. Kai stared through the glass panel of the helicopter, his eyes locked onto the calm, mocking figure of Xavier Reynolds.
In that moment, a sensation he had spent his entire life suppressing finally bubbled up from the deepest, darkest recesses of his heart.
It was a cold, paralyzing wave of fear.
It wasn't just the fear of death or the fear of failure; it was the ego-shattering realization that he had been brought to this pathetic state of helplessness not by his ultimate nemesis, Adam Reynolds, but by the younger brother.
Being outplayed by the man he had dismissed as a cheap copy was a humilitation that stung more than any wound.
For the first time in his existence, Kai felt a genuine sense of shame. He had committed countless atrocities and orchestrated the downfall of many, never once losing sleep or feeling the prick of a conscience, but the shame of being cornered like a rat by Xavier was almost unbearable.
