"Interesting," the tall one said again, clapping slowly as he stepped forward.
"Very interesting."
The surroundings felt like it had lost its air.
The three newcomers stood out immediately due to the flaming chain tattoos inked boldly along the sides of their necks. The design was unmistakable.
A street gang.
Not a school club.
Not a rumor.
The real thing.
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"That's the Iron Chain…"
"No way… from Eastside?"
"They're awakened…"
The leader of the trio walked forward without hurry with his boots crunching lightly against the pavement. He stopped just short of Caleb, who was still hunched on the ground with one arm wrapped around his ribs and his face twisted in pain and fury.
The man looked down at him.
Up close, he was even more intimidating.
Broad shoulders. Thick arms. Short-cropped dark hair. A face that looked perpetually bored, as though violence had long since stopped being exciting.
His name was Raze Calder.
And the gang was called Iron Chain.
Caleb's eyes lit up when he saw him.
Hope danced in his eyes.
This was his chance.
"S-Senior Raze!" Caleb croaked, forcing himself upright slightly. "You saw that, right? That bastard attacked me while I was transforming!"
He pointed shakily at West.
"He ambushed me! That kind of trash shouldn't be allowed to walk around free. You guys should deal with him—he humiliated me in front of everyone!"
Caleb's voice cracked with rage and desperation.
He expected agreement, backing and retribution.
He expected West to finally break.
Instead—
CRACK.
The sound echoed violently.
Raze's fist smashed into Caleb's face without warning.
The impact lifted Caleb clean off the ground.
He flew backward, spinning awkwardly before slamming hard into the pavement over twenty feet away, rolling twice before coming to a stop.
Gasps erupted.
Lena screamed.
Students recoiled in pure shock.
Caleb cheek swelled rapidly as he laid there with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and his eyes unfocused.
Raze shook his fist once, annoyed, then spoke in a cold, disgusted tone.
"You dare lose a one-on-one fight," he said slowly, "and still have the guts to spout trash?"
The surroundings turned silent while Raze turned his head toward West and smiled.
It wasn't friendly.
It was the kind of smile a predator gave something interesting.
He walked toward West with hands in his pockets.
West stood still.
His body felt heavy because Adrenal Control had just deactivated.
<[ Adrenal Control: Cooloff Mode ]>
[ 23:59 ]
The aftermath of Adrenal Control caused his muscles to feel like they weighed a ton but his posture remained straight and his expression composed.
Raze stopped directly in front of him.
Up close, the difference was obvious. Raze was taller, bigger and no doubt more experienced in tales of violence.
And yet—
Raze laughed softly.
"That punch," he said. "Clean. Timed. You interrupted a bloodline activation."
He tilted his head. "That's not luck."
He extended a hand.
"I'm extending an offer," Raze said casually. "Come and take his place in Iron Chain. Our boss won't object. He lost to you. That's how it works."
The words detonated across the vicinity.
Mouths fell open.
Phones came back out.
Lena stared in disbelief.
Caleb who was still on the ground, felt his world collapse.
West paused.
For a brief moment, he considered it.
Then—
"No thanks," West said calmly. "I'm not awakened."
Raze blinked with a stunned expression as West turned and walked away.
No flourish.
No explanation.
Just… gone.
Raze stood there for a second with his hand still half-extended.
Then he slowly turned his head toward Caleb.
"…You lost," he said carefully, "to an unawakened?"
Caleb's face drained of color. 'I'm screwed.'
---
Elsewhere — Downtown
The apartment was quiet, warm, and meticulously kept.
Soft lighting reflected off smooth floors. The city skyline stretched beyond the wide windows, glowing faintly in the evening haze.
A woman walked out of the bedroom with her bare feet padding lightly across the floor.
She wore short black lounge shorts and a simple bra with her long hair loose, cascading over her shoulders. Her figure was like that of a Coca-Cola bottle.
She smiled when she saw the man on the couch.
"Babe," she said softly before climbing onto his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I've missed you."
Ross kissed her back at first and settled his hands at her waist.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Then his phone buzzed.
Once.
Twice.
He ignored it.
Aria smiled against his lips. "Don't."
It buzzed again.
Ross frowned slightly, trying to reach for it.
She caught his wrist. "You're always busy," she murmured. "We haven't even spent time together properly in weeks."
He hesitated.
Then the phone rang again... this time insistently.
Ross sighed. "Aria—"
She leaned in, pressing her forehead to his. "Please."
There was a beat of silence.
Then he gently moved her off his lap.
"I've gotta take this," he voiced while standing.
Aria stared at him.
"You said that last time," she stated in frustration. "And the time before that."
Ross tone shifted as he answered the call. "Yeah? …What? Where?"
He turned away, pacing.
Aria crossed her arms.
"We haven't done anything in three weeks," she muttered bitterly. "I'm not asking for much."
Ross ended the call and grabbed his jacket.
"Something came up with the gang," he said. "I have to take care of it."
That was it.
Aria laughed humorlessly.
"Of course," she said. "It always does."
She stood abruptly and stormed toward the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.
Ross paused for a bit, made a low tsk sound then left the apartment.
"Women..." His voice drifted off.
Silence returned afterwards.
Aria leaned against the bedroom door, breathing hard.
Calm down, she told herself. This is normal.
She sat on the edge of the bed.
And then—
Uninvited—
A face surfaced in her mind.
A boy with well-styled shoulder-length hair with faint white streaks at the front, calm eyes, and a voice that hadn't tried to own her... only see her.
"Worth the danger..."
"I'm offering to be the guy who sees you..."
"I have all the time in the world..."
West words kept ringing in her head.
Aria bit her lip.
"No," she whispered. "I can't."
She shook her head, stood up and paced the room.
"I can't cheat on him," she said firmly.
But the harder she tried to push the thought away…
…the clearer it became.
His smile.
His confidence.
The way he'd looked at her like she mattered.
Her fingers curled.
Her heart beat faster.
She stopped pacing.
And for the first time—
She didn't know which thought scared her more.
That she was thinking about another man…
Or that she wanted to see him again.