The training room beneath Aunt Nari's bakery was unusually quiet—ominous, even. Kael stood alone on the metal platform, the air humming faintly as Voidflare adjusted the gravity settings from the control console. A glowing field of pulsing lights surrounded the arena, resembling an enormous grid of shifting walls and traps.
"Today's training isn't just about combat," Voidflare said, his voice echoing from above. "It's about control. Navigation. Deception."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "You're saying I'm supposed to fight… a maze?"
Voidflare's voice remained cold but focused. "A maze that adapts to your intent. Think of it as a simulation of the real world. Threats don't announce themselves. Sometimes, surviving means knowing when to hold back… or when to fake your weakness."
Kael nodded grimly. That part hit close. He already was hiding something dangerous—his real Quirk, Balancekeeper. And soon, if he truly intended to apply to U.A. High School, he'd have to make that deception airtight.
He flexed his fingers, allowing Darkbind to rise like a black mist from his arms and legs. The shadows shimmered, waiting for a command.
From behind the one-way glass, Aunt Nari watched with her arms crossed, a faint crease between her brows.
"He's internalizing more than he lets on," she said. "This decision to hide Balancekeeper… it's wearing on him."
Yumi, seated nearby with a mug of strawberry milk, frowned. "He knows he has to. There's no way U.A. or the government would not freak out if they knew he could just… take Quriks and give them to other people."
"Especially with how close that kind of power sits next to All For One's legacy," Aunt Nari muttered.
"Then why let him go?" Yumi asked.
"Because hiding doesn't make him safer either," she replied. "We train him, we make a plan… and we hope."
Inside the Maze,
The walls around Kael shifted suddenly, slamming into new positions. He darted forward, sliding beneath a rotating blade-like construct while casting out Darkbind to vault over a rising spike trap. He landed hard, the floor cracking under the force.
The maze roared in protest.
From the ceiling, laser sensors activated, tracking heat and shadow. The environment was now fully reactive.
Kael's breathing grew tighter. Darkbind surged instinctively to protect him—but Kael resisted the urge to unleash everything. If this was a real-world simulation, he couldn't let himself appear too powerful. He had to move like someone with a mid-to-high-tier Quirk, not a god-tier one like Balancekeeper.
A spinning turret emerged from a corner.
He ducked left. Too late.
A burning projectile singed his arm and sent him sprawling. Darkbind instantly lashed out like a viper, shredding the turret—an impulse reaction Kael regretted instantly.
Too strong. Too aggressive.
He forced himself to exhale slowly, shadows receding like an ocean tide. "Come on. Think. You're not the powerhouse. You're the strategist."
He continued more carefully, relying on smaller shadow grapples and misdirection: creating fake movements in one direction while slipping quietly into another. Voidflare's challenge wasn't about brute force—it was about precision and identity.
Outside the Simulation,
Yumi paced the observation room, biting the tip of her straw.
"He's overthinking again," she said. "He's trying too hard to be someone else."
"That's the point," Aunt Nari replied. "To survive at U.A., Kael has to create a persona around Darkbind. He needs to make it believable. Every instinct has to match the Quirk he claims to have. Otherwise, he'll draw attention."
Yumi crossed her arms. "But it's not fair. Balancekeeper is a part of him."
"Exactly," Aunt Nari said softly. "And that's what makes it so hard."
Break Time,
An hour later, the maze deactivated, and Kael dropped to one knee, drenched in sweat. The floor beneath him smelled faintly of ozone and carbon. Aunt Nari opened the blast door and tossed him a towel.
"You're holding back well," she said. "Too well."
Kael sat down heavily, Darkbind retracting into his skin. "I hate pretending."
"We know," she said, kneeling next to him. "But your power is too rare. Too dangerous. Balancekeeper isn't something you show the world lightly."
"I just…" Kael trailed off, eyes low. "I feel like I'm hiding who I really am."
Yumi walked over and handed him a bottled water. "You're not hiding you, Kael. You're protecting your future. If they knew what you could do…"
"They'd try to control it. Or worse," Aunt Nari finished.
Kael took a sip of water, silent for a moment. "So Darkbind becomes my mask."
"Yes," Voidflare said, stepping forward. "But that doesn't mean it has to be a lie. Darkbind is yours. You've trained with it, bled with it. That makes it real."
…
After dinner, the three of them sat on the rooftop above the bakery, watching the stars appear in the sky. Yumi leaned back, arms behind her head. "You think U.A. will accept you?"
Kael tilted his head. "I've got a decent shot. With Darkbind, I can justify most of my skill level. And my written scores aren't bad."
Aunt Nari sat on a crate, sipping warm tea. "I've got some strings I can pull with a former classmate who teaches there. He might be able to give you a more flexible track—if you don't screw it up."
Voidflare, standing in the shadows behind them, added, "If you apply, the entrance exam will be your first real public test. You'll need to fight like a student with Darkbind—not Balancekeeper."
Kael stared up at the sky, his voice soft. "What if I mess up? What if I use too much, or forget to hold back?"
Yumi nudged his arm. "Then I'll cover for you. Say it was a weird mutation. Blame your training. I'll make up something. I'm good at improvising."
He smirked. "You? No way."
"Watch it, shadow boy."
"Mm, I kind of like that name actually."
They looked at each other and laughed, Yumi giving him a soft punch on the shoulder.
Aunt Nari allowed herself a faint smile. "We'll figure it out. You're not alone in this."
…
Voidflare issued one final challenge before nightfall: a mirror simulation that copied Kael's own movements and Quirk abilities.
Kael stood inside the simulation circle, now facing a perfect doppelgänger—same face, same voice, same cloak of shadows.
This opponent knew his techniques.
The first few exchanges were pure chaos. Every strike Kael made was parried with identical precision. He summoned a blade—his double summoned a better one. He dodged left—the doppelgänger dodged right. Perfect symmetry.
Kael was sweating, muscles screaming.
"Stop fighting like a reflection," Voidflare called out. "Be unpredictable."
Kael paused, breathing hard.
Then he closed his eyes.
Darkbind isn't a weapon. It's instinct. Emotion. Thought.
He let go of traditional attacks. He started thinking sideways—throwing a decoy left while launching a whip beneath the floor. He dissolved into shadow mid-step, appearing behind his double and striking from an unnatural angle.
A minute later, his doppelgänger vanished in a puff of smoke.
The circle dimmed. He collapsed to one knee, panting.
Voidflare walked over and knelt beside him. "That… was you. No Balancekeeper. No deception. Just mastery."
Kael looked up. "Then maybe… I can do this."
…