Kai stood still, his stance grounded, eyes locked anywhere but on hers.

He knew better now.

No more eye contact.

Across from him, Seraphina stood poised and graceful, like she was modelling for a fashion magazine instead of standing in a grimy back alley, fresh off kidnapping someone.

"What do you want?" he asked coldly, voice low but firm. "Where the hell were you taking me?"

His fists clenched at his sides, jaw tense.

'Knew it. Too hot to be harmless. Women like that don't show up without an agenda,' Kai thought bitterly. 'Could've been a normal night. But no, hot girl walks in, stares into my soul, and now I'm fighting for my life in an alley. Classic.'

Seraphina let out a light, mocking laugh. Elegant, but soaked in arrogance.

"You're skilled," she said, brushing a strand of platinum hair behind her ear. "But I'd expect no less from The Hunter."

'Wait. Hold the hell up - The Hunter?'

Back in the present, Kai blinked. The memory had triggered something deeper, something that crawled under his skin.

'Red Eyes. The Hunter. Blood Demon. And Nyx calls me Subject 357. Funny how everyone calls me something except for my actual name. Or at least I think my name's Kai Hawkes.'

His fists trembled in the now.

'Back to the flashback. Pretty sure I didn't win this one, since I ended up being Nyx's lab rat… but I hope I at least got a few good hits in.'

There was a tense standstill between Kai and Seraphina until a pistol suddenly shimmered to existence in her hand - sleek, black, and perfectly aimed at his head.

Kai didn't flinch.

He didn't have time to.

He surged forward like a bullet himself, boots slamming into the concrete. If the gun was real, he was already dead. At that range, it would be harder to miss than to hit him. If it wasn't real, then hesitation would've killed him just the same.

Kai's gamble paid off, watching as the pistol vaded just before her finger pulled the trigger.

'Illusion,' he confirmed mid-run. 'Thought so. The distance was tight anyway - I'd be done for if I didn't act anyway'

Meanwhile, Seraphina was surprised, to say the least.

'He's crazy. He didn't even flinch as I pulled the trigger. I doubt he can completely see through my ability, so either he's suicidal or extremely intelligent - maybe a mix of both,' she thought to herself as she also burst towards him.

They clashed.

She moved fast - extremely so. Her strikes were clean, trained, with a level of power that made it clear: she wasn't just a mutant who relied on powers. She could fight. And with the physical enhancement that came with being a mutant, her speed and strength far exceeded Kai's.

But he wasn't your average guy, either.

He slipped under a spinning kick, used her momentum to lock her leg and throw her into the wall.

She rebounded with a smirk.

"You're fun," she said, landing lightly on her feet.

"I get that a lot," Kai replied dryly. "Usually from people not trying to kidnap me."

They exchanged blows - punches, knees, elbows. She mixed in illusions, throwing flickers of phantom strikes and false feints to mess with his rhythm.

It worked.

'She's good. Arrogant, but good. Every third hit's a trick. Can't rely on sight. Can't look her in the eyes. Damn mutant are hard to fight without preparation.'

Still, he adapted. His body moved on muscle memory. Years of elite training kicking in. Even without his weapons or gear, he moved with lethal efficiency. Slipping past her blows, using footwork and angles, not strength.

He fought smartly, attacking to keep her at bay rather than to actually land a definitive strike. Against a mutant that would be difficult, especially since she didn't even seem to be taking him seriously.

And she wasn't just toying with him physically, she was invading his senses.

"I'm curious," Seraphina purred as she ducked under a hook and tapped his chest with a finger. "What kind of man breaks my illusion? I'm pretty sure you're not one of us… are you?"

Kai grunted and shoved her back.

"You ask a lot of questions for a kidnapper. What's next? Tea and biscuits?"

She laughed again.

This time it echoed strangely.

His fist passed through her.

"Shit-!"

The real Seraphina stepped out from behind him, tapping him lightly on the neck. No real impact. But suddenly...

Everything slowed.

His limbs felt like they were moving underwater.

The alley dimmed.

The shadows stretched.

'No… no no - damn it!'

And just like that, the fight was over.

Kai continued fighting desperately in what felt like an endless exchange: throwing punches, dodging strikes, trading barbs. But in reality, he was lying unconscious in the alley. Seraphina had long got into his head with her ability for the second time.

Not long after, the two large bodyguards groaned as they stood, bloodied and embarrassed.

Seraphina didn't even look at them at first. She was busy brushing imaginary dust from her jacket.

Then she turned, glaring.

"You had one job. How pathetic you both are."

The two looked at the ground like scolded schoolboys.

"Pick him up," she sighed. "And be gentle. He's more valuable intact."

As they hoisted Kai's limp body between them, Seraphina looked down at him with a faint smile.

"That was fun," she murmured.

Then she turned and walked away, leading them into the night.

That was the beginning of Kai's torment.

She dropped him off with Nyx like a courier delivering a cursed parcel.

And Nyx? He took care of the rest.

The memories that followed were fragmented, broken. Screams. Darkness. Syringes. Laughter. Burning pain behind his eyes. His mind tearing at the seams.

Now, back in the present, Kai sat in silence, jaw tight.

'Seraphina… that bitch. She definitely helped Nyx fry my brain. Probably poked around in my head and somehow erased chunks with her ability, like I was some hard drive to wipe clean.'

He cracked his knuckles.

'I need to find her. Not just to make her pay…'

His blood simmered.

'She might be the only way to completely regain my memories or get to Nyx. Either way… she talks. Or she bleeds.'

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