----
The next morning, Jiwoo went to school with a crutch.
Asuka did not like it.
Kayden did not like it.
Jiwoo did not particularly like it either, but he had smiled anyway because staying home felt worse.
His leg was still wrapped and supported beneath his uniform. Every step sent a dull ache up through the bone, but Asuka had stabilized it well enough that he could walk slowly if he was careful.
Slowly.
That was the important part.
"No running," Asuka had said at breakfast.
"I won't."
"No ability."
"I won't."
"No trying to help suspicious people."
Jiwoo had paused.
Asuka had looked at him.
Kayden had looked at him.
The cats had looked at him, though that was probably unrelated.
Jiwoo had smiled weakly.
"I'll try."
Kayden had slammed one paw onto the table.
"That is not reassuring!"
So Jiwoo had promised properly.
No running.
No ability.
No getting involved.
Just school.
A normal day.
He repeated that to himself as he entered the classroom, crutch tapping softly against the floor.
Normal day.
Normal day.
Normal day.
Then he looked toward Wooin's seat.
Empty.
Jiwoo stopped.
The classroom noise moved around him like distant water. Students talked. Chairs scraped. Someone laughed near the windows. But the empty desk pulled his attention in a way he could not ignore.
Wooin was not there.
Jiwoo had known he might not be.
After everything with Professor Delein, after the Association took him into custody—not that he knew, after the way Wooin had looked at him before leaving—
Of course he might not come back right away.
Maybe not ever.
Still.
Jiwoo's chest felt heavy.
He lowered himself carefully into his seat and looked at the empty desk again.
"I hope you're okay," he whispered.
No one heard him.
Or at least, he thought no one did.
Not knowing that three boys followed him here.
The same three who had trailed around Jisuk before.
They looked at Jiwoo's crutch.
Then his leg.
Then each other.
And smiled.
It happened during the break between classes.
Jiwoo had left the classroom to get water and move his leg a little. Sitting too long made the ache worse. He walked slowly down the hallway, one hand gripping the crutch, trying not to draw attention.
That was difficult.
People looked.
They always looked.
Not openly enough to be called cruel.
Not kindly enough to be called concern.
Just glances.
Curious.
Uncomfortable.
Judging.
There he is.
The weird quiet kid.
The one with no friends.
The one who always apologizes.
The one who looks like he's waiting for someone to tell him he belongs.
Jiwoo lowered his gaze and kept walking.
Then something struck the back of his crutch.
Hard.
The support slipped.
His injured leg could not catch him.
Jiwoo hit the floor with a sharp gasp.
Pain flashed through his leg so suddenly that his vision blurred.
Laughter followed.
"Oops."
The voice was bright with fake innocence.
Jiwoo turned his head.
The three boys stood behind him.
One leaned against the wall, grinning. Another nudged the fallen crutch farther away with his shoe. The third crouched slightly, looking down at Jiwoo with exaggerated concern.
"Careful," he said. "You're already broken."
The hallway went quiet.
Not fully.
Not enough.
But enough that Jiwoo felt the attention gather.
Students stopped.
Looked.
Whispered.
No one moved.
No one helped.
Jiwoo's hand pressed against the floor.
For a moment, he was younger again.
Sitting alone.
Hearing laughter from somewhere behind him.
Feeling eyes on his back, on his hair, on the way he was always a little too careful, a little too quiet, a little too strange.
People stared like he did not quite belong in the same world as them.
Like helping him would make them strange too.
Like kindness was contagious in the wrong way.
His fingers curled against the floor.
"Hey," one of the boys said, kicking lightly at his good leg. "Did you go deaf?"
Jiwoo tried to reach for his crutch.
The boy stepped on it.
Another grabbed the back of Jiwoo's uniform and shoved him down again before he could rise.
Pain shot through his ribs.
Jiwoo's breath hitched.
Someone laughed.
Someone whispered, "Should we call a teacher?"
No one did.
A hand struck his shoulder.
Not hard enough to seriously injure.
Hard enough to humiliate.
Another hit his back.
Jiwoo lowered his head.
Do not use your ability.
Do not cause trouble.
Do not make it worse.
Do not—
Wooin's face flashed in his mind.
Wooin standing between him and Delein despite trembling.
Wooin saying, I can't let that happen.
Kayden's voice followed.
Get strong enough that your kindness doesn't become a weakness other people can use.
And Asuka's hand, warm over his, telling him next time to call first.
Next time to be smarter.
Jiwoo's breathing changed.
The boy behind him grabbed his collar again.
"Look at him. He won't even—"
Jiwoo moved.
Not awakened speed.
Not the blur that would reveal him.
Just training.
Just the way Kayden had drilled into him from the couch while his leg recovered.
Watch the shoulder.
Watch the wrist.
Do not move too much.
Use what they give you.
The punch came toward his face.
Jiwoo leaned aside.
It missed.
The boy blinked.
Jiwoo drove his fist into the boy's stomach.
The air left him in a choked wheeze.
The hallway went silent.
Jiwoo's eyes were lowered, but his expression had changed.
Not angry.
Not cruel.
Resolved.
'I don't have to use my ability,' he thought.
I can see it.
I'm fast enough.
The second boy lunged.
Jiwoo shifted his weight carefully onto his good leg, pain sparking through the broken one but not stopping him. He ducked under the swing and punched upward into the boy's face.
The boy stumbled back and collapsed against the lockers.
Students gasped.
The third boy swore.
"You little fucker—"
He swung wildly.
Too wide.
Too obvious.
Jiwoo saw the shoulder pull back, the elbow angle, the weight shift.
He dodged.
Then struck.
One clean hit.
The boy dropped.
For a moment, no one breathed.
Jiwoo stood in the middle of the hallway, one hand braced lightly against the wall, his crutch lying a few feet away.
His uniform was wrinkled.
His shoulder ached.
His leg throbbed so badly that sweat had gathered at his temple.
Three boys were on the floor.
And everyone was staring.
Again.
But this time, the staring felt different.
Not better.
Not worse.
Just different.
The homeroom teacher came rushing in.
"What is going on here?"
The students jolted.
The teacher looked at the boys on the floor first.
His expression tightened.
Of course.
Those three.
The usual troublemakers.
Then his gaze moved to Jiwoo.
Quiet Jiwoo Seo.
Well-behaved Jiwoo Seo.
Polite, apologetic, gentle Jiwoo Seo.
Standing there with a broken leg, bruised shoulder, and three knocked-down delinquents around him.
The teacher's mouth opened.
Closed.
Then opened again.
"Seo Jiwoo."
Jiwoo lowered his head.
"Yes, sir."
The teacher looked unconvinced by the entire universe.
"Did you… start this?"
Jiwoo's voice was quiet.
"Yes, sir."
The teacher stared.
Then looked down at Jiwoo's leg.
Then at the three boys.
Then back at Jiwoo.
"With a broken leg?"
Jiwoo said nothing.
The teacher scratched the back of his head, clearly trying to decide which part of this situation was most absurd.
One of the delinquents groaned.
The teacher sighed sharply.
"Someone help Seo to the nurse's office."
Silence.
No one moved.
Jiwoo looked toward the students.
A few looked away.
Some stared at their shoes.
Others pretended not to hear.
The teacher's expression darkened.
Jiwoo smiled faintly, though it did not reach his eyes.
"It's alright," he said. "I can go by myself."
The teacher looked at him.
Really looked.
At the bruises.
At the fallen crutch.
At the way Jiwoo was holding himself upright through pain because no one had stepped forward.
His face softened with concern.
"Are you sure? Don't you want someone to go with you?"
Jiwoo shook his head.
"It's okay."
Then he turned slightly.
And through the classroom window at the end of the hall, he saw them.
Asuka stood outside near the school gate.
She wore tinted black glasses over her eyes, hiding the blue beneath. Her pale cream hair moved gently in the breeze. She held Kayden in her arms like any ordinary girl carrying a fat orange cat.
Except Kayden was not acting like an ordinary cat.
He was clapping.
His paws tapped together in small, deeply satisfied motions.
His face was smug beyond belief.
Asuka's expression was gentle.
Proud.
A little sad.
But mostly warm.
Jiwoo stared.
For one heartbeat, the hallway disappeared.
The students.
The pain.
The silence.
The feeling of being alone.
All of it loosened.
Because he was not alone.
Not anymore.
Jiwoo smiled softly.
The teacher followed his gaze but only saw a girl with sunglasses holding a cat outside the window.
He blinked.
Jiwoo turned back.
"Teacher."
"Yes?"
"Can I go home early today?"
The teacher frowned. "Home?"
Jiwoo nodded.
"I want to see a doctor. My leg hurts right now."
The teacher's concern sharpened immediately.
"Your leg hurts?"
"Yes."
"Then you should absolutely see a doctor. I'll help you—"
"It's okay," Jiwoo said quickly. "I can go by myself."
The teacher hesitated.
Jiwoo smiled gently.
"I'll be careful."
The teacher looked like he did not fully believe that.
Which was fair.
Still, after a moment, he nodded.
"Alright. If that's what you want. Call if you need help."
Jiwoo bowed his head.
"Thank you."
The teacher sighed, then looked back at the three boys on the floor.
His expression flattened.
"And someone wake these idiots up and take them to the nurse's office."
A few students finally moved.
Late.
Too late.
Jiwoo picked up his crutch slowly.
Pain shot up his leg, but he held steady.
Then he walked out.
Asuka was waiting by the side entrance.
Kayden was still in her arms.
Still smug.
The second Jiwoo came close enough, Kayden lifted his chin.
"Not bad."
Jiwoo blinked.
Then smiled.
"Really?"
Kayden's tail flicked.
"For someone with a broken leg and almost no proper combat training."
Jiwoo's smile widened anyway.
Asuka stepped closer.
Her hand reached for his shoulder first.
Not his injuries.
Not his bandage.
His shoulder.
A grounding touch.
"Oppa."
Jiwoo looked at her.
"I'm okay."
She tilted her head slightly.
He sighed.
"I'm mostly okay."
Her fingers tightened just a little.
"That is better."
Kayden huffed.
"You should have hit harder."
Asuka looked at him.
Kayden glanced away.
"Within reason."
Jiwoo laughed softly.
Then winced.
Asuka's expression immediately sharpened.
"Ribs?"
"A little."
"Leg?"
"…A lot."
Kayden's smugness vanished into irritation.
"I told you not to overdo it."
"I didn't use my ability."
"That is not the same as not overdoing it."
Jiwoo looked down.
"I'm sorry."
Kayden opened his mouth.
Asuka quietly said, "He fought back."
Kayden stopped.
Jiwoo looked at her.
Asuka's hand moved gently from his shoulder to his back.
"You fought back without revealing yourself."
Jiwoo swallowed.
"I thought of what Mr. Kayden said."
Kayden froze.
Jiwoo smiled faintly.
"And Wooin too. He protected me, so I thought… I don't want to let people like that bully someone else either."
Kayden stared at him.
Then looked away.
"Tch."
Asuka's gaze softened.
"That was brave."
Jiwoo's eyes went warm.
Kayden lifted one paw from Asuka's arm.
"And sloppy."
Jiwoo nodded immediately.
"Yes, sir."
"But acceptable."
Jiwoo brightened.
Kayden's eye twitched.
"Do not look that happy. That was not praise."
"It sounded like praise."
"It was criticism with a small amount of acknowledgment."
Asuka looked down at him.
"That is praise from you."
Kayden glared.
"It is not."
Jiwoo smiled.
"It felt like praise."
Kayden dropped his paw over his face.
"I hate this family."
Asuka adjusted her hold on him and turned toward home.
"Let's go."
Jiwoo followed slowly with his crutch.
The school remained behind them, full of staring students and unconscious troublemakers.
For the first time, Jiwoo did not look back.
Kayden saw that.
Asuka did too.
Neither of them said anything.
But Kayden's tail curled slightly against Asuka's sleeve.
And Asuka walked close enough that if Jiwoo stumbled, she would catch him before he fell.
Later that day, training moved to the basement.
Jiwoo had assumed that because his leg was still broken, training would be gentler.
He had assumed wrong.
Kayden sat on top of the old wooden crate with his hind legs tucked under him, back straight, front paws raised in a disturbingly human posture.
Between those paws was a cat treat.
A soft tube of creamy chicken-flavored paste.
Kayden held it with great dignity.
Then sucked the contents out with absolutely no dignity at all.
Jiwoo stared.
Asuka, seated cross-legged nearby, wisely said nothing.
Kayden finished half the treat, licked his mouth, and narrowed his eyes at Jiwoo.
"Your fighting sucks."
Jiwoo froze.
The words hit with the force of a physical blow.
Kayden continued mercilessly.
"When you fought those thugs, except for your speed, everything else was shitty."
Jiwoo's shoulders sank slightly.
Kayden pointed the treat tube at him like a weapon.
"Your punches were a complete mess. Your form was bad. Your footwork needs more work. Your weight distribution was unstable, probably because of the leg, but even accounting for that, it was awful."
Jiwoo looked down at his hands.
Kayden kept going.
"You also have no idea how much strength to put behind a punch. The first hit landed because you surprised him. The second worked because the idiot ran into you. The third was passable. Barely."
Jiwoo swallowed.
"Oh…"
Asuka's gaze lifted from her own hands.
Her Six Eyes saw too much.
Always.
They saw the flow of energy beneath the floor, the shifting dust in the air, the tension in Jiwoo's shoulders, the tiny way his fingers curled inward with every insult.
Each word landed.
Not as anger.
Not even embarrassment.
Jiwoo took them to heart.
Too deeply.
Asuka's expression softened.
Kayden saw it.
He clicked his tongue.
"Don't look at me like that. He needs to hear it."
Asuka did not deny it.
Kayden turned back to Jiwoo.
"You relied on your awakened state, even if you didn't fully activate your ability. Your body is naturally fast. Your eyes track motion better than an ordinary person's. Your reaction speed is better. So you dodged and hit randomly."
Jiwoo's head lowered further.
Kayden's voice sharpened.
"The only good thing I saw was that you stood up against those shitheads."
Jiwoo's eyes flicked up.
Kayden's expression did not soften, but something in his voice shifted.
Barely.
"You got knocked down. No one helped. You still got up. You didn't reveal your power. You didn't run. You fought back."
The basement quieted.
Kayden finished the last of the treat with one long, obscene slurp.
Then lowered the empty tube.
"That part was good."
Jiwoo stared at him.
Kayden immediately scowled.
"Don't get emotional. I'm not done insulting you."
Jiwoo looked startled.
Asuka's lips curved faintly.
Kayden tossed the empty tube aside.
"But if you fought another awakened user in your current state…"
He did not finish.
He did not need to.
Jiwoo understood.
The silence pressed down harder than any insult.
If he fought another awakened user like this, he would lose.
Badly.
Like with Wooin.
Like with Delein.
His hands clenched on his lap.
"Yeah," Jiwoo said quietly.
Kayden watched him.
There.
That look.
Not simple discouragement.
Not sulking.
Thinking.
Properly thinking.
Jiwoo looked at the floor, but his mind had already gone somewhere else.
If he had been stronger, Wooin might not have needed to stand against Delein.
If he had been stronger, Asuka might not have had to step in.
She had only shown a small part of Infinity, only enough to protect him, but even that had made Delein stare at her differently. Like she was something rare. Something valuable.
If he had been stronger, maybe he could have protected the cat himself.
Maybe Wooin would not have been hurt.
Maybe Asuka would not have had to arrive with cold eyes.
Maybe Kayden would not have needed to reveal himself.
His chest tightened.
How do I get stronger?
Kayden's gaze sharpened.
The boy was finally thinking of this seriously.
Not because training sounded exciting.
Not because he wanted to be praised.
Because he had understood, painfully, that kindness without strength forced others to pay the price.
Kayden hummed.
"Good."
Jiwoo looked up.
Kayden's tail flicked.
"It looks like you're finally thinking properly."
Jiwoo blinked.
"So I'll teach you something useful."
Jiwoo's eyes widened.
"Something useful?"
Kayden's mouth curved.
It would have been intimidating in human form.
In cat form, with a bit of treat still near his whisker, it was slightly less effective.
Asuka's eyes lowered briefly.
Kayden noticed.
"Do not."
"I did not."
"You were thinking it."
"Yes."
Kayden ignored her and faced Jiwoo.
"Up until now, I've only taught you how to control your awakened energy. Circulation. Stability. Output. Not wasting power."
Jiwoo nodded.
"Starting today, I'll teach you skills that actually use awakened energy."
Jiwoo brightened so quickly it was almost heartbreaking.
"Really?"
"Yes."
His whole face lit up.
"Kay!"
Kayden froze.
Asuka blinked.
Jiwoo also froze.
The basement went silent.
Kayden's eye twitched.
"What," he said slowly, "was that response?"
Jiwoo's ears went red.
"I mean—"
"Answer me again."
Jiwoo sat up straight.
"Yes, sir!"
Kayden stared.
Jiwoo added, with even more determination, "Yes, sirr!"
Kayden closed his eyes.
Somehow, that was worse.
"Why did you roll the end?"
"I got excited."
"Stop getting excited incorrectly."
"Sorry."
"Stop apologizing."
"Sorry."
Asuka's shoulders shook once.
Kayden turned his glare on her.
"You too."
"I am breathing."
"You always breathe suspiciously."
Jiwoo smiled despite himself.
The heaviness in his expression eased, but not completely.
Good.
Kayden wanted the lesson to stay.
Not crush him.
Stay.
"Stand."
Jiwoo reached for his crutch.
Asuka moved before he fully shifted, one hand hovering near his elbow.
He smiled at her.
"I'm okay."
"You are partially okay."
"That's… accurate."
Kayden hopped down from the crate and padded toward the punching bag Asuka had quietly set up earlier. It hung from one of the old ceiling beams, reinforced by Asuka's subtle manipulation of space so the basement would not collapse if Jiwoo hit it too hard.
Kayden glanced at it.
Then at her.
"You did something to that."
"Yes."
"What?"
"I made sure the ceiling would not break."
Kayden stared.
"That is terrifyingly practical."
"Thank you."
"Again, not a compliment."
"It sounded like one."
Kayden gave up.
Jiwoo stood before the bag, balancing carefully with his crutch nearby. His injured leg barely took any weight. Asuka's energy brushed around him, not healing, not interfering, just quietly ready in case he slipped.
Kayden noticed.
He allowed it.
"For now, no footwork," Kayden said. "Your leg is still broken. You'll focus on upper body mechanics and energy control. Later, when you can move properly, I'll fix your embarrassing stance."
Jiwoo nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"Make a fist."
Jiwoo did.
Kayden stared.
"Have you ever punched anything correctly in your life?"
Jiwoo looked down at his hand.
"…No?"
Kayden's face went flat.
"At least you're honest."
Asuka stood and crossed the room, gently adjusting Jiwoo's fingers.
"Thumb outside," she said softly.
"Oh."
"If it is tucked inside, you may hurt yourself."
"Right. Thank you."
Kayden clicked his tongue.
"Wrist straight. Don't let it bend when you hit. Energy moves through the arm, not just the fist. Shoulder loose until impact. Don't throw your whole body like a child trying to break a door."
Jiwoo nodded, absorbing every word.
Kayden circled him.
"Now hit the bag lightly."
Jiwoo punched.
The bag barely moved.
Kayden stared.
Jiwoo looked at him nervously.
Kayden inhaled.
Exhaled.
"That was pathetic."
Jiwoo wilted.
Asuka's gaze shifted toward Kayden.
Kayden ignored it.
"Again."
Jiwoo punched again.
"Still pathetic."
Again.
"Too stiff."
Again.
"Your elbow is drifting."
Again.
"You are apologizing with your fist."
Jiwoo paused.
"What does that mean?"
"It means you hit like you're sorry for bothering the bag."
Asuka looked down.
Jiwoo flushed.
"Sorry."
Kayden pointed at him.
"And now you apologized to me about apologizing to the bag."
Jiwoo closed his mouth.
Kayden shook his head.
"Again."
Jiwoo hit the bag.
This time, Kayden narrowed his eyes.
"Better."
Jiwoo's face lit up.
"Really?"
"Slightly."
Jiwoo somehow looked happy anyway.
Asuka watched him, fond and quiet.
Then she returned to her own training.
Unlike Jiwoo, Asuka did not need instruction on the fundamentals of her original techniques.
She had mastered Limitless too young in another life.
Had learned Infinity until it became breath.
Blue and Red until they obeyed with a thought.
Healing until her body remembered reversal before pain.
Time until she understood, better than most ever would, that seconds were not cages unless one let them be.
But this world was different.
Awakened energy was different.
And concealment mattered more than power.
So Asuka sat on the concrete floor with her legs folded beneath her and lifted one hand.
Blue-white electricity sparked across her fingers.
Kayden's force control ran through her system like a sharp secondary rhythm, more aggressive than her own, more explosive, less serene. She separated it thread by thread, not to copy Kayden exactly, but to understand how electricity behaved when shaped through awakened pathways instead of cursed energy logic.
The current grew stronger.
A thin arc jumped from one finger to another.
Then another.
Controlled.
Quiet.
Not enough to damage the room.
Enough to prove she could sharpen it.
Kayden glanced over while Jiwoo punched.
His eyes narrowed.
Asuka felt his gaze.
"I am being careful," she said.
"I didn't say anything."
"You thought loudly."
Kayden paused.
Then scowled.
"Don't use my lines."
Asuka's mouth curved.
Jiwoo punched again.
Kayden snapped back toward him.
"Don't drop your shoulder!"
"Yes, sir!"
Asuka let the electricity fade.
Then she shifted the output.
Heat.
Friction.
A change in energy behavior.
A small flame appeared above her palm.
Orange.
Ordinary-looking.
That was the point.
Fire was common among awakeners.
Common enough that if she ever needed to reveal something, it would draw far less attention than time, space, reversal, or Infinity.
A simple fire ability.
Defense and offense.
Predictable.
Understandable.
Safe.
Kayden's gaze flicked to the flame.
For a second, he looked genuinely approving.
Then he hid it immediately.
"Fire too?"
Asuka looked at him.
"It is common."
"Common for normal people. You are using it like a disguise."
"Yes."
Kayden stared.
Then nodded once.
"Good."
Jiwoo looked over, eyes wide.
"Asuka, that's amazing."
The flame vanished.
"It is small."
"It's still amazing."
Kayden pointed at the punching bag.
"Eyes forward. Your sister being ridiculous is not an excuse to stop training."
Jiwoo snapped back.
"Yes, sir!"
Punch.
"Wrist."
Punch.
"Energy too early."
Punch.
"Too late."
Punch.
"Better. Don't smile."
Jiwoo smiled anyway.
Kayden groaned.
Asuka watched both of them while continuing to practice.
Her Six Eyes tracked Jiwoo's movements in real time.
The angle of his shoulder.
The slight hesitation before impact.
The way his core pulsed too brightly whenever he wanted to hit harder.
The minute instability caused by favoring his injured leg.
"Oppa," she said.
Jiwoo paused immediately.
"Yes?"
"You are tensing your jaw before you punch."
Jiwoo blinked.
"My jaw?"
"Yes. Your body is warning your opponent before your fist moves."
Kayden turned slowly toward her.
Jiwoo tried again.
He relaxed his jaw.
Punched.
The motion came cleaner.
Kayden stared at the bag.
Then at Asuka.
She met his gaze calmly.
"Useful," she said.
Kayden's eye twitched.
"I was going to say that."
"I know."
"That's annoying."
"I apologize."
"No, you don't."
"No," she agreed.
Jiwoo laughed softly, then punched again.
Kayden resumed lecturing.
Harsh.
Sharp.
Unforgiving.
But underneath every insult was instruction.
Under every criticism, a correction.
Under every "pathetic" came a "move your wrist like this."
Under every "sloppy" came a route toward improvement.
Jiwoo began to understand that.
Slowly.
Painfully.
With every punch.
His fist hit the bag again.
This time, the impact sounded different.
Not strong yet.
Not impressive.
But clearer.
Kayden's ears twitched.
Asuka's eyes warmed.
Jiwoo felt it too.
A tiny improvement.
Small enough that an ordinary person might miss it.
Large enough that, to him, it felt like a door opening.
Kayden lifted his chin.
"Again."
Jiwoo breathed in.
Set his fist.
Relaxed his jaw.
Kept his wrist straight.
Let the energy move—not explode, not spill, just support.
Then he punched.
The bag swung.
Only a little.
But it swung.
Jiwoo stared at it.
Then smiled.
Kayden clicked his tongue.
"Do not get proud over that. That was barely decent."
Jiwoo looked at him, eyes bright.
"Yes, sir!"
Kayden stared.
Internally, something like resignation settled over him.
This kid.
This ridiculously earnest kid.
He could insult him for an hour, and one tiny piece of progress would make him glow like he had been handed the sun.
Dangerous.
Stupid.
Promising.
Kayden grabbed another cat treat tube from beside the crate and bit the end off.
"Again," he ordered around the treat.
Jiwoo raised his fist.
Asuka's small flame flickered back to life in her palm.
The basement filled with the rhythm of training.
Punch.
Correction.
Spark.
Flame.
Punch.
Insult.
Adjustment.
Progress.
Above them, the ordinary world moved on, unaware that beneath one quiet apartment building, Kayden Break was rebuilding himself, Asuka Seo was designing a harmless mask over impossible power, and Jiwoo Seo was learning, one imperfect punch at a time, how to make his kindness strong enough to survive.
----