Kael woke the next morning with the kind of exhaustion that didn't come from lack of sleep, but from the weight of everything that had happened.
A mech soldier.
A stolen artifact.
A terrified boy.
And a battle he shouldn't have survived.
His ribs hurt when he moved. His arms ached. His right shoulder felt strained from the dive he took to knock the mech off balance.
But nothing was broken.
His regeneration, though low, had helped.
Presence of Mind, newly acquired, sat quietly in his consciousness like a calm lake. His thoughts arranged themselves cleanly when he focused. He didn't have to fight panic anymore—not as hard as before.
He appreciated the skill more than anything he had gained so far.
Kael moved through his morning routine quietly. The house felt normal. His parents chatted while making breakfast. The news droned in the background about an "industrial accident" near the river. No mention of a mech soldier. No mention of a stolen artifact. No mention of the boy.
Cover-up.
Someone was hiding the truth.
He shouldn't have been surprised.
Kael walked to school with his backpack slung over one shoulder. The city felt heavier today. Not because of danger — but because he was no longer completely hidden.
The world had seen something.
Even if it didn't know his name.
Not a hero.
But a disturbance.
He arrived at Midtown High expecting chaos — students talking about the explosion, police interviews, something.
Instead?
People whispered normally.
Laughed normally.
Talked about homework and drama and cafeteria food.
Life pretended nothing had happened.
Except for the people watching him.
Not many.
Not obviously.
But Kael felt it.
A man pretending to read a newspaper near the fence.
A woman in a suit talking into an earpiece.
A man in a construction vest who didn't have a vest tan.
A teenager too old to be in this school.
Observers.
Cassandra wasn't the only one anymore.
Kael entered the building, the hum of students swallowing the tension.
Trade Instinct was quiet for most of the day — not dead, but waiting. His teachers gave lessons he barely paid attention to. He kept his head down, didn't speak unless called on, and monitored the subtle changes around him.
He didn't like how many people lingered around Midtown High today.
He didn't like how the air outside felt like someone had put the world on pause and was waiting for him to misstep.
He didn't like how the artifact's presence still tingled faintly in his memory.
He didn't like any of it.
At lunch, something changed.
Trade Instinct pulsed — not like a warning, not like danger — but like a quiet call. Something subtle. Something emotional. Something close.
Kael scanned the cafeteria slowly.
Then he saw him.
The boy from yesterday.
Not the younger boy from the bridge — but the one who stole the artifact.
He sat alone at a back table, head in his hands, shaking slightly. The metal sphere was gone — likely confiscated or hidden — but the fear clinging to him was palpable.
Kael slid into the seat across from him.
The boy jumped. "H–how did you…?"
"I saw you come in," Kael said softly. "You look like you're falling apart."
The boy exhaled shakily. "Why did you help me yesterday? You could've died."
"I wasn't going to let you get blown apart," Kael replied.
The boy ran trembling hands through his hair. "That thing… that orb… I shouldn't have touched it. I didn't mean to steal anything important. I didn't know what it was."
Kael waited.
The boy swallowed. "I heard voices coming from it."
Kael froze.
"Voices?" he repeated quietly.
"Yeah," the boy whispered. "Whispers. Like… like it was calling for something. Or someone."
Kael felt his skin prickle.
Trade Instinct pulsed again.
The boy laughed bitterly. "And now people are following me. Men in suits. Black vans. A drone over my house last night."
Kael leaned in slightly. "What did the voices say?"
The boy shivered. "Only two words. Over and over. 'Find conduit.'"
Kael's breath caught.
The boy wasn't the target.
The orb wasn't meant for him.
It was searching for someone who could hold it safely.
Kael's mind raced — but Presence of Mind kept his thoughts clear.
"What were you doing when it whispered?" Kael asked.
"I was running… I tripped hard on the sidewalk. Scraped my palms pretty bad. And when I grabbed the orb again—right after falling—it burned me. Like it got hot suddenly. That's when it whispered."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "Burned you?"
The boy nodded shakily. "Yeah. I thought I dropped it, but I didn't. My hands were already bleeding and then the orb heated up—I don't know if it reacted to the blood or the pain or just… me."
Kael considered that.
Blood.
Fear.
Contact.
The orb reacted to distress.
Trade Instinct flickered sharply.
A system window blinked.
Trade Opportunity Detected
Value: Emotional distress, secret knowledge, connection to artifact
Potential Reward: Insight, energy resonance, or warning skill
Kael kept his voice calm. "Do you still hear anything from it now?"
The boy shook his head. "No. But… I feel like something's coming."
As if on cue, the cafeteria lights flickered.
For one second, Kael saw static ripple across the windows — like the world had just swallowed a burst of electromagnetic noise.
Students looked up, confused.
But Kael felt something else.
Pressure.
Someone with power had just entered the school.
Not through the front door.
Through reality.
The boy across from Kael froze. His pupils dilated.
"It's here," he whispered.
Kael stood. "Get under the table."
The boy slid down, shaking violently.
Kael scanned the cafeteria.
Students laughed, confused. Teachers frowned upward. No one felt the shift in the air.
No one except Kael.
And someone else.
A shadow fell across the cafeteria windows.
Not a person.
Not a machine.
A shape.
A silhouette with glowing yellow lines running across its form, like circuitry woven into muscle. It hovered just outside the glass, head tilted as if listening to something the rest of the world couldn't hear.
A hunter.
A seeker.
Not human.
Kael didn't know where it came from — DC universe, Marvel, elsewhere — but the way the air bent around it told him everything he needed to know:
It was here for the artifact.
Kael ducked down next to the terrified boy.
"Stay quiet," he whispered. "Do not move."
The creature outside placed a hand against the glass.
The glass hissed — not cracking, but molecularly bending.
Trade Instinct flared violently.
A new trade appeared.
Trade Ready
Offering: Guidance, emotional calm, protection
Receiving Options:
– Intuition Spike (Basic)
– Energy Sensitivity (Minor)
– Warning Pulse (Weak)
– Micro-Focus (Basic)
Kael needed a skill that could help him survive what was about to enter the cafeteria.
Energy Sensitivity could warn him of incoming attacks.
Warning Pulse could detect ambushes or movement.
Intuition Spike could help him choose actions faster.
Micro-Focus could tighten his attention to a single task.
But one stood out.
Warning Pulse.
A danger sensing skill — weak, but real.
Kael chose it.
Trade Complete
Skill Gained: Warning Pulse (Weak)
EXP +25
A ripple of awareness moved through his nerves — like someone gently tapping the back of his skull.
The creature pressed harder.
The glass bent inward.
Warning Pulse fired in Kael's mind.
Danger.
Distance: closing.
Target: artifact-linked presence.
Intent: retrieval.
Collateral acceptance: high.
Kael whispered to the boy. "Where is the orb now?"
"T–t–they took it!" the boy stammered. "Some agents came to my house! They said it was evidence—they took it away!"
Kael froze.
So the orb wasn't even here.
The creature was tracking the boy's connection to it.
Not the object.
The emotional imprint.
Kael grabbed the boy's arm. "We need to move. Now."
The boy nodded quickly.
Kael's mind raced, analyzing the cafeteria layout. He spotted two exits — one to the hallway, one to the kitchens. The hallway would be crowded. Too slow. The kitchen door led to a staff hallway and a delivery exit.
Safer.
Warning Pulse pinged again.
The creature was about to enter.
Kael didn't waste a second.
He grabbed the boy and sprinted toward the kitchen door.
Students reacted too slowly to block him — they just saw a kid running. The creature outside cracked the glass silently, stepping through without shattering it.
A wave of cold air swept into the cafeteria.
Kael shoved the kitchen door open and dragged the boy inside. Behind them, screams erupted from the cafeteria as students finally noticed the thing that wasn't supposed to exist.
Kael slammed the kitchen door shut.
Warning Pulse hit him again — stronger.
It was coming.
Kael moved.
He pulled the boy toward the back exit — but when he turned a corner, he froze.
A woman stood there.
Dressed in a black coat.
Blue eyes sharp as razors.
Hair tied back professionally.
She wasn't a teacher.
She wasn't a parent.
And the badge she held said everything:
S.H.I.E.L.D
Special Observation Division
She looked at Kael as if she had already read his entire life.
"You're coming with me," she said. "Both of you."
The boy tensed. "No—no—please—"
Kael stepped between them without thinking.
"We're not going anywhere until you tell us what's happening."
She exhaled. "I don't have time for this."
Warning Pulse fired like an alarm.
The creature was right behind the cafeteria door.
Seconds away.
Kael scanned the hallway — all metal, tile, and shadows.
He had one thought.
This woman knew what that creature was.
She knew what the orb was.
She knew everything.
And she wanted them alive.
But the creature didn't.
Kael turned his back to her.
"You want to help?" he said quietly. "Then run."
The cafeteria door exploded inward.
The creature stepped through.
The S.H.I.E.L.D agent swore under her breath. "Everyone move."
Kael grabbed the boy's hand.
Traded instincts, signals, alarms — everything shouted the same thing:
This wasn't a fight.
It was a hunt.
And they were the prey.
As they ran through the back exit, Kael felt something inside him shift — like the first domino tipping over in a chain bigger than he could see.
He wasn't just a trader anymore.
He was involved.
In something far larger.
---
KAEL STATUS – END OF CHAPTER 11
Level: 3
EXP: 150 / 300
Physical Stats
Strength: 9
Speed: 10
Endurance: 9
Agility: 9
Durability: 8
Stamina: 13
Regeneration: 3
Mental Stats
Intelligence: 25
Memory: 30
Perception: 19
Willpower: 22
Instinct: 16
Multiversal Awareness: 5
Energy Stats
Energy Capacity: 35
Energy Recovery: 9
Energy Control: Basic
Energy Compatibility: High
New Skill
Warning Pulse (Weak)
– Brief danger sense
– Alerts Kael moments before an attack or threat
– Weak range but reliable
– Helps anticipate movement or malicious intent