The training room was cold, though not in the way Kai was used to. It wasn't the kind of cold that clung to his skin or settled in his bones—it was sterile. Empty. Artificial. The reinforced walls, thick glass observation panels, and dull fluorescent lights made sure of that. It didn't matter how many punches he threw or how much he pushed his body—there was no life in this place. No fire.
He threw another punch.
His opponent—a government-assigned combat instructor—easily deflected it, sidestepping and countering with a precise strike to Kai's ribs. He barely managed to twist in time, softening the blow. His body ached, sweat dripped from his chin, and his breath came in sharp gasps. He had been fighting for nearly an hour, but they weren't letting him stop.
Not until he proved something.
Kai lunged forward again, feinting left before striking low. His instructor blocked it, but for the first time, he had to try.
"Again." The man's voice was flat. No praise, no frustration. Just another order.
Kai gritted his teeth. His body was screaming at him, but he forced himself to move. He wasn't just fighting the instructor—he was fighting the eyes watching from behind the reinforced glass. Scientists. Military officials. The President herself. All waiting, all watching.
Waiting for what?
Another punch. Another dodge. Another counter. It was a brutal rhythm, and Kai was losing. His muscles felt like lead, his lungs burned, and yet—
Not yet. Just a little more.
He threw his entire body into his next strike. His fist met the instructor's forearm, but this time, something cracked. Ice shot across the man's arm, locking it in place for half a second—just enough time for Kai to drive his knee into his chest, sending him skidding backward.
The room fell silent.
Kai staggered back, panting. The instructor looked down at his frozen arm and shattered the ice with a single flex, but it didn't matter. They had seen it.
His ice was stronger.
He looked up toward the observation window. The scientists were whispering furiously, taking notes, scrambling for answers. The President, standing in the center of them all, had her arms crossed, watching him with sharp eyes.
They weren't just testing him.
They were expecting something.
Kai clenched his fists. "I've been here for weeks," he said, his voice hoarse. "I know you're hiding something from me."
No response.
The instructor took a step forward, getting into position again.
Kai's heart pounded. They were going to keep testing him. Keep pushing him. Keep waiting for something to happen.
A flicker of anger burned in his chest.
And then, in an instant—
The room changed.
A sudden wave of cold exploded outward from Kai's body. Not just ice—something deeper, something worse. The fluorescent lights flickered and dimmed. The walls groaned, thin layers of frost spreading over them like veins. The air itself grew heavy, suffocating, like the weight of an entire ocean had settled inside the room.
Kai could feel it—something was waking up inside of him.
His vision blurred. His fingers tingled. He could feel his own pulse slowing, as if his body itself was reacting to this strange, overwhelming power.
And then, just as suddenly—
It stopped.
The frost on the walls melted. The weight in the air vanished. The lights flickered back to normal.
But the silence remained.
Kai stood there, chest rising and falling, hands trembling.
The instructor didn't move.
The scientists behind the glass stared in stunned silence.
And the President… was smiling.
Kai swallowed. What just happened?
And more importantly—
What the hell had he just unlocked?