'What the fuck...'

Kai's thoughts sharpened like a knife as he stirred back to reality. His head was pounding, like someone had tried to cram memories into his skull with a crowbar.

He connected the dots fast.

Eye contact with that woman - Seraphina. Something in her stare had flipped a switch. He'd been caught in some kind of hypnotic illusion. A fabricated reality that had felt real. Absurdly so.

But something about it hadn't sat right. The details. The way Mason had called him Kai with a smile? That wasn't Mason. That couldn't be real. And once Kai figured it out, the entire thing shattered like a mirror.

Now?

Now he was being dragged.

Each arm locked in a death grip by a mountain of muscle in a black suit.

Ahead of him, casually strolling like they were on a shopping trip, was Seraphina. Elegant. Unbothered. Like she hadn't just waltzed into a bar and straight-up abducted someone.

They were in the alley behind that very bar. And from the perspective of the patrons inside, it had all happened in a blink. One second, Kai locked eyes with the famous singer. The next - bam! - his head hit the counter. Out cold.

No one moved.

They'd all been too dazed. Confused. And then… they forgot.

Because Seraphina had made sure they did.

With a flick of her will, everyone in that room forgot everything - Kai collapsing, the bodyguards dragging him out, and even the fact that she had even shown up - all of it.

Her job had been simple: make eye contact. Trap Kai in an illusion. Let the muscle haul his body out while she cleaned up the scene and wiped the memories of any onlookers.

Nyx's orders were specific, and she'd already been paid a frankly preposterous amount of money.

But something was wrong now.

Something had slipped from her grasp.

Seraphina's eyes narrowed slightly as she felt her influence over Kai's mind break.

'He snapped out of it… without even knowing who I am. How'd he figure out it was an illusion?'

Her lips curled ever so slightly. That was rare. Even among mutants, few had the mental clarity and willpower to free themselves from her hypnotic grasp. And yet this unassuming, scruffy-looking ex-soldier had broken through like it was nothing. Very quickly at that.

She turned back slightly, curious now.

And what she saw made her pause.

Kai's boots dragged across the concrete as he sobered up rapidly. The fog in his head was gone as adrenaline coursed through his veins. His senses were dialled up. Everything felt sharper.

And he was pissed.

He looked up at the arms holding him.

'Big bastards. Strong. Likely trained. But nothing I can't handle,' he analysed.

Kai smirked to himself as the next thought came to his mind. 'After all, size doesn't matter - it's how you use it. Not that I'd know...'

Without warning, Kai slammed both feet into the ground, shifting his weight and centre of balance with surgical precision. The motion was fluid—controlled violence in motion.

His body twisted sharply as he yanked his right arm up and out, snapping the first guard's grip with a brutal combination of leverage and momentum. Kai then barged into him, causing the man to stumble back, but he didn't go down.

His eyes narrowed. 'Sturdy bastard.'

He drove his elbow back like a piston, cracking into the man's face with a sickening crunch. Blood sprayed from a shattered nose, but even then, the guy staggered, still on his feet.

'Still not down?'

Kai pivoted and hammered a palm strike into his sternum, the impact echoing like a gunshot. That finally sent the man reeling - then Kai lashed out with a roundhouse kick, heel slamming into the side of his head.

Thud!

Now he crumpled, falling face-first.

The second bodyguard didn't hesitate. His arms clamped around Kai's torso in a crushing bear hug, muscles bulging beneath his suit.

Kai gritted his teeth. Ribs strained. Breathing became harder.

'Shit. He's one strong fucker.'

He snapped his head forward - crack! - a headbutt to the bridge of the man's nose. Then another. Then a third.

The bodyguard growled but didn't let go.

Kai snarled. Drove a vicious knee into the man's gut. Once. Twice. On the third, he twisted mid-strike, shifting the angle, hitting the liver.

The man wheezed. His grip loosened just enough.

Kai dropped low, hooked his leg around the guy's ankle, and swept, slamming him down hard.

CRACK!

His skull hit the pavement. His arms went limp. The concrete soaked up the silence.

Just like that, both men were out cold within seconds.

Took more effort than he'd expected. They were tougher than most hired muscle.

But in the end… they were still just normal men.

Kai stood over them, his chest rising with slow, steady breaths. Combat instinct had taken over. Whatever training he'd gone through in his life, it hadn't dulled one bit.

He cracked his neck once.

Then looked up.

Seraphina was watching, her head tilted, arms folded, like she was observing a piece of art coming to life. There was no fear in her eyes.

Just amusement.

Intrigue.

And something darker beneath the surface.

Kai didn't care.

He met her gaze for a split second, then quickly looked away. Not falling for that trick again.

'She's definitely a mutant. Question is, what the hell does she want from me?'

His mind raced.

'Is she working for Gramps? No, he would just come here himself and haul my ass back. Maybe she wants to sell his organs? Or clone his face? Or maybe she ran a weird underground operation trafficking handsome men…'

'I knew I was too good-looking for my own good.'

Despite the absurdity of the situation, Kai kept calm. Joking to himself while watching her. There was a tense moment of silence, then Seraphina slowly stepped forward, heels clicking softly against the pavement.

"You're impressive," she said, voice like silk. "I've never seen anyone break my illusion that fast."

Kai flexed his fingers, already preparing to fight.

He didn't want to hit a beautiful woman.

But if she tried anything-

He absolutely would.

"Stay back," he warned flatly. "Try to kidnap me again, and I swear I'll break that pretty jaw."

Seraphina smirked. "So feisty."

Then her eyes flickered.

Not glowing.

Not glowing at all.

But the air around her shifted - Kai felt it. A pulse. A tug at the edge of his thoughts.

He clenched his jaw and looked away again.

But her ability wasn't just hypnotic illusions...

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