Chapter 4: GHOSTS OF THE PAST
[FULL-PAGE OPENING PANEL]
A rooftop above the city.
Neon lights reflect in puddles. The wind howls.
Kael stands at the edge, rain soaking through his jacket, helmet cracked but still gleaming.
NARRATION (Kael):
Everyone has ghosts. Some scream. Some whisper.
Mine… dance in the rain.
[VERTICAL PANELS – FLASHBACK INTRO]
— Young Kael strapped to a cold metal table.
— Wires connect to his temples. Machines beep.
— Scientists watch from behind glass, taking notes.
NARRATION (Kael):
They wanted a weapon.
They got… me.
— Pain. Screams. Experiments. Endless pain.
— Kael's hands grip the table. Eyes wide.
NARRATION:
But surviving means more than strength.
It means learning to laugh while bleeding.
[PANEL – PRESENT DAY]
Kael shakes off the memory.
Rain drums on his helmet.
From above, a shadow moves. Smooth, precise. Controlled. Deadly.
NARRATION (Kael):
And just when you think you've outrun the past…
it shows up with weapons.
[MEDIUM PANEL – THE RIVAL]
A figure lands silently behind Kael.
Tall. Agile. Armor black as void.
Mask covers the entire face, expressionless.
RIVAL (calm, cold):
"Red Static."
Kael slowly turns, hands resting on his guns.
KAEL:
"…Finally. Someone polite enough to introduce themselves before murder."
[ACTION PANEL – FIRST STRIKE]
The rival moves faster than humanly possible.
Kael barely dodges a punch that could break steel.
NARRATION (Kael):
Step one: recognize when someone's faster. Step two… improvise.
Kael spins, grabs a loose pipe, swings—rival blocks with a forearm. Sparks fly.
[CLOSE PANEL – DUAL DIALOGUE]
RIVAL:
"I've been waiting."
KAEL:
"Waiting for what? Afternoon tea?"
Kael laughs. Blood drips from his shoulder wound, ignored.
NARRATION:
Humor is the only weapon that confuses monsters.
[EXTENDED FIGHT SEQUENCE – CINEMATIC ACTION]
— Kael fires a pistol while flipping backward off the edge of the roof.
— Rival leaps, catching a falling beam midair.
— Kael kicks him into a wall. Bricks crumble.
— Rival counters with rapid punches; Kael's ribs crack. He grits his teeth.
— Kael slashes with a knife, forcing the rival back.
NARRATION (Kael):
Pain is a language.
And today… I'm fluent.
[FLASHBACK PANELS – ORIGIN DETAILS]
— Scientists shouting.
— Young Kael restrained, screaming.
— One scientist drops a syringe, mutters: "It's alive…"
NARRATION (Kael):
They called it an experiment.
I call it survival training… extreme.
— Close-up of Kael's childhood eyes—cold, calculating.
[MID-PANEL – PRESENT DAY]
Kael grabs a chain from the rooftop railing.
Wraps it around the rival's leg, yanking him toward the edge.
KAEL (to reader):
Pro tip: chains make friends… temporary friends.
— Rival slashes free, kicking Kael into a neon sign. Sparks rain down.
— Kael lands on the street below, unphased.
[HUMOR PANEL – FOURTH WALL BREAK]
Kael sits on a burning car, wiping blood from his visor.
KAEL:
"Okay… this is getting personal. And expensive."
[FULL-PAGE PANEL – CHAOTIC STREET BATTLE]
— The fight spills into the street.
— Kael dodges bullets, flips over cars, smashes bodies into walls.
— Rival wields a custom blade, cutting through metal, concrete, anything in the way.
NARRATION (Kael):
There's no safe distance.
There's no mercy.
And there's no script.
[CLOSE PANEL – PSYCHOLOGICAL EDGE]
Kael grabs a knife, pressing it to the rival's chest.
KAEL:
"Ever feel like your worst nightmare just got a sequel?"
Rival smirks behind the mask.
RIVAL:
"I'm the rewrite."
[FAST PANELS – INTENSE COMBAT]
— Kael throws the knife, catching the rival's wrist.
— Rival spins, kicking Kael through a brick wall.
— Kael emerges from debris, holding his own broken ribs.
— A fire hydrant explodes, water cascades like chaos on the street.
NARRATION (Kael):
City chaos is my playground.
Blood and rain are my music.
[ENDING SEQUENCE – CLIFFHANGER]
Kael and the rival stare at each other, panting, drenched, blood everywhere.
NARRATION (Kael):
Some ghosts never die.
They just get better weapons.
TEXT PANEL:
TO BE CONTINUED — CHAPTER 5: THE HUNT GETS PERSONAL