Kael didn't stop running.
Not really running.More like falling forward again and again.
His breath came out rough. Each inhale felt late, like his lungs waited for permission. His leg dragged just a little. Enough to notice. Enough to hate.
The shouts stayed behind him, but they didn't fade.
That was the problem.
They should've faded.
Kael ducked through a narrow gap between two buildings and pressed himself flat against the wall. The stone was cold and wet. He held his breath and listened.
Boots.Metal.Orders being whispered.
They passed the gap.
Kael waited three heartbeats.
Then four.
Then five.
His body twitched on the third. He hadn't told it to. It just happened. A stupid flinch.
"Shit," he breathed.
He pushed off the wall and moved again, slower now. Careful. Every step felt like walking through thick mud. His thoughts came fast. His body followed late.
He hated that gap.
The street opened into a wider road. Broken carts. Closed shops. No lights. Too quiet.
Kael crossed halfway—
And froze.
Someone stood at the far end.
Not a guard.
Too still.Too relaxed.
A man leaned against a post, arms crossed, head tilted slightly, like he'd been waiting for a bus. Dark coat. Hood down. No weapon in his hands.
Kael stopped breathing.
The man smiled.
"Rough night," the man said.
Kael didn't answer.
His brain screamed run.
His legs didn't move.
"That alley back there," the man went on. "Messy place. Things crawl out of it sometimes."
Kael swallowed.
"You see one?" Kael asked.
His voice sounded flat. That scared him. He remembered that fear should be louder.
The man's eyes flicked to Kael's leg. Then his hands. Then his face.
"Yeah," the man said. "I see one now."
Kael took a step back.
Late.
Too late.
The man straightened.
And the words hit Kael's vision so hard he flinched.
⟪FOREIGN LOG DETECTED⟫⟪STATUS: ACTIVE CONTRACTOR⟫
Kael's stomach dropped.
Not just me.
The man's smile widened.
"Oh," he said softly. "You see it too."
Kael turned.
He ran.
This time his body listened faster. Not fast enough—but faster.
The street blurred. His foot caught on a loose stone and he stumbled forward.
Didn't fall.
Didn't know why.
⟪PASSIVE TRIGGER⟫Trip That Misses⟪COST: BALANCE — STACKING⟫
Kael didn't slow down to read it.
He cut left. Then right. Down a sloped path that burned his bad knee. Pain finally punched through the dullness, sharp and angry.
Good.
Pain meant something still remembered how to scream.
Behind him—
Footsteps.
One set.
Not rushing.
Keeping pace.
Kael risked a glance back.
The man was there.
Walking.
Hands in his pockets.
Not even breathing hard.
"You're new," the man called out. "I can tell."
Kael didn't answer.
"Second entry, maybe third?" the man guessed. "Still clumsy. Still scared."
Kael's teeth clenched.
He turned a corner hard and slammed into a wooden fence. Dead end.
Of course.
He spun around.
The man stepped into the mouth of the path and stopped.
"Name's Brann," the man said. "I like to meet new signers early. Before they get bad habits."
Kael's hands shook.
"What do you want?" he asked.
Brann tilted his head.
"To see what you're worth."
Brann raised one finger.
Kael's chest tightened.
Not fear.
Pressure.
⟪THIRD SIGN-IN AVAILABLE⟫⟪CHAINED CONDITION: CONTRACTOR THREAT⟫
Kael stared at it.
Three times.
Already three.
His jaw locked.
"No," he said. "Not this one."
Brann's finger twitched.
The world lurched.
Kael felt his weight shift wrong. His balance slipped. The stacked cost hit all at once.
He fell sideways.
Hard.
His shoulder smashed into the fence. Wood cracked. Pain exploded.
Brann didn't move.
"See?" Brann said. "That lag. That wobble. You're bleeding value."
Kael pushed himself up, teeth bared.
"Back off," he said.
Brann smiled again.
"Can't," he said. "Log won't let me."
Kael's vision pulsed.
Words flared.
⟪EMERGENCY OPTION⟫⟪ONE-TIME USE⟫
Kael didn't read the rest.
"Do it," he said. "Whatever it is."
The world snapped.
⟪SKILL GRANTED⟫Borrowed Nerve⟪EFFECT: FEAR OFF⟫⟪COST: FEELING — LATER⟫
The fear vanished.
Like a light switched off.
Kael stood.
The pain stayed.The danger stayed.
But the shaking stopped.
He looked at Brann.
Really looked.
"Move," Kael said.
Brann's smile faltered.
Just a little.
Kael stepped forward.
Late reaction.Bad balance.No fear.
It was enough.
Brann stepped back once, surprised.
Kael didn't chase.
He turned and ran through the broken fence instead, wood tearing at his clothes, splinters biting his skin.
He didn't stop until the sounds were gone.
Only then did the world rush back in.
Cold.Empty.
Too empty.
Kael leaned against a wall and slid down, breathing slow.
He waited for fear.
It didn't come.
"…give it back," he whispered.
Nothing answered.
⟪TOTAL ENTRIES: 3⟫⟪BALANCE: UNSTABLE⟫
Far away, Brann watched the dark where Kael vanished.
He touched his chest and frowned.
"Borrowed nerve already?" he murmured.
Then he smiled.
"Oh," he said. "You're going to be expensive."