Shadow

Prologue

433/month 3

"Pathetic, Rin. Get up."

Teval Rin grinds his teeth, his fingers curling against the paving stones upon which he just fell, his eyes squeezed shut from the light that had just blinded him during the chase. That little shit. He won't let that bounty get away!

Biting back a growl of rage, Teval pushes to his feet and bolts after the bounty his team is chasing.

"Be careful!" he hears his teammate Alynna say through the communication tag on his earring.

Teval touches his earring to reply, "He's mine."

He reaches into himself for his sound attribute and spreads it all around him, using it to hear the footsteps of their target in the direction he expected, but this time, no more surprises. Teval uses it to sense any vibration or sound echoing around him, keeping his eyes closed so their bounty won't stop him again.

"Stupid," Teval mutters to himself. He was just so close to grabbing the guy. Making a rookie mistake after five years is embarrassing. He should have expected Nokten to hit him with something, seeing as he has an attribute that controls light and dark. Teval knows he's better than this.

Doso district looms ahead, where Nokten could hide in the warehouses for the docks, but Teval is gaining ground. He's lucky there aren't any independent teams around, or he would have already lost Nokten to them.

He catches up to the bounty as the street widens out, an open area that's usually full of carts, stands and traders during the day. Teval pushes himself faster, and he can feel Nokten doing something with his attribute, but it's not going to affect someone who isn't using their eyes. He closes in, hearing a curse as Nokten tries to turn and run, but Teval is on him, and leaps to take him to the ground.

They land in a tangle, but Teval already has his hand on the cuff case attached to his belt, slipping them out as he pulls back up onto his knees and grabs one of Nokten's arms. He snaps the drain cuffs on both wrists before his bounty can react, and opens his eyes, safe now that the cuffs are counteracting his attribute.

Teval is on his feet in an instant, hauling Nokten up to his knees to see his brown eyes full of fear, but all Teval can feel is rage coursing through him. He pulls his arm back before he even realizes what he's doing, and his fist connects with Nokten's face.

Twice.

Teval stumbles backward, breathing hard as the rest of his team catches up. His leader, Jiyo Attenel steps forward, his blue uniform pristine while Teval's is a mess from tripping and tackling the bounty.

"Good job, Teval," Jiyo says, running a hand through his short brown hair before taking Nokten's chin in his hand and inspecting the bruise Teval has just given him. "He needed to be put in his place."

The words are like a cold bucket of water dragging Teval's heart into the ground. He looks down at his fists, finally opening his hands as he wonders what he's just done.

As Jiyo pulls Nokten to his feet, Teval turns to see his teammates Alynna and Jaes with expressions of worry. Shame floods through every part of Teval as he turns and shoves the cuffs case into Jaes' hands.

"Don't ever let me have those again," he whispers.

Never again.