Kaito Arata couldn't sleep.
He rolled over in bed for the third time, staring at the ceiling in the dark.
"…Why am I so awake?"
His body was tired.
His arms were sore.
His legs felt like they had weights tied to them.
He should've been asleep the second he hit the pillow.
But his chest felt strange.
Not pain.
Not excitement.
Just… restless.
He sat up and rubbed his face.
The clock next to his bed read 11:42 PM.
Too late to train.
Too early to wake up.
He groaned and fell back onto the mattress.
"…This is stupid."
He closed his eyes.
For a moment, everything was quiet.
Then...
That feeling again.
Like a small vibration in his chest.
His eyes snapped open.
"…There it is."
He sat up slowly.
The air in the room felt heavier.
Not hot.
Not cold.
Just different.
He looked down at his hands.
Nothing.
He opened and closed his fingers.
Still nothing.
"…Am I just imagining it?"
He swung his legs off the bed and stood up.
The floor creaked under his feet as he walked to the punching bag hanging in the corner of the room.
He stared at it for a second.
"…One hit."
Just one.
He raised his fist.
His arm felt lighter than usual.
Faster.
He stepped forward and punched.
THUD.
The bag swung back harder than he expected.
Kaito blinked.
"…Huh?"
He punched again.
THUD.
This time the chain above the bag rattled loudly.
He froze.
"…Okay… that was weird."
He grabbed the bag with both hands to stop it from swinging.
His heart started beating faster.
Not from training.
From that same feeling.
Like something inside him was waking up.
He let go slowly.
The bag swayed once more.
Kaito took a step back.
"…Why does it feel like I'm stronger today?"
He looked at his fists again.
They looked the same.
Small.
Bruised.
Nothing special.
But when he clenched them…
The air around his knuckles shimmered slightly.
Just for a second.
Kaito blinked.
"…Did I see that?"
He waved his hand.
Nothing happened.
He frowned.
"…I'm definitely seeing things."
A knock came from the wall.
"Kaito."
He froze.
His mother's voice.
"…Yeah?"
"It's almost midnight."
"…Sorry."
"Go to sleep."
"…Okay."
He looked at the punching bag one more time.
"…Tomorrow," he muttered.
He lay down again, staring at the ceiling.
The strange feeling didn't go away.
If anything…
It got stronger.
And far away, on the roof of a tall building across the city, the man in the dark coat looked down at a glowing screen in his hand.
The signal was brighter.
Much brighter.
"…So it's starting."
He tapped the screen once.
Numbers moved across the display.
Energy readings.
Fluctuations.
Coordinates.
All centered on one place.
One house.
One boy.
The man smiled slightly.
"…Faster than expected."
He looked up at the sky.
Clouds moved slowly across the moon.
"…Good."
He turned and walked away.
"…That means the others will notice soon."
The screen in his hand flickered again.
The light grew stronger.
Back in his room, Kaito finally closed his eyes.
His breathing slowed.
His body relaxed.
But the strange feeling stayed.
Deep inside his chest.
Like something waiting.
Something that had been quiet for a long time.
And was finally starting to wake up.
...
The next morning came too fast.
Kaito sat up immediately when his alarm went off.
No groaning.
No complaining.
Just energy.
He blinked a few times.
"…I feel good."
He stretched his arms.
No stiffness.
No soreness.
His eyes widened.
"…Wait… what?"
Yesterday he could barely move.
Today he felt like he hadn't trained at all.
He jumped out of bed and threw a quick punch into the air.
Fast.
Too fast.
He froze.
"…Okay."
He punched again.
Even faster.
His heart started racing.
Not from fear.
From excitement.
He grinned.
"…Today's the day."
He grabbed his uniform and ran out of the room.
His mother looked up from the table.
"You're early."
"I feel great."
"That's suspicious."
"I'm serious."
"You say that every time."
"No, really."
He shadowboxed once in the kitchen.
She raised an eyebrow.
"…Don't break anything."
"I won't."
"You broke a chair last month."
"That was different."
"You kicked it."
"It was in the way."
She sighed.
"Eat first."
He sat down.
But he couldn't stop smiling.
Something was different.
He knew it.
He could feel it.
And today...
He wasn't going to lose.
Not again.
Not this time.
Not to anyone.
He grabbed his bag and ran for the door.
"I'm going!"
"Shoes!"
He ran back, put them on, then ran out again.
The morning air felt colder.
Sharper.
Clearer.
Everything felt clearer.
He ran faster than usual.
His feet barely touched the ground.
When the dojo came into view, he slowed down.
Kenji was already there.
Of course he was.
Perfect.
Kaito pushed the door open.
Kenji turned.
"You're early."
"I'm winning today."
Kenji snorted.
"You say that every..."
"Fight me."
Kenji blinked.
"…Right now?"
"Yes."
Kenji stared at him for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"…Fine."
They stepped onto the mat.
Both raised their guards.
Tanaka sensei hadn't arrived yet.
No one else was there.
Just them.
Kenji moved first.
Same as always.
Fast.
Controlled.
Strong.
Kaito moved.
Faster.
His body reacted before he thought.
Step.
Punch.
Kenji's eyes widened.
THUD.
The hit landed clean.
Kenji stumbled back.
For the first time ever.
Silence filled the dojo.
Both of them froze.
Kaito stared at his fist.
"…I did it."
Kenji stared at him.
"…You did."
The door slid open behind them.
Tanaka sensei stepped inside.
He stopped immediately.
His eyes locked onto Kaito.
The air in the room felt heavy again.
Stronger than before.
Tanaka's expression hardened.
"…So it's begun."
Kaito blinked.
"…What?"
Tanaka didn't answer.
He just kept staring.
Like he was looking at someone else.
Not a student.
Not a child.
Something different.
Something dangerous.
And outside the dojo…
The device in the man's hand started glowing brighter than ever.