"I thought…" Jenna's voice was hoarse.
"I thought the Kains' loser son was blind."
Aiden didn't answer.
Because he didn't know what to say.
His body felt like hell. Every breath rattled in his lungs, every muscle screamed in protest. His vision still flickered at the edges, golden afterimages lingering like ghosts burned into reality.
He wasn't the only one who noticed.
Jenna was watching him—closely. Too closely.
The silence stretched.
Aiden cleared his throat, rolling his shoulders—wincing when the pain shot through him. "You know, I just had the fight of my life, and that's your first reaction?"
Jenna's eyes narrowed. "You saw something."
Aiden hesitated. "Yeah. My life flashing before my eyes."
Jenna crossed her arms. "You dodged before that thing even moved."
Aiden exhaled. "Reflexes?"
She stared at him. He stared back.
Neither of them blinked.
Finally, Jenna sighed, rubbing her temple. "You're a terrible liar."
Aiden didn't argue. Mostly because she was right.
They didn't have time to argue.
The Rift was still open, but the battle was over. Aiden was barely standing. His body was running on fumes. Jenna wasn't in much better shape.
But they weren't alone anymore.
Outside the Gate, the Hunters Association was waiting.
Aiden cursed under his breath. Of course, they were. A Rift that killed almost an entire cleanup team? No way they weren't sending people.
Jenna was already stepping forward. Before Aiden could say anything, she spoke first.
"The Rift fluctuated," she said, voice level. "The monster wasn't supposed to be there. It was too strong. We got lucky and landed the final blow."
Aiden blinked. That was… not the full story.
The Association agent squinted. "Lucky how?"
Jenna shrugged. "Desperation. I stabbed it, it kept moving. He stabbed it. It died."
The agent's eyes flicked to Aiden. "That true?"
Aiden paused.
Technically… yes?
He forced a weak grin. "Yeah. I was swinging and hoping for the best."
The agent didn't look convinced. Neither did Jenna.
But then things got worse.
Aiden was exhausted. His whole body ached, and his brain was barely functioning.
Which was probably why he forgot he was supposed to be blind.
The agent stared at him, his gaze scrutinizing.
Aiden met his eyes. Directly.
Jenna made a noise in her throat. Then, very quietly, she muttered under her breath, "You're looking right at him, idiot."
Aiden's stomach dropped.
Oh. Oh, shit.
He panicked, immediately looking away.
Straight at a tree.
A very, very interesting tree.
The agent raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"
Aiden scrambled. "Yeah. Just… adjusting to the light."
Jenna coughed. A weird, strangled sound. Like she was choking back a laugh.
The agent frowned, but seemed to let it slide. Probably too tired to deal with whatever was wrong with them.
Jenna, however, was having too much fun.
Once they were in the clear, Jenna pulled Aiden aside.
"You owe me."
Aiden winced. "For what?"
Jenna gave him an unimpressed look. "For not handing you over to the Association on a silver platter."
Aiden sighed. "…Okay, fair."
Jenna crossed her arms. "And before you ask—no, I didn't do it for free."
Aiden tilted his head. "What do you want?"
Jenna smirked. "I haven't decided yet. But when I call? You answer."
Aiden groaned. "I feel like I just made a deal with the devil."
"Yeah?" Jenna patted his shoulder. "Then next time, maybe don't almost get caught."
Aiden muttered something about unfair conditions but didn't argue. Because she wasn't wrong.
He was lucky she covered for him.
And he had a feeling this wasn't the last time he'd need her to.
Later that night, Aiden found himself alone.
His body still ached. Every inch of him felt like he'd been thrown into a blender.
But he needed to know.
What the hell had happened back there?
He took a deep breath. Focused.
And activated his power.
Golden afterimages flickered into existence.
They moved ahead of him—showing possibilities.
Aiden watched. Then tried to follow.
And immediately stumbled.
He caught himself before falling, but his body couldn't keep up.
His visions were perfect.
He was not.
He tried dodging the way the afterimages showed him—but his reaction time was too slow.
He tried attacking the way he saw in the flickering futures—but his speed wasn't there.
He nearly tripped just trying to step into the motion.
Aiden exhaled, hands shaking.
His power wasn't the problem.
His body was.
It wasn't strong enough.
It wasn't fast enough.
It wasn't good enough.
His vision was outpacing him. If he got into another real fight like this, he'd die.
Aiden clenched his fists.
This isn't enough.
He needed to fix this.
He needed to train.
Not just his ability. His entire body.
Strength. Speed. Reflexes. If he wanted to survive, his body needed to match his visions.
Aiden exhaled, looking at his trembling hands.
Then nodded to himself.
He needed to make sure that the next time he fought—his body could keep up with the future.