Lying where the beastly creature had once stood was a petite girl curled up into a ball.
Her skin was deathly pale, like the first snowflakes of a coming winter, and her body was frail.
Framed around her body was thick, wavy, raven-black hair that had long overgrown, and right on top of it were two wolf ears that moved slightly.
When Kyle arrived, her eyelids twitched, and then her eyes fluttered open, revealing pupils as dark as an endless void.
But although she was doubtlessly beautiful, there was one flaw marring her beauty.
A thick, dark scar that cut right across her face from the left part of her forehead down to her jaw.
Himiko and Anika seemed to both be surprised by the scar, but said nothing about it, choosing to remain silent for now.
The woman opened her eyes tiredly and blinked, adjusting to the overhead light.
Immediately she saw Kyle and Himiko staring down at her, she flinched, a look of pure horror appearing in her eyes.
She was shivering in fear like a trapped animal and was looking around the room, searching for any possible escape route.
But both her arms and legs were bound and the door was locked, there was no escape.
'Why is she so scared?' If anything, it was they who were savagely attacked that should have been concerned.
Now that her beastly visage had faded into one of a comely beauty, Anika finally summoned enough courage to approach them.
"So the monster… is actually a girl?"
It was hard to match the image of the monstrous figure that had attacked them to the vulnerable girl sitting in front of them.
But Kyle could see it in her eyes, she wasn't as innocent as her petite figure and face made her seem.
Her eyes were not the eyes of a regular person, they were the eyes of someone who had gone through hell and crawled out, barely making it out alive.
Her scar was a testament to that.
'It has been quite some time since I've seen these eyes…'
Unpleasant memories rushed into his mind, things he would rather forget once again coming to his remembrance.
Back when he was on Earth, years before he died in that accident…
Kyle's life wasn't exactly rosy.
He was the only son in a family of three, and so he was showered with excess love, so much so that it made him rather spoiled.
He was as fat as a tomato and as cheery as a panda, living life without a care in the world.
That was until the day his father died…
He could still remember it with perfect clarity, the scenes that would forever haunt his memories.
The smell of wet earth, the sound of the rain thundering outside… wet boots and long leather coats that dripped water.
A knock on the door, and news that would forever change his life. His father's death.
His mother ran mad with grief, the pain of losing her husband far too much to bear.
She went down a dark path, isolating herself from the world, and her son who had once been the source of her joy became a constant reminder of what she had lost.
You see… she had already discarded everything that was left of his father in an attempt to forget.
And the only thing left—
Was him.
Kyle took in a deep breath and went down on one knee, staring into the girl's dark eyes.
She was probably not like him, everyone's story was different, but Kyle could not help but sympathize with her.
Because she reminded him far too much of his former self.
In the years it took him to crawl out of that pit of despair, there were many invisible scars that had formed in his soul.
Dark patches that would haunt him forever.
Kyle sighed as he watched her. "Who are you?"
The girl was silent, glaring razors at him while biting into the rope binding her.
Anika placed her hands on her hips. "Although she has been scaring me for weeks, I somehow feel bad for her. She was here because she had no place to go, right?"
She glanced at Kyle before continuing. "Still, this is no place for her to live, why don't we call the heroes to help—"
"NO! Please no!" The girl screamed, cutting Anika off.
At the mention of heroes, it was as though her fear had multiplied severalfold.
Anika flinched. "D-did I say something wrong?"
The girl's eyes were wide as she stared into space, her breathing accelerated.
"I don't think she likes heroes very much…" Himiko muttered.
She squatted down and tapped the girl gently on the shoulders. "Don't worry, I don't like heroes either, you won't have to see any of them!"
The girl nodded slightly, calming down a little while Kyle turned to Anika.
"Can you give us a little time? She might be a little scared of you so it will be hard to get her to talk."
"Alright… I'll go make us all some tea." She gave the girl one more glance before leaving the room.
'Luckily for me, that worked…'
Kyle did not believe that the girl was actually afraid of Anika, if she was then she would have targeted Anika when she had the chance.
He had just said that to make her leave the room because he was sure that whatever the girl was going to say would most likely be too much for her to bear.
Kyle sat down cross-legged and folded his arms across his chest.
There was no doubt that the girl was powerful, and that people as powerful as her attracted attention wherever they went.
Not only did she have dual quirks, her abilities in the dark were peerless… incomparable to any other quirk he had ever seen in the entirety of the anime.
Normally, since she was on the run from the heroes, Kyle would have expected her to be some sort of hardened criminal.
But his instincts were telling him it was something else. There was no way this terrified girl, shaking just at the mention of the heroes, was a criminal.
It was strange to think that heroes would give anyone that type of impression. Unless…
'The Hero Public Safety Commission.'
The dark side of Musutafu City.
"You know what you are doing here is illegal, right?"
The girl slowly nodded while staring at the floor.
"Normally, the right thing to do would be to report you to the heroes."
She flinched, her hands tightening on her bounds.
"…but I won't do that."
The girl raised her head to meet his impassive gaze, her eyes already moist with forming tears.
Kyle allowed his words to sink before he continued.
"Still, you should know, you can't hide from the heroes forever. Not here, not in any hiding place you can think of. They will eventually find you."
The girl slowly nodded, her shaky voice reaching them. "I know…"
She had come to that conclusion a long time ago, and so she was hoping to live life cooped up here until the day they did.
But Kyle's next words caused a dangerous feeling to blossom in her heart.
It was hope.
"I can help you… but first, let's start with the basics. What is your name?"
The girl raised her head, her cheeks blushed pink, tears rolling down her eyes.
Throughout her life, through the countless years she had spent on the run, this was the first time someone had ever offered to help her.
"Solvane, my name is Solvane!"