NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 18: Fangs in the Dark
The sky was cracked with faint red streaks. Not dawn, but something older—something wrong.
Kael walked through silence broken only by the crunch of ash beneath his boots. The night air was sharp with the stench of smoke, blood, and scorched rubber.
> [WEEKLY TASK COMPLETE]
The notification shimmered briefly in his vision. He ignored it.
He didn't feel victorious. He felt… used. As if the world had turned his instinct into obligation.
Still, he moved.
---
The city had decayed into lawlessness overnight. Where once sirens and prayers ruled, now laughter and violence echoed.
People flaunted their powers openly. Some with awe. Others with threat.
A boy with stone fists punched through a vending machine. A girl flew past windows with glowing eyes, scattering embers in her wake. A man turned his arm into a blade and cut down a streetlight just to watch it fall.
Kael ignored them all.
He had one purpose: family.
---
He found them near the edge of the eastern barricade. His brothers—Arien and Dren—were bullying civilians, tossing them aside with brute force and glowing palms. A stolen relief drone buzzed overhead, its cargo being emptied into their bags.
His parents followed, tired and hunched, eyes hollow.
Kael's stomach turned.
He surged forward, grabbed both brothers by their collars, and slammed them into the nearest wall.
"Still bullies even at the end of the world?" he snapped.
Arien, his elder brother, growled. "We're surviving. This is what survival looks like now."
Dren smirked, flexing his fingers, flickering with his C-rank Kinetic Shove.
Kael didn't answer. He turned to his parents.
"Come. I've got a place."
They walked. No resistance. Only silence.
"Did you… get powers?" Kael asked gently.
His mother shook her head. "Only those under fifty."
Of course.
At the ranger shelter deep in the mountain woodline, Kael handed them his duffel—cans, rope, firestarter, flashlight, tools.
"Stay here. Lock it down. Use the knives if you must. Don't leave for anything."
His brothers muttered complaints, but his parents nodded quietly.
He turned his back on them.
He didn't look back.
> [Daily Task: Complete]
Reward: Minor Speed Enhancer – 1 Use Only
---
It was well past 3 AM when he entered the next district.
An alley caught his eye. Half-blocked by a rusted dumpster.
And movement.
Four figures stepped from the shadows. Three glowing faint orange—E-ranks. One darker. Still. Controlled.
The leader.
A C-rank.
> [Hostiles Detected: 3x Rank E, 1x Rank C]
"You've got food. Meds. Tools," one of them said. "Hand it over."
Kael shifted his stance. "You think I'll just give it to you?"
They smirked.
Kael knew this game. The E-ranks were glowing, yes—but only faintly. They had already used their powers today.
The ten-minute rule.
That applied to everyone.
Except Kael.
Or so he'd thought.
He focused.
> [Activating Routine Surge]…
[Error: Energy Source Inactive – No Qualifying Routine Completed Today]
His stomach sank.
Divine Echo had removed his time limit—but not the fuel itself.
Routine Surge needed discipline.
He hadn't done his workouts. No power today.
He drew his dagger.
The blade was hot. Still minorly enhanced from his burn.
It would have to be enough.
They attacked.
Kael ducked a pipe swing, slammed his knee into one's chest, and spun, using the man's own momentum to throw him into a wall.
The second came in swinging with a bat. Kael caught the wrist, twisted it, and kicked the knee backward.
Crack.
The third grabbed him from behind. Kael elbowed him in the gut, then jabbed the dagger back into the man's thigh.
Three down.
The C-rank came next. Taller. Smarter. Still fresh.
He activated his ability—muscle threads bulging, veins lit orange, power surging.
Kael was slower.
He blocked a blow and was launched into the dumpster. The metal dented inward.
Ribs cracked.
He barely rolled away from the follow-up punch, slicing across the man's side with the dagger.
Steam hissed.
The man howled, but didn't fall.
Blow after blow came. Kael dodged some, took others. He was bleeding, breathing hard, vision blurry.
One last chance.
He dropped low, pretended to stumble.
The man took the bait.
Kael surged up minor speed enhancement one use he got as reward for completing the daily task , slamming the burning dagger into his chest, twisting with all his might.
The man screamed.
Collapsed.
Dead.
> [Secret Task Complete]
Helped those in need without asking for reward.
Defeated those who preyed on the weak.
Reward: Soul Light Fragment – Unclassified
Kael sat there, hands trembling, blood dripping from his nose.
He stared at the bodies.
Not because of guilt.
But because he knew… this was only the beginning.