The wind screamed past Kai as he flew.
Hidden within the folds of his robes, the black cat Akio rested silently, her golden eyes half-open as she observed the world below.
Kai soared low above the sea, the dark waters reflecting the pale sky like shattered glass.
His thoughts raced.
He needed to get back to New York.
Something in his heart told him time was running out.
Every second mattered.
Without hesitation, Kai pushed more power into his body.
Blue lightning crackled around him.
At first, it danced across his wings in thin arcs.
Then—
It exploded.
Kai became a streak of blue light tearing across the sky.
The clouds split in his wake.
Thunder rolled behind him.
Less than thirty minutes later, New York came into view.
And the moment he arrived—
His heart sank.
This was not the city he remembered.
The towering skyscrapers were gone.
Reduced to rubble.
Steel skeletons jutted from the earth like broken bones.
Roads had collapsed.
Entire districts had become forests of debris and overgrown land.
It looked less like a city and more like the remains of a battlefield abandoned by the world.
Kai hovered in the air, stunned.
Then—
He felt it.
A life force.
Familiar.
Without even trying, he recognized it.
Ashley.
And another.
Miss Cambrian.
His eyes widened.
How did he still remember their presence so clearly?
Before he could think further, another presence slammed into his senses.
Kai froze.
It was powerful.
Far beyond anything he could currently face.
Ancient.
Predatory.
Overwhelming.
His body instinctively tensed.
A progenitor…
And worse—
A vampire.
Without wasting another second, Kai shot toward the source.
In mere seconds, he reached the location.
The scene before him made his blood run cold.
A man stood there, elegant and terrifying, his crimson eyes fixed on Ashley with unmistakable hunger.
He held her tightly in his arms.
One hand pushed her head gently to the side, exposing her neck.
His fangs gleamed.
He was about to bite.
Then—
BOOM!
Thunder split the air.
The vampire turned sharply at the sound.
A fatal mistake.
Kai was already there.
His fist slammed into the vampire's face with explosive force.
The impact sounded like a cannon blast.
The man's body was launched backward, crashing through the forest with devastating momentum.
Tree after tree splintered apart as he tore through them.
Kai landed before Ashley.
She looked dazed.
Disoriented.
For a moment, she stared at him without recognition.
Then she saw it.
The way he stood.
The familiar gesture.
The presence.
Tears filled her eyes.
Her lips trembled.
"Kai…"
Her voice broke as she said his name.
A smile, fragile and full of relief, spread across her tear-streaked face.
Nearby, General Verdict stared in shock.
Then something else appeared in his expression.
Hope.
Desperation.
He rushed forward.
"Kai!"
Before Kai could react, the general grabbed him by the shoulders.
In that moment, he was no longer a leader.
No longer a commander.
He was only a father.
"Please," he said, his voice shaking. "Help my daughter."
Kai blinked in confusion.
"What are you talking about?"
"There's no time."
The general pulled him forward.
Kai followed—
Then stopped.
His breath caught.
Before him lay a woman with flowing white hair and nine magnificent tails.
Her beauty was ethereal.
Almost divine.
Frost clung to the air around her.
Her presence alone lowered the temperature of the ruined forest.
The moment Kai saw her, his system chimed.
QUEST COMPLETE
Bloodline Awakening Objective Found
Target Located: Divine Ice Empress Fox
Reward Available
Kai ignored the notification.
Because something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Her life force was fading.
Rapidly.
Kai could feel it.
Each second, it weakened further.
He immediately stepped closer.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked, his voice urgent.
His fists clenched.
"How can I help?"