After quietly slipping out of the motel room, Sven didn't waste a second. He moved with clear intent, heading straight toward the dusty front desk where the old woman still sat like a stubborn statue, unmoved since they'd arrived the night before. Her small lamp buzzed faintly, casting a weak yellow glow over her wrinkled features.

Kai followed a step behind, arms crossed, his crimson eyes scanning the half-lit lobby.

He was about to ask where they were going, but Sven spoke before he could.

"We'll be staying here a little longer. I've paid enough, right?" Sven asked, licking back his silver hair as he leaned against the counter.

The woman didn't even blink. Her eyes, tired but sharp, narrowed at him.

"Hmph. I've seen you and your friends' faces on the news," she said slowly. "Don't you think-"

Sven cut her off before she could finish the threat he knew was coming.

Without flinching, he slapped down a bundle of crumpled bills onto the counter. Cash, freshly stolen and still reeking of someone else's wallet. The stack hit the surface with a thud.

"I hope this'll be enough to keep your mouth shut," he said flatly. It was all he had left anyway.

Her lips parted to respond, maybe to threaten, maybe to haggle, but she never got the chance.

Fwoosh!

A sudden gust of wind whipped her face. Her eyes widened. Sven had vanished.

She jerked back, blinking furiously. "What the hell-?"

Her hands darted beneath the counter on instinct, reaching for the shotgun she kept tucked just underneath. It wasn't just for show; this motel wasn't exactly in the safest part of town, and more than once, she'd used it to scare off tweakers and creeps.

But her fingers clutched empty air.

"Looking for this?" a voice said behind her.

She spun around in her squeaky chair and nearly had a heart attack.

Sven stood casually behind her, flipping the shotgun in his hands like it was a toy. He cocked it once, expertly, and a shell clinked against the floor.

"This thing's not bad," he remarked with a crooked grin. "Old, but reliable. You always keep it loaded? Bold."

The old woman's throat bobbed, but no words came out. She'd seen mutants before, on screens, at a distance, but this was different. This was a reminder of how fragile she was. How little that shotgun meant when standing across from someone who could disarm her before she blinked.

It highlighted just how big the gap between her and the supernatural individuals that roamed the world was.

And he hadn't even threatened her.

With a casual flick, Sven handed the gun back to her, spinning it smoothly so that the grip faced forward.

Then, just as easily as he'd appeared, he vaulted back over the counter in a fluid motion and landed beside Kai with a soft tap of boots on tile.

"I'll see you later," he said to her like it was the most normal thing in the world.

But those words, spoken with such calm indifference, chilled her to the bone far more than any threat would have. As she looked at the two men, she finally realised, there were levels to danger.

Sven was unbelievably fast.

But the one next to him, the red-eyed mutant whose name had echoed across news reports and headlines, he didn't need to move at all to be terrifying. Kai just was.

Now that she thought about it, she had noticed it. The bloodstained clothes. The tired yet alert posture. And those eyes, red like hellfire, unblinking and calm.

Last night, she'd assumed he was just another punk, maybe a wannabe vampire or a gang thug who had beaten someone and had a fetish for red contacts.

But now?

Now, she knew.

And the truth was far worse.

Kai's gaze didn't linger on her. He barely spared her a second thought as he walked off with Sven.

Instead, he tilted his head as they stepped out into the cool morning air, a breeze cutting through the quiet streets of the city.

"Does she ever sleep?" he asked curiously, glancing at Sven.

Sven let out a light chuckle, running a hand through his hair. "Probably not. This place doesn't exactly attract dreamers."

They walked off together, and the two shadows disappeared into the concrete maze of New York, one laughing, the other silent.

Kai had no idea what they were about to get into or what Sven had in mind.

But whatever it was, he was ready.

Or at least he thought he was...

-

After leaving the motel behind them, the first thing Sven did was… well, exactly what Kai expected from him.

Thievery.

But unlike the previous pick-pocketing while smooth-talking his unsuspecting victims, this time he went for something bigger.

"Petty theft's a waste of time," he muttered as they walked through the early morning streets. "Wallet here, purse there - it's just too many innocent folks getting screwed over for scraps. Better to hit one target clean and take what we need."

He said it like he was doing the world a favour.

Kai raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. After everything that had happened the night before, massacring soldiers in a bloodbath and almost ending the lives of two other mutants, he wasn't exactly in a position to judge anyone's moral compass.

'Morals are for people who aren't wanted by the Association, the authorities, and the AMC,' he thought dryly, trailing behind Sven.

Kai had quite a grey moral compass himself. He wasn't a monster, or at least he didn't think of himself as one. But would he kill? Yes. Was he willing to do whatever was necessary to achieve his goals? Somewhat.

He wasn't out to cause others harm, but if he had no choice but to harm some others in the process, then so be it. That wasn't to say that he particularly liked being labelled as a blood devil wherever he went.

All kinds of thoughts bounced around Kai's head, tussling with the constant identity crisis until Sven found what he was looking for.

The man had led them through a maze of backstreets before stopping outside a mid-sized apartment building. Not too high-end, not too rundown. Just the kind of place where the residents minded their business and probably wouldn't call the cops unless someone was bleeding in the hallway.

"Perfect," Sven said with a grin, adjusting the collar of his jacket.

He walked up to the intercom panel and, with the calm audacity of someone who'd done this more times than he could count, pressed every single buzzer.

"I've got a delivery for John!" he called out repeatedly, switching up the tone of his voice each time. "Yo, package for John! Anyone home?"

Eventually, one of the doors buzzed open. Kai wasn't sure if the person had been tricked or just annoyed.

Sven strolled in like he owned the place, and Kai followed, silent, observant, unsure if he was impressed or just deeply concerned.

Once inside, Sven started knocking on apartment doors one by one.

Knock-knock-knock.

"Hey, are you John?"

"No."

"Sorry, wrong apartment."

Rinse and repeat.

Most people cracked their doors open cautiously, grumbled, and shut them again. It was only when one door didn't answer, no sound, no movement behind it, that Sven stopped.

He tilted his head, listening closely, then gave Kai a little nod.

"This is it."

Reaching into his pocket, Sven pulled out a small, well-worn lock-picking kit, flipping it open with practised ease. He crouched in front of the doorknob, tongue poking out slightly as he worked the pins.

Kai leaned on the opposite wall, arms crossed.

'He's definitely done this before,' he mused, watching the concentration on Sven's face.

A few moments later - click.

The door creaked open.

Sven stood and gave a satisfied smirk. "Now we're talking."

He pushed the door in and gestured for Kai to follow. "Time to grab some fresh clothes, maybe find a pair of shades to cover up those demon eyes of yours. Then we look for cash, valuables, anything we can pawn off. You know, standard criminal starter pack."

Kai didn't respond, but he definitely wasn't going to refuse clean clothes. The bloodstains on his current outfit weren't exactly subtle, nor did he like them very much anyway. And sunglasses wouldn't hurt - his red eyes were far too recognisable at this point.

Still, the second he stepped inside, a sinking feeling hit his gut.

'Damn it. This ain't right…'

He glanced at Sven, who was about to casually step in as if he owned the place.

"You sure no one's home?" Kai asked.

Sven didn't even look back. "Pretty sure."

Kai narrowed his eyes. "Pretty sure?"

"Yeah, it'll be fine," Sven replied with a shrug. "If someone walks in, we improvise."

Kai sighed.

'Yeah… I definitely need to reevaluate how reliable this guy is,' he thought to himself, because they didn't need to worry about someone walking in.

They needed to worry about who was already inside and whose apartment they had just broken into...

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