The sight of it, bright against stone, made his stomach drop in a way no monster ever had. Monsters were external. This was internal. This was his own body reminding him it could betray him without warning.

He coughed again, smaller, and the taste of iron flooded his mouth. His fingers twitched like he wanted to rip the mask off, but he forced them still. Taking it off in public would be as good as yelling his name.

Like sharks to blood, the two green dots turned toward him. They recognized him now, the man who coughed next to them the first time... The Prey.

He felt it before he saw it, the shift in footfalls, the angle of attention snapping toward him. Predators didn’t need to see the blood to recognize weakness. Weakness was a scent.

One of them closed distance fast, voice coming soft like honey with a blade inside it.

"Hey dude... looks like you need some help."

The man’s voice came out easy, almost friendly, but there was something off about it. Too smooth. Too quick.

Kael didn’t answer immediately. He kept his head slightly lowered, one hand still near his mouth as if the coughing hadn’t fully passed. Blood clung to the inside of the mask, warm and metallic against his lips. He could feel his pulse in his throat, steady, but heavier than it should’ve been.

"I’m fine," Kael said, voice rougher than he intended.

The second man stepped in closer from the side, cutting off part of the street without making it obvious. They weren’t blocking him outright, just... narrowing his space. Herding.

"Doesn’t look like it," the second one said. "You’re bleeding through the mask, man. That’s not ’fine.’"

Kael let out a small breath through his nose, slow and controlled. His eyes flicked between them, measuring. The first thing was, one of them was a problem for him. He had a symbol on his chest armor that was incredibly annoying to the current Kael. It was a Golden Sun symbol.

’Fuck, this can’t be real.’ He inwardly sighed.

Neither looked particularly strong at first glance, mid-tier gear, worn but maintained. Not amateurs. Not veterans either.

Opportunists.

"I said I’m fine," Kael repeated, this time a little sharper.

The first man raised both hands slightly, as if calming things down. "Alright, alright. No need to get defensive. We’re just looking out for you. Tower’s not kind to people who push themselves too hard."

Kael didn’t miss the glance they exchanged. Quick. Practiced.

"Then don’t," Kael said. "I didn’t ask."

He moved to step past them.

The second man shifted again, subtle, but enough to stay in his path.

"Come on," he said, tone losing a bit of that friendliness. "At least let us walk you somewhere. There’s a healer down the next street. Cheap too."

Cheap.

That word almost made Kael laugh. Instead, another cough tore through him.

This one hit harder.

His body folded slightly as his lungs seized, a wet, choking sound slipping past the mask. More blood. He tasted it this time, thick and unmistakable. His vision blurred for half a second before snapping back.

That was all the confirmation they needed. They even shared an obvious smile, thinking Kael didn’t see it from the side of his eyes.

"Shit, see?" the first man said, stepping closer. "You’re worse than you think. Here, lean on me."

He reached out his hand to grab Kael, but the latter slapped the hand away.

"Don’t touch me." His eyes were spilling bloody murder; he wasn’t going to go down like some random victim here.

The shift was instant. Not explosive. Not dramatic. Just... colder. And their friendliness didn’t disappear; it thinned.

"You’re making this harder than it needs to be," the second man said quietly.

Kael straightened slowly, wiping at the inside of his mask with the back of his wrist. When he spoke again, his voice was steadier, even if his body wasn’t.

"And you’re trying too hard," he replied. "If you wanted to help, you wouldn’t be blocking my way. Move." Kael fully stood up straight, this time.

Silence stretched for a moment.

People passed by them, some glancing briefly before looking away. No one stopped. No one intervened.

Of course they didn’t. The tower didn’t care. Or more like, people liked watching when others were suffering, and never would lend a hand if it means risk onto themselves. Even if the risk is small.

The first man sighed, dropping the act just a little. "Look, kid... you’re alone, you’re injured, and you’re new. That’s not a great combination. We’re just helpful Samaritans. You really look like you need help, don’t be stubborn, man."

Kael tilted his head slightly behind the mask.

"And you think that being injured and alone makes me easy?"

Neither of them answered that. They didn’t need to. They realized that Kael wasn’t a sheep, nor was he acting like some newbie.

Another step forward, from them this time. Not aggressive. But no longer pretending to be friendly anymore.

Kael felt it then. There was no fear or panic in their words and actions anymore; they were preparing. Calculating even.

His right hand twitched slightly at his side.

Empty.

Good.

No gauntlets. No obvious threat.

Just a sick, coughing climber. For now, and if things start getting ugly, a quick equip and a fight will break out.

"Last chance," the second man said. "Come with us. We’ll make sure you don’t end up dead in an alley."

Kael let out a quiet breath. He almost laughed, ’yeah, probably won’t end up dead in an alley, but dead somewhere else.’

Then another small cough followed, but this time, he didn’t let it bend him.

Instead, he took a step forward.

Toward them.

"Then you should probably move," he said calmly, "before you end up being the reason someone dies in one."

For a brief second, uncertainty flickered across the first man’s face.

It was small. But Kael saw it. And that was enough.

Because if there was one thing the tower taught faster than anything else...

It was this:

Predators hesitate when prey doesn’t act like prey. Especially if the prey could be an injured bear instead of an injured rabbit.