The warrant found them before the sun finished dropping.
Aiden watched it propagate across his feeds like a red stain one district, then three, then all. The same block of text, the same blurred frame of Kael with lightning ghosting around his hands.
SUBJECT: KAEL [REDACTED].
RISK LEVEL: CRITICAL.
CITY‑WIDE APPREHENSION ORDER – ENGAGE WITH EXTREME CAUTION.
"Extreme caution," Kael said over his shoulder. "That is new."
He was pacing the length of the bolt‑hole, wearing a path between the cracked window and the door. The curfew sirens wailed faintly outside, echoing between buildings.
"They just made it illegal to be you anywhere," Aiden said. "Not just unlucky enough to stand near you."
Kael snorted.
"Gives everyone clarity," he said. "No more pretending I am a rumor."
Aiden did not answer.
He had Rin's newest clip open in one corner—officers in Jesen's kitchen, the curfew notice on the wall, the way everyone's hands shook in different ways.
