Belle Sees the Blood
The sun had not yet risen when Belle Fox stepped into the quiet hallways of the hospital.
Her boots clicked softly on the cold stone floors.
The building was mostly asleep—nurses dozing in corners, a few patients groaning in their sleep, the stale scent of disinfectant that never quite masked the rot.
Belle wasn't supposed to be awake.
But she'd woken from a nightmare.
A nightmare of a masked doctor with burning eyes.
A nightmare of Jack Dawkins moving too fast for human sight.
A nightmare of truth.
She pulled her shawl tighter and walked toward the supply room—
and then—
she stopped.
Footsteps.
But not like anyone else's.
Heavy.
Uneven.
Dragging.
Someone was injured.
Belle's heartbeat quickened.
She moved silently, peering around the corner—
—and froze.
Jack Dawkins Stumbles In
Jack pushed through the back door of the hospital, half-collapsing against the wall.
His shirt was torn.
Blood soaked through the fabric—some his, some not.
His breathing was controlled but strained.
He wasn't wearing his mask.
And for the first time, Belle saw him as both…
the boy she knew
and
the impossible doctor she feared.
Belle gasped.
Jack's head snapped up—eyes sharp, deadly—until he recognized her.
"Belle…?" he exhaled.
She stepped forward slowly.
"You're hurt."
He gave a dry, humorless laugh.
"It seems so."
"Jack—who did this? What happened?"
He tried to straighten but winced when his ribs protested.
"Just… ran into trouble."
Belle's eyes narrowed.
"That wasn't a bar fight."
Jack didn't respond.
Belle Takes Control
Without asking permission, Belle moved to his side and slid her shoulder under his arm.
"Come on."
"Belle—"
"Shut up and walk."
He almost smiled at that.
Together, they pushed into an empty recovery room. Belle helped him sit on the bed and immediately began searching for clean cloths, tweezers, and alcohol.
"Take off the shirt."
Jack raised a brow.
Belle glared.
"Take. It. Off."
He obeyed.
And Belle sucked in a breath.
Cuts.
Bruises.
Burns from torches.
A deep gash along his side where a blade had nearly gutted him.
Her voice trembled with anger.
"Whoever did this… tried to kill you."
Jack shrugged with one shoulder.
"They failed."
"Stop joking," she snapped. "This is serious."
"It's always serious, Belle."
Belle Discovers the Impossible
Belle leaned in to clean the wound, but then stopped.
Her eyes widened.
"Jack… this cut… this isn't normal."
Jack stiffened.
Belle continued, fingers trembling as she inspected the faint scorch-like edges around the wound.
"This looks like—like friction burn? But deeper. As if something moved…"
She swallowed.
"…far too fast."
Jack met her gaze.
Belle whispered:
"You're not human, are you?"
Silence.
Then Jack chuckled softly.
"I'm human, Belle. Just… improved."
"Improved how?"
"Experience."
"Experience doesn't make people blur like lightning."
Jack looked away.
Belle's breath shook.
"Jack… are you the kind of man who is going to get himself killed?"
He didn't answer.
Belle Draws a Line
Belle wrapped the bandage around his ribs, tight and precise.
But her voice was soft.
"You're hiding something. Something big."
Jack didn't deny it.
"And if you keep at this pace," Belle murmured, "you're going to die before anyone figures out what it is."
She paused.
"Before I figure out what it is."
Jack finally looked at her.
"Why do you care so much?"
Belle hesitated.
Her answer was quiet.
"Because you saved that boy tonight. Because you saved dozens before that. Because you're the best surgeon I've ever seen. Because you're dangerous… but you're not cruel."
She stood up straight.
"And because I need to know whether you're my ally… or a threat to this town."
Jack gave the smallest, most tired smile.
"Ally, Belle. Always."
She nodded.
But her eyes were still troubled.
"Next time," she said, "if you're going to fight devils in the dark…"
She grabbed his jaw gently but firmly.
"…let me know. I'm a Fox. We hunt, too."
Jack's heartbeat stuttered.
And for the first time since arriving in this world…
he felt something unfamiliar.
Trust.
The Secret of Breath
Belle Fox stood in the dim morning light of the spare ward, arms crossed tightly against her chest, staring at the empty bed where Jack Dawkins had been only an hour ago.
The bandages she had wrapped around him—wounds that should have taken weeks to heal—
were lying neatly folded.
Unused.
Unnecessary.
Jack was stretching, flexing his arms and twisting his torso as if nothing had happened.
Belle's voice cut through the silence like a scalpel.
"Jack."
He paused.
"Explain."
Jack let out a quiet sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I was hoping you wouldn't notice."
"Oh, I noticed," Belle said sharply. "Most men scream when I pour alcohol on a wound. You barely flinched. And now—"
She gestured to his now-unmarked skin.
"—this. Jack, no one heals like that."
Jack turned slowly to face her.
There was no mask, no swagger, no smirk.
Just truth.
"You remember how fast I moved last night."
"Like a demon," she whispered.
Jack stepped closer.
"Not a demon. A technique."
Belle blinked.
"A technique? Jack, a technique doesn't make you—"
She searched for the word.
"—inhuman."
Jack shook his head.
"It's a breathing style."
Belle stared.
"A… breathing style?"
"Yes."
He sat on the edge of the bed and motioned for her to sit.
Curiosity overpowered fear; Belle took a seat beside him.
Jack began quietly.
"There are ways to control the body. Ways to force oxygen, heat, strength into places most people can't reach. Ways to move blood faster, sharpen the senses, harden the muscles. Methods that improve everything—speed, power, awareness."
Belle looked skeptical.
"That sounds impossible."
Jack smiled faintly.
"So does opening someone's ribcage and sewing their heart back together. Yet we do it."
Belle opened her mouth—then closed it.
Touché.
Jack continued.
"I learned something called Sun Breathing. It's… old. Older than this country. Older than most written history."
Belle frowned.
"Sun Breathing… what does that even mean?"
"It means," Jack said, inhaling deeply, "controlling every fiber of your body using oxygen. For strength. For speed. For healing."
He placed a hand gently over hers.
"When I breathe that way, my blood moves faster. My muscles repair quicker. My senses sharpen. Injuries that would cripple others? I recover from them."
Belle looked down at his hand, then back at his eyes.
"And what you did last night—dodging attacks, overpowering grown men—"
"Sun Breathing."
"It's… beautiful," she whispered.
"Terrifying. But beautiful."
Jack chuckled.
"I'd say the same about you sometimes."
Belle flushed, but didn't pull away.
Belle Wants to Learn
After a long moment, Belle spoke again, her voice thoughtful.
"Jack… can anyone learn it?"
Jack raised a brow.
"You want to learn Sun Breathing?"
"Yes," Belle said immediately.
"No hesitation. No fear."
Jack studied her face.
Her sharp blue eyes.
Her determination.
Her stubborn bravery.
"You're serious."
"Dead serious," Belle said. "If you're going to throw yourself into danger, then I'm not letting you do it alone."
Jack leaned back slightly.
"This isn't some parlor trick. It can kill you if you breathe wrong."
"So can surgery," Belle countered. "And you taught me that."
Jack blinked.
Fair.
Belle leaned closer.
"If you trust me with your life on an operating table… trust me with this."
Jack stared at her.
Then slowly… nodded.
"I'll teach you the first form. Just the basics. Breathing, posture, body control."
Belle exhaled in relief, a small smile forming.
"But Belle," Jack added sternly, "if you push too far, if I tell you to stop—you listen. Understood?"
Belle placed her hand over her heart dramatically.
"Cross my surgeon's oath."
Jack snorted.
"You don't have a surgeon's oath."
"I do now."
A New Partnership
Belle stood, brushing off her dress.
"Alright then. When do we start?"
Jack smirked.
"You're eager."
"I'm a Fox," she said proudly. "I chase what interests me."
Jack stepped close enough that she felt the warmth radiating from him.
"And do I interest you, Belle Fox?"
Belle swallowed.
"More than I should."
Jack's smirk deepened.
"Good. Meet me tonight on the cliffs outside town. Wear something you can move in."
Belle nodded.
"And Jack?"
"Yes?"
"If this Sun Breathing lets you heal faster and move like lightning…"
Her expression turned thoughtful.
"…does that mean you can fight?"
Jack's eyes sharpened.
"Yes."
"And kill?"
Jack paused only a moment.
"Only when necessary."
Belle held his gaze, searching for something.
Then—
"Good."
She turned and walked away.
Jack watched her go, the weight of the world shifting around him.
Sun Breathing…
Belle Fox…
The canon story beginning tomorrow…
Everything was accelerating.