Dawn, now awake from the trials, stared into Kade's eyes.
"Welcome back," he said.
She blinked, still hazy, her thoughts a tangled mess of half-formed memories. The confusion of the Spell, the nightmares, and the fragments of Earth's life scrambled together like a broken puzzle. But eventually, it sorted itself. She remembered the alley. The voice. The figure of a young man with a mouth too loud for his good.
She never thought she'd see his face again.
Yet there he was, holding out a tube of synthpaste—something she'd only ever seen on factory conveyor belts. It looked even more miserable in his hands.
He wiggled the battered tube, grinning like an idiot.
"You woke up just in time for dinner."
"..."
Dawn pushed herself up with a grunt, muscles stiff and unfamiliar, her movements still jerky from the Spell's afterburn. She dusted herself off, eyes flicking across the alley—dingy walls, stinking gutters, the distant hum of neon overhead—before finally returning to him.
"Kade, right?"
He gave her a lazy salute. "Glad you remembered. Still, are you sure you don't want some?"
She eyed the tube like it might bite her, lips curling in disgust—but before she could answer, her stomach betrayed her with a loud, miserable rumble.
The alley fell into a heavy silence.
Kade's smirk widened. "Is that a yes?"
Embarrassment flourished into anger, but she pushed it down and replied.
"Is there potentially anything else?!" she begged.
He made a show of searching, first patting the ground around him, then digging through the folded coat she'd been lying on. Dawn froze, only now noticing the coat had been cushioned beneath her head.
Her opinion of the so-called street rat wavered—just a little.
Kade pulled his hands free, empty. "Yeah, uh... not that I have on me. And unless you have pockets full of charity, I'm afraid synthpaste is about as good as it gets for the next couple of miles."
He leaned back, grinning. "Though I did hear there's a pastry shop somewhere close. They have somehow kept in business despite being in here out of all places... Probably a front to launder money, but it's not like we care."
Dawn sighed, snatching the synthpaste from Kade's palm and bringing it to her mouth. "Well, all my cash is at home, so I've got nothing to offer," she said before forcing herself to chug the synthpaste in one brutal go.
Kade watched the scene with a tilt of his head, a grin tugging at his lips. Not bad.
Most people who had never touched synthase would puke it back up. He thought he'd have to butter her up first, maybe tempt her into sneaking off for those pastries. But it looks like he didn't need to.
'She survived the nightmare after all.'
That was the real test. The one that left scars under the skin. It was what gave all Awakened that cold veneer. What made them larger than life to normal folks, and what crushed the ones who couldn't hack it, leaving them disgraced and hollow?
Dawn finished the rest of the putrid meal and shivered in disgust.
"Okay. I'm done. Let's just go to the police station—at least there we can get a warm shower, maybe even a real bed. I'm done with this place already."
Kade scoffed.
"From the looks of it, you just arrived, and why are you here anyway? Finally, police stations are out of bounds for me."
"Of course they are." Her gaze swept him—ragged clothes, nicks, and scratches everywhere. "What, you mug a couple of people or something?"
Kade snickered. "Rarely have to. People usually give it up before I even ask.
But yeah... something like that."
Dawn shook her head; life had already been a complete mess, but having to navigate back with someone like Kade, of all people, was a bit overwhelming.
'Why can't I just ditch him? He's going to cause more trouble than he's worth.' She paused, remembering their awkward talk before the spell... and the coat. Damn it.
'Fine. Someone watching my back wouldn't hurt right now. Someone... I can almost trust.'
She shot him another look. His messy dark hair shifted softly in the cold wind.
'Maybe,' she thought bitterly. 'Maybe.'
"Do you want the coat back?" Kade questioned.
Dawn's eyes widened at the offer.
"..."
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Now outside, walking through the decrepit veins of the outskirts, Dawn trudged beside Kade.
The oversized brown coat draped down to her knees, her arms buried deep inside for warmth.
Her gaze darted from alley to corner, scanning every shadow, every huddled figure lurking too long in the dark.
Kade, by contrast, strolled like he owned the place, hands in his pockets, his battered jeans and black shirt barely doing anything against the cold. He tipped his chin at passing gangs of kids who scrambled away in fear and ignored the muttering drunks.
It was not the best place, but it was home.
And if luck had his way, hopefully it wouldn't be for long.
Dawn tore her gaze from the streets and glanced at Kade, walking beside her like he didn't have a care in the world.
She had assumed that in a place like this, you had to stay alert every second, wary not to stumble into some unwritten rule or offend the wrong person.
But from the looks people gave him, it was pretty clear—he was probably the one they were all careful to avoid.
"You're like a fish in water," she muttered.
Kade turned to face her.
"I've been out here for a good chunk of my life. I know my way around." He jerked his head toward the shadows of the street. "And can you see why your plan to waltz into the station is, like, the last thing I'd ever do?"
Dawn sighed, dragging her hands deeper into the coat's sleeves.
"You know it's the only way we can get into the Awakened Academy. I've already told you why we need to go there."
Kade shrugged, casually kicking a crushed can down the cracked sidewalk. The hollow clank echoed between the ruined buildings.
"I'm confident I can handle Winter Solstice on my own," he said, smirking. "I survived my trial, didn't I? So, I don't exactly see the need."
Dawn stopped, looking at him—really looking this time. There was something off about how easily he brushed it all aside; she couldn't tell if it was bravado or sheer stupidity.
"If you're so confident in yourself," she said slowly, eyes narrowing, "then why are you even sticking around me? You don't know my strength. You don't even know if I'm someone you can trust."
She tilted her head slightly, watching for a crack in that smug mask.
"But you're still here."
Kade flinched, scratching the side of his head, the timid look flickering before he forced it away and steeled himself.
"Yeah, but... I guess you're in the same boat as me. Not exactly, but close enough."
He shrugged. "Unlike them, we don't really have much to go back to.
I mean—I'm guessing on that part. You never actually told me why you ended up here."
Dawn glanced past him, eyes lingering on the homeless clinging to life on the streets—ghosts clinging to pity in a world that couldn't care less. A cruel existence... one that shouldn't even exist.
"...You're somewhat right."
Kade grinned like he'd won something.
"Exactly. So if I'm going to have someone watching my back while I claw my way into that academy thing... who better than you?"
He scoffed.
"Better you than one of those shit-eating elites that'll probably be crawling all over the place."
A small smile tugged at Dawn's lips, soft and fleeting.
"Thanks," she murmured.
"But... we still have to go. There might be people like us, hopefully. And the police..."
She hesitated, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
"...They should treat you as an awakened person in need. Not just some street punk."
Kade resigned.
"Well, if they were worth any of their paycheque, they would, but I'll trust you on this one."
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After a bit more walking, they found themselves in a street where not even the drunk wandered, a ghost town of people, with the only people there being Kade and Dawn.
"Are you sure the police station is near here?" Dawn offered she would be on guard more, but Kade still seemed perfectly fine in the deserted suburb.
"Yeah, why do you think there's no one here? The further away you are from the station, the easier it is to do the whole breaking the law business."
Dawn nodded slowly; she understood some logic, but the machinations of the outskirts were still so bizarre to her. Thankfully she had a competent guide; otherwise, she would have probably been lost within minutes.
But in the corner of her eye, Dawn caught movement.
"Kade", she muttered, tone sharpening, "I think there are people here."
He blinked at her, confused.
"Really?"
Her gaze zeroed in on a run-down house, the windows too dark for a normal eye—but hers pierced right through them.
"Yeah," she said flatly. "The whole gang packed inside that narrow building to the right. Thirty or so. Crude weapons. Nasty faces."
Kade finally caught on, his eyes narrowing.
'That's... concerning.'
"Okay, sharp eyes, can you ID any leaders? Anyone stand out?"
Dawn gave a nod.
"One has a swollen eye. Another's hunched over like an old man. And the front guy has... maybe half his teeth left."
Kade froze, the puzzle clicking into place.
"Oh, it's them. Guess they worked up the guts to track me down after all."
Before she could fire back, the gang erupted from the building like a swarm, snarling, stomping, and scraping metal on concrete. They clustered in front of them, weapons brandished, eyes wild.
Three rough figures took the lead, glaring murder at Kade.
He recognised the three leaders at the front. He had tangled with them only about 5 days ago, before he had realised he was under the nightmare spell; since the trial, it felt like forever ago.
Though they had clearly not forgotten.
Kade rolled his shoulders, unfazed. They were nothing unless they got lucky. Or he got careless covering Dawn.
Although something did alarm him.
Behind the mob, a cloaked figure lingered.
Out of place, clearly not.
Eyes sharp beneath the hood, locked not on him—but on Dawn.
Kade's smirk faded, replaced with something cold.
'That's... new.'
"Change of plans," Kade voiced, cracking his knuckles as he took a half step in front of Dawn.
Each pop made the three leaders flinch, their anger barely masking the flicker of fear in their eyes.
But it wasn't enough to stop them.
The toothless one snarled first.
"Kade... you think you can stroll back in after what you pulled? You think these are your streets now?"
Kade shrugged, bouncing lightly on his heels like a fighter warming up.
"Yeah, pretty much. But if you want a complimentary injury, I can work that into the schedule."
That was all it took.
The arched-back gangster roared, spitting rage as he lunged.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU COCKY BASTARD! I'LL CUT THAT TONGUE OUT MYSELF!"
The shout acted as the fuse, lighting the tension before it exploded into chaos.