The Kael Neren

"Boss...!"

The stranger took the four thugs by surprise, prompting the other three to go after the leader. That meant Kael was thrown to the side roughly, ending up sprawled on the ground like a broken doll.

'Ugh...'

Kael inwardly groaned, too weak to even reach out to his aching body. With some effort, he was able to turn his head over to the commotion, where he noticed two of the thugs rush towards the stranger while the third tried to get the leader back to his feet.

'Mr. Detective isn't so helpless after all.'

The stranger didn't dally around and met the other two head-on. From what Kael could tell, the stranger was a trained fighter, not someone who simply relied on their strength and speed.

Before the third goon could help the leader to his feet, who now had a bloody nose and mouth, the stranger had already dealt with the other two. He knew how to use his strength and speed to the maximum.

With a burst of speed, the stranger closed in on the incoming goons, sidestepped a blow and ducked the other before delivering an elbow strike to the first and a stamp to the knee for the second, incapacitating them before the leader even regained his composure.

"Had enough?" 

The leader heard the stranger say, drawing him out of his disoriented state. Looking at his other men sprawled on the ground and groaning in pain, he realised they were no match for the stranger.

They might be awakened, but they had no formal training. And certainly did they not have the guts to become hunters. All they knew was what they picked from the streets. This was not a fight they could win.

"Boss..." the man holding onto his arm called, the fear in his eyes evident. "What do we do?"

They could push their luck and try to take the stranger, or they could simply abandon everything and leave. This was not worth the hassle.

Looking over to Kael, who lay on the stone, cold floor without a care in the world, the leader made his decision. There was nothing to gain here.

"We're leaving..." the leader declared, prompting a nod of agreement. With slow and deliberate movements, the boss and the third goon distanced themselves from Kael, moving towards the other side of the street.

Seeing this, the stranger grinned softly, moving out of the way and away from the men who were regaining some clarity. There was no need for any more words, no need for bad blood.

"Get your asses up, we're leaving." The leader said to the others on the ground, not even waiting for them to stand up. Naturally, they heard and obeyed.

While they slowly moved away, the stranger moved closer to Kael but did not turn his back on them. He patiently waited for all four men to disappear from the street and into the darkness of the other street.

"Y-you really don't listen to advice, do you, Mr. Detective?" The stranger heard Kael comment but did not turn to look at him, at least not yet. 

He waited for several seconds, and after no movements were detected, he turned around and approached Kael. "Do you really want to die?"

"Does it look like I want to live?" Kael shot back, not bothering to open his eyes again. "I'm tired, and I'm old. Look at this place..."

The stranger looked around, realising Kael had a point. Still, without hesitation, he moved to help Kael to his feet. He gently grabbed Kael, taking his left hand over his shoulders.

"You don't look weak to me." The stranger looked at Kael's bloody face and said, unable to make out his features. "Come on, I'm taking you to a hospital."

"No need," Kael shook his downcast head. "My house is just through that door over there." He pointed to his right, shifting the stranger's eyes towards the small, inconspicuous back door at the end of the street.

"You sure? You've lost a lot of blood." The stranger looked back at Kael.

"Haha, this is nothing a few days of rest cannot resolve. "Kael replied, almost laughing. "Like you, I'm an awakened."

"Really...?" The stranger raised his brows, gradually leading Kael towards the back door he pointed at. "And you allowed yourself to be beaten like this?"

"Fighting back wouldn't change a thing, Mr. Detective. As I mentioned earlier, I'm not particularly keen on living."

"Call me Dave." The stranger, Dave, corrected with a sigh. "And yeah, I heard you the first time." 

Dave looked over his shoulder one last time when he arrived at the back door. The goons weren't returning any time soon, allowing him to relax a little.

While he might have made the fight look easy, he wasn't sure he could have fought for long. Things could have gotten back on track if they had pushed through their pain.

"Do you have the keys?" Dave asked, focusing his gaze on the door and then on Kael. 

"Just yank it open."

Dave did as instructed and forced the door open. It took three tries for the door to open. If he used more strength than necessary, the entire door might have come off.

Leading Kael into the dark stairwell, Dave looked up, counting four floors. Before he could ask for further directions, Kael instructed.

"To the fourth floor, the last door to your left."

"Mm."

Slowly but surely, Dave helped Kael to his room. Opening the door to the small hallway, Dave noticed the dilapidated condition of the building. In fact, the entire building was in a state of disrepair. 

The wallpapers were in tatters, hanging off the wall and on their last vestiges of life. The floor was dirty, littered with papers and stains, and it had a stuffy smell.

'Could have been worse.' Dave thought to himself, guiding Kael to the third door he mentioned.

"The key is in the small hole next to the door's frame," Kael said one more time, almost as if he knew what Dave would ask next. "The right side."

"Right..." Dave couldn't help but smile. He quickly found the key and entered, where he was welcomed to another sorry sight. 

Already expecting this much, Dave ignored the state of the room and led Kael to the double mattress lying on the other side of the small room.

"There you go."

Dave lay Kael on the bed, helping him take off his shoes and coat. Kael's face was now covered in dried blood, as his wounds began clotting.

Looking around, Dave spotted the washroom and headed over, trying to find a towel he could use on Kael. He found one and soaked it in the barely running taps before returning to Kael's side.

"You haven't told me your name." Dave sat on the bedside and began wiping Kael's face, who barely reacted to Dave's actions.

A moment of silence passed as Dave waited patiently. "My name is Kael... Kael Neren."

"Wait, what?" Dave suddenly stopped his actions, his eyes slightly widened in disbelief. "You're Kael Neren? The Kael Neren?"

"You sound like you just met your hero or something," Kael replied, turning to look at Dave, who looked back at him with shock in his eyes. "You alright, kid?"