Kael took one step.
His foot landed late.
Not wrong.Just… slow.
He almost fell.
"Okay," he muttered, catching the wall. "Okay, that's new."
His leg shook under him. The pain finally showed up, sharp and ugly, like it had been waiting for permission. He sucked in air through his teeth and forced himself upright.
The alley felt tighter now.
The dead thing lay behind him, twisted wrong. Kael didn't look at its face again. He didn't want it stuck in his head.
He started walking.
Slow.
Each step felt like his body needed to be reminded what to do. He'd think move, then a heartbeat later, it happened.
That scared him more than the monster.
"Reaction," he said quietly. "You took my reaction."
No answer.
Of course not.
He made it three steps before his knee buckled.
Kael dropped hard, shoulder slamming into the wall. Pain flared white and hot. He hissed and pressed his forehead to the stone, breathing fast.
Footsteps echoed nearby.
Real ones.
Kael froze.
Voices followed. Low. Close.
"…told you I saw something move.""Relax. Probably rats.""No. That sound was wrong."
Lantern light spilled into the alley mouth.
Kael's heart kicked up.
People.
Guards?Hunters?Worse?
He tried to stand.
His body hesitated.
Just a blink.Just long enough.
"Shit," he whispered.
The voices got closer. The light crept along the wall, slow and searching.
Kael looked around fast.
Dead end behind him.Open alley ahead.No cover.
His brain screamed run.
His legs didn't listen right away.
Panic crept in, cold and sharp.
Then—
Words flickered again.
⟪SECOND SIGN-IN AVAILABLE⟫⟪CONDITION MET: IMMEDIATE RISK⟫
Kael swallowed.
Already?
His hands shook. He stared at the words like they might bite him.
"No," he said. "No, not again."
The light hit the dead body.
"…what the hell is that?" one voice said.
A pause.
Then, "Don't touch it."
Boots scraped stone. Faster now.
Kael's chest tightened.
If they saw him—
If they asked questions—
If they decided he was part of it—
The words stayed there.
Waiting.
Kael clenched his jaw.
"Fine," he said. "One more."
The world tilted.
⟪PLACE: LOWER WARD ALLEY⟫⟪THREAT: CAPTURE / DEATH⟫⟪PAYMENT REQUIRED⟫
Kael didn't ask this time.
⟪SKILL GRANTED⟫Cheap Escape⟪EFFECT: ONE BAD MOVE GOES RIGHT⟫⟪COST: LUCK — LATER⟫
The lantern slipped.
Not from Kael.
From the guard.
The man cursed as his boot hit a slick patch near the corpse. He stumbled, crashed into the wall, and dropped the lantern. It rolled, light spinning wild.
"Watch it!" another shouted.
That was it.
Kael moved.
Still slow. Still off.
But the alley shifted just enough.
A crate he hadn't noticed before tipped over when he brushed it. It fell in the worst possible way—right into the guard who was stepping forward.
Wood cracked. Someone yelled.
Kael limped past them.
No one grabbed him.
No one even looked the right way.
He slipped out of the alley mouth and into the street beyond, heart trying to punch out of his ribs.
He didn't stop.
Didn't slow.
Didn't breathe right.
He turned corners at random. Slipped between buildings. Ducking, limping, pushing through pain and delay until his lungs burned and his vision blurred.
Only then did he collapse behind a stack of old barrels.
Kael sat there, shaking.
Alive.
Again.
⟪ENTRY COMPLETE⟫⟪TOTAL ENTRIES: 2⟫⟪BALANCE: WORSENING⟫
"Worsening," Kael said. He laughed once. It came out thin. "Good word."
His fingers tingled. He flexed them.
They moved.
Late.
Not as bad as before. But not right.
Then something else hit.
A weight in his chest. Not pain. Not fear.
Just… dull.
He thought about the dead thing.
Nothing stirred.
He thought about almost getting caught.
Nothing.
That scared him.
"Don't do that," he said softly. "Don't take that too."
No answer.
Of course.
A sound echoed down the street. Shouts. Orders being barked.
They were searching now.
Kael pushed himself up.
His legs obeyed.
Slow, but they obeyed.
He wiped his face and felt wetness. Blood. Sweat. Maybe both.
"Okay," he said. "Rules."
He held up two fingers.
"Don't die.""Don't sign in unless I have to."
He paused.
"…and figure out how much you're stealing."
The words flickered faintly, like they heard him.
⟪NOTE REGISTERED⟫
Kael's stomach dropped.
"Hey," he said. "I didn't agree to that one."
Too late.
The sounds grew closer.
Kael turned and limped into the dark again.
The night swallowed him whole.
And somewhere he couldn't see, the Log added another line.