RETURNING HOME

Kael's chest rose and fell sharply, his breath ragged from the adrenaline still coursing through his body. He looked at the three unconscious bodies in front of him, his mind buzzing with an unfamiliar sensation—an intoxicating mix of power and excitement.

He had done it. He had fought. He had won.

And he wanted more.

His eyes dropped to the thugs' devices. In a world where credits were everything, leaving these guys unconscious without taking advantage of the opportunity would be foolish. He knelt and began to tamper with their transfer implants. He was an expert programmer—stealing their credits was a matter of seconds.

A few lines of code adjusted in the interface, and...

Transfer complete. Balance obtained: 4,350 credits.

A more than decent sum. Far more than he could earn in weeks.

He stood up and looked at old Eldon and the boy Tariq. Both of them were watching him with eyes filled with a mix of gratitude and wariness. Kael sighed and took a portion of the credits.

—Take this. —He extended his hand with the transfer activated—. But don't tell anyone. Understood?

The old man looked at the amount, surprised. It was more than he could make in months selling scrap. His eyes returned to Kael with caution.

—Why…?

—Because I made a mistake. —Kael paused and feigned discomfort—. The truth is, I was drugged. I don't know what happened to me, I just lost my head and reacted the way I did. I don't want this to cause me any trouble, so don't talk about it. Is that clear?

Eldon looked at Tariq, then back at Kael. Finally, he nodded slowly.

—Alright… We won't say anything.

Kael didn't wait any longer. He turned around and left the Scrap Cemetery, his mind still ablaze from everything that had just happened.

He didn't go home right away. His thoughts tangled in his head like a swarm of faulty wires. Should he tell his sister? How could he explain what had happened to him? How could he protect his identity?

His steps carried him aimlessly through the city's outskirts. He passed through streets filled with neon and shadows, where beggars rummaged through trash and gangs watched from dark corners.

It was raining. Not normal rain, but acidic rain that corroded the oldest rooftops and burned the skin if exposed for too long.

He kept walking. Without realizing it, day turned into night.

Kael was hit by hunger like a sharp pang in his stomach. He had money. More money than he had in a long time. He allowed himself a small luxury before going home—a decent dinner for his sister.

He entered a fast-food joint in a slightly less depressing area. NeoBites, an automated restaurant that served 3D-printed food with top-quality synthetic ingredients. He ordered two cultivated meat burgers, real French fries—a near-extinct luxury—and two chocolate shakes.

When he got home, his sister was waiting at the door. Her face was pale with worry.

—Kael! Where the hell were you? —She looked him up and down—. Why are you soaking wet? And what's with the food…?

Kael handed her the bag with dinner without meeting her eyes.

—I'm sorry. I lost track of time. I went to the Scrap Cemetery and found some valuable circuits. I sold them and bought this.

His sister frowned, clearly suspicious.

—That doesn't make sense. You've never found anything worth that much…

Kael forced a smile.

—I got lucky this time.

His sister stared at him for a moment but finally sighed and took the bag of food.

—Don't do this again. I thought something had happened to you.

Kael looked at her in silence. Something had happened to him. Something he didn't fully understand himself.

As they ate in silence, one question kept repeating in his mind:

Now what?

Kael lay down on his battered mattress, his eyes fixed on the ceiling of the small room he shared with his sister. Dinner was over, and the scent of food still lingered in the air, mixing with the dampness of the place. His sister slept soundly in the bed beside him, her breathing steady, unaware of the whirlwind of thoughts consuming him.

He closed his eyes, but in his mind, the scene at the junkyard replayed over and over like an unrelenting echo. The brutality with which he had beaten those thugs, the surge of power coursing through his body, the adrenaline pulsing in his veins. But then came the realization. He had made a grave mistake.

The men he had attacked had seen his face. They wouldn't rest until they found him and got their revenge. Maybe they were already reaching out to contacts, calling in favors from more dangerous outcasts—or worse, selling information to the wrong people. Kael was a nobody in this world, but now he had caught the attention of the wrong kind of people.

His deepest fear wasn't for himself, but for his sister. If they found out who he was, both their lives would be in danger.

He clenched his teeth and mentally activated the Anti-Hero's visor. A response appeared instantly in the darkness of his mind—a cold, absolute decree:

"Elimination of identified threats. Guaranteed stat increase."

The solution was clear. Definitive. He had to kill them. It was the only way to ensure they never came after him. The only way to protect his sister.

A chill ran down his spine. Kill? He wasn't a criminal. He had never killed anyone. How was he even supposed to do it? His heart pounded, a mix of terror and excitement creeping over his skin. The voice within the visor did not hesitate, did not waver, did not offer an alternative. If he wanted to survive, if he wanted to keep his identity safe, he had to act.

But crossing that line meant leaving behind everything he once was. There would be no turning back.

Kael took a deep breath and, for a moment, considered ignoring the visor's warning. Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe the thugs would forget about him and move on to an easier target.

But another voice inside him—more pragmatic, darker—reminded him that in this world, the weak died and the strong survived.

Then, another message appeared on his visor, as if the system had read his hesitation:

"New skill unlocked: Appearance Shift. Over time, you will be able to modify your appearance and disappear without a trace."

Kael felt a weight lift from his chest. He wouldn't have to spend his life hiding. Eventually, he could start over with another face, another name.

But first, he had to tie up loose ends.

He glanced at his sister again, unaware of it all. If he didn't do what needed to be done, she would pay the price for his hesitation.

With a trembling yet firm decision, he closed his eyes and began planning how to finish what he had started.