A cloaked man sat lazily in a rusted metal chair beside the carnage, one boot propped on a chunk of concrete as if reclining on a balcony rather than surrounded by butchered Frostwalkers and civilians.
The bodies were pinned, stacked, and arranged across the wall behind him in a pattern so precise it made Lux's stomach twist—
A sun.
A perfect sun of corpses.
The man held one of the mid-sector patrols from earlier by the throat with his right hand, lifting him effortlessly with fingers that sank into flesh like hooks. The patrolman kicked weakly, eyes bulging, legs scraping against the floor.
The cloaked man's face was shadowed beneath a lowered hood, but even from a distance his eyes glowed faintly—like coal embers in a dying fire.
"Ah," the man drawled, voice rich and lazy, but raspy and inhuman. "Finally."
Gavin stepped in front of Lux, arm blocking him on instinct.
Varik raised the pipe with a shaky grip. "Who the hell—"
The stranger didn't look at Varik.
He looked at Lux.
Only Lux.
"I've been waiting for you," he said softly, almost kindly. "Little ember."
Lux's blood went cold.
The patrolman choked, a wet gargle escaping him.
The cloaked man sighed, looking annoyed—as if suddenly remembering the man in his grip. "Oh. Right. You're still here."
With a casual flick of his wrist, he slammed the patrolman into the ground—so hard the concrete cracked like thin ice.
The man spasmed once.
Twice.
Then the cloaked stranger stepped on his chest, leaned down, and with a single swift pull—ripped the man's jaw clean off.
Varik staggered back, nearly dropping his weapon.
Gavin didn't flinch.
But his breath hitched once—a single, tiny intake of shock he killed immediately.
The stranger dropped the torn jaw like trash. It clattered across the floor, bouncing off Lux's boot. Lux jerked back with a whimper.
"W-what… what are you…?" Lux whispered, trembling so violently he could barely speak.
The cloaked man tilted his head like he was studying an injured animal. "What am I? I'm like you." He tapped his chest lightly. We who were born to inherit the stars but were feared for our strength. We are the true Sunbornes"
Varik's jaw dropped. "You're kidding."
The man ignored him again. His glowing eyes did not leave Lux.
"You've been flaring all over the sector," he continued conversationally. "Clumsy. Untrained. Loud." He stepped forward slowly, boots crunching over frozen blood. "Careless. Like a newborn star screaming into the dark."
Gavin moved with him, staying between Lux and the stranger.
"Stay back," Gavin warned.
The stranger let out a soft laugh. "Oh, sweet boy. You can't stop me. Step aside."
Gavin's expression didn't change. "No."
Lux grabbed Gavin's jacket desperately. "Gavin… it's okay—"
"It's not," Gavin murmured. "Stay behind me."
The cloaked man stopped a few paces away. His posture relaxed, but that made it worse—like a predator so confident it didn't need to bare its teeth.
"I'm not here to hurt you," he said gently to Lux. "In fact, I'm here to take you somewhere safe. Somewhere you won't freeze to death with these two."
Varik bristled. "Hey—"
"Varik." Gavin's tone silenced him instantly.
The man extended a hand toward Lux.
Not a weapon.
Not a threat.
An invitation.
"Come with me, ember. Let me teach you who you are."
Lux's breathing grew uneven. His body trembled with fear, yes—but something else too. Recognition. Heat. A pull he didn't understand.
He stepped forward—
Gavin grabbed his wrist, stopping him.
"No."
Lux looked back at him, scared. "Gavin… he's like me. He knows what I am. What if—"
"He kills people for fun, Lux."
As if to emphasize it, the stranger nudged the patrolman's twitching leg with his boot.
"It wasn't fun," the cloaked man corrected. "It was necessary. He was in my way."
He dropped his hand, his patience thinning.
"Step aside, boy."
"No."
"Then you'll die."
Gavin didn't blink. "Maybe."
Lux felt panic rising in his throat. "Wait—"
Varik moved closer to Lux, lifting the pipe with both hands.
"We're not giving him up," Varik affirmed.
The man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You three really want to do this…"
He lifted his head.
And the air compressed.
Not like Lux's heat.
Not like the Dyrheim's freezing aura.
This was something heavier—denser. A pressure that pushed into their lungs like invisible hands. The floor vibrated beneath their feet. Lux dropped to his knees instantly, gasping for air.
"Gavin—!" he wheezed
Gavin staggered, barely keeping upright.
Varik crumpled to one knee, pipe slipping in his grip.
The cloaked Sunborne's voice deepened, layered with something inhuman. "I'm giving you a chance to live, ember. Don't make me cut down your protectors."
He stepped toward them.
One slow step.
Another.
Another.
Lux reached out through the choking pressure. "Stop—please—"
The man smiled beneath the hood. "Just come with me and—"
A crack split the air.
Not from the ground.
Not from the walls.
From above.
thud.
Someone landed between the boys and the cloaked man in a blur of blue-white motion.
A coat lined with synthetic fur.
Golden sun medals on the chest.
A bright aura radiating off him and with it a deadly heat.
Lux's eyes widened.
Varik stared in disbelief.
The cloaked man straightened, amused.
"Well. That was fast."
Sir Foyd didn't look back at the boys.
He didn't need to.
"By order of House Achrion," he said calmly, voice cold as the blade in his hand, "you will not touch the boy."
The cloaked man's grin widened beneath his hood.
"Ah," he purred, "A dog has joined the hunt."