It had been a year since that evening.
Kaminari was fourteen.
Life in The Hideout was going well for him. In that year, he befriended Isabella and Deia.
Deia was very quiet and shy. But Kaminari never picked on her; he did with someone like Isabella, in a joking way, of course. They were friends after all.
And as more time passed, the haunting words of The Watcher faded. He still trained daily, but he wasn't afraid anymore.
"You're still training?" A voice asked behind Kaminari.
It was a cool evening, the sun started to slowly set, and it was quiet.
Crickets sang in the background, some distant noise of citizens was heard once in a while, and faint play of a band in the capital reached the top of the hill where Kaminari trained.
But once he heard Isabella walk up to him, he chuckled, scratching his head.
"Yeah, I didn't know you'd come here, though."
Isabella sighed.
"What are you training for? What's the thing that makes you come here every single day, put in work until you pass out, and return with a smile like nothing happened?"
Kaminari's chuckle faded, and he looked at the ground.
"I don't really like talking about this, but... Revenge. I want to be strong enough to kill a certain man."
Isabella's eyes widened.
"You as well, huh. I guess revenge is the best type of motivation. I haven't told anyone this, but I also want to train to be strong enough, to be able to protect."
Silence grew between them.
But Kaminari's chuckle broke it.
"This got depressing way too fast. I was about to head back anyway, you can train here if you need." He said, as he was ready to walk off.
"Wait." Isabella stopped him.
"I want some company."
Kaminari smirked.
"You need someone to be able to protect you in case something happens?"
Isabella's tone and face changed.
"You idiot. I don't need protection from someone like you, I just thought it'd be better to train with someone else, with a friend!"
Kaminari patted Isabella's shoulder.
"Kidding, kidding. I know you're strong."
Kaminari and Isabella spent the evening together, with a few more laughs and tears.
But when they returned, chaos erupted.
They walked through the quiet streets of the capital when someone ran towards them, fear in their eyes, and screams echoing.
But as the man ran to the kids in front of him, he stopped.
"K-kids...! You have to r-run away! Hide!"
After yelling that, he ran, without looking back once.
Kaminari turned to Isabella.
"We're not running away, right?"
Isabella smirked.
"Of course not."
"Come on," She said as she jumped on top of the rather short building.
Kaminari followed, and they chased the source of the panic.
Meanwhile, a man stood on top of a tall pole, the breeze blowing around his cloak.
Blood dripped down his dagger.
"The Watcher." He said, talking into his forearm.
"I completed the task. He's dead."
"I see, well done-" The audio cut off for a second, but then he reconnected, "However, you still have more to fulfill, in the other world. I'll take care of that one target in The Hideout, I think they call it, myself."
The man didn't answer, and he ended the connection.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette, blowing smoke into the air.
"Whatever."
Kaminari and Isabella arrived at the scene.
A dead body lay on the ground, blood flowed through the cracks between rocks.
Some ran, some stayed in awe, looking at it.
One of the people who stayed was Kazuhiko.
But when he spotted the two of them, he rushed over.
"You two need to get out of here! What are you even doing out this late?"
Kaminari let out a couple of chuckles, trying to seem calm. Deep down, he felt disgusted looking at the body.
"We just heard some noises and rushed over."
Kazuhiko shook his head.
"Let's get you two safely back to the dorms."
Isabella was wordless.
"Yeah... I want to get out of here."
Kazuhiko stood behind them as they made their way back.
He wouldn't have forgiven himself had something happened to his students.
Once they split up and entered the dorms, Kazuhiko let out a sigh of relief.
The first person to notice something was off was Dylan
"What's going on? You don't look okay."
Kaminari put on a smile.
"Some guy got killed on the streets."
Everyone froze.
Kaminari casually revealed something that they couldn't have even forced out of themself.
Angel stood up from the couch and blinked.
"What do you mean someone was killed? Is everything alright out there?"
Kaminari shrugged.
"Idontknow, I think I need a moment to rest, actually."
He threw himself onto one of the couches.
Cedar, who was next to him, looked around in confusion.
"Are we even safe in here?"
Dylan also sat down.
"Hey, Kaminari. If you need something, let me know."
Kaminari raised his hand and shook his head.
"Alright, well, it's getting late, so I think I'll go to my room. Don't know if I'll be able to fall asleep." Angel said.
Cedar also stood up.
"I agree. I don't see them cancelling school tomorrow, so I'll go get some rest as well."
Angel and Cedar left, and the silence grew heavy.
Kaminari sighed and put on his usual smile out of nowhere.
It helped him stay collected and be himself.
"Thank you, Dylan."
Dylan froze.
"For what?"
"For staying here with me. You're quiet, but somehow you manage to say so much with so few words."
Dylan chuckled from being flustered.
"Thank you."
But his chuckle slowly faded.
"But what about the dead person? What happened?"
Kaminari also got more serious.
"I'll tell you tomorrow." He yawned mid-sentence, "It's late, and it's not like I know much either. Once I find out more, you'll be the first person I tell."
He then stood up and stretched.
"Oh, alright... Night." Dylan said quietly.
"Night," Kaminari yelled back as he walked up the stairs.
But as Kaminari lay on the bed, a presence of someone otherworldly appeared.
The golden light reflected off windows and mirrors as the person walked down the narrow street.
It was The Watcher.
Dylan, who just got up to go to bed, felt a chill run down his spine.
He was the first one to notice this.
But for some reason, his body urged him to go outside.
So he did.
And The Watcher stepped into the courtyard. He made up for the lack of light.
"I've come for you... My prey."