Block H, Room 147 was located in a quiet part of the residential area on the third floor. Kilos stood in front of the door, hesitating briefly. Then, he reached out his hand and knocked twice.
"Come in, the door's not locked," someone spoke from the inside.
He opened the door slowly and stepped into the room. He was immediately confronted with three pairs of eyes focusing intently on him. His roommates were already there, and the only reason the door hadn't been locked was that they had been waiting for the last person to arrive. Now that he was in, they could only look at him in wonder.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that? I just got the information," Kilos said, trying to dismiss whatever thoughts they were having.
They weren't having the impression he thought, but there was something about Kilos they couldn't ignore or hide. His presence seemed to radiate a strange energy that they hadn't encountered before.
The guy who had called out to let him in was Fred, and he was the first to speak up.
"Pleased to meet you, my guy. I'm Fred," he said with a warm grin.
He stepped forward with a firm handshake and a quick hug, a customary greeting meant to break the ice.
"I was there when you brought down Manny. What's your name?" Fred asked, his tone respectful, clearly impressed by Kilos' combat skills but with a hint of curiosity and caution in his expression.
"Kilos. Kilos Barber. Pleased to meet you too," Kilos replied with a nod.
The two other boys followed Fred's lead and came forward to welcome him.
"I'm Brian," said the shorter of the two, his voice calm and analytical.
"Mine is Efron," said the third with a half-smile. His lean build and sharp gaze made him seem like someone who observed more than he spoke.
"We're roommates, right?" Kilos asked to be sure he wasn't making any mistake.
But then, his thoughts flashed back to his meeting with Le-an. His expression changed suddenly, reflecting an internal shift.
"Don't tell me something's wrong just now. What's the matter?" Fred noticed the change and stepped closer with concern.
"I have to go out. Will you keep the door open?" Kilos asked urgently. He was already halfway through the door before the sentence even left his mouth.
The boys could only watch him leave, exchanging puzzled glances.
"I think this guy's crazy. He's new here," Efron muttered, shaking his head.
"He is, but he's got something. Did you see that fight?" Fred reminded them, still holding onto the image of Kilos taking down Manny.
Kilos walked briskly toward the hospital area. Though he felt the urge to run, he restrained himself. He didn't want to call unwanted attention to his movements, so he kept his pace steady but fast.
Everything was going smoothly until a strange sensation made him turn around. The hairs on his body stood on end. It was the kind of feeling one got when being watched—or worse, hunted.
"Who's following me?" Kilos whispered, his eyes narrowing as he scanned his surroundings.
At that moment, he wished the voice within him would speak up, guide him, or at least give him a warning.
"Won't you say something, inner friend?" he asked aloud, hoping to provoke a response.
Unfortunately, nothing came. He heard no reply.
Not waiting for more signs, he broke into a run. His instincts screamed that something wasn't right.
This wasn't the first time he had felt this. The eerie silence. The racing pulse. The invisible presence.
He reached the hospital area earlier than expected. Kilos was relieved to find that the footsteps he thought he'd heard weren't behind him. Still, he remained uneasy.
"What's it looking for? Why is it coming after me?" he muttered, spinning on his heel to check both sides of the corridor.
He checked his watch. Tick-tock—just a few minutes to 10. But the ticking sound seemed louder than usual, almost as if it were whispering something to him. It echoed in his ears, drowning out his thoughts.
Just as he lifted his wrist to check again, he saw the figure of a lady approaching from a distance. He stood up straight and waited.
"Are you Doctor Le-an?" Kilos asked, bowing slightly in greeting.
Le-an removed the mask covering her face and nodded.
"Time keeper, let's get out of here," she said without waiting for a response.
They walked for about thirty minutes. Kilos struggled to keep up. Le-an moved with a pace and precision that rivaled seasoned military operatives. She was lighter and quicker than he'd imagined.
How could he ask her to slow down? He didn't want to look weak.
His thoughts wandered back to his past. He remembered the rejection and hatred from his former friends when he couldn't punch as they had expected. They had seen him as a weak link.
They were deceived into thinking they would stick together, work as a team, and achieve their goals. But Lucas and the other soldiers had shown them otherwise. It wasn't about unity—it was about individual strength. And it worked. Each member of the group had won their respective fights. But they were separated soon after.
Even Kilos had been disappointed. He hadn't ended up with the roommates he had expected.
Now, he wasn't going to show any sign of weakness, especially not in front of Le-an.
Eventually, they reached a familiar building. Le-an stopped to let Kilos catch up.
"What are we doing here?" he asked between breaths.
She had brought him back to the building where the initial tests had taken place.
"I want to re-run your test," she said simply.
The door opened automatically, and they walked in. The elevator took them to a secure floor, and now they stood before the same machine from before.
"You have to come in, but be careful. Nobody should know we're here."
Kilos nodded silently.
Le-an activated the machine and kept a sharp eye on the monitor. The screen began displaying data—names, numbers, levels. Her face morphed from calm to alarmed as she watched the readings.
The machine was pulling up records—records of powerful beings who had once taken control of the planet. Talents, gifts, and dangerous anomalies. It even tracked a known witch-hunt being who harvested power from others.
Le-an had assumed Kilos might fall among the talented or gifted. If so, she would need to alert her contacts—because it would mean someone was hunting him.
But the machine bypassed the expected categories and headed straight into dangerous territory.
"Cataclysmic group!" Le-an shouted before she could stop herself.
An alarm blared immediately. Flashing red lights lit up the room.
"We have to go—but..." she paused. The reading hadn't completed yet.
"Hurry! Hurry up!" she yelled at the machine. She screamed in frustration, knowing soldiers would arrive any second.
"Ta... Ta... Tame—" the screen displayed the word she had been waiting for. The machine confirmed it.
Le-an bolted for the elevator and held the door open. She was calculating—assessing risk. Kilos rushed toward her.
"Come on, come in," he shouted, reaching out.
But she yanked him back as the elevator doors slammed shut.
"What are you doing?" he cried.
"The elevator is a trap," she snapped.
Sensing danger, she pulled him toward the stairs. They sprinted down the narrow staircases. Kilos struggled to keep up, nearly slipping on the polished floor.
They burst into a restricted area—off limits, unfamiliar. Le-an realized too late that she'd taken a wrong turn.
"What a fool I am," she whispered angrily.
At the far end was a window that overlooked the training field below.
"Except I want to die," she muttered, pacing in panic.
The field below was several stories down. Jumping meant certain death—or so it seemed.
Kilos watched her pacing. He could see how agitated she was. He walked over and looked out the window again.
He was thinking. Always thinking.