion of fury: "AAAGH... STRAAAAAY!!!"
His furious gaze swept over the place. People began stepping away from him in fear and suspicion, avoiding the enraged beast that looked ready to explode.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Stray walked calmly through narrow alleyways. His eyes scanned the surroundings carefully, making sure he hadn't been followed.
He turned left, entered a dark alley, and walked deeper inside. He passed worn-down walls and old doors until he reached a dilapidated house with a rusty iron door and an old lamp hanging above it.
Looking around cautiously, he lifted the lamp, unscrewed the cover with deliberate movements, and pulled out a rusty key from inside.
He inserted the key into the lock, opened the door with a faint creak, and stepped inside. The hallway was dark, lit only by the faint light seeping through the cracks. Scattered banknotes covered the floor, as if the place had witnessed a chaotic past.
He passed through a room filled with cash and gold, until he reached a small corner room. He opened a first aid box and sat down to treat his wounds in silence.
With each touch to his aching skin, the pain carved a new line into his weary soul.
Finally, he sat on a worn-out chair, his head tilted back, eyes fixed on the ceiling... as if searching for meaning in everything he had lost.
Long moments of silence passed... until he finally muttered, in a broken, barely audible voice:
Stray, whispering: "...I'm sorry... Nott..."
He remained seated, silent in the heavy darkness. His hand ran slowly over his injured neck. A deep sense of defeat settled over his features... as if every battle he fought stole another piece of him, never to be returned.
Stray: "...I thought the past wouldn't haunt me anymore, but here it is... coming back every time. Every person I leave behind, every decision I make... it all brings me back to the same place.
Everything ends in forgetting... or in loss. Maybe that's what I have to get used to."
He runs a hand over his tired face and continues, his voice filled with frustration.
Stray: "Every time, I tell myself this is the last time... the last battle, the last loss... but it seems I'll always leave people behind.
Nott... I left him just like others left me. I don't know if it was the right decision, but... I had to do it. He needs to be stronger."
Emotions flooded his heart. Every memory, every old pain returned to haunt his thoughts. Stray closed his eyes for a moment, trying to smother the pain that had long settled inside him.
Stray: "He might not understand now, but he will later. Maybe I would've preferred to stay by his side... but I know this path is no longer mine."
He looked at his weary hands, fingers scarred from countless battles. The pain was no longer just physical; the true ache was within... every wrong step, every decision made too late.
Stray: "Nott... will he stay on this path? Will he come back stronger, or... will he be lost, like me..."
Stray was seated, darkness cloaking him like a heavy veil, isolating every sound and movement. He stared into the void, his heart burdened by choices, his next steps clouded with doubt. Suddenly, the silence was pierced by a faint voice, like a breeze passing through his body unnoticed.
"Yes..."
The voice was low and faint, like a calm breeze yet brimming with malice. Stray opened his eyes quickly, glancing around to see if he was imagining things or if someone was nearby.
Stray, startled: "Who's there?"
Tension rose inside him, his eyes scanning the space. But nothing seemed out of place... until the voice echoed again.
The voice, clearer this time: "Yes..."
Stray suddenly leapt to his feet, gripping his dagger tightly, every sense on high alert. He felt something else... something he couldn't explain.
Stray, anxious: "Who are you? Show yourself! [I can't locate him at all... is this his ability?]"
But the voice wasn't coming from outside. It was coming from within. Deep inside.
It was a single word, but soaked in sarcasm and anticipation. Stray felt something approaching his soul, piercing the barriers he had built over the years to protect himself. His heartbeat quickened. He tried to stay calm, but the voice continued, as if it were slipping straight into his deepest fears.
The voice, slowly: "You know me well, don't you? I've always been with you. Every time you chose cruelty, every time you chose strength over mercy... I was there."
The voice flowed like poison through his veins, forcing him to reflect on every decision he'd made, every moment he abandoned a part of his humanity. The pain wasn't from his body... it was his soul, slowly decaying.
Stray, summoning courage: "You... you're just an illusion... I don't need you."
But the voice didn't retreat. It grew stronger, as if it had found a weak spot deep within Stray.
The voice, with a deadly laugh: "Oh, but you do need me. Why do you think you left Nott? Not because you want him to be strong... but because you can't bear his weakness.
You hate weakness, don't you? Because deep down, you know... you were once weak. You've tasted it."
The words hit like knives, cutting through layers of shame and fear. This voice wasn't just an adversary. It was a mirror, reflecting everything Stray had tried to bury all his life. Every dark thought, every failure... now rising to the surface.
The voice, creeping deeper: "The cruelty you've followed so far isn't enough. It won't make him truly strong.
If you want Nott to grow stronger, you have to lead him down another path. A deeper one... darker... one of control."
Stray began to feel the words weren't coming from any place real... as if something was toying with his mind. Yet the voice was wrapping around his thoughts, reshaping them.
He tried to ignore it. But he knew... part of him believed what he heard. He knew the voice was the embodiment of the cruelty he had carried inside for so long. But he didn't know how to control it.
The voice: "You know this well... the cruelty I followed was only surface-level. If I want Nott to become something greater... a real weapon... I need to take things to another level.
Not just pain... but control. Don't let him become strong on his own. He might lose himself in that journey. He'll become strong, yes... but in your way. In our way."
For a moment, Stray realized the voice was trying to manipulate him. It wanted him to adopt that extreme path... the one that would make Nott not just stronger, but savage and dark like him.
Stray, in a hesitant whisper: "And why should I do that?"
Silence fell over the room, as Stray stared around at the darkness that enveloped everything. He waited in the middle of nowhere for an answer to his question.
The voice, faintly: "Because you know this is the only way. The way that makes him more than a survivor... makes him a king of shadows. The true leader of cruelty.
Real power comes when you control everything... every breath, every choice."
As the wicked words crept into his mind, Stray felt the space tighten. Invisible walls began to press in. The voice surrounded him from all sides. These whispers weren't just words... they were heavy blows echoing in his soul, planting seeds of doubt and fear.
The voice, with eerie slowness: "You know, Stray, you can't run from this... not from Nott... and not from yourself."
A sudden headache struck. Something was trying to pierce his thoughts, tamper with them. Sweat dripped from his brow. The whispers grew sharper, deeper, darker.
The voice, sharply: "The cruelty you've lived... the pain you've endured... do you think you've left it behind? No... it's a part of you now. I am a part of you.
You are no different from me, Stray. You are of me... and I, of you."
Stray tried to hold on to reality, but a dark force coiled around him, drowning him in the shadows of his thoughts. His hands trembled, the dagger colder now... like a shard of the night itself.
The words echoed in his head, igniting old memories... moments lived in darkness, in the depths of cruelty. He remembered the long nights he spent fighting himself, and those who tried to break him. He remembered the faces that betrayed him, the promises that vanished into the air.
Then, suddenly, an old image burst into his mind. A dark moment from his youth, alone, surrounded by betrayal and fear. There he was, in a shadowy corner, holding the same dagger, facing the same cruelty. But back then, he was weaker, more fragile.
He remembered the moment he lost the last of his humanity... the moment he chose to become a monster, to abandon every trace of mercy.
The voice, in a wicked whisper: "You know this memory, don't you? The moment you decided to become what you are now.
The path you chose is full of loss. But don't be afraid...
I'll always be here, to remind you of your mistakes."
That memory overwhelmed everything. The world around him vanished, and only the past remained. His past, where he once stood alone in the dark... just as he does now.
Then, suddenly, the voice vanished, leaving Stray alone in the darkness, with his thoughts, with himself. He gripped his dagger, hesitant... will he continue down this path? Or will he, at last, face his demons?
But the truth was clear... that voice wasn't just a hallucination. It was part of him... the cruelty that shaped his life. The more he tried to run, the more it came back to haunt him.
Now he knows... that voice will never disappear. It will always linger in the shadows, watching...
waiting for the next fall.