The next morning, I rise to bright sunlight shining through the windows in my room… and no Kris. He left me in the middle of the night.

Good. I didn't want him to stay, to be honest.

The day passes in a sort of hazy lull. I finish my homework for Monday, prepare an extremely healthy lunch of ramen noodles, and then laze around on the couch. It’s December 20^th, which means Christmas is only a few days away. I haven’t made any preparations or done anything to celebrate the holiday. And I know that I probably won’t do anything anyway. 

Suddenly, my Hado mark begins tingling, startling me from my daze. Springing up from the sofa, I hastily put on my shoes, double-knotting the laces, and then quickly sprinting out the door. This doesn’t seem like the normal kind of alert… it feels more subtle, in a way. I don't know what it means. 

I can sense this chi coming fromsomewhere on the other side of town, I realize. Concentrating my chi into my feet, I allow my Hado mark to lead me to the source of the feeling, and end up teleporting in front an enormous, colonial-style house with thick white pillars and a large driveway. It sits amidst a row of gradesque, elegant mansions.

Although the colonial-home looks unfamiliar, traces of oddly familiar chi are swirling around it.

 Hurriedly rushing over to one of the windows on the ground floor, I push it open with minimal difficulty and and climb into the house. I've landed in what is apparently the kitchen. Frowning, I glance around. I was expecting some commotion to be going on in here, or lots of people gathered around the house. However, I am faced with emptiness. I don’t hear the sound of anything running, anyone talking-

Wait.

A faint murmur rises from one of the rooms upstairs.

I stealthily sneak up the stairs and locate the source of the conversation. Tiptoeing to the side of the door and gently pushing it open I look inside.

To my absolute shock, it's Kris, sitting in a chair and facing a tall, looming man whose face is hidden from my sight. I can feel the unknown person's malevolent presence radiating through the air, however. He's trouble, I can already tell. 

“If you join our Kado forces, we will be able to give you a higher rank, along with a great power,” the man rasps. “You can gain the power to defeat your father, the man who has so wrongly treated you and the others around him.”

I bite back a gasp. Kris is considering joining the Kado?!

He is not doing this. How could he even consider the idea?!

“That sounds good to me.” Kris replies firmly. “I will make plans to leave as soon as possible.”

“No!” I shriek, barging in. Kris looks up at me in dull expectation, not a trace of surprise that I've been eavesdropping on his conversation. “Kris, you idiot! What are you doing?”

“Well, well, who do we have here?” The bizzare man sneers. Now that I have a clear front view of him, I can see his face; deformed, ugly, and twisted, with no discernible features except for pair of glittering black eyes. My stomach twists in uneasiness.

“Kris, you can’t leave. Are you out of your mind?” I exclaim.

Kris’s face is blank, almost disdainful.

“What are you doing in my house?” he asks coolly. “I don’t remember inviting you here.”

“I could sense it through my mark,” I reply breathlessly.

“Ah, that’ll be the pesky chi bond I’ve heard about.” The strange-faced man chuckles. "We can work on getting rid of that as soon as possible."

Kris quickly looks at him. “The bond is nothing. It doesn’t matter in the slightest.”

All traces of the affection and closeness from last night have disappeared from his face. He looks cold, unapproachable, and dangerous. This is all my fault. If I had noticed he was turning bad earlier I would’ve taken faster action about it.

"Kris, if you don't tell this man to get lost right now, I will report you to the Hado." 

"Oh, really?" Kris sneers. "Do you think I don't know what you were going to do yesterday? You don't have the guts to report me to HQ, Hana, because you know what'll happen if they find out about me. You're so predictable it's funny."

My heart drops. 

I swivel around and instead face the strange man. “You. Stay away from Kris. How dare a member of the Kado visit a Fighter’s house.”

The man has been observing me and Kris's conversation, an amused smile on his face. “I will be leaving now." he says. "You know how to contact me, Kris Wu.”

And he disappears in a flash of red, leaving Kris and I standing alone in the middle of the room.

“Are you crazy?” I scream. “You’re the one that taught me about the Hado and how they're the good ones, and now you’re joining the Kado? They’re the bad guys! You said it yourself!”

“It’s none of your business.” Kris replies callously.

“Of course it’s my business! I’m your squad partner and I-,” My voice cracks mid-sentence, and I swallow painfully. “I just don’t understand how you could leave us all." I murmur. "How do you think Avi and Kai will feel? And your mom and dad-,”

“Don’t mention my parents. They’re the reason I’m doing this. I have to.” Kris hisses.

“If you really wanted to become more powerful than your dad, then couldn’t you do it through the Hado? Working hard and strengthening your good chi harnessing techniques?”

Kris looks at me, a ruthful  smirk tugging at his lips. “But then I wouldn’t get to be on the opposing side of him, would I?”

My jaw drops.

“Now get out.” Kris commands.

“No-,”

"Then I'll make you."

And everything goes black. 

A/N: I'm sorry if there are any mistakes it's 2 in the morning haha