Chapter 5 — The Predator in the Quiet

Rion’s POV

“Target confirmed.”

Reese’s voice came through the earpiece with perfect neutrality, as if he were reporting on a stock price rather than a human being. Rion, seated in the back of a sleek black car, didn’t lift his gaze from the window.

“Location,” he said simply.

“East District. Residential slums. Building 3A.” A pause. “Currently walking alone. Appears distressed. Not physically harmed.”

Rion’s fingers drummed once against his knee — the only visible sign of impatience.

“Follow. Unseen.”

“Understood.”

The call ended.

The city blurred past outside his window. Towering skyscrapers eventually gave way to fractured streets and crumbling storefronts. Neon signs flickered between life and death. Trash littered the alleys. The kind of place Rion would normally consider beneath his notice.

Yet now — this wasteland held everything.

Everything he should have forgotten.

The boy’s face resurfaced in his mind — sweat-slick skin, wide defiant eyes, trembling breath. Ashin Storm. Reese had found his name within minutes. Age 22. Med student dropout. Multiple part-time jobs. Lived alone. No close family. Clean record.

A man of no significance.

So why couldn’t Rion erase him?

Power demanded distance. Emotion demanded suppression. Yet instinct —

…instinct told him to go to him.

To take back what had touched him.

Whether out of gratitude or possession — Rion still hadn’t decided.

But one thing was certain:

Ashin Storm was now his problem to solve.

---

The car slowed, then stopped on a corner shadowed by an abandoned warehouse. Rion stepped out, dressed in an immaculate black coat that made him look like a phantom among rust and concrete.

Reese approached from across the street, nodding respectfully.

“He’s three blocks ahead. Currently entering an alley.”

Rion didn’t look at him. “Proceed without me.”

Reese blinked but didn’t question. “Should I arrange contact?”

“No.” Rion’s voice was calm. Absolute. “He won’t know I’m here.”

Reese accepted this and faded into the background.

Rion walked alone.

His footsteps were silent on the cracked pavement. His presence — as always — drew subtle reactions. Stray dogs slunk away. A homeless man glanced up and quickly looked down. Instinctual submission.

Yet Rion barely noticed.

His attention was fixed ahead. On the faint echo of footsteps. Quick. Uneven. Unsettled.

Ashin.

---

He saw him at the end of the narrow alley.

The boy was walking fast — almost running — head turning slightly as if sensing danger. His shoulders were tense, his fists clenched. His clothes were rumpled from the cafe shift. His hair was messy. His breathing uneven.

Rion stopped several meters away — cloaked in shadow.

Watching.

Studying.

Possessing — without touching.

Ashin paused suddenly, turning his head. His eyes swept the alley. Searching.

He felt it.

Rion’s lips twitched — not into a smile, but something close to acknowledgment.

Good.

Fear would make him fragile. Recklessness would make him difficult.

But alertness?

Alertness meant survival.

Ashin wasn’t weak.

He was prey — but not meek prey.

Rion admired that.

The boy frowned, anxiety flickering across his face. He stepped backward — then forward — then cursed quietly under his breath and continued walking.

Rion followed silently from far behind.

Block after block.

Turn after turn.

Ashin didn’t relax once.

The world around them dimmed as night fell deeper. Street lamps flickered. The sky turned the color of ash.

Rion remained a shadow.

Unseen. Unheard.

Until Ashin reached his building — a worn-down complex with peeling paint and rusty staircases.

Ashin hesitated at the entrance.

Then — slowly — he looked over his shoulder.

Directly toward where Rion was standing in darkness.

Rion stood still.

Unmoving.

Barely breathing.

Ashin stared for a long moment — brows furrowed, spine straight, like a cornered animal refusing to cower.

He didn’t see Rion.

But he knew.

Then, breaking eye contact with the void, Ashin went inside.

The building door creaked shut.

Rion exhaled slowly.

---

Reese approached again, careful not to speak until spoken to. Rion remained silent for several seconds, eyes still fixed on the closed door of the building.

“Shall I station guards, sir?” Reese finally asked. “Or secure the premises?”

Rion considered it.

“No.”

Reese nodded, waiting.

Rion’s gaze darkened.

“Keeping him safe isn’t the problem,” he said quietly. “It’s keeping others away from him.”

Reese understood immediately.

“Understood. I’ll lock down the area discreetly.”

He turned to leave — but paused as Rion spoke again.

“No contact without my order. If he sees you — remove yourself immediately.”

Reese hesitated, puzzled. “So you’ll be the first one he meets?”

Rion’s expression didn’t change. But his answer was absolute.