Kai lay on the cold ground, his body refusing to move, every breath heavy and painful. The world around him felt distant—blurred at the edges.
A few feet away, Axel didn't move.
"…Axel…" Kai whispered again, weaker this time.
No answer.
Something inside Kai snapped.
A sudden rush of anger surged through him—raw, uncontrollable. Not just anger… something deeper. Fear. Guilt. Frustration. Everything he had been holding back.
Zara's voice echoed in his mind.
"Then explain!"
Axel's voice followed.
"Running around at night isn't gonna fix what you broke."
Kai's fingers dug into the ground.
"Shut up…" he muttered, his voice trembling.
The pressure inside him kept building.
"You don't get it…" he growled, louder now.
His body shook as he forced himself up, inch by inch, ignoring the pain screaming through him.
"I'm not… weak…"
His voice cracked—
Then he screamed.
A loud, raw scream that echoed through the alley.
"AAAHHHH!!"
For a split second, everything went still.
Then—
A faint red glow flickered in his eyes.
Kai froze.
"…What?"
He looked at his hands.
There it was again.
That energy.
Weak… unstable… but real.
"My powers…" he whispered.
The device.
It was supposed to shut them down for fifty minutes.
But something was breaking through.
Not fully.
Just enough.
Kai clenched his fists, focusing. The red glow in his eyes grew slightly stronger, pulsing like it was fighting to exist.
Pain shot through his body—but this time, he pushed through it.
"I don't care if it's weak…" he said through gritted teeth. "It's enough."
He turned toward Axel.
Still down.
Still not moving.
Kai's expression hardened.
"Just hold on…" he said quietly.
Then—
Footsteps.
Slow. Calm.
The Dragon member was back.
"Well," she said, stepping into the alley again, "I wanted to see if you survived."
She stopped when she saw him standing.
Her eyes narrowed.
"That's… impossible."
Kai lifted his head slowly, his glowing eyes locking onto hers.
"Yeah…" he said, his voice low. "You talk too much."
The glow intensified slightly.
Not full power.
But not gone either.
The woman frowned, gripping the device tighter. "That shouldn't be happening."
Kai took a step forward.
Unsteady—but determined.
"Guess your little toy isn't perfect."
She didn't respond.
She attacked.
Fast.
Kai reacted just in time, barely dodging. He wasn't as fast as before—but he was faster than a normal person now.
Enough to fight.
Their movements clashed in the narrow alley—her enhanced strength against his unstable, returning power.
Kai landed a hit.
Not strong.
But it connected.
She stepped back, surprised.
"…So it's true," she muttered. "You're forcing your power back."
Kai didn't answer.
He just kept moving.
Each step hurt.
Each movement drained him.
But he didn't stop.
Because this time—
He wasn't fighting just to win.
He was fighting to protect.
To fix what he could.
Behind him, Axel let out a faint groan.
Still alive.
That was all Kai needed.
The red glow in his eyes flickered again.
Stronger this time.
Not full power.
Not even close.
But it was growing.
And so was his determination.
This fight wasn't over.
Not yet.