Drayen let out a quiet sigh as he read the status window.
He was happy—but at the same time, a faint ambition glimmered in his eyes. "When can I be strong like Kira…?"
Kira was extremely strong. She preferred quick, precise, non-flashy movements. Before someone even realized she was there, the job would already be done.
The Shadow Hound fight replayed in his mind. She moved quickly, precisely, without a single wasted motion. Before the hounds even realized she was in range, she had already cut them down.
And even then, Drayen knew she was holding back—only using Rank One abilities. He hadn't seen her use anything beyond what she showed during training, and in training, she only demonstrated Rank One techniques.
And when she trained them?
She dodged bullets. MossIron bullets. Her instincts and combat sense were almost superhuman.
According to the books and materials the university provided, Kira's mastery of Rank One combat abilities was considered among the best. Very few Nightbornes could handle bullets using only Rank One abilities.
Rank didn't define a Nightborne's battle strength—not completely. Even within the same rank, the difference between two Nightbornes could be massive. Actual combat power depended on several factors: how many abilities you possessed, the quality of those abilities, your Nightmare Essence capacity—which increased with your Nightborne rank—and your own skill in using them.
Speaking of abilities, there were eight ability ranks corresponding directly to the eight Nightborne ranks. A Rank One Nightborne could only awaken Rank One abilities. Yet the quality of those abilities varied greatly, influenced mostly by luck and bloodline talent. For example, Moon Butterfly Jewel Eyes functioned best in darkness, while another Rank One ability—Butterfly Jewel Eyes—was a superior variant that worked perfectly in both light and darkness.
Nightborne Essence was the source of power behind all abilities—pretty much this world's version of mana. Simple enough: without it, a Nightborne couldn't do much. All Rank One Nightbornes had the same amount of Nightmare Essence, which later became the standard measurement: a Rank One Nightborne had 100 Essence.
A Nightborne's heart worked like an engine. It produced Nightmare Essence and stored it, acting as both generator and container. And the only way to increase that capacity was by rising in rank.
It was getting late, and he was already tired from everything that happened. He lay on the bed thinking about these things, and before he knew it, he was asleep.
The next day, he woke up around 10 a.m. His mom had already left for work, and his muscles still ached from yesterday's fight.
Drayen felt like having a drink. He had been waiting for this. In his previous life as Rael, he had been very fond of alcohol—not a drunkard, but he enjoyed it.
On Tellus, the legal drinking age was twenty, but a little sneaky drink wouldn't hurt. So he headed to the grocery store to grab a beer.
-----
Kira was standing in the electronics section of the grocery store, staring at rows of remotes like they were some kind of magical traps. She had broken her own remote earlier that morning out of anger. The damn thing wouldn't listen to her.
Why do people in this world love these devices so much? Even in the Nightmare Realm everyone started using them recently… but they are so annoying.
She grabbed a remote that looked similar to the one she destroyed. Good enough.
Kira walked to the counter, but halfway there she started hesitating.
How was she supposed to ask this?
What if the shopkeeper thought she was stupid?
She forced herself forward.
Behind the counter stood a middle-aged woman in casual clothes. Kira cleared her throat.
"Cough. Cough. Excuse me… I, uh… I have a question."
The lady looked at her politely. "Sure, go ahead."
Kira held up the remote she had grabbed. "This device… how do I connect it to the television?"
The shopkeeper stared at her, confused.
"…Ma'am, that's an AC remote," she said slowly. "It doesn't connect to a TV."
Kira blinked. "It doesn't?"
"No. It only works for the air conditioner."
Kira looked down at the remote like it had personally betrayed her.
She asked another stupid question. "Okay… then where is the wire to connect it to the TV?"
The shopkeeper looked even more confused now. She had the expression of someone talking to a child or a complete idiot. "There is no wire. Remotes are wireless. They use infrared signals. You just… point them."
Kira felt her soul leaving her body. Great. Fantastic. Kill me.
At that exact moment, Drayen walked into the store, heading toward the alcohol section. Kira, who was returning from the counter, saw him immediately.
"Drayen," she called.
Drayen froze. Who…?
He turned around and relaxed when he saw her, a small smile appearing on his face.
"Oh, it's Instructor Kira. Hello, ma'am," he greeted with a stiff posture, like a military cadet.
The shopkeeper, who overheard that, stared at Kira even more strangely.
Kira felt the embarrassment stacking on top of the remote disaster. "Don't call me instructor or ma'am outside the university. Just Kira."
"Okay, ma'am," he replied instinctively.
She glared at him. "We are not that different in age. Just call me Kira when we're outside."
He nodded quickly.
"So, what are you doing here, Ma—"
Her expression instantly shifted. The remote frustration, the embarrassment, everything combined. Her glare hit him like a bullet.
He gulped. "…Kira."
Her name came out of his mouth, and despite the fear, he felt oddly happy that he finally got to call her by name.
Kira calmed herself down and softened her tone. "What brings you here, Drayen?"
Drayen scratched his head as he lied, a small smile on his face. "I just came for snacks."
Kira hesitated for a moment, then spoke gently. "Um… I just moved into a new house nearby. I'm still figuring things out. Could you help me with something?"
Drayen nodded immediately. With his help, she finally picked the correct remote.
The moment the purchase was done, Kira hurried out of the store. She didn't want to stay there even a second longer.
Drayen followed Kira quietly. He couldn't help thinking about how strangely she was behaving. She couldn't even pick the correct remote, acted awkward, and then pushed the job onto him. She tried to act normal, but it only made her behavior look even stranger—and Drayen noticed it all.
This wasn't the first time either. Fedric had mentioned it before: Kira needed his help just to create a group in TellChat, and she didn't even know how to use TellChat properly. Drayen had ignored it back then, but after today… he had a weird feeling.
If he hadn't seen the Nightmare Realm, he would have just shaken it off as her being bad with technology.
But now, knowing what he knew… he had a gut feeling that maybe—
Kira, walking ahead, could tell from his expression that he had already noticed something was off.
They continued down the road in silence. Drayen soon realized they were heading in the same direction as his home.
Kira finally stopped in front of a house—just two buildings away from his. Drayen felt a small burst of happiness inside. So she really moved this close…
It was a two-storied building. They headed up to the first floor.
Kira stopped at a wooden door and unlocked it with her key. "Come in."
Drayen's heart started beating faster. This was the first time he was entering Kira's house.
In his previous life as Rael, he'd had girlfriends—but nothing serious enough to go far.
He was still a virgin in both lives combined.
But Kira… she felt different. He didn't know what this feeling was yet, and it made no logical sense to him.
His foot hesitated at the doorway before he finally stepped inside.
Kira suddenly dropped a bomb on him as she spoke, "I'm from the Nightmare Realm. So… I don't know much about these devices."
Drayen froze for half a second.
He did have his suspicions, but he never expected her to just say it outright like that. No hesitation. No buildup. Just… said it.
He nodded slowly. "It makes sense why you're bad at electronics."
Drayen didn't feel uncomfortable at all. People from the Nightmare Realm were human too, but once they awakened their bloodline, they started classifying themselves differently—Vampires, Werewolves, Moon Butterfly race, and so on.
Drayen became comfortable on the sofa. He spent the next hour teaching her how various household electronic devices worked. By the time he finished covering the basics—and giving her a crash course on using a mobile phone—it was already evening.
It took quite a while to make her understand everything, but she tried seriously.
Kira let out a long sigh. "Finally, I don't have to embarrass myself anymore."
She wiped the sweat from her forehead as she said it.
Then she pulled out a cigarette pack. The brand looked unfamiliar to Drayen. It was from the Nightmare Realm.
After the connection between the two worlds opened, trade had exploded. Common people in Tellus didn't know much about it, but everyone in the Nightmare Realm knew Tellus existed. And a few powerful individuals monopolized Tellus goods in the nightmare realm.
Kira didn't care about electronics, but she did like this new cigarette trend. People in the Nightmare Realm had modified cigarettes—replacing the tobacco with something that delivered a stronger kick while being less harmful.
Drayen had seen her smoke before—during training sessions in the Nightmare Realm. He had always been curious, but never had the courage to ask.
This time, the question slipped out before he could stop himself. "Kira… that cigarette…" he blurted.
She looked at him, cigarette between her fingers, just as she was about to light it.
"Yes? Want one? Take it," she said casually, forwarding the pack toward him.
Drayen hesitated for a moment before taking one. Smoking in Tellus was legal at eighteen, and he had wanted a drink when he went to the store anyway. He wasn't a pure boy. He didn't mind a smoke.
Kira lit her cigarette first. Drayen lit his after hers.
She exhaled a slow stream of smoke. "How is it? Good, right? It gives a strong kick."
Drayen took a drag.
It hit him like alcohol—sharp, heavy, dizzying. His head spun almost instantly.
Meanwhile, Kira had become completely absorbed in a mobile game Drayen taught her earlier. She was frowning at the screen with full concentration.
"Damn it, this is so difficult," she muttered, tapping rapidly.
She didn't notice at first. But when she finally glanced up—
Drayen had already smoked four of the cigarettes and was slumped on the sofa like a log, completely unconscious.
Kira stared at him for a moment, then smacked her forehead. "Right… I forgot."
This brand was specially made for Nightbornes with strong self-detox abilities.