The scout stepped out of the ruins like a shadow given flesh.
Dust rolled off his coat.His eyes were cold, unhurried, merciless.
He spotted Rafe, Mara, and Lyn instantly.
"You're making this much harder than it needs to be," he growled. "Hand over the awakened girl."
Rafe stepped forward.
"No."
The scout blinked once.
"…What?"
"I said no."
The man's jaw flexed.
"You don't understand what she is."
"I do," Rafe replied calmly. "That's exactly why you can't have her."
The scout exhaled, disappointed.
"Children should know their place."
Mara tightened her grip on the broken pipe.
"Then maybe you shouldn't underestimate them."
The scout's eyes slid to her.
"You. Step aside."
"No."
"You will—"
"I said no."
Her voice didn't shake.Rafe felt something ignite inside him — pride? Shock? Something darker and sharper? He wasn't sure.
The scout finally lost patience.
"Enough."
He moved.
Fast.
Too fast for a normal child to track — but Rafe wasn't normal.
His Bloodline Instinct flared, burning through his veins like cold fire. Time didn't slow, but his awareness sharpened.
Rafe shouted:
"MARA, DOWN!"
Mara dropped instantly.
The scout's hand sliced through the air where her throat would've been.
Lyn screamed.
Rafe launched himself forward, ramming his shoulder into the scout's ribs. It was like hitting a solid wall — pain shot down his arm — but the impact made the man stumble a step.
Rafe grabbed Mara's hand.
"MOVE!"
They ran, dragging Lyn between them.
But the scout recovered immediately.
He reached for Rafe's collar —
Lyn's eyes snapped open.
Her pupils glowed gold.
And the world around her shifted.
"…Slow."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
A shimmering pulse rippled from her body — faint, unsteady, but real.
The scout froze mid-step, motion sluggish and distorted as if he were moving underwater.
Rafe saw it happen.
"HER ABILITY—!" he shouted.
Mara pulled Lyn closer.
The scout snarled, struggling against the slowing field.
"She's using it even in this condition?!"
Lyn trembled violently. A nosebleed dripped down her lip.
"I… I can't hold it…"
The slowing pulse flickered.
Rafe grabbed her shoulders.
"Then use it on us too."
Lyn's eyes widened. "I can't control—"
"Yes, you can," Rafe insisted. "You slowed him. Now let us move faster."
"I… I don't know how."
"You don't need to know. Instinct will do the rest."
Lyn hesitated—Then closed her eyes.
The golden pulse shimmered again.
And Rafe felt his heartbeat jump.
The world sharpened.Sound grew louder.Colors brighter.Mara's breathing clearer.
And their bodies—
Their bodies felt lighter.
Mara gasped.
"Rafe… I feel—"
"Faster," he said. "Move!"
Together, the three shot forward — not superhumanly fast, but beyond what children their age should ever be able to do.
The scout roared behind them.
"You brats—!"
He broke free from the slowing field and lunged.
Rafe shoved Mara and Lyn behind a fallen tree.
The scout's hand grazed Rafe's back, ripping his shirt.
Mara swung the metal pipe.
It struck the scout's arm with a loud clang.
He snarled — more annoyed than hurt — and grabbed the pipe, ripping it from her hands.
He raised it to strike her.
Rafe hurled himself at the man's legs, knocking them sideways just enough for Mara to roll away.
The scout lost balance for a split second.
That was all Rafe needed.
"Mara, NOW!"
Mara grabbed Lyn and sprinted.
Rafe followed, every muscle screaming.
Behind them, the scout recovered and gave chase.
But Lyn was still awake.Still focusing.Still channeling that trembling gold light.
Rafe felt her mana pulse again —
The world slowed for the scout.
But not for them.
They ran until the forest swallowed the orphanage behind them.
Branches whipped their faces.Roots snagged at their feet.But they didn't stop.
Lyn collapsed first — her energy fading.
The slowing field shattered.
Mara dropped to her knees beside her.
"Lyn! Lyn, stay with me!"
Rafe turned, scanning the trees.
The scout was gone.
For now.
But Rafe knew he wasn't far.He would recover.He would track.He would return.
Rafe crouched beside the two girls, chest heaving.
"Is she breathing?" he asked.
"Yes," Mara said, brushing Lyn's hair back. "But she's terrifyingly pale."
Lyn's fingers twitched weakly around Mara's sleeve.
"…did I… help…?"
Rafe let out a breath.
"You saved us."
Mara nodded.
"You were amazing."
Lyn's eyes filled with tears.
"I'm… scared…"
Rafe touched her shoulder gently.
"You're allowed to be."
Lyn cried quietly, exhausted, shivering.
Mara wrapped an arm around her.
Rafe sat close, forming a small protective circle around her.
For a moment, the forest was silent but for their breathing.
The scout.The awakening.Lyn's ability.The chase.
Everything had changed in a single morning.
Rafe looked at the two girls — one frightened, one fierce — and felt something shift deep inside him.
These weren't just characters.They weren't side figures.They weren't pieces on a board.
They were his.
DING.
New Bond Established: Lyn — Stage 1: Reliance
Host Trait Enhanced: Protective Instinct (Moderate)Host gains increased willpower when allies are threatened.
Rafe whispered to himself:
"We're not dying here."
Mara looked up at him.
"Then what's the plan?"
He stared into the dark forest.
"We stop running."
Mara blinked. "What?"
Rafe's eyes narrowed — calm, sharp, much too old for his small body.
"He's hunting us," Rafe said. "So we make him stop."
Mara's voice trembled.
"How?"
Rafe stood slowly, body shaking but eyes steady.
"By turning the hunt around."