"Show-off," Nadya called out, her tone casual, almost too casual for someone who'd just watched her companion brutally butcher fifteen armed mercenaries.

She stood on the bridge above, arms crossed, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. But even from that distance, her eyes flicked briefly toward the carnage below - the blood-slick floor, the twisted limbs, the lingering scent of gunpowder and iron that clung to the air like a curse.

Kai looked up at her and grinned, that same wicked, unbothered grin that sent chills crawling up even Nadya's spine. He raised a hand and gave a lazy salute. "Hey, you said I could let loose."

His boots splashed through puddles of crimson as he stepped over a fallen mercenary, one of the few still twitching from shock. Kai's pulse was still roaring, blood still hot, still singing under his skin. Ever since he'd stopped trying to suppress it - the hunger, the thrill - it felt easier. Purer.

He tilted his head back slightly, breathing in the copper-stained air. For once, he admitted it to himself. 'It just feels right.'

But while Kai stood there, basking in that violent calm, the others watched in uneasy silence.

Amina and Lenny exchanged a nervous glance from above. The two of them had seen plenty of things - horrors, monsters, battles - but this? This was different. There was no anger, no struggle. Just… effortless killing.

Amina's voice was quiet. "He didn't even hesitate…"

Lenny swallowed, eyes fixed on Kai's back. "Yeah. It's like… he enjoys it."

She didn't answer, but she didn't deny it either.

They'd always known Kai was dangerous, that there was something inside him that wasn't ordinary. But moments like this made them question - was he really a good person? Sometimes he showed kindness, helped strangers, and even risked himself for others. Then, other times, he'd turn into this - a red-eyed monster who moved like death incarnate.

Amina's hands trembled slightly before she forced them still. 'Maybe this is just what the world made him into.'

Nadya, though used to violence herself, couldn't quite shake the chill either. She remembered Dominique - how Kai had lost control, how he'd torn through that fight club like it was a playground. This was the same look, the same calm after a storm of blood. She might have no problem cracking skulls when someone deserved it, but there was still a line between enjoying the fight and living for it.

Kai had long since crossed that line.

She blew out a slow breath. "I'm just glad I'm on his side," she muttered.

And she meant it.

She turned to the two youths, who nodded their heads in agreement.

There was no point in dwelling on the paradox of good and evil.

As such, Nadya leapt from the bridge, her coat fluttering like black flame. As she neared the ground, she thrust her palms downward - mini explosions burst from her hands, slowing her descent with bursts of smoke and heat until she landed lightly, dust kicking up around her.

Amina blinked. "Now you're showing off," she murmured.

Nadya just gave her a wink, as she waited for them to follow suit.

Amina turned to Lenny, who had already hunched over, signalling for her to climb onto his back. In his human form, he barely reached her height. She raised an eyebrow. "You sure you can handle this like that?"

Lenny rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uh… I think so?"

Amina gave him a doubtful look. "That's not reassuring."

Before she could say more, Lenny crouched lower, gesturing for her to climb on. "Just hold tight, okay?"

"Lenny-"

Too late. She yelped as he jumped clean off the bridge.

The air howled past them, her scream swallowed by the rush of wind. Lenny's feet hit the concrete hard, the ground cracking beneath him. The impact sent a shock through his legs that rattled his bones, but somehow, he stayed upright.

It was the first time he had felt something close to pain - well, physical pain - since he had mutated.

He blinked. "Whoa… that actually worked. Are you okay?"

Amina clung to him, heart pounding. "That's what I should be asking - are you okay?" She climbed off quickly, face slightly flushed. "You just dropped, like… thirty metres!"

"Oh, it's nothing," Lenny said with a sheepish grin, trying to act cool even though his knees were still shaking.

Before the moment could get any more awkward, Nadya's voice cut through the air like a whip. "Hey, you two lovebirds, move it!" She shot Lenny a glare that could melt steel. "You better not get any ideas."

Lenny's face turned bright red. "Wh-what? No! Of course not!"

Amina sighed, exasperated.

Together, the three made their way through the shattered port until they found Kai. He was standing in the middle of the carnage, surrounded by the broken, blood-soaked bodies of the mercenaries. His shirt was splattered crimson, his breathing calm - like he'd just finished a morning jog rather than a massacre.

Lenny tried not to stare. Amina failed miserably.

"Should we, uh… say something?" she whispered.

"Probably not," Nadya muttered. "He might still be in his murder zen."

Kai glanced at them as they approached, eyes still faintly glowing red. "You all done playing around up there?"

Nadya smirked. "Yeah, we didn't want to interrupt your… art project."

He gave a dry chuckle. "Should we go see this friend of yours then?"

Nadya nodded, brushing past him as she motioned toward the office deeper in the port. The two-story structure stood half-hidden behind stacks of containers, windows dark, metal door slightly ajar.

"What kind of mutant is he? And the guy with him?" Kai asked, his tone calm but eyes sharp. His body language was confident - too confident. Whatever waited inside, he didn't expect it to be much of a threat.

Nadya shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know. I don't even remember him having a mutant friend."

That made Kai pause.

Still, he didn't slow down. "Most mutants are low or mid-tier anyway. We can handle it."

He rolled his shoulders, stretching his neck until it popped, and started toward the office, each step echoing on the metal floor. Nadya followed, her hands already sparking faintly with that unstable orange glow.

Behind them, Amina and Lenny exchanged a look before trailing after.

The four of them walked in silence, the smell of blood lingering in the cold morning air. The wind howled softly through the shipping containers, carrying with it the faint, rhythmic thump of something moving inside the small building ahead.

Kai's grin returned.

"Guess they heard me after all."

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