Chapter Five: The Soul That Awakens

Kaia worked silently, crouched in the hallway with a soaked cloth in hand. The air still carried the scent of dried blood—hers. But it didn’t bother her. Not the iron scent, not the staining, not the way it clung to the cracks in the tiles.

Her hands moved with practiced ease. She scrubbed, squeezed, wiped, turned—efficient, precise. Not a single drop escaped her attention.

Too efficient.

“You’re really good at this,” Mia’s voice echoed gently in her mind, curious.

“It’s like you’ve cleaned blood before… a lot of it.”

Kaia paused, eyes drifting to the stained cloth in her hand.

“That’s because I have.”

She leaned back slightly, her expression calm.

“This isn’t my body, Mia. My name… was Kaia Ambers. I lived another life before this one—as an assassin.”

The silence from Mia was immediate, almost stunned.

“You’re not… Kaia Moonstone?”

Kaia shook her head.

“Her soul is gone. I don't know where. I just woke up in her body the night I… died. So, cleaning blood? It’s nothing new.”

“Oh…”

There was a pause. A strange, quiet pause.

“So… I wasn’t born from her?” Mia asked slowly.

Kaia turned her eyes inward, sensing the hesitation. “Does that disappoint you?”

“Disappoint me?” Mia suddenly snapped.

“Don’t say that again. Ever.”

Her tone flared with a heat Kaia hadn’t heard before.

“I don’t care about whose body this is. A wolf soul is born from its master’s soul, not flesh. I exist because you exist, Kaia Ambers. You awakened me. You are my one and only master.”

Kaia blinked, caught off guard by Mia’s fierceness.

“Okay… I’m sorry. That was careless of me.”

“Apology accepted,” Mia huffed, then quickly added in a chirpier tone,

“Besides, I have the most unique master of all—a divine assassin. No other wolf can say that.”

Kaia laughed softly, the sound echoing faintly through the hall. “You’re such a flatterer.”

The last traces of blood vanished. Kaia rinsed the cloth one final time and wrung it out. She stood, back straight, mop and tools in hand.

As she made her way through the corridors toward the kitchen, she felt them.

Eyes.

Some turned away, pretending she didn’t exist. Others stared—cold, disdainful, like she was something rotting on the floor.

“What’s their problem?” Mia asked, voice genuinely confused.

Kaia didn’t slow down.

“They hated the old Kaia. She never awakened her wolf. In this pack, that’s like being born defective. They treated her like dirt. Even her own father ignored her.”

“That’s horrible…” Mia’s voice dropped low.

“We must take revenge for her.”

Kaia’s lips curled into a half-smile.

“We will. But first… we need to understand this place. The people. The structure. Weaknesses. Strengths.”

“Like an assassin?” Mia asked, excited.

“Exactly.”

“Then I’ll be the best assassin wolf ever!” Mia cried triumphantly, like she’d just made a sacred vow.

Kaia couldn’t help it. She laughed out loud—sudden and genuine. A few heads turned.

She covered her mouth quickly, but it was too late.

“The rumors must be true,” came a sharp voice to her right.

“She’s gone crazy. Laughing at thin air now.”

“Tch. With her luck, it’s no surprise. She was always cursed.”

The words were meant to be whispered, but Kaia heard them clearly—every syllable.

“How dare they…” Mia growled, her tone dropping low and dangerous.

Kaia felt it—a pulse of power from deep within her chest.

A subtle flare of aura rippled outward before she could react.

“Mia—”

She tried to pull it back, and did—but not fast enough.

The two men dropped to their knees, gasping. Their faces twisted in panic as they clawed at their throats, struggling to breathe.

Others in the hall turned, startled, rushing to their aid. A small crowd formed.

Kaia’s eyes widened slightly.

That was just a sliver.

Not even a full burst.

And it crushed them.

“Mia…” she whispered, slipping away into a shadowed corridor.

“Didn’t we just talk about staying hidden? Like assassins?”

“But they were insulting you!” Mia whined softly.

“I couldn’t just let it slide…”

“We talked about this. No sudden moves. No flaring power. We stay under their noses until it’s time.”

“…Sorry…” Mia murmured, sounding like a scolded puppy.

“I just… got mad.”

Kaia sighed but smiled. She couldn’t bring herself to scold her.

“It’s okay. But please… control yourself next time.”

“Okay! I’ll try really hard!” Mia promised with renewed enthusiasm.

“But if they insult you again, I’ll bite them! Just a little! With fangs!”

Kaia covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. “You’re incorrigible.”

“What’s that mean?”

“We’ll talk later,” Kaia said, regaining her composure as she stepped into the corridor leading to the kitchen.

Her footsteps were quiet. Her smile, unreadable.

And behind it all, her mind was sharper than ever.

She wasn’t here to suffer.

She was here to learn, to wait…

And one day soon—she would strike.

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