Drowner: Becoming Defekt

Luna

Vlad! What the fuck is wrong with you? We were supposed to recruit him, not send him to heaven!" I shout, my voice echoing through the warehouse. Vlad grumbles something, but I don't need to hear it. I already know why he did it.

One second, Kai looked like an average, quirky office worker, and the next… everything about him shifted. His vibe, his demeanor, his aura. It wasn't just intimidating; it was suffocating. I've only seen an aura like that once before—from Caden, our leader.

I let out a frustrated sigh and release Mirage, my power that manipulates perceptions and creates illusions. Instantly, the world shifts back to reality. Gone is the sterile white room. We're in a dingy warehouse, damp and smelling faintly of saltwater. No doors, no fake walls—just cold concrete and rusted beams.

The illusion was supposed to scare him, to make him think we were more than just a couple of rogue Defekts trying to recruit him into the fold. Normally, recruitment is smoother, easier. But as much as I want to say otherwise, Kai isn't just anyone. He's one of the strongest Defekts I've ever seen.

I can't help but replay the scene Caden showed me on his tablet earlier today, the one that had him practically foaming at the mouth with excitement. Kai was there, looking completely different—no jokes, no awkward demeanor. Just pure, raw focus.

The video had shown him facing two Drowners, one at least five feet tall and the other even bigger. Both creatures were classified as at least a danger level of 6.

Kai launched himself at them with impossible speed. In the blink of an eye, he shattered the leg of one with a single swing of a pipe. When the pipe broke on impact, he didn't hesitate. He conjured a black, shiny sphere from thin air, shaping it into a razor-sharp spike with nothing but a flick of his wrist. One motion later, the spike impaled the first Drowner, killing it instantly.

As for the second one? Kai straddled it and pummeled it with his bare hands. It was brutal, unrelenting—like a predator tearing apart prey. The video ended there, but Caden's enthusiasm didn't. "Wasn't it amazing? His power! His movement! Oh my gods!" he'd exclaimed, nearly vibrating with excitement. He didn't even wait for my reaction before shouting for Eugene to track Kai down. Then, of course, came the text message telling me to get ready too.

Now, here we are. The man who had obliterated those Drowners is unconscious from a single punch from Vlad. It doesn't make sense. Sure, Vlad is strong—he's probably the strongest of us when it comes to raw physical power—but the Kai in that video wouldn't have gone down so easily. He would've dodged, countered, maybe even flattened Vlad without breaking a sweat.

"Vlad, just pick him up. Caden's probably close. We'll let him figure out what to do," I say, annoyance seeping into my voice as I try to piece together what the hell is going on.

Vlad grunts and bends down to lift Kai, but then it happens.

Kai's arm shoots out like a bullet, landing a punch square in Vlad's chest. The force sends him flying backward—straight into me. I barely have time to move before we're both sprawled on the floor.

"What the fuck? Vlad!" I shout, scrambling to my feet.

"I'm fine," Vlad groans, rubbing his ribs. "But the son of a bitch packs quite a punch."

Kai is already standing, moving with an unsettling calmness. He massages his cheek absently, his expression blank, almost lifeless. His eyes, though—they're burning.

He takes a slow step toward us, then another, his movements unnervingly precise. His aura is back, dark and oppressive, and it feels like the air is being sucked out of the room.

If I had to describe it in one word, it would be terrifying.

We're done for.

Without hesitation, he charges at us like a force of nature. I react instantly, launching a high kick with everything I've got—but it's useless. He blocks it effortlessly, his movements almost mechanical.

Vlad swings for his ribs, aiming to buy us some time. Useless again. The man catches my leg with terrifying ease and hurls me into Vlad. He barely catches me before we both stagger, but there's no time to recover.

The next blow comes fast. A single, devastating punch to Vlad's side drops him like a sack of bricks. The sickening sound of it makes my stomach churn—he probably hit something vital. Before I can react, the man follows up with a brutal kick that sends Vlad crashing into the wall like a rag doll.

I lunge, desperate to stop him, aiming a punch at his jaw. It's a mistake. He grabs my hand mid-swing and twists it sharply, bending it at an angle that shouldn't be possible. Pain explodes through my arm, and a scream tears from my throat.

But that's not even the worst part.

The worst part is the look in his eyes—there's nothing there. No rage, no satisfaction, no humanity. His pale, colorless gaze is distant, dreamlike, as though he's fighting us from somewhere far away. Not a single word escapes his lips. Not a flicker of emotion crosses his face.

As he twists my arm further, I thrash, trying to break free, but his strength is overwhelming. His knee slams into my stomach, and the air is ripped from my lungs. I crumple to the ground, clutching my ribs, gasping for breath.

Above me, he looms like a specter, raising his fist for the final blow. My vision blurs as flashes of my life rush through my mind—the abandoned building I once called home, the cold nights before Caden found me, the fleeting moments of safety I thought I'd earned.

I guess this is it for me.

Then, like a predator sensing its prey, Kai freezes mid-motion. His head snaps toward the giant doors on the far end of the warehouse. His rigid posture and vacant expression are suddenly replaced by an almost animalistic focus, as though he's tuned in to something no one else can sense.

For the first time, he reveals what he truly is.

A black sphere materializes in his hand, swirling with an ominous, living energy. It's small—no larger than a handball—but it pulses with a power that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. The realization crashes down like a landslide: He's a defekt. Like us.

Before I can even register what this means, the sphere morphs. It elongates, spreads, and solidifies, crawling up his arms like ink, forming sleek, black gloves that cover his hands and forearms. The air around him shifts, growing heavier, charged with an almost suffocating intensity.

Then it happens.

A blinding streak of lightning tears through the warehouse, illuminating the dilapidated space in harsh, electric blue light. The sound is deafening, a crackle that reverberates in my chest. It's Caden's lightning—a devastating attack meant to annihilate.

But Kai doesn't flinch.

Instead, he raises his forearms in a precise X across his chest, letting the lightning slam into him full force. The energy collides with his gloves, scattering sparks in every direction. The sheer power of the impact sends waves of energy rippling through the room, rattling the broken windows and sending loose debris skittering across the floor.

And yet, Kai stands unmoved. His blank expression doesn't change. His cold, unfeeling eyes remain locked on Caden. It's as though the attack didn't even phase him.

I can't move. I'm still crumpled on the ground beneath him, staring up in disbelief. If Kai wanted to, he could end me right here and now. He has every opportunity —but he doesn't. His attention is wholly consumed by Caden, his stance shifting ever so slightly as he studies his opponent.

Caden steps forward, his cocky grin breaking through the tension like a sledgehammer through glass. His silhouette is backlit by the faint glow of residual sparks still clinging to the air around him.

"Just so you know, kiddo, I'm about to give ya a whopping!" Caden's voice rings out, playful and self-assured, like this is nothing more than a game. His grin widens, exposing perfect teeth that somehow manage to shine even in the dim light of the warehouse.

But Kai doesn't respond.

No taunts, no emotion, not even a flicker of acknowledgment. He's like a statue—cold, silent, and unyielding.

"What, not much of a talker, huh?" Caden presses, his voice laced with mockery as he rolls his shoulders, sparks crackling faintly around his clenched fists.

And then, Kai moves.

It's not a step—it's a blur.

One second, he's standing still, and the next, he's hurtling toward Caden at an impossible speed, the ground beneath his feet cracking under the force of his acceleration. His movements are precise, calculated, and terrifyingly efficient, like a weapon honed to perfection.

Caden's grin falters for a fraction of a second, but it's there—a fleeting crack in his composure that only someone who knows him well would notice. Still, he doesn't hesitate. With a sharp intake of breath, he plants his feet firmly and shifts into a fighting stance, his muscles coiled like springs ready to snap.

The collision is inevitable, a clash of titans that's equal parts thrilling and horrifying.

Kai throws the first strike, a savage punch aimed directly at Caden's head. Caden ducks just in time, the force of the blow slicing through the air with a sound that makes my ears ring. Without missing a beat, Kai pivots, his other fist coming up in a fluid arc toward Caden's ribs.

Caden blocks it, but the impact sends him skidding backward, his boots leaving deep grooves in the concrete floor. The sparks around him flare, his lightning reacting instinctively to the threat.

"Alright, big guy, let's see what you've got!" Caden shouts, his grin returning, but this time, it's more strained. He surges forward, launching a counterattack with a series of rapid, electrified punches.

Kai dodges most of them with unsettling ease, his movements unnaturally smooth and precise. The few hits that do land barely seem to faze him, the lightning dissipating harmlessly across the surface of his black gloves.

The fight is brutal, each clash reverberating through the warehouse like thunder. Sparks and shadows dance wildly across the walls, painting the scene in chaotic streaks of light and darkness.

And through it all, Kai's expression remains unchanged—no rage, no satisfaction, no fear. Just that eerie, unflinching calm.

My heart pounds as I watch, frozen in place. This isn't a battle. It's a storm—unpredictable, destructive, and unstoppable.