Kael moved quickly down the hospital corridor when his eyes caught sight of an open door. It looked like a storage room. Hanging just inside was a black face cap. Without a second thought, he slipped in, grabbed it, and pulled it low over his head. It would help him stay unnoticed as he followed the man in sunglasses.
The man walked cautiously, his steps measured. Kael could tell he wasn't just strolling, he was being careful, maybe even suspicious that someone was following him. Luckily, Kael's old instincts as a soldier kicked in. With his hearing skill, keeping track of the man from a distance was almost too easy.
"Kael! Kael Yorkshire!"
Kael froze and turned sharply. A taxi driver was leaning out of his window, shouting his name like an old friend calling from across the street.
Who the hell is this now? Kael thought, annoyed.
"Come on, man, what's up with you? Where are you going, looking all lost?" the driver yelled, his voice drawing too much attention.
Kael tried to ignore him and keep his eyes on the target, but the driver wouldn't stop. He even started honking his horn, and Kael's irritation flared.
"You should be at the Tiger Claw restaurant! What are you doing here?" the man called again.
Kael's eyes darted to the man in sunglasses, who was now stepping into a public bus. Damn it. He had no money for transport, and this talkative driver seemed to know the former Kael. Without mush deliberation, he rushed toward the taxi and jumped right in.
"What's going on, man?" the driver asked, glancing at him with concern.
"I need a favor. Fast," Kael said, trying to keep calm.
"Alright, shoot," the man replied.
"Follow that bus," Kael ordered, pointing ahead.
The driver blinked, then gave him a look that screamed confusion. "Don't tell me you're tailing a lady? Man, seriously? You're the one who told me your sister's your top priority. I'm already worried since you didn't show up at the restaurant last time I dropped a package there."
He sighed, shaking his head as the taxi rolled forward. "We E-rank hunters barely survive in this economy. Only the higher ranks get the ladies. They're the ones people actually respect."
Kael didn't answer. His eyes were glued to the bus ahead, and his mind tuned into the one sound that mattered. The steady heartbeat of the man in sunglasses.
"Are you even listening to me at all?" his taxi driver friend said again, his voice cutting through the hum of the car engine. But to Kael, it sounded distant, like someone talking underwater. His attention was locked elsewhere. Without even realizing it, his hearing had sharpened beyond normal. The instincts of his past life as an elite soldier were slowly rebuilding this body, strengthening it from the inside out.
"Kael! Kael!" his friend called again.
Kael sighed, rubbing his temple. "Hey dude, I'm right next to you. You don't have to yell," he replied, his tone sharp but calm. His eyes never left the bus ahead of them.
The taxi driver frowned but followed the turn of the bus carefully, keeping a safe distance as they tailed it down a busy street.
"You look... different," his friend said after a pause. "I can tell your focus is on whoever's in that bus. And if I had to guess, you're probably listening to what that person's doing too."
Kael's head turned slightly, his eyes meeting the driver's for a split second before snapping back to the bus. So, he knows about the former Kael's ability... That means they were close.
"You already know, so why are you still talking?" Kael said dryly.
"Sorry," his friend muttered quickly. "I'm just worried about you, man. And your sister too. Last time we talked, you said you hadn't collected your pay yet, and you couldn't take a break or your boss would cut your salary. You're doing all this for Emiko's health, right?"
Kael stayed silent, his jaw tightening.
Just then, the bus up ahead slowed and came to a stop. Kael's eyes sharpened.
"Hit the brakes," he said quietly.
His friend reacted instantly, pressing down on the pedal as the taxi eased to a halt.
"What now?" his friend asked, giving Kael a puzzled look. "Is the girl getting down from the bus?"
Kael turned to him with an expression that screamed disbelief. "What girl?" he replied flatly.
"Never mind," his friend said quickly, raising his hands in surrender.
Just then, the man in sunglasses stepped off the bus and started walking toward a narrow alley. Kael immediately reached for his friend's hand and gave it a firm shake. "Umm…" He paused, eyes darting around the car as if searching for a clue. What was his name again? No luck. "Thanks a lot, man," he said, brushing off the awkward moment. "I'll call you later and explain everything."
Before his friend could say another word, Kael shut the car door and took off after the man.
"Wait a minute…" his friend muttered, watching him go. "Was he trying to remember my name?" He blinked, then laughed out loud. "No way. Kael could never forget my name. Not after giving me those two ridiculous nicknames."
But as the laughter faded, his smile did too. "Still, he's acting weird. Too calm. Too quiet. That's not the Kael I know," he said under his breath. "Normally, he'd talk my ears off until I remind him we've got work to do. Now he's focused like some kind of professional spy."
He sighed and reached for the door handle, ready to follow him, when his phone beeped. A new ride request flashed across the screen.
"Damn it," he muttered, hitting the steering wheel lightly. "You better have a good explanation for all this, Kael."
He threw one last look in the direction Kael had gone, then reversed the taxi and drove off.
Kael trailed the man in sunglasses with quiet precision, every step slow and calculated. The man's movements were careful, almost paranoid, as if he could sense something off. At one point, he suddenly turned around, his sharp gaze scanning the area. Kael reacted fast, ducking behind a crate so quickly that he nearly lost his balance. His heart hammered, but he kept calm, using his enhanced hearing to track the man's footsteps instead of relying on sight.
The man drifted toward the riverside with a slow, steady calm that made Kael's nerves tighten. The dim lights barely touched the shadows, and the air carried that mix of oil, wet wood, and something colder that hinted at danger.
Small boats lined the narrow pier, rocking as if unsettled by his presence. The tide slapped against them in a steady rhythm, too steady, too warning. This wasn't just a riverside anymore.
It felt like the edge of something waiting to break, as if one wrong move would shift the whole night.
It wasn't exactly a clean place as rusty chains, half-torn nets, and old fuel cans littered the shore, but it had the quiet stillness of somewhere forgotten by most people.
Kael's eyes followed the man as he boarded one of the boats that looked slightly better kept than the rest. He listened closely and managed to memorize the lock code the man punched into the door panel before disappearing inside.
Moving like a shadow, Kael crept closer. His steps were soft, his breathing steady. This guy has to be either a D-rank or maybe an E-rank hunter, he thought, crouching behind a pile of fishing crates. Hopefully E-rank. Anything higher and I'll have a real problem.
He glanced at the fading daylight. The man had less than three hours left before he was supposed to confirm his spot for that dungeon raid. I can't just walk up and ask him to hand it over. From what he said to that suit guy, they need him for something specific, maybe his skill set or ability.
Kael clenched his fists, his jaw tight. Damn it, what do I do? This might be my only shot at paying Emiko's hospital bills. I can't lose this chance.
His mind raced, debating every possibility. I'll just restrain him and get the information out of him. That's the only way. If only I had my old body... even as the weakest hunter, I could handle this guy easily.
After a long moment of hesitation, Kael made his move. His ears stayed locked on the man's position, his breathing was calm now, slow, almost like he was taking a nap. Perfect timing.
Kael crept up to the boat, entered the code, and slowly pushed the door open. But just as the latch clicked, a sound hit his ears, one he could never mistake for anything else.
The sound of loading a Shotgun.
On pure instinct, Kael dropped into a crouch.
A deafening blast tore through the door above him, splintering wood and metal in an instant. If he had been a split second slower, his head would have been nothing but a red mess scattered across the dock.