Rafe sprinted across the orphanage grounds, legs burning, lungs screaming for air. His tiny six-year-old body wasn't made for this — but his mind didn't care.
Behind him, heavy footsteps closed in.
The scout wasn't running at full speed.He didn't need to.
He was a hunter.Rafe was the prey.
The boy darted around the corner of a crumbling wall, nearly slipping on loose dirt. He pushed off again, running straight into the old storage yard — a maze of abandoned tools, broken fences, and collapsed sheds.
Perfect terrain for someone small.
"STOP!" the man barked.
Rafe didn't even look back.
He dove behind a stack of crates just as the scout's shadow stretched across the ground. Rafe flattened his body, controlling his breath as much as he could.
His heart thundered in his ears.
Too loud, he thought. He'll hear it.
The scout's boots crunched on gravel, slow and methodical. The man wasn't rushing — he was searching.
Hunting.
Rafe swallowed hard.
He had to buy Mara more time. Lyn couldn't run fast in her condition, and Mara couldn't carry her alone for long.
He peeked through a crack between the crates.
The man was close.Too close.
Rafe grabbed a small stone, tossed it far to the right.
Clack.
The scout's head snapped toward the noise.
"Got you," he muttered and moved in that direction.
Rafe slipped out the other side, sprinting low to the ground.
Every step hurt.
Every breath felt like fire.
But he kept going.
He darted into the ruins — the section of the orphanage long abandoned after a collapse years ago. Rusted beams jutted out of broken walls, sunlight bleeding through cracks in the roof above.
It was dangerous.Unstable.And exactly where he needed to be.
The scout entered moments later.
"You're clever," the man called, voice echoing against the stone. "But cleverness won't save you."
Rafe ducked behind a fallen beam, forcing himself to breathe quietly.
His Bloodline Instinct tingled — the scout was closing in.
And that's when —
"RAFE!"
Mara's voice, distant, panicked.
Rafe clenched his teeth.
No. Don't come back. Don't.
But the scout heard it too.
He turned toward the sound.
"Ah. So you weren't alone."
Rafe's chest squeezed painfully.
He had to divert him.
Now.
He stepped out from behind the beam.
"HEY!"
The scout whirled around.
Rafe stood in the open, small chest heaving, sweat dripping down his face — but his eyes were steady.
"If you want someone," Rafe said, "take me."
The scout blinked, surprised at the boldness.
Then he sneered.
"Fine."
He lunged.
Rafe jumped backward — too slow.
The man's hand brushed his shirt—
But the floor beneath them cracked.
A piece of ceiling groaned, then collapsed between Rafe and the scout with a thunderous crash, sending dust everywhere.
The man stumbled back.
Rafe didn't waste a second.
He ran.
Through dust.Through broken stone.Through the narrow passage that only a child could fit through.
Outside the ruins, Mara was dragging Lyn down the hill behind the old garden. Lyn was barely conscious, but she clung to Mara's shoulder with trembling fingers.
When Rafe burst out of the ruins, Mara gasped.
"Rafe!"
He skidded to a stop beside them.
Mara's eyes scanned him rapidly.
"You're hurt."
"It's nothing," Rafe lied, even though his knees were bleeding and a bruise was already forming on his shoulder.
Lyn looked at him weakly.
"Did… did he follow?"
Rafe glanced back.
Dust still hung in the air. The scout hadn't emerged yet — but he would.
"Not for long," Rafe said. "We have minutes."
Mara bit her lip.
"We can't outrun him forever."
"No," Rafe agreed, "but she can help."
He looked at Lyn.
"Lyn. What type of mana did you awaken?"
Lyn's eyes fluttered open.
"It's… light," she whispered. "Everything slows down… when I focus."
Rafe's heartbeat spiked.
Light-type mana was rare.Extremely rare.Bordering on legendary.
"Can you use it now?" Rafe asked.
Lyn shook her head weakly.
"I'm too tired."
Mara's jaw tightened.
"Then we protect her until she can."
The ground trembled.
The scout was coming.
Rafe's mind raced — fast, sharp, cold.
He grabbed a broken metal pipe from the ground and shoved it into Mara's hands.
"Block the path behind us. If he sees you, run. Don't look back."
Mara glared.
"I'm not leaving you."
"You don't get to decide this time."
"Yes, I do," she snapped. "I'm not letting him take you either."
Rafe froze.
Her voice wasn't shaking.She meant it.
Before he could reply, Lyn's hand shot out and grabbed Rafe's wrist.
Her eyes glowed faintly — a dim, trembling gold.
"Mara is right," Lyn whispered. "You're not alone. Stop acting like it."
Rafe felt his chest tighten with something unfamiliar.
Mara stepped beside him, pipe held firmly.
"We fight together."
Rafe swallowed.
"…You two are insane."
Mara smirked. "We learned from you."
The scout's silhouette appeared through the dust.
Tall.Silent.Approaching.
Rafe stepped forward.
"Stay behind me."
Mara and Lyn didn't move.
Rafe exhaled.
A small, insane trio.
A secret trio.
Against a trained scout.
No weapons.No strength.No backup.
And yet—
Something in Rafe's chest felt alive.Bright.Burning.
He wasn't the extra anymore.
DING.New Trait Unlocked: Protective Instinct (Minor)When defending bonded allies, Host gains temporary willpower and clarity under pressure.
Rafe whispered under his breath:
"…Come on, then."
The scout stepped into the clearing.
And the real fight began.