Chapter 7 – The Price of Survival
Night in the slums did not arrive gently.
It fell like a verdict.
Lanterns flickered to life one by one, casting pools of dim orange light that barely pushed back the darkness. Shadows stretched unnaturally long between leaning buildings, crawling along walls like living things. Somewhere in the distance, a scream echoed—cut short almost immediately. No one reacted. In the slums, sound like that was just background noise.
Kairo moved through it all with steady steps.
His senses were open, not outwardly tense, but alert in the way a perfectly tuned machine idled—ready to accelerate instantly. Every sound registered. Every movement was logged.
[Environmental hostility index: Extreme.]
[Probability of violent encounter within next 10 minutes: 82%.]
CIEL's voice was calm, almost clinical.
Kairo did not respond. He didn't need to.
He turned into a wider street—if it could be called that—where several alleyways converged. Broken stalls lined the sides, remnants of a market that had long since been abandoned by legitimate merchants. Now it belonged to scavengers, smugglers, and those too desperate to care about ownership.
A group was already there.
Five figures. Older than him. Bigger. Armed.
They hadn't noticed him yet.
Kairo stopped at the edge of the light, partially obscured by shadow. His eyes swept across them, posture relaxed, breathing even.
Two humans. One Beastkin—wolf ears flattened against his head, claws half-extended. One Machinari, metal lines faintly glowing beneath artificial skin. The last one… unfamiliar. Pale skin, eyes reflecting light strangely.
CIEL responded instantly.
[Race identification in progress…]
[Confirmed: Noctyri (minor bloodline).]
[Primary traits: Shadow affinity, low-grade stealth blessing.]
Kairo's interest sharpened.
Noctyri were rare in the slums. Their race favored contracts, information, assassination. Seeing one here meant something valuable—or dangerous—was nearby.
The group was arguing.
"I'm telling you, the buyer said tonight," the Machinari growled, metallic veins pulsing faintly along his neck. "If we miss the window—"
"Shut up," the Noctyri hissed, eyes flicking around nervously. "We're already exposed. Someone's watching."
Kairo didn't move.
The Beastkin sniffed the air suddenly, ears twitching. His gaze snapped toward Kairo's position.
"There," he said lowly. "Someone's there."
Silence fell.
Five pairs of eyes locked onto the shadows where Kairo stood.
He stepped forward calmly, letting the lantern light reveal him.
A child. Thin. Ragged cloak. Empty hands.
The tension… didn't break.
It deepened.
The Noctyri's pupils narrowed. "That kid… something's wrong."
The taller human scoffed. "You're jumpy. It's just slum trash."
Kairo tilted his head slightly, studying them the way a scientist might study hostile wildlife.
"What are you selling?" he asked.
The question landed wrong.
The Machinari laughed harshly. "Listen to this one. Thinks he can ask questions."
The Beastkin's claws scraped stone as he stepped forward. "Go home, kid. Or we'll make you."
Kairo didn't retreat.
CIEL spoke quietly.
[Multiple hostile blessings detected.]
[Recommendation: Controlled engagement.]
[Battle simulation ready.]
The world shifted.
Not outwardly—no glow, no distortion—but inside Kairo's mind, a thousand scenarios unfolded at once. Movements, counters, trajectories. Blessings clashed and failed in countless permutations until optimal paths emerged.
Time snapped back.
The Beastkin lunged first.
Fast. Faster than any human his size should be.
Kairo sidestepped with minimal movement, letting the claws pass inches from his ribs. He reached out, palm striking the Beastkin's forearm—not hard, not soft. Precisely.
There was a dull crack.
The Beastkin howled, arm bending at an unnatural angle as he crashed into a stall.
Before the others reacted, Kairo was already moving.
The Machinari raised his arm—panels opening, mana circuits flaring.
[Detected: Integrated mana cannon. Charge time: 1.3 seconds.]
Too slow.
A shadow detached from Kairo's feet, stretching across the ground like spilled ink. It wrapped around the Machinari's legs, yanking hard.
The cannon fired—wildly—blasting a hole through a nearby wall instead of Kairo's chest.
The Machinari slammed into the ground.
The two humans rushed together, weapons drawn.
Kairo met them head-on.
No wasted motion. No flourish.
He blocked one blade with his forearm, pain flaring—but ignored it—while his other hand struck the man's throat. Not enough to kill. Enough to drop him gasping.
The second swung low.
Kairo jumped, twisting midair, landing behind him. His heel connected with the back of the man's knee.
Bone gave way.
The man screamed as he collapsed.
Only one remained standing.
The Noctyri.
He hadn't moved.
Shadows clung unnaturally close to his body, writhing like restrained serpents. His expression was no longer disdainful—it was wary.
"You're not normal," the Noctyri said slowly. "What blessing do you have?"
Kairo looked at him.
Then, deliberately, he released a fraction of his presence.
The shadows around him reacted instantly—thickening, deepening, responding like loyal soldiers to a silent command.
The Noctyri's breath hitched.
CIEL updated.
[Partial replication achieved.]
[Shadow Affinity – Minor (Noctyri)]
[Compatibility: High.]
[Evolution possible.]
Kairo stepped closer.
The Noctyri backed away instinctively. "Wait. We don't have to—"
"You were selling something," Kairo said calmly. "I'm curious."
The Noctyri swallowed. His survival instincts screamed.
"…Information," he said. "Academy-related."
That made Kairo pause.
"What kind?"
"Entrance exam leaks. Blessing registries. Noble placements." He hesitated, then added quickly, "There's a… black channel. People pay a lot."
Kairo studied him in silence.
An underground network tied to the academy.
This was important.
"Who runs it?" Kairo asked.
The Noctyri hesitated.
The shadows around Kairo shifted, brushing the Noctyri's boots without touching them.
"…A group," the Noctyri said quickly. "No name. Just intermediaries. Rings. Different colors."
CIEL flagged the data instantly.
[Potential future organization structure detected.]
[Risk: High.]
[Opportunity: Extreme.]
Kairo nodded once.
"You're free to go," he said.
The Noctyri froze. "What?"
"Leave," Kairo repeated. "If you lie to me later, I'll know."
The Noctyri didn't ask how. He turned and vanished into the darkness, shadows swallowing him whole.
Kairo looked down at the unconscious bodies around him.
He crouched, placing a hand on the Machinari's chest.
[Copying: Machinari Mana Circuit Blueprint (Fragmentary).]
[Warning: Structural complexity high.]
He accepted the strain without expression.
When he stood again, the street was silent.
Kairo walked away as if nothing had happened.
Above the slums, far beyond the grime and decay, the academy's towers stood illuminated—white stone, floating platforms, mana barriers shimmering faintly like stars trapped in glass.
CIEL spoke softly.
[Long-term projection updated.]
[Slum survival: temporary.]
[Academy interaction: inevitable.]
Kairo's gaze lingered on the distant spires.
"Good," he thought.
Because systems were meant to be entered.
And broken.
---