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Jiwoo Seo thinks he might be having a heart attack.
“Oh come on, don’t be dramatic. A mild cardiac arrest never killed anyone.” Kayden grins at him confidently, long hair flaring wildly around him - despite the fact that they’re in an enclosed space. Jiwoo thinks he should probably find it strange but he has learned not to question Kayden’s quirks. He takes a deep breath and steals a glance at the door. It does not go unnoticed.
“It’ll be fun, don’t worry so much. You’re the great Kayden’s apprentice, if anyone gives you any crap I’ll just blast them!” The retort is accompanied by a cocky smirk which Jiwoo finds himself responding to with a smile. He feels a little bit lighter.
On the other side of the door and a few corridors away countless of top rankers feast, mingle and argue with each other, no doubt wondering where the talk of the town is. Said talk of the town is currently standing in front of Jiwoo, fixing his apprentice’s tie with a relaxed grin on his face. He doesn’t look nearly as worried as someone who just defeated another top ten awakener should look.
“There will be hundreds of people wanting to know what happened… “
“What’s there to say? Andrei organized a neat little mob to get rid of me and they failed miserably. Boom, done.”
“You beat someone who had both Astra’s legacy and a tremendous amount of power, I mean don’t get me wrong it’s amazing, you’re amazing, but they’ll wonder-”
“And when they do, we’ll tell them it’s because I’m too great to be beat! I’m the strongest awakened one in the world, and you, Jiwoo?” At this he winks at Jiwoo and straightens his back to look respectable. He opens his hands in a wide gesture, twirling around Jiwoo playfully.
“You're my apprentice.”
Despite the nerves and the endless worry, Jiwoo finds himself giggling at Kayden’s ridiculous mannerisms. It’s true, after all, no matter what kind of questions and threats are thrown their way they will always have each other’s backs.
It has been a month since Kayden Break defeated Andrei. It didn't take long for the news to spread all over the awakened world, wreaking both despair and admiration in its wake. It didn’t come as a surprise when one of the top ten called a huge gathering, inviting the world’s top hundred awakeners to show up and exchange information.
“They call it a gathering but it’s most definitely more like a ball. A bunch of powerful people show up in fancy dresses and talk for hours, it’s exhausting.” Kartein told Jiwoo when the invites arrived.
“Why did I get an invitation? I’m not in the top one hundred.”
“No, but you’re Kayden’s apprentice. The ball has no doubt been called just to discuss Kayden’s newfound position as an official top ten ranker. They’ll want to test you, see if you can give as good as you get.” Kartein had said it almost dismissively, as if it was a clarity. Jiwoo remembers almost passing out right then and there.
A few weeks later, standing in front of Kayden in their room, preparing to enter a huge hall full of both familiar awakeners as well as ones he has never even heard of before, he feels like he’s about to shit himself. Kayden is clearly feeling a lot more relaxed as he practically prances around the room, sometimes enticing Jiwoo to join him in his enjoyment.
“It is nice that you’ll finally be getting the recognition you deserve!” Seeing his mentor happy is improving Jiwoo’s mood drastically by the second. He may be slightly intimidated about what’s about to come their way but Kayden is clearly enjoying himself. Jiwoo lets himself smile a bit as he watches his mentor. Perhaps he’ll make some new friends, Kartein did say that everyone would be keen to talk.
“Will Kartein and Pluto be there as well? They’re top one hundred, right?”
“They are, but none of them care particularly for festivities. Kartein might show up to flaunt his wealth, though, and Pluto to keep an eye on other strong defenders.” Kayden wrinkles his nose as he keeps talking.
“Truthfully I usually wouldn’t bother showing up to something like this either, but considering that we are the main stars of the evening…” Jiwoo giggles at Kayden's annoyed tone, amused by his mentor. Kayden truly mostly cares about fighting so it makes sense for him to find this kind of thing unnecessary.
“Well then, my liege, shall we head out?” Kayden places a gentle hand on Jiwoo’s head, messing up his carefully arranged hair.
“Kayden!” Jiwoo allows himself this small moment of childishness, squirming as Kayden ruffles his hair and traps him in a headlock.
It’s intimidating.
Jiwoo can feel his hands shake as they approach the huge open doors at the end of the white, decorated corridor. Sounds can be heard, the harsh noise of plates and a heavy rumble as a hundred voices melt into one. The corridor they’re in is empty, only a few of the personnel and some late arrivals hurry by them as they slowly approach. Jiwoo doesn’t notice that he subconsciously has slowed down until Kayden gives him a gentle push on the back, encouraging him forward. Jiwoo looks up at Kayden right before they enter. Kayden gives him a simple smile and nod but Jiwoo knows what the look on his face really means. ‘I’m proud of you’, it says.
In the middle of the room there is a huge chandelier. It’s gorgeous, with thousands of small diamonds attached to it in a beautiful array of colors. Jiwoo feels his breath being stolen as he stares at the chandelier, completely blocking out everything else around him. He doesn’t think he has ever seen anything as beautiful-
“Jiwoo.” It’s a gentle hand on his shoulder that awakens him from his trance.
He blinks and lets the chandelier hanging from the ceiling fade from focus. Instead he directs his gaze to the vast floor opening up beneath them. There is a large staircase, Jiwoo and Kayden at the very top, leading down to the huge decorated hall. The dozens of bodies downstairs almost seem to move as one, like a rhythm or a living organism. Some of them stop in the middle of the steady flow to stare up at them. Jiwoo can feel the lump lodged in his throat grow along with his discomfort. Increasingly more people stop and turn their faces in their direction. The creature that is the living and breathing crowd turns its head. To his relief, Jiwoo can tell that they’re not really looking at him. They’re all turning around to catch a glance at Kayden.
Kayden Break stands proudly at the top of the stairs. His arms are crossed cockily as he smirks down at the people looking up at him. With his hair tied up messily and his tie loosely around his neck, Kayden is a pure depiction of pride at its finest. Jiwoo finds himself mirroring his expression with a smaller smile on his own face. It’s calming to see Kayden so relaxed, it makes Jiwoo feel like the situation is under control.
“Kayden Break!” One of the staff says the name loudly and steadily, announcing the new arrival. Jiwoo watches as the last ones who still hadn’t caught on to Kayden turn. There is a steady murmur growing as people turn to each other and whisper. Jiwoo can see it in their eyes, the hatred and fear. He turns to Kayden, still a slight smile on his face albeit a little confused now. He understands that Kayden is a big name in the awakened world, a powerful and - for the lack of a better term - ambitious awakened one. But Kayden isn’t unreasonable nor is he truly dangerous to those who don’t deserve it.
‘They just don’t understand him yet, that’s all,’ he thinks to himself,’once they see his passion and drive they won’t be so terrified of him anymore’. Although he does wonder to himself whether Kayden prefers them terrified. It’s probably harder to fight someone who has prepared extensively due to fear, and Kayden does love a good fight. He snickers quietly to himself at the thought. His expression changes when he sees Kayden frown to his left.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Kayden directs the question at the butler but with how quiet the hall has gotten, it flings through the air and echoes in the room.
“E-Excuse me?” The butler takes a step back and Jiwoo can tell he’s shaking lightly. He wishes he could tell him to calm down, the situation is not dangerous, but quite frankly he has no idea why Kayden is bothered in the first place.
“Well I’m not arriving alone, am I?” As Kayden says it he takes a step closer to Jiwoo, placing a steady hand on his shoulder. Jiwoo feels his face slightly redden as all faces turn to look at him, the butler included.
“Ah yes, Of course, I apologise. Kayden Break accompanied by his apprentice, Jiwoo Seo!”
The butler backs away quickly after the announcement, clearly making a quick escape. Jiwoo would probably feel a bit bad for him if he wasn’t busy trying to keep himself from looking like a tomato. ‘I’m Kayden’s apprentice, I have to look the part!’
“Let’s head downstairs, shall we?” Kayden gently removes his hand from Jiwoo’s shoulder after giving him an encouraging pat. Kayden takes the first steps down the stairs and Jiwoo follows after him, keeping his face turned up and arms relaxed by his side. The eyes keep staring at him intently, looking through him rather than at him. He tries again to swallow the lump in his throat but it stubbornly remains.
“Kayden Break! Long time no see.” Veramonte Patrick greets them at the bottom of the stairs. Jurion Patrick stands beside him, dressed in a familiar beige suit. It comes as a surprise to Jiwoo that he’s actually glad to see him, despite everything that has happened between them since they met. Veramonte’s grandson however is glaringly absent.
“Yes, quite a while huh?” Kayden flashes a toothy grin and Jiwoo knows that whatever is going to come out of his mouth next will probably cause problems.
“Last time we met, my apprentice was beating the shit out of your grandson!” Kayden exclaims it loudly, gloating and proud as he claps Veramonte’s back hard, clearly intentionally. Veramonte looks anything other than pleased, a sentiment shared by most awakened others around him. Tense looks are shared as people seem to almost gather around them, eager to hear the exchange continue.
“Yes. Your apprentice was certainly… something.” As Veramonte says it, his eyes trail to Jiwoo with a look of interest. It’s not strictly unpleasant but certainly not uncomfortable either. It’s almost as if he’s analyzing Jiwoo, dissecting him bit by bit.
“Hello, sir!” At Jiwoo’s greeting, the strange look fades away and Veramonte gives him a smile and an acknowledging nod.
“Well, as nice as this has been, we’ve other things to attend to. If you’ll excuse us.” Kayden struts away without giving Veramonte a chance to respond. Jiwoo moves to follow him, smiling awkwardly at Veramonte.
“Jiwoo Seo.” Jurion Patrick steps forward from where he has been standing behind Veramonte.
“Jurion! It’s good to see you.” Jiwoo stays to greet Jurion, a small voice in his head reminding him that Kayden is already quite far away. Kayden wouldn’t leave him alone, not without warning him first, but he most definitely would walk quite far before realizing Jiwoo has disappeared somewhere.
“It’s good to see you too. I have something to tell you though.” Jiwoo didn’t notice before but something has shaken Jurion Patrick's well kept exterior. Nothing is physically out of order but there is a slightly nervous look in his eyes - no, not nervosity, rather uncertainty.
“What is it?”
“I’ve heard whispers, Jiwoo Seo. You can never know with rumours how true they are, but keep your guard up.”
Something in the way he leans his head down to talk makes Jiwoo nervous. Jurion is not playing a trick on him. Something is most definitely going to happen tonight.
“Thank you, I will.” He makes sure to stay polite. He hopes no one can tell how rattled he has become by the strange warning. He gives a small bow before hurrying after Kayden. He hopes it doesn’t look like he’s running after his mentor even though he most definitely is.
“I don’t really know about getting stronger but you’ve definitely gained something.”
“Last time we met you ran away like a rat. Feeling braver this time around?”
“I would say I’m surprised to see you but I don’t imagine you would have somewhere better to be.”
“Calm down, I didn’t piss in your cereal now did I! Although considering your hat's unique colour you might want to check with your dog.”
Jiwoo Seo didn’t think it was possible to offend a room of a hundred people within the span of an hour. Kayden lives to contradict all beliefs.
They’ve been walking around for just about an hour and in the approximately thirty discussions they’ve had so far, Kayden has aggravated just about 90% of them to end in a fight. It’s a wonder that no one has resorted to awakened powers yet. They did get one very ominous threat from one of the awakened ones though. Something about ‘the time of judgement’ coming soon.
“Kayden Break in the flesh.” Another person steps up and Jiwoo waits for the cutting comment no doubt coming from Kayden. He is surprised when all that greets him from his left is silence. He looks up at Kayden, bewildered by his sudden silence, and sees his mentor looking focused. Jiwoo immediately straightens his back and makes himself presentable. Anyone who can inspire even a smidge of something other than disrespect from his mentor should be taken seriously. Then again, Kayden definitely doesn’t respect the man. His eyes show distrust and maybe even a little bit disgust.
“You.”
The man shows his teeth in a parody of a smile.
“Me.”
Kayden and the stranger size each other up. Around them awakened ones start to shift, almost squirming away from the scene. It doesn’t seem like anyone wants to be around the man.
“I’ve been trying to get in a word with you but it seems like you’ve been busy.” The man almost stalks around them but Kayden doesn’t lose his composure. He merely straightens his posture and fixes his eyes in a glare.
“It seems we’re in popular demand tonight.”
“Yes, it seems you are. I see you brought your dog too.”
For a second Kayden looks confused before his posture tightens and his entire demeanor changes. He doesn’t look relaxed anymore, he looks dangerous. The floor around them is suspiciously empty, everyone else keeping at least a ten meter distance, although following with keen eyes from where they’re hiding.
“Excuse me?”
“You know. Your new dog.” The man nods his head in Jiwoo’s direction without looking at him. Jiwoo feels his neck redden in embarrassment as the man refuses to even acknowledge his presence. Someone snickers in the crowd and Jiwoo can feel how hot his face is getting. He instinctively wants to hide his face behind his hair but the gesture would be a sign of compliance.
“Are you looking for a fight?” Kayden sounds mad in a way that Jiwoo has seldom heard before.
“Not particularly. I’d like to speak to you though.” Kayden smiles but it’s vicious. He cracks his knuckles and takes a heavy step towards the man.
“And what the hell makes you think I’d like to talk with you eh?”
“I think you’ll find I have something very interesting to tell you.” The smarmy smile is back, although the man doesn’t seem relaxed anymore.
“Let me hear it then. Otherwise I might beat it out of you.”
“Not with him here. It’s confidential.” Perhaps the man attempts to make Jiwoo feel uncomfortable by not mentioning him by name but Jiwoo is just relieved to not be called a dog anymore. The name brings some unwelcome memories about.
Monster.
“Well, I’m certainly not sending him away just because of a bastard like you.”
“Kayden, it’s okay.” The man looks at him, shocked. Jiwoo thinks it might be the first time he has directly acknowledged Jiwoo’s existence. He quickly looks away again. Kayden just looks down at his apprentice, displeased but entirely unsurprised.
“You really don’t have to leave just because of this piece of shit.” Despite the recent humiliation, still somewhat hot on his face, he feels a more comfortable kind of warmth bubble up at the look Kayden gives him. His mentor genuinely thinks that Jiwoo should be privy to any information Kayden hears.
“I know, but I’ve been shadowing you all evening. I should probably try to talk to some people myself as well. Kartein said this would be a good opportunity to get to know people.”
Jiwoo tells himself he is not fleeing the situation. He most definitely is. He thinks he saw someone faintly familiar at one of the snack tables, so maybe he will head over there. He nods to Kayden, more for himself than his mentor, and turns around to disappear into the crowd. People don’t stare at him as he hurries by, their eyes enraptured by the two intimidating awakened ones in the middle of the room. Anything is better than standing there, trying to keep his calm as he is once again called inhuman.
Jiwoo takes a deep breath of relief when he arrives at the huge table of snacks. With people crowding around the scene with Kayden and the stranger, everyone has left the food table alone. Jiwoo takes a quick look at the wide variety of food and realizes that he doesn’t recognise a single dish on the table. He thinks one of them might be squid? But then again it’s been put on the same plate as some very exotic looking fruit so it wouldn’t make sense for it to be meat…
“We meet again, Jiwoo Seo.” Jiwoo turns around at the sound of the familiar voice. A very familiar man greets him with a smile when they make eye contact.
“Muse! It’s been so long, how are you?”
“I’m well, thank you. Supri Baster has been rather stressed as of late but other than that everything has been rather smooth sailing.”
“That’s right, the ordeal with Andrei is probably very stressful…” Jiwoo feels the need to apologize even if he nor his mentor have done anything wrong. Yes, Kayden has probably given a lot of aneurysms to ten rankers lately, but Andrei was the one who started it. Kayden was within his full rights to defend himself. Jiwoo’s dilemma must show on his face because Muse immediately moves to reassure him with a professional pat on the back before changing the subject.
“It’s alright, it’s a complicated situation. Are you planning on eating something?”
“I was but I can’t seem to recognise anything on the table.”
Muse chuckles at the complicated emotions flashing on Jiwoo’s face as he tries to figure out what ingredients are in each dish.
“What if we just try a bunch of them? We can guess what’s in each dish.”
Jiwoo smiles brightly at Muse who can’t help returning it. It’s been a while since Muse talked with Jiwoo Seo last but he’s still as pleasant as last time.
“That sounds like a lot of fun! But aren’t you busy?”
“Not really. Supri handles most of the official business, I’m just kind of here to represent our image, I suppose.”
“What are we waiting for then?”
Kayden watches with a frown as Jiwoo rushes out of the situation and into the tight crowd. He feels a wave of discomfort at the fact that Jiwoo has been chased away by this utter… Fucker, really. All night he has made sure to keep Jiwoo within an arm's length so that nothing will happen. Kayden knows what kind of crowd the top one hundred is and he doesn’t trust them around Jiwoo. It’s not that he thinks that his apprentice can’t defend himself, it’s that he shouldn’t need to. Not when Kayden’s with him.
So it really makes his blood boil that this utter asshole was able to discomfort Jiwoo enough to make him leave. Now he watches Jiwoo skitter away and he doesn’t blame him. If Kayden could leave this uncomfortable discussion with the asshat currently smirking at Kayden he would. Unfortunately he has a reputation to uphold. It’s not even that he’s scared of the bastard, he could crush him with one hand, but it’s a matter of pride. Someone has offended him and he’ll stand his ground.
Kayden turns his cunning glare back to the man when he hears a mean chuckle from his left. The man is grinning, the same irritating smile that’s been on his face since they started ‘talking’.
“Your dog got scared-”
“You shut your fucking mouth before I crush your jaw. You won’t need it to talk shit after I’m done with you.” Kayden is aware that most of the room is listening to him but he doesn’t care. It’s good, actually, makes it clear that Kayden and especially his apprentice aren’t to be fucked with. He hopes Jiwoo can hear it from wherever he’s gone.
“Someone’s feisty.” The other man tries to keep up the facade of calmness but Kayden can see it cracking. He’s nervous, sweating and keeping his hands behind his back to hide their shaking. Kayden lets himself flash another smirk, mean and sharp. He places a hand on the man’s shoulder and squeezes tight. He can feel him tense up and sees the man’s smile fall for a second.
“What did you want to tell me then?” It seems that the words awaken something forgotten within the man, as his face hardens and the glint in his eyes becomes mean once again.
“That’s right, I had something to tell you, didn’t I?”
The man takes a few steps back, correcting his posture and standing in a very obtuse pose. It makes Kayden want to punch him. He clears his throat and opens his arms wide, gesturing to the entire room.
“Isn’t it scary to know that not a single person in this room would hesitate twice to kill you?” Kayden shrugs, wondering where the bastard’s going with this. He knows he’s not the most well liked awakened one and he doesn’t particularly care.
“I see it on your face, you know. You don’t think you have to care. You think you’re above us. I think it’s a good time you got a reminder you’re not.”
The man’s hands, still spread out to the crowd, come together in a clap. Kayden can sense the spatial isolation gathering around him before he can see it. He is well aware he could shake his hands a bit and dispel it but he doesn’t feel particularly compelled to. He’s interested to see where this is going.
Around them the crowd has now erupted in loud whispers and many awakeners are taking defensive positions. The usage of power is strictly forbidden at the ball but it’s not like there’s someone stronger around to keep everyone in check. The man is laughing maniacally, clearly under the impression that he has done something. Kayden is more confused than anything. It would only take him a few seconds to break the shield containing him and his momentary entrapper has to know that, so what is the point?
“You have to understand your place, Kayden. You might be in the top ten but you’re not invincible.” The man’s voice booms through the now silent room. Every eye is following them and Kayden has to try to suffocate a laugh because he is so confused.
“Are you going somewhere with this or are you just talking out of your ass?” Kayden couldn’t keep the laugh out of his voice if he tried. This entire situation is like something out of a fever dream. This man is somewhere in the lower middle 50-ranks and utterly unremarkable. The only reason he didn’t immediately insult him when he showed up was because they have history. When Kayden, still young and inexperienced, started climbing the ranks, this man was one of the first ones he fought.
The man had already been in the top fifty at that point and although Kayden won, he had been struck by the man’s needless verbal cruelty even back then. When the familiar man had approached Kayden and his apprentice, Kayden’s first thought had been to avoid Jiwoo being subjected to the man’s viciousness but unfortunately it seems like he has a lot to say.
“You don’t understand but you will. You’re strong, Kayden, and you think that means no one can hurt you. For now, that might be right.” All the man has done this far is stroke his ego.
“Did you trap me here just to hear you obsess over me?” Kayden smirks and throws in a wink just to piss him off. He can tell it works as the man becomes increasingly redder.
“I meant it when I said I’m not the only one who wants you dead. I have some friends in high places, Kayden.”
“That must be nice. It's a shame you can’t be in a higher place than me.”
Kayden makes a show of tapping the thin isolation. His knocks shake the isolation and vibrate through the membrane down to the ground. The floor beats slightly in the rhythm of his knocks. It’s a very unnecessary show of power and Kayden can’t really get himself to feel bad about it. This bastard better keep the entertainment up, the second this exchange gets boring he’s being blasted into the other side of the sun.
“Now is the time for judgement and understanding, you-”
“Boring! Skip to the good part!”
The man just shakes his head, clearly trying to keep his wits about him. He is turning redder by the minute but he almost looks determined now. Maybe they’re finally going to get somewhere.
“I’m friends with a very particular family, Kayden. Does the last name Doe sound familiar to you?”
Kayden thinks about it. He thinks very hard. He remembers once crushing someone by that name, someone who's awakened power was… Speed.
“Maybe. What’s it to you?” Kayden knows better than to entertain the knowledge that some random quick guy could harm him, even if he was restrained by force isolation.
“I see that look on your face. You still think nothing can hurt you. Let me tell you something, Kayden Break.” The man grins and a very uncomfortable feeling washes over Kayden. He’s not in danger but something is definitely wrong. Automatically he can feel his gaze drawn into the intensive crowd, looking for one face in particular-
“I can’t get rid of you, Kayden. But I can assure that this world won’t have to deal with what you leave behind.”
“What do you think of this one then? I thought it would be fish for sure but it tastes like some kind of… berries, maybe?” Jiwoo asks as he takes another bite of the mush on the plate. Muse shakes his head slightly, although the passion in his eyes tells a completely different story.
“I know this taste, it’s a very particular kind of seaweed.”
Jiwoo and Muse have tasted and analyzed at least six dishes by the point they get to the weird berry-weed-fish. For every dish the awkward tension between them has melted away, leaving a warm and comfortable atmosphere. By the sixth dish they’re completely emerged in tasting, discussing and arguing like old friends. It feels like they’ve known for years as they sit at that table. At least until the shouting from the other side of the room becomes loud enough to break their bubble.
“Boring! Skip to the good part!” Jiwoo turns his head around toward the distant shout.
“Was that Kayden?” Muse looks as confused as Jiwoo feels. He would have thought that Kayden would have moved on to more interesting conversations by this point. ‘Is he still talking with that unpleasant man from earlier?’
“It’s definitely Kayden… I should go check that he’s alright.” Jiwoo stands up from where he’s sitting and is pleasantly surprised when Muse stands up with him.
“I’ll come with you. This sounds like it could be serious.”
They fight their way through the crowd, trying to slither past all the gawking awakened ones. No one spares them a glance as all eyes are glued to the increasingly louder display between Kayden and the man.
“Let me tell you something, Kayden Break.” The crowd is frozen. Jiwoo and Muse have moved into the front row and Jiwoo gasps when he sees that Kayden is trapped. He is just about to move to do - something, he doesn’t know what yet but he’ll figure it out-
“Don’t, Jiwoo. There is no need to worry, Kayden can break out of there any time he likes.” Muse whispers, stopping Jiwoo.
“You really think so?” Jiwoo asks and takes a closer look at the situation, seeing the almost impatient look on Kayden’s face. He hasn’t even bothered to take a defensive position, something that a lot of awakeners in the crowd have done.
“That guy’s just a fifty-something, he couldn’t trap Kayden and everyone knows it.”
“Then what’s he doing?” Jiwoo is calmed but still not completely relaxed. Something is going on, Jurion was right. Now they just have to figure out what’s happening-
“I can’t get rid of you, Kayden. But I can assure that this world won’t have to deal with what you leave behind.”
Something moves in the corner of his eye -he moves to see it better but it flashes by too quickly. He doesn’t have time to blink or move his eyes but it’s getting closer and Jiwoo knows it’s there but he can’t move in time he has to move he has to move he has to move-
Kayden Break stands in shock, unable to move as he sees an arm impale Jiwoo’s chest somewhere above his stomach. He hadn’t even seen the attacker move and as he moves to break out of the bubble, the name from earlier returns to his mind.
‘Doe is one of the fastest awakened families in the world… Coincidentally also one I crushed’ Kayden realizes as the spatial isolation around him breaks like fragile glass. The puzzle is clear in his head now that he has all the pieces. The spatial isolation was never meant to contain nor hurt him, only distract and slow him down so he couldn’t defend his apprentice in time. He feels ice cold and everything around him seems to move in slow motion. Every detail from the horrible scene is imprinted in his mind even as he moves to save his apprentice, save Jiwoo.
“Get away from him!” Surprisingly Muse is one of the first people to react, trying to land a strike on Jiwoo’s attacker who dodges and jumps a distance away.
“It’s too late, Kayden Break’s apprentice is no more!” The woman, someone he now recognises as the Doe family’s only daughter, cheers mockingly as she waves her bloodied hand. Kayden wishes she would just shut up. He feels cold inside, watches Jiwoo’s blood flow down to the floor from where Muse is holding him up. He knows that she will have gone for his heart, which probably lies mushed inside his apprentice’s crushed rib cage. Around them people gasp, some in ecstasy over the turn of events and others in horror. All sounds ring silent in Kayden’s head as he lets his gaze go from Jiwoo to the floor to the woman and back to Jiwoo again. Jiwoo Seo looks so unbearably cold, Kayden should have gotten him a jacket. Surely there’s a jacket here somewhere, but the woman won’t stop laughing-
Kayden doesn’t really know what’s happening. One second he’s listening to the screechy laughter of Jiwoo’s killer and the second her head is splattered on the floor. She didn’t have time to scream but Kayden could see her eyes roll back after a brief look of absolute horror on her face. Kayden takes a closer look at the wet matter on the floor where her head should be, finds his own boot planted right in the middle of it. How strange. He stomps down harder, completely destroying all traces of human substance on the floor. He justifies it by telling himself that Jiwoo should not be subjected to such a grotesque sight- except no, that’s not right, Jiwoo won’t see it anyway but why? It’s at the tip of his tongue…
A man from the crowd cries out in terror and loss. Kayden, now unburdened by the spatial isolation that used to be around him, raises his hand in time to catch the fist of Petrey Doe, father of the deceased woman on the floor. There are tears streaming down his face as he avoids looking at the remains of his daughter. Good. He should feel that kind of pain, the pain Kayden knows is mirrored on his own face. In fact, it hurts so much that he should probably put this poor father out of his misery, in fact, the whole family-
“Kayden, don’t!”
The familiar voice of Jiwoo Seo snaps Kayden out of the angry haze clouding his vision. He looks to where his apprentice was last, dead, dead, dead-
Except Jiwoo is still very much alive. He’s bleeding onto the floor, holding his stomach to keep his insides from spilling out, but his eyes are mostly clear and he has a concerned look on his face.
“I’m fine, Kayden, so don’t worry…” Even as he says it, there’s blood dripping from his mouth. He tries to take a step closer to Kayden but immediately falters, causing Muse to come to his rescue once again. Jiwoo is alive. Kayden had been so sure that the woman had managed to get to his heart and crush it in her grip.
“I-I dodged. Not completely, she was too fast, but I think I managed to derail her attack…”
Suddenly it makes so much sense. Of course Jiwoo Seo would dodge her on time, he’s Kayden Break’s apprentice with a speed unmatched…
“Please don’t kill anyone, Kayden.” Jiwoo manages to make his voice stable despite the gore dripping from his frame. It just makes Kayden angrier, thirstier for the blood of the ones who orchestrated this. It almost worked, if Jiwoo wasn’t as quick to react as he was then his heart would have been crushed and what then?
Would Kayden have gone back to Jiwoo’s house without him? Would he have kept feeding the cats in an empty apartment, sometimes turning to speak to someone who was no longer there? How long would he have kept living in that house which was no longer a home?
He doesn’t want to consider it. He doesn’t want to think about it at all.
“Are you going to be fine until we get to Kartein?” Kayden pushes his thoughts aside as he carefully takes Jiwoo from Muse’s grip and into his own. He keeps his hands gentle as he guides Jiwoo into a comfortable carry on his back. He gives a brief nod of acknowledgement to Muse, making a mental note to thank him for the support he has shown Jiwoo after this has blown over.
Jiwoo feels weak like a kitten on his back. Kayden Break can feel his shirt get drenched in Jiwoo’s blood and decides to get away from this place as fast as possible. Kartein will probably be home sleeping on the couch, he has to get Jiwoo there as fast as possible. He doesn’t look behind himself as he leaps out of the nearest window into the night. Jiwoo feels too still on his back, but he’ll be alright. Jiwoo is a tough kid. It doesn’t stop him from worrying however.
“Kayden… Thank you.”
“For what?”
“You took me along. I had fun…”
Kayden swallows the lump in his throat. Jiwoo cuddles up to his back from where he’s being carried. Kayden wishes he had a hand free that he could pat Jiwoo’s head with but he settles for an encouraging nod.
Thank god this evening will be behind them soon.