Returning home, Kyle wore a wide smile on his face.

It was around eleven when he got back. Lara had dropped him off in her car.

Today had been a great day. His time with Layena had been fun, and later, the evening with Amanda... haah, he truly enjoyed it.

Entering the house, he took off his coat and draped it over a chair.

Undoing a few buttons, he let out a sigh and sat on the bed.

Amanda had insisted he stay the night, however, not only were there several families already at the mansion, it would have felt a bit too much for him to stay over when they had not even made their relationship official yet.

After getting to know Melissa, he found her quite adorable. Her actions were childlike, yet the sharp jabs she threw with just a few words were oddly amusing.

He learned more about Amanda’s childhood and shared a few things about himself as well.

Overall, it had been a great day.

Bzz

Hearing the buzz, he paused mid-button and checked his phone.

It was Veronica.

With a smile, he picked up the call. "He-"

{Get out of your house, now. And don’t say my name until I tell you.}

Kyle’s expression tightened as he rose to his feet.

Without saying a word, he buttoned his shirt and stepped out, locking the door behind him.

Only after putting some distance between himself and the house did he speak, "Yeah, I’m away. What’s the matter?"

Veronica sounded tense.

{Ava went to check on the resort this evening, and later called me about how you were the only exception who, despite being awake, wasn’t sent to the hospital.}

Kyle clicked his tongue. He had a feeling this was coming.

"What now?" he asked, one hand resting on his waist.

{There’s a high chance she went against my words and planted a camera or voice recorder in your house. For now, you need to go somewhere safe.}

Kyle thought for a moment before replying, "I have a place in mind. It’s close by and there are no cameras around."

{Alright. Go there and send me the location. And Kyle... we need to involve your brother in this soon.}

Kyle fell silent. Veronica had always been reluctant to let anyone else know about her close connection with him. But now, things had changed.

"I understand. I’ll head there, send you the location... and also contact Blake."

{Yes, do that. You can use my name so he understands the full situation.}

Kyle hummed in acknowledgment before glancing around.

[Host, want me to scan the area to check if someone is tailing you?]

’What about the Genesis sensors?’

[If the one pursuing you is a Nightwalker, the sensors won’t be effective.]

That was true. And God’s Eyes emitted only a faint frequency to begin with.

He would rather check his surroundings now than risk exposing his secret hideout.

’Go ahead.’

[Scanning the surroundings...]

[Thankfully, host, there doesn’t seem to be anyone watching you at the moment. You can proceed safely.]

Kyle let out a quiet sigh and started walking toward the railway tracks.

His destination was the training center Blake had granted him access to a few days ago.

As he arrived, he sent his location to Veronica, adding a note asking her to call once she got there.

She replied with a brief ’Understood’ before going offline.

Kyle asked the system, "Can you scan for any kind of surveillance again?" He knew he might be a little paranoid, but it was better to be cautious.

[he area has been scanned, host. There is no need to worry. Proceed.]

Kyle gave a slight nod and moved toward the warehouse.

He entered the code, and the door split open from the middle.

Stepping inside, the lights flickered to life.

After steadying his breathing, he paused for a moment before calling Blake.

The call rang for a few seconds before it was finally picked up.

{Yes? Did something happen at Maylith’s?}

"No... I just got back from there. Umm, Blake."

{What is it? Why do you sound nervous?}

Kyle steadied his breath before finally asking,

"Do you know Ava Klaus?"

{...Yes. Why are you asking?}

The fact that Blake did not catch on immediately meant he had not been informed that she was in town.

Kyle answered, "She’s arrived in Montclair... to investigate the anomaly who cleared those rifts that day."

A long silence followed, long enough to make him wonder if the call had dropped.

Just as Kyle was about to speak again,

{Where are you?}

"...In the warehouse." He could already hear movement on the other end.

{Stay there. I’m coming.}

The call disconnected.

Kyle let out a slow sigh. The day had been going so well, and now, suddenly, because of that troublesome woman...

Still, he should have expected this. The government had taken an interest in him. After what he did a few days ago, there was no way they would ignore him any longer.

Sliding down to sit on the ground, Kyle stared into the distance in silence.

Just then, the system spoke,

[Host, a certain viewer has requested that you start a stream.]

’Hmm? Who?’

[Please begin the stream to find out.]

Kyle paused to think. He did not have much time before Veronica and Blake arrived, but a short stream should not hurt to get his mind off the stress.

’Alright, go ahead.’

[Initializing stream in 3...2...1]

WarHorse: [Hey, bud. Thanks for accepting my request.]

So, it was him.

Myuri: [K-Kyle... why do you look like that... nngh...(⁠๑⁠♡⁠⌓⁠♡⁠๑⁠)]

Kyle glanced down at himself. He was still dressed in his shirt and formal trousers, with a few buttons undone.

Shrugging lightly, he said, "I went to a celebration tonight. Anyway, what did you want to say, WarHorse?"

WarHorse: [You remember I told you about the one I blessed? You have already made contact with that person.]

Kyle paused. ’Oh,’ he thought, before frowning. Wait... could it be... Ava?

WarHorse: [In a few hours, you will be transported to Aleda’s shelter. There, you will learn how to extract my essence from a being and what to do with it.]

WarHorse sounded unusually serious. There was no exaggerated laughter, none of his usual enthusiasm.

"You’re sending me there? But wasn’t Aleda’s time supposed to be my reward for this quest?"

WarHorse: [No, the reward will be greater than you think. Just complete the quest as soon as you can.]

Kyle drew in a deep breath. He had been told to avoid Ava. However, with how things were unfolding, there was a high chance they would cross paths soon.

"I understand. I’ll do what I can."

Just then, he heard the metallic click of the warehouse lock opening.

Kyle quickly said, "I’ll talk later. See you."

Myuri: [Wait!!! Nooooo!! I am about to cu-]

[The stream has ended.]

Letting out a sigh, Kyle got to his feet as the door began to slide open.

"Oh damn..."

The door parted, revealing the two people he had just called.

The look in Blake’s eyes made it clear. Kyle had a lot to explain.

°°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story so far, drop a comment.