Saint:My Daily Routine Became My Superpower

 July 12th. 3:00 AM.

The wind didn't howl. It hummed.

Low, steady, and cold—as if the air itself feared breathing too loud.

Kael crouched on the rooftop of a partially collapsed structure, one knee pressed to the dusty tiles, his breath low and controlled. The Ghost Veil still pulsed behind his eyes, its spectral layer fading like mist. Yet something lingered beyond his vision. Not quite seen. Not quite gone.

He stared toward the far ridge where he'd seen that thing. The silhouette hadn't just passed. It looked. Looked straight at him. It wasn't just a creature. It was a presence. Watching.

> [Warning: You are being observed.] [Passive Status Effect Applied: Pale Shadow]

The interface text shimmered faintly, almost hesitantly, as if unsure whether to warn or mourn.

> [Pale Shadow] Type: Passive / Curse Effect: You have attracted the attention of an ancient predator. Your movements may now echo across its senses. Flare-based abilities risk exposure. Avoid patterns. Avoid noise. It remembers. It learns.

Kael slowly exhaled.

His muscles, already taut from the night's earlier training, were now ice-cold. Not from fatigue. From instinct. The same instinct that had saved him during his first solo fight. That had flared when the Tyrant roared. That now told him:

Run.

But he didn't.

Instead, he retreated carefully, melting into the stairwell and down the rubble-filled corridors back to the family hideout. Every step deliberate. Quiet. Breath steady. Not even a pebble moved underfoot.

When he reached the mat near the fireless hearth, his younger brother stirred slightly but didn't wake. Their faces, though worn and smudged with dirt, were peaceful. Safe. For now.

Kael slid his back against the wall and sat there.

He didn't sleep.

---

Morning came.

The sky above the ruins glowed a pale silver, filtered by ash-dusted clouds. The scent of earth and iron lingered. Kael rose from his place with slow, mechanical movements.

The fear hadn't left. But it had been shelved.

Ghost Veil's cooldown had passed. He felt it again, like a pressure behind the eyes—ready to be released. But not yet.

Instead, he walked to the clearing they'd flattened behind the building.

His brothers were already there, stretching groggily. Armin rubbed his eyes. Dain was wrapping fabric around his forearms.

Kael tossed two makeshift daggers on the ground.

"We train harder today," he said. "No breaks."

Dain frowned. "We trained hard yesterday too. What happened to sleep?"

Kael didn't answer. Instead, he stepped behind Eren and grabbed his shoulders, adjusting his stance.

"Wider feet. Lower hips. You're not fencing. You're surviving."

Then to Dain: "Your skin-hardening lasts four seconds. Learn to time it with a block, not before. Save it for impact."

They exchanged a look but obeyed.

Kael led the drills. Sweat poured. The sun climbed. Every motion was faster, sharper.

He didn't let himself stop.

---

By midday, Kael stood alone in the southern corridor of the ruins. A long hallway framed by shattered beams and broken stone.

With the Obsidian Dagger, he began carving.

Each line burned faintly—a fragment of Routine Serge's energy bleeding into the glyphs. They weren't real magic. But they reacted. Light flared weakly when he stepped through one of the rune-lines.

> [Improvised Trap Created: Energy Disturbance Trigger] Range: 8 meters.

He placed three more traps, forming a triangle around the perimeter of the hideout.

Then he sat in silence and watched the traps.

Nothing came.

Yet the humming in the back of his skull remained.

---

Night fell.

There was no moon.

The ruins glowed dimly from distant fires in the city's heart. Faint screams echoed in the distance, quickly silenced.

Kael lay on the roof again. Still. Waiting.

Then, it happened.

> [Trap Triggered – South Point]

Kael was up before the message finished.

Ghost Veil. Activate.

The world dimmed. The air thickened. His vision shimmered.

And there it was.

A creature. A thing. Moving along the broken road beyond the southern perimeter. Limbs too long. Spine curved like a scorpion's tail. Its skin didn't reflect light. It drank it. And its head—a warped imitation of a human skull, mouth open far too wide, no jaw, just darkness.

Kael didn't breathe.

> [Unknown Apex Detected] [Analyzing...] [Result: ERROR.]

The creature stopped at the edge of the flare radius. Inches from the threshold.

Then, it tilted its head.

So did Kael.

It mirrored him.

He stepped left.

It did too.

Raised his dagger.

It raised a clawed limb.

Kael's heartbeat thundered in his ears. This wasn't just predation. This was imitation. Study.

He reached slowly into his pouch and threw a shard of flint into the air.

The creature flinched.

And lunged.

Kael dashed backward, Routine Serge flooding his body with movement. The flare of Ghost Veil turned the world into a tunnel of clarity.

He was ready to fight.

But the thing melted. Not vanished—liquefied into black mist and seeped into the cracks of the stone.

Gone.

> [Pale Shadow: Threat Level Reduced] [Temporary Safety Ensured]

Kael stood there, dagger drawn, chest heaving.

He hadn't even swung.

And yet it had learned from him.

---

Later that night, Kael sat cross-legged beside the cold hearth.

He was sharpening both daggers slowly, repeatedly. Not for the blades. For the motion. The rhythm.

His brothers slept soundly.

Kael stared into the fireless dark and whispered.

"It mimicked me."

No one replied.

But something in the shadows might have heard.

He knew this was only the beginning.

Something ancient was waking.

And now, it had seen him.

---

To Be Continued...