Kade landed on his injured ankle.
Pain exploded through his leg.
He collapsed against a discarded tyre, biting down on a scream.
Above him, glass fell from the classroom window.
Tobi scrambled out of the flattened cartons.
"Kade!"
"I’m alive."
"That wasn’t my question!"
"Then ask a better one."
Tobi reached him and pulled his arm across his shoulders.
Kade tried standing.
His ankle buckled.
"Ah!"
Tobi caught him.
"You’re not walking on that."
"Apparently, my ankle agrees."
A shadow crossed the courtyard.
Both boys looked up.
The man from the classroom stood on the broken window ledge.
Tall. Lean. Dark jacket.
Nothing about him suggested danger.
Until he stepped forward.
Instead of falling, he descended slowly through the air.
A faint pale glow surrounded his feet.
He landed without making a sound.
Tobi stared.
"See? That’s how reasonable people jump."
Kade would have laughed.
His ankle hurt too much.
The stranger straightened his jacket.
"Kade Adeyemi."
Kade swallowed.
"You’ve already established that you know my name."
"Then you understand there’s no point pretending otherwise."
"Depends. Do you also know my bank balance?"
The man’s expression remained unchanged.
"I’m here to take you for questioning."
"By whom?"
"People investigating an unusual spiritual disturbance."
"The shrine?"
The man said nothing.
That was answer enough.
Kade activated ANALYZE.
[HUMAN CULTIVATOR DETECTED.]
[REALM: VESSEL.]
[SPIRITUAL TECHNIQUE: ACTIVE.]
[THREAT ASSESSMENT: HIGH.]
The man glanced at Kade’s injured leg.
"You cannot outrun me."
Kade already knew that.
"Then why are you threatening me?"
"I’m offering you a choice."
"Come quietly or get dragged?"
"Essentially."
Tobi tightened his grip around Kade.
"Very generous."
The hunter raised one hand.
A pale thread appeared between his fingers.
Kade remembered the woman in grey.
Another thread technique.
But this one felt different.
Sharper.
More concentrated.
[TECHNIQUE IDENTIFIED: ASE FILAMENT.]
[OBSERVED FUNCTION: CONCENTRATED CUTTING.]
[WARNING: DIRECT CONTACT MAY CAUSE SEVERE INJURY.]
Kade’s stomach tightened.
The man wasn’t using a restraint technique.
He was carrying a blade made of Ase.
"Last chance," the hunter said.
Kade looked toward the narrow passage behind the courtyard.
Then at the concrete pillar beside him.
He leaned toward Tobi.
"When I move, get behind that pillar."
Tobi whispered, "What about you?"
"I’ll be right behind you."
"Your plans keep getting worse."
"Then stop asking for them."
Kade picked up a broken piece of concrete.
The hunter watched.
"Don’t."
Kade threw it toward the man’s face.
The hunter moved his head.
The concrete missed.
But Kade was already pulling Tobi toward the pillar.
A pale filament flashed.
It struck the wall.
Concrete exploded.
Tobi shouted.
Kade dropped behind the pillar as fragments rained around them.
The hunter approached.
"You cannot hide forever."
Kade clenched his jaw.
He didn’t need forever.
He needed a few seconds.
"Analyze his technique."
[ASE FILAMENT.]
[CONTROL METHOD: CONTINUOUS SPIRITUAL DIRECTION.]
[OBSERVED LIMITATION: TARGET MUST REMAIN WITHIN DIRECT LINE OF SIGHT.]
Kade looked toward the courtyard exit.
A narrow passage led to the main road.
The hunter would probably avoid using such a destructive technique in front of ordinary people.
Probably.
"Tobi."
"What?"
"Can you support my weight?"
Tobi stared at him.
"I’ve been doing that since secondary school."
"Physically."
"Oh."
Kade pointed toward the passage.
"We move when he comes around the pillar."
The hunter’s footsteps approached.
Closer.
Closer.
Kade waited.
A shadow crossed the ground.
"Now!"
Tobi pulled him upright.
They stumbled around the opposite side of the pillar.
The hunter turned.
His filament whipped toward them.
Kade twisted away.
The pale line sliced through his loose sleeve, missing his forearm by a finger’s width.
Fabric fluttered to the ground.
For an instant, something cold brushed against the remaining cloth.
Then the filament struck the concrete behind them.
Kade nearly fell.
Tobi caught him.
Together, they reached the passage.
The main road was crowded.
A danfo conductor shouted for passengers.
Traders argued over prices.
Motorcycles squeezed through gaps that barely existed.
Kade had never been happier to see Lagos traffic.
They pushed into the crowd.
Behind them, the hunter emerged from the passage.
His pale filament disappeared.
He scanned the street.
Kade ducked behind a roadside stall.
Tobi crouched beside him.
"Did we lose him?"
"No."
"Wonderful."
Kade looked at his ankle.
The swelling had spread beyond the bandage.
He couldn’t keep moving like this.
They needed somewhere to hide.
Not another open street.
Somewhere with obstacles.
Noise.
And more than one exit.
Across the road stood a mechanic’s yard.
Its entrance was crowded with abandoned vehicles.
Kade pointed.
"There."
Tobi followed his gaze.
"A mechanic’s workshop?"
"Yes."
"Are we fixing your leg with spare parts?"
"Just move."
The yard smelled of engine oil and hot metal.
An old generator rattled beside a workshop.
Three rusting buses stood near the back wall.
Stacks of tyres formed narrow passages between them.
Tobi helped Kade behind a minibus.
Kade lowered himself onto the ground.
His entire body trembled.
He needed rest.
But the System offered no miracle.
[HOST PHYSICAL CONDITION: IMPAIRED.]
[RECOMMENDATION: MEDICAL ATTENTION.]
"Brilliant," Kade muttered.
Tobi looked toward the entrance.
"He’s here."
The hunter stood beside the gate.
His gaze moved across the abandoned vehicles.
"I know you’re hiding."
Kade activated ANALYZE.
[HOSTILE SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY DETECTED.]
The hunter raised his hand.
A pale filament cut through the roof of a nearby bus.
Metal screamed.
Tobi flinched.
Kade looked toward the generator.
Thick black smoke drifted from its exhaust.
Then he noticed a loose sheet of corrugated metal leaning against the workshop wall.
An idea formed.
"Tobi. See that sheet?"
"Yes."
"Push it beside the exhaust. Angle the smoke toward the buses."
Tobi stared.
"You want to smoke him?"
"I want him unable to see us."
"And if that doesn’t work?"
"Then we’re still in trouble."
"Comforting."
The hunter approached.
Kade picked up a loose wheel rim.
He threw it across the yard.
It struck a vehicle with a tremendous clang.
The hunter turned toward the sound.
Tobi moved.
He shoved the metal sheet into position.
The generator’s exhaust spread across the narrow passage.
Within seconds, smoke obscured the space between the buses.
The hunter cursed.
A filament flashed through the smoke.
It struck an empty vehicle.
Kade pulled himself upright.
"Now!"
Tobi supported him.
They moved toward the rear exit.
Kade’s ankle gave way.
He nearly collapsed.
Tobi dragged him forward.
Another filament sliced through the smoke.
It passed above their heads.
They reached the exit.
Then stumbled into the street beyond.
By the time they reached a crowded market, Kade could barely stand.
Tobi lowered him onto a concrete step.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
Kade stared at his swollen ankle.
He had survived another encounter.
But calling it a victory would have been ridiculous.
He hadn’t defeated the hunter.
He hadn’t even injured him.
He had escaped because the man needed to see his target.
And because a faulty generator happened to produce enough smoke.
Next time, there might be no generator.
No crowd.
No convenient exit.
Kade closed his eyes.
More.
The whisper stirred inside him.
He opened his eyes immediately.
A faint spiritual signature glowed around a passing stranger.
For an instant, the hunger sharpened.
Kade clenched his fists.
"No."
[FOREIGN INSTINCT ACTIVITY: ELEVATED.]
[HOST CONTROL: MAINTAINED.]
Tobi noticed his expression.
"The hunger?"
Kade nodded.
Tobi sat beside him.
"Then we’re definitely finding somewhere to rest."
Kade managed a weak smile.
"Agreed."
Across the road, the hunter appeared.
Kade’s smile vanished.
The man stood beneath a shop awning.
Watching.
Then his phone vibrated.
He answered.
"Yes."
A pause.
"I located him."
Another pause.
"He is injured. Capture remains possible."
The hunter listened.
His expression changed.
"Withdraw?"
Kade went still.
The man glanced toward the market.
Then lowered his voice.
"Understood."
He ended the call.
For several seconds, he watched Kade.
Then he turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Kade stared after him.
Someone had ordered the hunter to stop.
Why?
He didn’t know.
And that uncertainty was worse than the pursuit.
Tobi noticed the folded paper protruding from Kade’s pocket.
"Bamidele’s number."
Kade looked down.
They had no working phone of their own.
But a nearby vendor was offering paid calls.
Kade hesitated.
"We don’t know who answers."
"We know what happens if we keep running."
Kade couldn’t argue.
He paid the vendor and dialled.
The line rang twice.
A woman answered.
"Who gave you this number?"
"Bamidele."
Silence.
"Is he alive?"
"Yes."
"Are you injured?"
"Yes."
"Then you need somewhere safe."
"Who are you?"
"Someone who owes Bamidele a favour."
"Can I trust you?"
"Not yet."
Kade appreciated the answer.
The woman continued.
"Don’t give me your name. Don’t describe anything unusual about yourself."
"Why?"
"Because I don’t know who else might be listening."
Kade’s grip tightened.
He thought of the message hidden in the old textbook.
They are listening.
"Do you know Adunni Adeyemi?"
The woman immediately interrupted.
"I just told you not to give me names."
Kade went silent.
"Names can identify people," she continued. "Especially when someone is already looking for them."
"She’s my mother."
"Then you have even more reason to be careful."
Kade waited.
The woman offered nothing else.
"Do you know her?" he asked again.
"I don’t know enough about your situation to answer questions about other people."
It wasn’t a yes.
It wasn’t a no.
And Kade couldn’t tell whether she was protecting information or simply refusing to discuss a stranger over an unsecured line.
The woman spoke again.
"Go back to Bamidele."
"Why?"
"Ask him where he sheltered during the heavy rains."
"What does that mean?"
"He’ll understand."
The call ended.
Kade stared at the phone.
Tobi watched him.
"What did she say?"
"To find Bamidele."
"That’s it?"
Kade shook his head.
"She gave me something to ask him."
"What?"
"Where he sheltered during the heavy rains."
Tobi frowned.
"That sounds like something from a badly written spy film."
"Maybe."
"Did she know your mother?"
"I couldn’t tell."
Tobi nodded.
"Then we shouldn’t assume anything."
Kade looked at him.
"When did you become the sensible one?"
"Somewhere between the flying man and your attempt to walk on a broken ankle."
Kade returned the phone to the vendor.
Then unfolded the split-eye paper.
The warning remained.
THEY ARE LISTENING.
He folded it again.
He had no idea whether the woman was connected to his mother.
He didn’t know why the hunter had withdrawn.
And he still couldn’t explain why people were interested in a boy without an Ase Core.
But he understood one thing.
Running blindly wasn’t enough.
He needed answers.
And before that, he needed to survive long enough to ask the right questions.
"Tobi."
"Yes?"
"We’re going back to Bamidele."
Tobi stood and offered his shoulder.
"Good. Because your next plan should involve sitting down."
Kade leaned against him.
"For once, we agree."
As they moved toward the market entrance, the System flickered.
[RESIDUAL SPIRITUAL TRACE DETECTED.]
[LOCATION: HOST’S LEFT SLEEVE.]
Kade stopped.
He looked at the torn fabric.
A nearly invisible pale shimmer clung to the edge where the hunter’s filament had grazed it.
The System continued.
[TRACE COMPOSITION: RESIDUAL ASE.]
[TRACE STATUS: INACTIVE.]
[FUNCTION: UNKNOWN.]
Kade stared at the damaged sleeve.
The hunter’s technique had touched his clothing.
That explained the residue.
But it didn’t explain whether the remaining Ase could still serve some purpose.
He remembered the black tracking mark left by the Veil Stalker.
He’d nearly died because of that mark.
He wasn’t making the same mistake twice.
"Tobi."
"What now?"
"Something from the hunter is still on my clothes."
Tobi examined the sleeve.
"Can it track us?"
"I don’t know."
"Can it hurt us?"
"I don’t know."
Tobi closed his eyes.
"Wonderful. Another mystery attached to your body."
Kade caught the torn edge of his sleeve.
"Not for long."
He pulled.
The fabric resisted.
He gritted his teeth and tore away the section carrying the pale shimmer, careful not to touch the residue directly.
The movement sent a sharp pain through his injured shoulder.
"Ah!"
Tobi winced.
"You could have asked me to help."
"And miss the opportunity to suffer unnecessarily?"
Kade examined the remaining sleeve through NIGHT SIGHT.
No visible shimmer.
He activated ANALYZE.
[SPIRITUAL TRACE SCAN COMPLETE.]
[PREVIOUSLY DETECTED RESIDUE: NO LONGER PRESENT ON HOST CLOTHING.]
[ADDITIONAL TRACKING METHODS: UNKNOWN.]
Kade exhaled.
At least he’d removed one possible risk.
That didn’t mean the hunter couldn’t find him again.
He still didn’t know how the man had located the classroom.
Or why he’d stopped pursuing them.
Kade looked at the torn fabric in his hand.
Throwing it into the nearest gutter would be easy.
Too easy.
If the residue could be followed, leaving it beside their escape route might reveal where they’d been.
He waited until they reached a crowded junction.
Then asked Tobi to remain beside a roadside stall while he approached a public refuse bin several metres away.
He dropped the fabric inside.
A passing refuse collector was already loading waste into a handcart.
Within moments, the contents of the bin were emptied into the cart and wheeled toward another street.
Kade watched it disappear.
He had no way of knowing whether that precaution would matter.
But he preferred uncertainty to carelessness.
Tobi approached and offered his shoulder again.
"Finished?"
"For now."
"Good. Because if you discover another mysterious substance on your clothes, I’m charging extra."
Kade leaned against him.
"Add it to the seven thousand."
"Seven thousand? With today’s expenses, your debt is developing its own personality."
Despite everything, Kade smiled.
They disappeared into the market crowd.
Behind them, the street continued as though nothing unusual had happened.
A conductor shouted.
A trader argued.
A motorcycle horn blared.
Lagos moved on.
And Kade, limping through the noise with nineteen units of stolen spiritual energy inside a body that had no Ase Core, understood just how little he knew about the world he had entered.