The helicopter blades roared overhead.
Wind whipped across the rooftop as Kael stepped forward, escorted by armed personnel who kept their distance—close enough to react, far enough to survive.
No one spoke.
No one dared.
Kael glanced around once.
The ruined city stretched endlessly beneath him—broken streets, shattered buildings, flashing lights of emergency vehicles. Smoke still rose in thin lines, like scars that hadn't yet healed.
"…So this is what it looks like from above."
His voice was quiet.
Almost indifferent.
Han Seojun stood beside him.
"…You caused most of it."
Kael didn't deny it.
"…Not alone."
A brief silence followed.
Then—
They boarded.
Inside, the helicopter was tense.
Four Hunters sat across from Kael.
All of them watching him.
Carefully.
Their hands never strayed far from their weapons.
Kael leaned back slightly, resting his head against the metal interior.
Relaxed.
But not at ease.
"…So," he said after a moment, "where are we going?"
Han Seojun didn't look at him.
"…A secure facility."
Kael smirked faintly.
"…Sounds like a prison."
"…It's not."
"…Right."
The faint hum of the engine filled the silence.
Kael closed his eyes.
But he wasn't resting.
Inside—
The Abyss stirred.
The memory returned.
The void.
The figure.
"Grow."
His hand twitched slightly.
"…What exactly am I supposed to become?"
No answer came.
But something responded.
A faint ripple of darkness beneath his skin.
Alive.
Watching.
Kael opened his eyes again.
"…Tch."
Across from him, one of the Hunters flinched.
Just slightly.
He felt it too.
"…This guy…"
They all did.
Even without doing anything—
Kael was dangerous.
The helicopter descended.
Far from the city.
Far from civilization.
A facility came into view.
Massive.
Reinforced.
Hidden between mountains and forest.
Layers of security surrounded it.
Fences.
Turrets.
Armed patrols.
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"…You weren't kidding."
Han Seojun stepped out first.
"…Welcome to the Central Response Facility."
Kael followed.
The moment his feet touched the ground—
He felt it.
Something watching him.
Not like before.
Not like the Abyss.
This was human.
Dozens of presences.
Strong.
Controlled.
"…So many."
His eyes shifted slightly.
Within the facility—
There were others.
Hunters.
High-rank ones.
Watching him.
Evaluating him.
Judging him.
"…Interesting."
Inside—
The atmosphere changed immediately.
Clean.
Cold.
Controlled.
Bright white lights replaced the darkness of the battlefield.
The contrast felt… wrong.
Kael walked calmly, escorted through multiple checkpoints.
Scans.
Barriers.
Security layers that would stop any normal threat.
But him?
He could feel it.
If he wanted—
He could break out.
Easily.
The thought lingered.
Tempting.
But he ignored it.
For now.
They stopped in front of a room.
A large one.
Not a cell.
Not exactly.
More like an observation chamber.
Glass walls.
Reinforced.
Kael stepped inside.
The door closed behind him.
Click.
Locked.
He looked around.
"…Yeah."
A small smile formed.
"…Definitely a cage."
On the other side of the glass—
Several people stood.
Watching him.
Scientists.
Officials.
Hunters.
Among them—
One person stepped forward.
A woman.
Calm expression.
Sharp gaze.
Different.
Not physically intimidating.
But—
Her presence was…
Strange.
Kael noticed immediately.
"…She's not normal either."
The speaker activated.
"Can you hear me?"
Kael looked up.
"…Loud and clear."
The woman nodded.
"My name is Yoo Sera."
A pause.
"I'll be conducting your evaluation."
Kael tilted his head slightly.
"…Evaluation?"
"…Yes."
Her gaze didn't waver.
"…To determine what you are."
Silence.
Then—
Kael laughed.
Not loudly.
But genuinely.
"…Good luck with that."
A few of the people behind her shifted uncomfortably.
But Yoo Sera didn't react.
Instead—
She asked:
"…Do you consider yourself human?"
The question hung in the air.
Heavy.
Direct.
Kael's smile faded slightly.
He thought about it.
For the first time—
Seriously.
His body.
His power.
His system.
The Abyss.
"…I was."
Silence.
Yoo Sera's eyes sharpened.
"…And now?"
Kael looked at his hand.
Shadows moved slightly beneath his skin.
Alive.
Responding.
"…I don't know."
The room fell silent.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Because that answer—
Was worse than anything else.
Yoo Sera tapped something on her device.
"…We'll proceed with testing."
A panel inside the room opened.
Revealing a device.
A scanner.
Kael glanced at it.
"…And if I refuse?"
Yoo Sera met his gaze.
"…Then we stop asking."
A pause.
"…And start assuming."
Kael smiled again.
"…I see."
He walked toward the device.
Step by step.
Every movement watched.
Analyzed.
Feared.
He placed his hand on the scanner.
For a brief moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The system reacted.
Violently.
[External Analysis Detected][Unauthorized Access][Interference Initiated]
The machine sparked.
The lights flickered.
Alarms began to sound.
"System overload—!"
"Shut it down!"
Too late.
The scanner exploded.
BOOM!
Smoke filled the room.
The glass walls trembled.
Kael stepped back.
Unharmed.
Completely.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Yoo Sera stared at the destroyed machine.
Then—
At Kael.
Her expression didn't change.
But her voice lowered slightly.
"…As expected."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"…You expected that?"
She nodded once.
"…You're not compatible with our systems."
A pause.
"…Which means one thing."
Everyone leaned in.
Waiting.
Yoo Sera spoke.
Clear.
Calm.
Certain.
"…You are outside the System."
The words echoed.
Deep.
Final.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"…Outside… the System?"
Something inside him reacted.
The Abyss.
Stirring.
Responding.
And for the first time—
Kael realized—
He wasn't just different.
He wasn't just stronger.
He didn't belong.
Not to the world.
Not to the system.
Not to anything.
And that—
Made him something far more dangerous.
Yoo Sera turned away slightly.
"…End the session."
The lights dimmed.
Security systems activated again.
Stronger this time.
More cautious.
But inside the room—
Kael stood still.
Thinking.
Processing.
Changing.
"…Outside the System…"
He repeated it quietly.
Then—
A faint smile formed.
"…That explains a lot."
Far away—
Beyond everything—
Something responded.
Because now—
The anomaly had taken another step.
And the path ahead—
Was no longer something anyone could control.