Kyren was fast.
That much was obvious the moment he decided to stop pretending.
Even with my stats no longer stuck at pathetic single digits, even with weeks of surviving Aetherfall grinding new instincts into my bones, I was barely keeping up. My feet hit stone and metal, my balance corrected itself automatically, my body doing things it would have refused to do just a month ago, and still, Kyren stayed just out of reach.
Then he vanished.
Not slowed. Not turned a corner I missed.
Gone.
I skidded to a stop on a rooftop edge, breath steady but sharp, eyes scanning. For a brief moment, panic flickered. Not fear of losing him permanently, but the cold realization that if he wanted to disappear, he absolutely could.
I closed my eyes and focused.
