"Hello, Demian. Long time no see," the man said and smiled at him while his hands were inside his pocket. He is wearing a blue polo with a black handkerchief in his pocket and paired with black pants.
They are trying to blend it with ordinary citizens so they don't get exposed in public. And yes, they are not ordinary people, they are far from that and they are very dangerous.
Damien stared at the man and thought that he still looked the same as the first time he saw him. He could never forget the trauma this man has brought into him and his mother's life.
"Who are you?" Demian acted.
"I know you remember me," the man said and smirked.
"I don't know any weirdos," Demian said, turning away. He was as nervous as ever at this point, but he needed to stay calm in order to think of a way to get away from this man. He was about to take a step forward when he heard a gunshot. "Damn. I had no idea they'd go this far," he reflected.
"Come with us if you don't want any bloodshed here," the man said, pointing the gun to his back. His statement was solemn as if he didn't have time to joke around.
To think that this man will shoot his gun in a public place is insane. That only means that he is true to his words and he doesn't care if people find out about them. He must be desperate.
Demian looked around to see if anyone was nearby, but because they were in the hallway behind the market on the second floor, people barely passed by. That is because the only thing displayed here were gowns. Good thing the salesmen weren't here.
He slowly faced the man without showing any signs of fear.
"What do you require of me?" Demian inquired in a serious tone, despite the fact that he already knew the answer.
Damien just needed to keep him talking while he planned his escape, but this man knew exactly what the boy was doing, so he smirked and replied, "You'll know when you come with us."
Demian heaved a deep sigh and looked at the man uninterestedly.
"Fine, I'll go with ya," he replied in defeat causing the man to smirk and slowly put down his gun.
"You made the right decision," he said and stepped closer to Demian to seize him because he's sure that the boy will try to escape.
"... only if you can catch me," Demian abruptly said, running quickly as he knocked down the mannequin of gowns that blocked his way.
The man who was left in the hallway, smirked while looking at the running boy. He has expected this. He clicked the pin inside his handkerchief and a red signal was sent to each of his team.
Meanwhile, Demian didn't stop running as he yelled at the people who were blocking his way. "Step aside!"
The people who had no idea what was happening had no choice but to take a step back.
Demian couldn't help but smile as he leaped at the impending barricades. One of his strongest suits is running, and no one can beat him at it.
"I think I will be a great thief," he pondered to himself and giggled. What a mischievous boy.
The fun he was having was cut short when the men began shooting at him. Good thing Demian was good at dodging because of his fast reflexes but then it wasn't easy because people prevented him from running quickly.
When he turned around, he noticed that they were already wearing masks to conceal their identities.
However, the market became chaotic as people tried to hide in fear of being shot due to the numerous gunshots. Demian couldn't understand why these men were attracting so much attention from the public. Aren't they afraid of being known by the media?
Demian didn't hesitate when he saw the escalator and jumped to the ground floor. He has complete control over his body, which is why he landed gracefully on his feet. But then another two men from the market entrance saw him and dashed inside, leaving him with no choice but to run towards the people fleeing the market that gave him a really hard time.
"Shit!" he cursed.
Well, the two men had a hard time chasing because of the people too.
The man who stopped Demian in the hallway earlier was still on the second floor watching him escape his team. His name is Falcon, the leader of the unit that is chasing the boy. He couldn't help but grin as he watched him and then took his phone from his pocket to dial a number.
[Hello,] said a deep voice from the other line.
"I now realized why you wanted this boy so much, K," he said and smirked.
The man from the other line chuckled.
[As I said, he is one of my missing keys.]
They have been chasing this boy and his mother for years and this time, they will make sure they will get the boy.
"I will just test this boy and see the extent of his power, then I will bring him to Kronos," Falcon stated.
[Do whatever you like but stop wasting my men just for your tests.]
Falcon chuckled because of what K said. Many men from his units have died as a result of his frequent use of them in his "tests" and, on occasion, as a means of escape. To him, they are simply swords and shields that he can discard after using them to protect himself.
"They died because they were weaklings. Don't expect me to save their asses, K."
[Just don't forget to bring her to Kronos,] K replied in a serious tone.
Falcon grinned because he knows the person K was talking about aside from Demian.
"Yes. Don't worry, this time I won't fail," he said and hung up the call.
He was about to go on his way when he saw a familiar man simply standing on the ground floor causing him to frown. This man is Ash Silver, one of the best men in his team but he isn't chasing Demian.
Falcon has disliked this man since the beginning, despite the fact that he is quite skilled. There is something about Ash that makes him suspicious and thought that he shouldn't trust him.
"Well, I will find that out soon," he mumbled and grinned.
***