A sense of foreboding engulfed the figures of the two boys; its faint trace of life could be heard in the voice of bated breath. Silent threats began to sneak behind their backs, giving goosebumps that let their survival instinct kick in.
Cain's vision blackened out, but he leaned to his instinct and the fleeting light that shone in the alley, his feet bringing him to a faraway place. Each step they took echoed within the narrow and empty alley. But he couldn't care less about any of that. He only wanted to help the kid in his hand and get as far away from the pursuer as possible.
This thought helped him keep his motivation to the maximum despite not knowing the boy's nature or name. It could be the boy is the one evil here. Or were the people earlier just his guards trying to get this boy back home?
'Well, it doesn't matter anyway. When in doubt, follow your own heart, right Grandpa'. Cain shoves away those thoughts and solely thinks about running. He took a left turn and faced a branched path, then another turn to the right, using only the faint light from the moon that hung above him.
Then, the two found themselves on a straight path that would lead them to a highway, the most conspicuous place and would get them in trouble. Cain had no hesitation in his steps; he breached through the highway and found himself facing a desolate road, with a highlight of the city of the dead with no souls around.
At this time and hour, people rarely come out because of the criminal rate that has spiked in recent years on the outskirts of the central city.
"Wait a minute! Ha,, ha,, big brother, where do you want to take me!?".
With bated breath, the kid finally opened his mouth, but unlike his earlier conduct, now he felt much closer by sounding a bit more polite despite his appearance and status.
Indeed, knowing the situation they were in, Cain couldn't just randomly run around the place. That will definitely tire him out, giving the pursuers a huge advantage in capturing the boy, or worse, him too, for sticking his nose when it is unnecessary.
He scanned his surroundings, recognized the place they were in, and opened his mouth.
"Let's go, we must hide first!".
"Ah, Wait, big brother!?...".
Without waiting for the boy to finish his explanation, Cain dragged the kid to enter another dark alley just a step in front of him.
The moment when he thought he finally escaped the trouble in his hands, a terrifying chill seeped through his bones, sucked his breath away and made his gaze jolt to the source behind him.
"Big brother?". An oblivious response came from beside him after seeing the strange act he showed.
'This feeling, no way!? It can't be!?'. Cain's body involuntarily trembles in fright. His hair stood to no end when he saw a glimpse of terror in the form of a pair of yellow eyes that blended within the darkness observing him.
A snickering of madness echoed in the surroundings, signalling the presence of a trickery and treacherous beast with a cunning line of thought. It was always waiting for a chance to ambush and steal its opponent's food and harass others with a sneer on their faces.
The eyes blended into the darkness, and it disappeared, only to leave its sneer remark, which made Cain and the boy's bodies flinched.
"Hey, kid?" Cain gripped the kid's hand tightly, causing the boy's eyes to shrink.
"What?".
"Are the guys that chase you a Resonator?".
"...Um, they are, probably".
'Which is it?'.
There was a slight pause, and yet it greatly put him into a silent pressure that gripped his heart bare, strangling Cain. He wanted to curse at the boy and yell out what kind of trouble he had encountered at that age. Of course, Cain held himself out, only to unconsciously frown.
'What should I do?'. A black cloud began to swirl inside his mind before it cleared away.
[Your Dormant Partner is responding to your call]
'What was that? Something inside me stirred awake, but what is it?'. Cain clutched his chest and felt just how fast it was beating. He regulated his breath and succeeded in calming his rate down.
Because of that, the fog in his mind cleared away, and Cain could see a broader picture again while racking his brain to escape this predicament. Looking at the time and his surroundings, Cain resolved himself to let this case go to the patrol that stayed half a kilometre from his current place.
Cain glanced at the boy clutching his chest, holding onto the black crystal he had dropped earlier. He didn't know what kind of item that was, or rather, he didn't want to know at all.
'The boy seemed fine, his breath also had calmed down. We can do this!'. Cain nodded off and held the boy, then dragged him from the place.
"Are you ready? Let's go, kid!".
"Eh? Ah, okay!".
Despite the unreasonable attempt Cain had made, the boy kept following his instruction obediently, far away from his picture of the people with status.
Based on his own thinking and common sense, he assumed that people who have status and live in the city centre are arrogant.
They have strong, in this term, stubborn characters, aloof and sometimes merciless toward the people like him who stay on the outskirts, but the boy in his hand, albeit aloof at first, gradually turned mellowed.
While running, Cain was wary of his surroundings and sometimes looked toward the boy whose condition seemed worse. Then, an unexpected event happened. Cain lost his grip, and the boy's leg stuck into the elevated ground, slamming his face to the ground.
"Ouch!".
"Kid, you okay!?".
The moment Cain reached out his hand, a chill swept up their consciousness, shutting down his thoughts for a moment. Without him knowing, Cain found himself seeing the world turned upside down while feeling a sense of floating.
'Eh? What happened?'. He muttered those words before feeling a tremendous jolt that broke his consciousness apart, coming from his back.
Cain's body slid down from the building wall; he forgot how to breathe, his lungs desperately pumping their function to attain his life.
"Big brother!?".
The boy's worried voice echoed in the empty space. He approached Cain, letting his body face the ceiling, and helped him regain his blocked air. After a few attempts, Cain could finally breathe the fresh air that he thought was delicious.
"Huuf, I am glad you okay?".
"Thank you, kid!".
With his renewed breath, Cain rose up and found himself facing the ominous face of a beast. A hyena watched him closely, its yellow eyes gleaming in a dangerous light, and its snickered mouth showed protruding teeth and dropping saliva.
"Run!".
That word came out naturally from his thoughts and forced his screaming body to stand up. He somehow could stand and wanted to escape the place by taking the boy's hand.
However, faster than his movement, the Hyena had already arrived before him and spread its ominous smile. With a swipe of his tail, a strong gust of wind blasted away Cain and the kid beside him, who was a couple of meters ahead.
[Your Dormant Partner is responding to your call]
*Bathump
Again, a weird sensation creeps out from the depths of his consciousness, telling him as if he wanted to break free from its long slumber. But, the fleeting feeling soon fades out, leaving a bitter taste in Cain's mouth.
The pain and hot liquid that streamed down on his temple brought his consciousness back to reality; he felt himself lying on his stomach on the hard surface. Cain fluttered his eyes open and saw he had lost consciousness for a brief moment there.
"Finally, we found you!".
Those solemn and deep voices that he heard recently echoed above him, and attracted his gaze to lift up and saw the boy was being strangled on his neck, blocking his air breath. With teary eyes, the boy kept fiercely struggling.
"It's pointless, hand over the fragment to us!".
"Ukh! …ver".
"Huh? What did you say?".
"...I said, never!".
The boy's shout rang through the empty environment; it roamed not only to the surroundings but also toward Cain's chest.
A strong ember of life lit furiously, and his frozen heart began to melt. His mind began to replicate the moment he lost his grandpa.
("...Cain, from this moment, you will live on your own. …In time, you will know that the world is not just light but also dark. Good=Evil are intertwined, and come a time to face a great trial that threatens your own being. However, I believe you can face the world ahead with a gaze held high, undeterred in any situation, twist the trials that block your path, and then look toward a brighter future along with the people you cherish. …Life, Cain! Fight, and never lose to yourself!
I love you, Cain. Live well and goodbye!")
Cain's field of vision brightened, and strong resolve radiated from his eyes. Without everyone noticing, Cain grips the man's ankle tightly, digging his own nail deep within. Probably because of the difference in physical strength, Cain feels his nail dug into concrete, not into flesh.
However, he preserves, green veins bulge from his hands, and his determination rises above its maximal meter. A miracle happened when the guy who earlier had a sneer on his lips, now he knitted his brows after feeling a stinging pain that tore his skin apart.
'Again, it was still not enough, I needed more power to save the boy and the power to fight continuously ahead. I will Fight!'. Cain muttered those words, and unconsciously, his mouth shouted under the watchful eyes of the men, the boy, and the dark sky that shone its light toward the land.
"Haaaah!".
"Akh! What's wrong with this kid!?".
The world dimmed, and the street lights and lamps surrounding them began to flicker with ominous signs. Deep in Cain's consciousness, a pair of purple eyes peered through him and noticed that he was facing the thing.
[Your Dormant partner is awoken]
[Starting the Resonance]
[.....]
[...]
[Night Dog, your partner had awakened from its Dormant state]
[Congratulations, you are now awakened as Resonator]
[Updating status…]
[Status update complete! Displaying]
[Resonator Status]
Name: Cain
Race: Human (M)
Rank: 0 Star
Progress: 0%
Attribute (Shared): Darkness
Innate Talent: Tenacious
Skill: -
[Guardian Beast status]
Name: -
Race: Night Dog
Rank: 0 Star
Progress: 0%
Attribute (Shared): Darkness
Innate Talent: Shadow Ruler
Skill: -