Stranger Danger

"Thinking about my offer, I see." The elf man said playfully.

Kaito, who was lost in thought, tensed slightly at the sound of his voice, but he kept his discomfort hidden as best as he could.

"You know something about me, don't you? Why offer your help?" He asked.

The man's grin widened, as if he was amused by his suspicions.

"Help? No, no. Think of it as... aligning interests."

"Aligning interests? It sounds like I'm just some piece in a game of yours." Kaito said as he narrowed his eyes a bit.

For the first time since they began to talk, the mysterious man's playful grin faded. His voice dropped, more serious now.

"A lot of powerful and influential people fear what you can do—what you can become, Kaito. They fear your kind's ability to adapt and evolve. If you want to survive, if you want to protect your crew, you'll need the truth. And to find the truth you need more than brute strength. You'll need true power."

Kaito's heart pounded at his words for some strange reason.

"My kind.. Evolve..Wh..What truth? What are you talking about?" He asked.

The mysterious man's grin returned.

"Meet me tonight, in the city outside the arena grounds." He said as he turned and walked off.

Back on the Starlight, the crew gathered in the med bay, their usual playful banter absent. Finn laid unconscious on the medical bed. His body was bruised and covered in faintly glowing bandages as Elysia worked to heal him. Jinx paced back and forth, her arms tightly crossed over her chest. Rorik leaned against the wall.

"That wasn't a fight. That Myzen guy… he was here to kill." He muttered.

At Finn's bedside was Elara. Her eyes stayed fixed on him.

Kaito glanced at Finn's battered body. His mind drifted back to their conversations and promise in the training room before the tournament. 

"Finn…" He thought to himself.

That night, Kaito made his way through the dim streets of the moon's small city. As he navigated the narrow streets leading to the edge of the arena, Finn's fight still replayed in his mind.

"If we had been just a second late… Who knows what would've happened." He thought to himself.

He reached the rendezvous spot, his senses on high alert. He walked into a dark alley, and there he was. He stood with his back turned to Kaito as his hooded white coat fluttered gently in the breeze. 

"I knew you'd come..." Said the man ominously, not turning around.

Kaito stepped forward cautiously, keeping his eyes locked on him.

"If you know how to help me win and things about me and the human race, now's the time to show it."

The man turned slowly.

"It's not just about winning Kaito. It's about becoming what they fear most, unlocking the potential buried inside you." 

"Who are these people? And what makes you think you can help me?"

The man paused for a second before speaking again.

"The Accord." He said bluntly.

"The… Accord?" Kaito asked, surprised.

 "B–But, why? Why would the Accord be afraid of me? That doesn't make any sense. I'm just one human! So why?" Kaito asked, his frustration getting to a boiling point.

"Because they know what you are Kaito… what you could become. Look kid, I can't say much because they won't tell and I can't be here for long so I need you to pay attention." The man said.

He stepped closer and raised his hand, hovering it just above Kaito's chest.

"Relax kid. You're too tense. I can't get inside if you keep clenching up like that." He said in a calm low tone.

"Eh…?" Kaito blurted out.

He immediately tensed even more and he took a few small steps back. The man sighed dramatically.

"Quit being such a wimp. I'm just trying to help you out by getting inside you, or is that too much for you to handle?" He said calmly.

"HUUHHHH!?? HELL NO!! BACK AWAY FROM ME YOU FREAKY ASS OLD MAN!"

"Just stay still brat."

"STRANGER DANGER! STRAN-"

The man quickly covered Kaito's mouth in a panic.

"Cut it out you damn brat! Just what do you think you're doing!?"

Their argument quickly escalated into a comedic back-and-forth. Suddenly, the window of a nearby apartment creaked open, and an old Thalorian woman stuck her head out.

"Hey! Will you two love birds shut up down there?! Some of us are trying to sleep!" She yelled out, poking her head out of her window.

Kaito and the man paused, both turning to stare at the woman. 

"You shut up you old hag!" They yelled in unison.

The old woman scowled before slamming her window shut, leaving the two standing in silence. After a moment, they both exchanged glances.

"What an asshole." The man said.

"Yeah, she was the real villain all along." Kaito added.

With the tension between them simmered, the mysterious man's expression turned serious again as he returned his focus to Kaito.

"Now, let's get back to it. You need to fight with more than just your fists. You've got something inside you kid, something big. I'm going to see if I can help bring it out. Find your affinity."

Kaito's mind flashed back to one of his early training sessions with Elara as he recalled her mentioning it. 

"My affinity? You think you can just… find it? Like… right now?" He asked.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Guess we'll find out huh?" The man said in a joking manner as he shrugged his shoulders.

Kaito blinked, dumbfounded.

"I followed you all the way out here for a maybe?!"

"Well, you trusted me this far. Might as well see it through, right?" The man said playfully.

Despite his frustration, Kaito couldn't help but be curious. If this man was telling the truth, it could change everything. He hesitated only a moment longer before nodding.

"Fine. Let's do this."

The man's demeanor shifted again, becoming more focused and intense as he hovered his hand just above Kaito's chest once more. Kaito stood still. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, though he wasn't sure if it was from the man's ability or a placebo.

As the seconds passed, nothing seemed to happen, and he began to doubt the entire process. He opened his mouth to say something, but the man's eyes snapped open.

"Four of them!? I can only clearly sense one right now… but two of the other three… they're… different. Could they be those types of affinities?" He thought to himself.

A slow disbelieving smile spread across the man's face as he glanced at Kaito.

"This guy… is a monster and he has no clue of it. Hehe, you really are their son, aren't you, brat?" He thought to himself.

Kaito, completely unaware of what was going on, raised an eyebrow.

"Uh… what's happening? Are we done here, or..?"

The man pulled back his hand.

"From what I can tell, you've got a lightning affinity. Raw, volatile, and dangerous if you don't learn how to control it."

Kaito's eyes widened, his mind reeling from the revelation.

"Lightning…? I have a lightning affinity?" He asked as an excited sparkle lit up in his eyes.

"Yep. And trust me, kid… you've barely scratched the surface of what you can do. I'll teach you the basics because that's all we have time for."

Elsewhere, in a large bed with towering windows behind letting in the light from two moons, Seraphine laid twirling her black hair as she watched Kaito's battle on repeat through a projection. She watched it over and over and over. Her lips curled in a slight smile.

Aleron stood beside her bed on guard. He stood at attention facing forward, but his eyes didn't follow the same path. They were on Seraphine. On her body. And who could blame him? 

His eyes were full of lust and desire as they slowly worked their way up her legs, then her chest, before finally landing on her beautiful face. But when he looked at her eyes… something bothered him. He looked over to Kaito's projection that she'd been watching on repeat and his face turned sour.

He didn't like Seraphine's attention being drawn to someone else… let alone another man. 

"That human... My lady, shall I eliminate him myself?" He said calmly.

Seraphine didn't even respond, her eyes never left the screen. It was as if she was stuck in a trance. 

Aleron's jaw tightened slightly seeing this. 

"Forgive me for my impatience my lady, but that human... Kaito... is dangerous. He defies the natural order does he not?" 

Seraphine's eyes finally shifted over to meet his as a slight smile appeared on her face. 

"Ah, Aleron, always so eager to act, aren't you?" She said calmly.

She sat up from her bed. She was dressed in an elegant black night gown that didn't block sight from her body whatsoever.

"Kaito indeed defies the natural order, but that's precisely why we must allow him to grow… to ripen." She said in a somewhat seductive but playful tone.

Aleron's brow raised at her words. It was rare for Seraphine to take such an interest in any individual, especially one who could pose a legitimate threat to her and the Accord's goals.

"You wish for him to become stronger?" He asked, confused.

Seraphine turned her full attention to Aleron now, her smile soft but dark, her eyes glinting with something unsettling. 

"Of course." She said calmly with a smile on her face.

But there was something else, something beneath the surface of her words that made him question if she was simply watching Kaito or if there was something deeper at play.

Seraphine returned her gaze to the holoscreen.

"Kaito is the key to our salvation." She muttered out.

Aleron bowed his head slightly, though his mind and heart remained uneasy. As he stood back, he thought back to the masked individual from before.

"The masked one at the meeting… their presence isn't just coincidence. Seraphine never allows anyone near her without a purpose. But still, that was my first time seeing them, yet… it's as if they're familiar with each other. Another person close to Lady Seraphine, without my knowledge?" 

As if sensing his thoughts, Seraphine spoke up.

"There's something else we need to discuss before you go… Aleron." She said calmly.

Aleron straightened up immediately.

"What is it, my lady?"

Seraphine's eyes drifted away from Kaito's projection and the tournament and focused on him.

"The codex fragment... this tournament, how did they get their hands on it? Why would someone put something like that as a reward for such a trivial tournament?" She asked in a loving yet intimidating tone.

Aleron's jaw tightened, and he felt the weight of her words settle heavily in the air around him. Sweat began to roll down the back of his neck. He wasn't able to conjure any words before she continued.

"This kind of power doesn't simply fall into the hands of anyone. Whoever arranged this tournament must be taken into custody. Do you understand?" 

Aleron's fingers twitched slightly at his side, but he maintained his composure the best he could. 

"I will make inquiries, my lady. We will root them out." He said as he bowed.

Seraphine's smile returned before she turned back around to the projection, rewinding to the beginning of Kaito's fight with Dargan. Aleron turned and walked out of the room.