Prologue III

It was dark outside. Bitterly cold. No snow, but the air was frigid, and that made the wind cut deep like frost coated knives, right into the bone. Kai's black hoodie and frayed jacket combo did not do much to fend against the elements, but if he did feel cold, he did not let it show.

Because showing any kind of weakness might mean Kai could attract some unwanted attention, because out here, on the southside streets, people could sniff out weakness like hungry vultures. Growing up on these streets meant he knew how to carry himself.

How to strike that delicate balance between never giving anyone unwanted eye contact and being ready to square up at a moment's notice.

Though tonight was the quiet type of night.

Made sense, Kai thought as he stopped at a red light warding off a crosswalk. Winter was here now, and something about the deep cold calmed people. Or maybe it just made it so that the homeless and desperate had to choose between loitering and freezing to death, who knew.

No cars passed, but he unlike many city-goers did not jaywalk. He peered down the street, at the streetlamps that sputtered with faulty wiring, at the apartments with their concrete and brick walls sprayed with graffiti and decorated with cracks.

A shithole, this place was, but no use thinking about it. Kai kept his hands in his pockets more for cold than anything else as he walked down the street as the light flashed weakly green.

It took ten minutes to walk down to Mr. Chen's store. It was a cute little thing, a traditional Chinese medicine joint packed between a bolted-up convenience store that got shot up last year and a taco place that served through bulletproof glass.

He looked at it from across the street, narrowing his eyes as he made out the outlines of four guys in hoodies gathered outside the store. He noticed the way they stood. Tall and straight. Feet forward. Aggressive posturing. All of them gathered together, backs against the closed glass store door, the flash of a cigarette lighting up one of their hidden faces.

People did not gather like this in the Southside unless they wanted to cause trouble. Normally, he would have walked away. He did not like fights. Not that he was scared of them, but because he knew he was no good in them, and there was no point getting hurt over something stupid.

But Kai knew that dumb face on the cigarette, and he cared about Mr. Chen's store. The old guy was nice, always had been, ever since Kai was a kid. Gave him stuff for aches and sores and colds for free.

"Jason," was the only word Kai said as he walked up to the store. Immediately, the four guys stiffened up and postured towards him, hands coming out of their pockets.

The guy with the cigarette, Jason, blinked as he saw Kai's face come under the dim, dull orange light of Mr. Chen's store sign.

"Kai?" Jason exhaled, a thin puff of smoke leaving his cracked lips and curling into fingers that stood out in the cold, frigid air. He formed a half smile, but his eyes were squinted, alert. Wary. "Funny seein' you here. Thought you ran off to college."

The other three guys felt Jason's relaxed demeanor and stepped back.

"These your goons?" said Kai as he jutted his chin out to the other guys.

Jason smirked. "Friends."

"Damn, didn't know you were making it big," said Kai. A hint of sarcasm leeched into his voice. "They let you have your own guys now? What gang were you in, again? Red Dragons?"

Jason raised his chin to give a brief glimpse of his neck. There was a tattoo there. Black circle with white dot in it. Simple. Minimalistic.

"Ghosts," said Jason. "Sad you forgot, Kai. Freshman year of high you raised hell when I told you I was joining. Told me I was throwing away my life. That past you already?"

"Right," said Kai. "Been a while since I've been in the gutters, y'know. Hope you understand. So, what are the Ghosts doing haunting this little old store?"

Jason stared at Kai for a few seconds, his semi-friendly approach rebuffed. Kai did not feel any bad about this. He and Jason were friends from middle school, kids growing up and bonding on dangerous streets, but their paths just split.

Jason wanted to stay on the streets, and Kai wanted something more. All there was to it. They had not talked for years. Might as well have been strangers now with how differently their lives had branched off.

"Mr. Chen, good guy, I know," said Jason. He tapped his head through his hoodie. "But slow. Not great at counting his money. Been late on his payments. Ghosts kept his store afloat, and all we ask for is a little support back, you feel me? Reasonable, no?"

"What did you do to him," said Kai curtly.

"We've been wanting his store for a while now. Nice space here. Wasted on this ginseng root and ground antler bullcrap. Figured tonight was a good night to take him out for a little talk."

Kai's eyes settled into a leer, and Jason smiled, his hand going to his pocket. As if on cue, the three guys behind him looked up, ready to help their boss if things got ugly and physical.

"Just a talk, Kai. Just a talk." Jason reached into his baggy pocket further, and Kai instinctively tensed up, expecting a weapon. Instead, Jason pulled out a bottle with a piece of paper with his mother's name scrawled on it pinned to the top. "Saw this in Mr. Chen's order cabinet. Guess you were the only one for today. Dying business, this old joint was. Ain't it better to let the old make way for new?"

Jason tossed the bottle to Kai, and he caught it.

"Take it to your ma. Tell her I said hi. And get the fuck out of here while I'm still smiling," said Jason.

Kai pocketed the bottle and stood there for a tense moment before turning away. Nothing he could do. He came here for the medicine, and he got it. No point getting into a brawl for Mr. Chen when he was already gone.

No point getting hurt for nothing.

"Oh, and Kai," said Jason after Kai had taken a few steps. "I know you know this, but don't stick your nose where it don't belong. The good Samaritan vibe just don't match you. Unless you want me saying hi to your ma personally."

Kai froze, then turned around. He did not say anything as he walked up, taking bigger, wilder strides. One of the guys behind Jason saw the way Kai walked and intercepted him, standing between the two.

Big guy. Maybe six foot two, maybe three. Looked down at Kai with chipped teeth. "Get-,"

Kai took the guy talking as a chance to slam a fist into his stomach. The guy doubled over in pain, the wind knocked right out of him. Even in his anger, Kai felt surprised, looking with wide eyes at his fist. He knew he was stronger from the system, but he did not know it was to this extent.

Jason spit out his cigarette and crushed it under his boot. "Okay then. Hate to do this, Kai, but we've gotta' teach you a lesson."

"Shut the fuck up." Kai lunged forwards to tackle Jason, but another goon tackled him first. They slammed into the concrete pavement, tumbling around as broken shards of glass from a liquor bottle cut through their hoodies.

The guy ended atop of Kai, raining down punches. Kai took two of them to his face, but the adrenaline numbed out the pain, not to mention he felt a lot sturdier. He grit his teeth as he threw out another wild swing, socking the guy in the jaw.

He felt a small crack as one of the many small and delicate bones in his fingers broke, but it was nothing compared to the sickening crack of the guy's jaw dislocating as he fell to the side, writhing in pain.

Kai shoved the guy off of him and stood up. He felt a tiny, dull pinprick of hurt in his hand as well as scratches on his back from glass. He willed himself to heal.

>>>

Host restoration initiated. Biomass consumed.

Current stock: 95/100

>>>

Just in time for the third guy and Jason to come barreling towards him. Kai threw out a wildly arcing haymaker towards the last remaining goon, but the guy slipped under him and landed a square uppercut on his chin.

Kai stumbled backwards, his vision tilting, but he remained standing until he felt a sharper, much more intense pain sear into his leg. Immediately, he knelt down, and that was when he saw a knife sticking out of his thigh.

A big one, too, judging by the sizable black leather grip. Must have dug in nearly to his bone.

"Fucking hell, Kai," said Jason as he stood over Kai. "Why'd you make me stab you? And when did you start working out? Real fuckin' strong you got. Knocked two of my guys clean out. Too bad Todd here knows how to move, MMA junkie that he is."

Kai put his hands around the knife, taking deep, deep breaths.

"Don't be an idiot," said Jason with disinterested eyes. "Take that knife out, you bleed to death. We're gonna go now, cause' the police might be slow as shit here, but they still show up. Maybe if they show up quick enough, a hospital can fix you up. Hope for it, really. Don't want an old friend dying on me."

Jason made a motion to leave, and Todd nodded. The two of them turned around. Kai took the chance. All the pain he was feeling, even through the adrenaline, he shoved it down, shoved it down hard, deep down into the core of his being, letting it funnel right into the rage that came straight from his heart, pumping through his veins like fire.

A spurt of blood sputtered out from his leg, painting the pavement red, but he willed his injuries to heal.

>>>

Host restoration initiated. Biomass consumed.

Current stock: 85/100

>>>

The deep red gash in his thigh closed up. The blood stopped first, then visibly, muscle fibers began to reattach like threads coiling together, and then skin patched up over the wound.

Kai put the knife in his hand, stood up, shakily at first, his mind still thinking he was hurt, but as he tightened the grip around the knife handle, he steadied himself. Jason and Todd were still walking away, and he ran straight at them, knife raised up.

Kai had his eyes trained on Jason's back, but he looked down at the last second. He stabbed into Jason's leg, and the man screamed as he fell over, his body seizing in pain. Todd whirled around, but Kai still had the element of surprise, and he was strong and fast.

Kai grabbed a hold of Todd's neck with both his hands, strangling the man, knowing that if he let go, Todd could outmaneuver him. Kai knew a little how to fight, but in the end, what fueled him right now was pure, unadulterated instinct.

Todd threw out clearly trained and strong blows even as Kai's fingers sunk into the man's neck, the digits gripping deep into the skin. Punches hit Kai's face. Kicks went to his ribcage, to his liver.

Parts of him broke down, split apart. His lip burst. A rib cracked. Some kind of fracture near his eye.

Kai felt pain and nausea assault him in spades, but he willed himself to keep healing, and that kept him standing. Surprise and fear showed on Todd's face as he could visibly see Kai healing as he was hurting - burst lip sealing, broken eye socket buffing back out, and the like.

>>>

Host restoration initiated. Biomass consumed.

Current stock: 80/100

>>>

But Todd did not look for long before he grew limp, the oxygen strangled out of him, and Kai tossed him aside.

Kai took in deep breaths even though he was not exhausted. He felt the dull buzz of adrenaline hitting his head as his breath made foggy outlines in the winter air. He was shaking at the experience, how the anger had just welled up within him and taken over everything like he was a puppet and someone had snatched up his strings.

The moment Jason threatened Kai's mother, he had let the rage rise, the moment take over, and now that it was over, his head felt cloudy as the consequences of his actions began to hit him.

"Fuck…fuck…fuck." Jason's tense voice wheezed out between panicked and thin breaths.

Kai glanced down to Jason as he clutched at his leg, his eyes wide as he stared at his own knife buried into the yielding flesh. He looked at the guys around him, how they were all still rolling on the ground in pain.

But they were all alive. And if they were alive, the Ghosts would come after Kai and his mother. He had to get rid of them.

Kai sat beside Jason and reached a hand out for the knife stuck in the man's leg.

Jason grabbed Kai's arm desperately and said, "Don't do it, man. Don't do it. I'm gonna die. Fuck, you're gonna' kill me."

Kai hovered his hand over the knife handle jutting out from Jason's flesh. He remained like that for what felt like an eternity, grappling with a feeling that he could not quite make out. A feeling that told him that if he went this far, he was going to take a step somewhere he did not know, somewhere he would never step back from.

He grit his teeth and stood up, leaving Jason on the ground. "Tell your boys to get you to a hospital. And don't fuck with me ever again."