The Fire That Cannot Become the Sun
Night fell across Port Victory like a sheet of dark velvet, thick and heavy with the salt of the sea.
Jack Dawkins stood on the cliffs outside town, cloak sweeping behind him, watching the moon's reflection ripple across the water.
He was waiting for Belle.
Not to teach her Sun Breathing—
because no one in this world could learn it.
Sun Breathing wasn't a technique.
It was a lineage.
A soul-deep art passed only through blood, trauma, reincarnation, and fate.
Jack could use it because of the Template System.
Because he had been reborn with the Sun Warrior's imprint.
No one else could.
But Belle Fox…
was not "no one else."
Footsteps approached from behind.
Belle arrived wearing trousers—trousers!—and a coat too big for her, hands on her hips, breath steady.
"Well?" she said. "Teach me."
Jack's expression softened.
"Belle… you can't learn Sun Breathing."
She blinked.
"Why not? Am I not fast enough? Smart enough? Tough enough?"
Jack stepped closer and spoke gently.
"It's not about talent. Sun Breathing isn't just breathing or movement. It's… an inheritance. I didn't learn it. I received it."
Belle's brows furrowed.
"So what? I just give up?"
Jack shook his head.
"No. You can't learn the Sun—but you can learn a lower form."
Belle's eyes widened.
"A… lower form?"
Jack nodded.
"Fire Breathing.
A technique developed by those who wanted to imitate the Sun but could not reach it."
"Fire Breathing…" she whispered.
"It's still powerful," Jack continued. "It strengthens your muscles, your stamina, your focus. But it won't destroy your lungs or tear your body apart like Sun Breathing would."
Belle smirked.
"So I get rookie breathing."
Jack laughed.
"You get something that won't kill you. That's a good start."
Belle rolled her eyes.
"Fine. Teach me."
"Not tonight," Jack said.
"Why not?"
Jack turned to the harbor—the ships, the lamps, the guards patrolling below.
"Because the System has a new mission."
Belle stared.
"What system?"
Jack froze.
"…Slip of the tongue."
Belle narrowed her eyes.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that—for now."
SYSTEM MISSION: "SEEDS OF SHADOWS"
Objective 1: Steal specific equipment from the hospital with your uncle's help.
Objective 2: Create a small trusted group to support your operations.
Objective 3: Prepare for the chaos the canon timeline will unleash.
Reward:
Template: Angus MacGyver (Prototype)
A genius improviser from a distant world.
Allows the host to create functional tools, devices, traps, and gadgets from common materials.
Jack's mind raced.
MacGyver.
A legend of improvisation.
A man who turned paperclips into weapons, gum wrappers into bombs, and sticks into keys.
With that template, he could build hidden labs, lockboxes, disguised weapons, escape devices…
Everything he needed to survive the coming storm.
Belle stepped beside him.
"You look like you're planning something very illegal."
Jack smirked.
"I am."
"Is my uncle involved?" Belle asked wryly.
"Absolutely."
She sighed dramatically.
"I'll pretend this is shocking."
Back at the Hospital — Jack and His Uncle Plot
Jack and his uncle, Fagin, stood in the dim corridor between the operating theater and the storeroom. Fagin leaned against a crate of bandages, twirling a cigar stub between his fingers.
"So," Fagin rasped. "Yer want me to steal from a hospital."
Jack folded his arms.
"Borrow permanently."
Fagin grinned a gold-toothed grin.
"That's my boy."
They entered the supply room, listing everything Jack pointed out:
scalpels
clamps
morphine
ether
surgical thread
bone saws
leather straps
medical ledgers
rare herbs and imported powders
"These alone are worth a fortune," Fagin whispered.
"They're not for sale," Jack replied.
"They're for the future."
Fagin's eyes gleamed.
"So you're finally gatherin' a crew?"
Jack paused.
"Yes. A small one. A loyal one."
Fagin raised a brow.
"And the Fox girl?"
Jack didn't answer.
Fagin smirked.
"Thought so."
Belle's Realization
Back on the cliffs, Belle practiced the breathing Jack had shown her.
Not Sun Breathing.
Not divine spiritual mastery.
But Fire Breathing—
a foundation.
A path.
She inhaled deep—
Then hissed as pain shot through her ribs.
"Damn it!"
Jack appeared beside her.
"Told you it hurts at first."
Belle groaned.
"How long would it take me to master this?"
Jack replied honestly.
"Years."
"And Sun Breathing?"
Jack stared at the horizon.
"A lifetime."
Belle was silent.
Then she looked at him, expression firm.
"If I can't rise to the Sun… then I'll burn everything in my way instead."
Jack smiled slowly.
"That's the spirit."
And Far Below, in the Shadows…
Peggy Gaines watched the cliffs from her carriage window, eyes narrowed, breath shaking.
She had been following orders.
Spying for Jack.
Watching.
Collecting secrets.
And now she had seen Belle Fox training under him.
She swallowed hard.
"T-That girl… she's dangerous."
She turned away, clutching the report meant for Jack.
The city was shifting.
Power was shifting.
And the true story—the one no one would expect