Kalem groaned as he pushed himself upright, his body **aching from head to toe.** His wounds still burned, but the strange **black membrane** over them had dulled the bleeding enough for him to move.
First things first—**he had to secure the arcade.**
Slowly, he **walked through the dimly lit space, checking every door, every window, making sure they were locked tight.** He didn't want any surprises while he was still **licking his wounds.**
Once he was sure they were safe for the moment, he turned back to the **wreckage.**
Thorne's dead men **littered the floor, blood pooling beneath them in dark, slick puddles.** The place stank of sweat, iron, and death.
"**Ugh.**" Kalem sighed, **rubbing his temple.**
One by one, **he grabbed the corpses and dragged them to a corner of the room,** stacking them like bags of trash. It wasn't exactly subtle, but at least they were out of the way.
Meanwhile, **Selena sat at her workstation, typing away furiously, scanning the dark net for any updates.** The glow of the monitors cast eerie shadows across her face.
A few minutes passed before she suddenly **snorted.**
"Good news and bad news," she blurted out.
Kalem **glanced up, wary.** "Go on."
Selena **swiveled in her chair, stretching her arms.**
"**Good news—no one is coming. For now.**"
Kalem felt **a weight lift from his chest.** "And the bad?"
She sighed, **rubbing the bridge of her nose.**
"**Bad news—there's still a bounty on you.** And, well... **these assholes had their location tracking on.**"
Kalem tensed. "So that means—"
"**Most likely, someone's gonna check in soon.**"
Kalem groaned, **dragging a hand down his face.**
"Great. Just what I needed."
Well, if people were coming for him, he'd better be prepared.
Sighing loudly, he **knelt down and started rifling through the bodies, checking their pockets.**
Selena arched an eyebrow. "Are you seriously robbing them?"
Kalem **didn't even hesitate.**
"**Damn right I am.**" He yanked a few **datapads** free, quickly transferring whatever credits he could into his own account. "Better **me** than another lowlife."
Selena **burst into laughter.**
"So you **admit** you're a lowlife? Stealing my first kiss and now looting bodies? **Tsk, tsk, Kalem.**"
Kalem **grinned** and playfully **grabbed her face.**
"First of all—**you kissed me.** So if anything, you stole your own damn kiss."
Selena's face **flushed red, but she swatted his hand away.**
"Whatever." She stood, **stretching.** "I need to get out of this dress. **I swear, if you tore it while carrying me, you owe me a new one.**"
She shot him a teasing smirk before disappearing into her room to change.
Kalem chuckled, **turning back to his looting.**
A bounty on his head.
Enemies probably on their way.
And **Selena, back to teasing him like nothing happened.**
He sighed.
*Yeah… just another day in his life.*
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As Kalem finished looting the bodies, **he heard Selena's voice echo from her room.**
"**Hey! Don't you dare take my cut of their credits!**"
Kalem smirked. "**Wouldn't dream of it.**"
He pocketed his share, then turned his attention to **Thorne's dagger.**
The **wicked-looking blade** lay near its former owner's lifeless hand. Unlike the crude weapons his men carried, this one had an unmistakable **quality to it.**
*Why didn't my dagger cut through this thing?*
Curious, **he reached out and picked it up.**
The moment **his fingers wrapped around the hilt, the dagger let out a low hum.**
A faint glow pulsed from the blade's surface, and suddenly, **something strange began to seep from it.**
**Black residue, thick and inky, oozed from the blade like liquid smoke.**
His eyes widened as **the silvery metal slowly darkened, shifting into a deep, abyssal black.**
Along the edge, however, a sharp **yellow glow ignited, like a smoldering ember.**
Kalem's heart pounded.
He had **never seen a weapon do this before.**
Before he could process it, **his own dagger reacted.**
The blade at his side, the one **ShuShu had enhanced,** suddenly **hummed in response.**
Kalem barely had time to draw it before it too **underwent a transformation.**
The darkened dagger **shone with a brilliant silver light, its surface shifting into something eerily smooth, almost organic.**
Then, right before his eyes, **its shape refined itself—becoming sleeker, lighter, sharper.**
It almost **resembled a feather,** its form elegant and flowing, as if **forged from moonlight itself.**
Along its razor edge, a streak of deep **crimson flared to life,** mirroring the golden glow of the blackened blade.
Then, as if whatever contest had just occurred was **settled,** both blades **fell silent.**
Kalem stood there, breathless, gripping **two weapons that had just awakened into something new.**
"**Did I miss something?**"
Selena's voice snapped him out of his trance.
He turned, **finding her standing there in a hoodie and shorts, drying her hair with a towel.**
She blinked at him, then at the daggers.
Then back at him.
Kalem **slowly exhaled, still gripping the transformed weapons.**
"Uh... yeah. Maybe."