Kieran was dreaming. He was sure of it because he had already experienced the same fragmented dream way too many times than he could count, unable to be forgotten no matter how hard he tried.

But dream wasn't the right way to put it. It was more like a nightmare that haunted his subconsciousness, one that made him completely paralyzed as he watched the scene unfold in front of him.

He saw a man barge into the room, his eyes shining a bright orange as he left a trail of burning flames in his wake. Screams and panicked cries rang in his ears as more people followed in after him, the world spinning around him as his surroundings faded to black.

When he regained his bearings, he found himself inside his old bedroom, hiding inside a closet, covering his ears as the sound of fighting broke out.

His vision turned to black once again, and when he came to, he was vaguely aware of a voice speaking to him, but all he could hear was the ringing in his ears as horrified screams filled the sky.

The world spun around him, and when he was finally able to find his bearings, he saw a pair of familiar daggers being pressed into his hands.

Run, my star.

The words echoed in his ears as he ran through the woods as fast as his eight-year-old feet could carry him, disoriented as the earth trembled and shook. Balls of fire fell from the sky, dropping to the ground like asteroids and setting his surroundings ablaze. Clouds of dense smoke rose into the air, filling his lung as tears welled up in his eyes.

His vision blacked out again, and suddenly, he was able to see the blood red sky as demonic screeches and howls echoed through the air. A never ending wave of demons chased after him as he sprinted across the harsh terrain, gasping and panting for breath.

The ground caved underneath his feet and he fell once again, the darkness swallowing him up completely. The next thing he knew, he found himself in a pitch black space, completely empty save for a leather-bound book on the floor in front of him.

Open me, it seemed to entice him.

Open me and I will grant your deepest desires.

Hearing a low growl behind him, Kieran whirled around as razor sharp claws latched onto his arm, tackling him down. Twisting around, he saw glowing red eyes burning into him before he woke up, gasping and panting for breath.

His heart hammered inside his chest as a layer of cold sweat seeped through his clothes. The image of the predatory eyes locking onto him engraved itself into his memory as he felt chills run down his spine.

His dream had been different this time and he didn't like it at all.

Taking deep breaths, he tried to calm down as he glanced at the clock beside him. It was a little past seven in the morning.

He ran a hand through his hair and got out of bed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep after what he had experienced in his awful nightmare.

Opening his closet, Kieran decided to get ready as he picked out an white shirt, paring it with an inconspicuous grey jacket and black pants. After putting on his favorite black combat boots, he opened another drawer to reveal an assortment of wigs and colored contact lenses. He briefly swept his gaze across the collection and settled on a simple brown wig and matching dark brown lenses.

Hurrying downstairs, he met the rest of the group, each of them donning their own disguises as well.

"Shall we set off?" Mattias inquired, dressed in a dark grey turtleneck. He was donning a long haired wig that came up to his neck, with a pair of non-prescription glasses resting on his face.

"We shall," Kieran answered.

He thought back to the piece of paper that Daemon had provided him and took a deep breath. Written on it was a pair of coordinates, leading to a place he knew all too well.

The City of Light.

The City of Light, where all of them had a huge amount of bounty on their heads. There was a huge amount of risk, and the possibility of death was higher than ever, but it would be all be worth it as long as they could complete their respective missions.

"Since our directions overlap, it makes it possible for us to travel together, at least for the first half of the journey," Kieran decided, remembering Mattias' protest of him going alone. "We can split up after exiting the Shadow."

The Shadow, a neighboring city bordering the City of Light. Ten years ago, it had gone under a different name, standing with the City of Light as equals. But ever since the Sun Organization came to power, what was left of the once glorious city had now been reduced to its shadow, hence its newfound name.

By the time the group made their way into the Shadow, it was already late into the afternoon. Narrow streets made up the majority of the city, with old, worn out vehicles parked haphazardly by the side of the road, blocking almost half of the already scarce space.

Old, rickety apartments and run down houses with chipping paint dominated the neighborhood, crammed tightly together. Most of the walls had been vandalized by graffiti, slightly faded over the passage of time. Hooded figures lurked in dark alleyways, conversing in low voices. As they walked, Kieran could feel the their malevolent gazes lock onto them, hungry for potential prey.

Unlike the tall skyscrapers and luxurious vehicles that filled the City of Light, the Shadow were the slums, filled with wanted criminals and untrustworthy dealers that would lure you into a lifetime of debt and cruelty. The majority of the population consisted of non Skill users who relied heavily on violence and ruthlessness to assert dominance.

Bloodthirsty gangs were the ones who held most power, picking off unsuspecting victims with their sheer power in numbers. One wrong move and the whole city would be turned against you, forcing you into a life of hiding.

Not that Kieran cared, anyways. He and his friends were more than capable of defending themselves, and he didn't mind adding yet another city to his ever growing list of enemies.

Nonetheless, the Shadow was a place full of filth and betrayal, and although they had just got there, Kieran couldn't wait to leave this place as soon as possible.

Walking down the street, he happened to glance at a wall filled with wanted posters. Five familiar faces stared back at him, in the order of their relative prices.

He nudged Valerie. "Hey, my bounty increased."

The girl in question scowled. "Stop looking so smug, Kieran. It makes me want to punch your stupid face."

For as long as he could remember, they have had this ongoing— albeit childish— competition regarding who could rack up the highest bounty. So far, Kieran was winning at a steady pace.

"You're just jealous of my accomplishments," Kieran retorted, a playful smile on his lips.

"Please," she dragged out. "If anything, I should be thankful. If things start to go bad, you're the one they'll be prioritizing first."

It was true. Ever since they had arrived, Kieran had felt eyes observing them in the shadows and alleyways, watching their every move. Although having five people meant that they would be drawing more attention, it decreased the chances of getting jumped or being forced into fights.

Ignoring the gazes, they continued down the streets, passing an old bakery and a run down pawn shop.

Suddenly, a boy fell out from behind an alley, falling hard onto the floor in front of them. He looked no more than seven years old, and was dressed in battered clothes full of holes and torn up edges. The boy was so skinny that you could easily see his bones and he and covered with dirt and grime, with bruises scattered across his skin.

He got up from the ground and scurried up to them, with his head hanging low like a frightened animal.

Kieran's gaze darkened as he clenched his hands into fists.

Of course these bastards would pull something like this.

The boy looked up at them, his eyes full of desperation.

"E-excuse me," the boy stammered, his voice shaking with fear as he fidgeted and tugged on his tattered clothes. "C-can you p-please lend me some money? My mom is sick and I n-need to buy s-some medicine. I-I promise that I'll give it b-back to you later."

Kieran felt pity towards the boy. The child was obviously just a pawn, being forced to beg for money that would never be returned.

"Kieran..." Aria started, "shouldn't we help him? He's just a child."

Kieran started at the boy's malnourished state and made a decision, one that he was sure he was going to regret. "If you really want to help him, take him to the bakery we just passed and buy him some food. It's not like he would be the one keeping the money anyways."

They backtracked, going into the bakery with the shaking boy trailing after them. They bought him some bread and water, and watched as he hungrily devoured the food like he had never eaten in days.

Aria patted the boy's back, reminding him to have some water, then took some money and handed it to the boy. He thanked her profusely, but all of a sudden, a terrified expression appeared on the boy's face as he immediately stiffened and bolted out of the bakery.

"We should leave as well. It isn't good to stay here any longer," Kieran decided, moving towards the door.

The rest followed suit, and as they walked down the street, Kieran started to sense more and more eyes observing their group. His suspicion soon came true when a group of ten people surrounded them, each carrying different types of weapons. They were radiating hostility as violence glinted in their eyes.

The leader smiled menacingly. "My men told me that you tried to kidnap and drug one of my boys."

He gestured behind him, and they turned to see the little boy from earlier standing behind the gang. He was shaking like a leaf, his hands clenched tightly to his side, and Kieran noticed that there was a bruise on the boy's face that hadn't been there before.

"Since I'm feeling quite generous today, I'll give you two choices," the leader continued. "One, empty your pockets and give us everything you have."

"And two," he circled the group, his lips curling up to reveal a sinister smile. "Let us have fun with the girls and I'll let the rest of you go."

He reached a hand towards Aria. She flinched, and immediately, Valerie grabbed his wrist and placed herself between them.

"Lay a hand on any one of us and I'll cut off your arm and shove it down your throat," she hissed.

The man laughed mockingly, yanking her towards him. "How feisty, this little bitch thinks she's so heroic, standing up for her friend. I'll tell you what, you won't be so brave when I— fuck, you bitch!"

His sentence cut off by a shriek of pain as Valerie stabbed a dagger deep into his arm.

"Who's the bitch now, you filthy bastard?"

The rest of the gang rushed to help their leader, but Kieran and the rest were ready to intercept them. He dislocated the shoulder of one man while dodging as another person aimed a messy swing at his head with a baseball bat. Hitting a pressure point, he made the man drop the bat, catching it in midair as he knocked him out with his own weapon.

He looked around him to find that most of the gang members were already down, with the rest trying to help the remaining members escape down the street. Their leader was amongst the fleeting men, clutching his arm as he stumbled and leaned on people around him.

He scoffed. They were so pathetic that he didn't even need to use his weapon.

He heard a frustrated noise as Valerie kicked at an unconscious body.

"I can't believe that bastard managed to slip away," she muttered in anger. "He better pray that we never see each other again or I'll definitely kill him for sure."

Scanning the area, Kieran was able to make out a gathering crowd of people watching them from boarded up windows and dark alleyways, whispering and pointing.

He sighed. So much for not drawing attention.

________________________________

Author's note:

Welp, there goes their plan. Tell me what you think in the comments!

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