Midnight — Underground
Kael doesn't walk.
He descends.
An abandoned subway tunnel long sealed off from the public.
No rats.
No graffiti.
No trash.
Just silence.
He stops before a rusted metal door that shouldn't exist.
He presses his palm against it.
The metal melts inward.
Door opens.
Inside—
A circular chamber carved into stone.
Five seats.
Four occupied.
One empty.
They don't look monstrous.
They look calm.
Controlled.
Old.
The Circle
At the center burns a low red flame.
No heat.
Just light.
One of them speaks first.
White hair.
Sharp eyes.
Voice like glass scraping.
"You fought him."
Kael nods.
"Yes."
Another leans forward.
Dark skin.
Long braided hair.
Hands folded.
"And?"
Kael answers plainly.
"He is Level 7."
Murmurs.
The oldest of them—thin, pale, almost skeletal—smiles slightly.
"At seventeen?"
Kael nods again.
"He adapts mid-combat. Regenerates. Gains from our blood directly."
Silence thickens.
The braided woman speaks.
"That should not exist."
Kael replies calmly.
"It does."
Back To Zack
Meanwhile—
Zack stands on the same rooftop as last night.
He doesn't feel invincible.
He feels behind.
Level 7.
And Kael barely tried.
He punches the concrete wall.
Hard.
Steel knuckles dent it.
Not enough.
He stops.
Breath steadying.
He replays the fight in his head.
Every movement.
Every mistake.
He realizes something.
He wasted energy early.
Swung too wide.
Too aggressive.
He relied on durability.
Kael relied on precision.
Zack looks at his reflection in the window.
"Fine," he mutters.
He steps back.
Slow breath.
He throws a punch.
Controlled.
Short.
Direct.
Again.
Again.
No rage.
Just repetition.
The Decision
Back underground—
The skeletal elder speaks.
"If he continues, he will disrupt the balance."
The braided woman nods.
"He has not fed on humans."
Kael confirms.
"No."
The white-haired one tilts his head.
"He fights predators."
That gives them pause.
Finally—
The elder speaks.
"Do we eliminate him?"
Silence.
Kael answers before they do.
"If you send Enforcers, he will grow."
The braided woman studies him.
"And if we leave him?"
Kael replies.
"He will grow."
Silence again.
The elder closes his eyes.
"Then we observe."
He turns to Kael.
"You marked him."
"Yes."
"Good."
The elder's eyes open again.
"But if he reaches Level 20 before winter…"
The braided woman finishes the sentence calmly.
"We move."
Rooftop — Same Night
Zack stops training when he feels it again.
A subtle shift in the air.
He looks up.
No one visible.
But he knows.
He's being watched.
He doesn't flinch.
He doesn't hide.
He stands still.
And lets them see him.
System Notification
PASSIVE GROWTH: COMBAT FOCUS IMPROVED
EFFICIENCY INCREASE +3%
No level up.
Just improvement.
Zack exhales.
Good.
He doesn't need shortcuts.
He needs control.
End Scene
Underground chamber.
The elder stares into the red flame.
"He is not prey," he says quietly.
The braided woman nods.
"Then he is either weapon… or war."
Kael watches silently.
Eyes unreadable.
End of Episode 5.