Four years ago,
"I'm sorry, but you're not qualified to join the elite squad of Entoria."
Skai's eyes widen. "What? Why?"
The man adjusts his glasses and slides a folder across the desk. "Your written tests didn't meet our expectations, I'm afraid."
"Written tests? But I came in first in every physical test, there's no one back there more qualified than me." Skai says, confused,
"I'm gonna have to ask you to leave, sir. Before I call security." His tone doesn't shift, bored and dismissive.
Skai's jaw tightens. "Let me see my test. I want to see what I answered wrong."
The man shakes his head slowly. "I can't show you that. Now leave. I won't ask again." He waves Skai off with one hand,
Skai jumps up out of his chair, He leans forward, grabs the man by his shirt, and slams his face against the table. Skai snatches the test from the desk and storms out.
"Fucking piece of shit," he mutters under his breath.
In the lobby, a group of applicants congratulate and cheer each other for passing the tests. Skai doesn't glance at them. He looses his tie and slips his hands into his pockets, shoulders stiff, the sound of their laughter annoying him further.
"All of those guys are weak…" he growls to himself as he pushes into the crowded streets of Entoria.
The city is loud, the air full of chatter and clanging footsteps. Skai flips through the test as he walks, eyes skimming over the questions,
"Every answer is correct here? That should be enough to pass-" His words cut off when he turns the page,
'Question 17: What is your religious affiliation? (If you prefer not to answer, please select 'Prefer not to answer.')'
His answer: 'Non-believer.' Marked as wrong.
"What the hell?" The paper shakes in his hands.
People bump past him on the street, but he doesn't move. His eyes lock on the next question.
'Question 18: If you had to choose between saving Person A, who is a believer, and Person B, who is a non-believer, which would you choose and why?'
His answer: 'I'd try to save both if possible.' Also marked as wrong.
"This is bullshit." His grip tightens until the paper crumbles.
He reads the next question,
'Question 19: If a non-believer denies the existence of a higher power, can they still be trusted to make morally sound decisions, or is religious belief necessary to guide ethical behavior?'
His answer: 'A non-believer and a believer should both be treated equally, their actions matter more than faith.' Marked as wrong.
Skai's hands tremble, rage building with every line.
The last question of the test stares back at him.
'If a non-believer commits a crime, should their lack of religious faith be considered a contributing factor to their actions?'
He had answered that their lack of faith shouldn't matter at all, his answer had been marked as wrong.
…
Skai's apartment is cramped, walls stained, furniture old. But the second he steps inside, his voice shifts, lighter, warmer.
"I'm home!!!" He says warmly.
"Big brother!!!" A small voice cuts through, bright and full of joy. Vida, Skai's little sister, runs from the living room, light blue hair bouncing as she jumps into his arms.
Skai laughs, hugging her tight and patting her head. "What are you watching, Vida?"
"Cartoons! Princess Pink and the hero are finally taking down the bad guys!" She says innocently, Skai lets her down and crouches down to listen as if she's telling him something important.
The day drifts by. At dinner, the two sit together at an old table, bowls of rice between them. Vida looks up at him, cheeks puffed with food.
"Big brother… did you get that job yet?"
The chopsticks pause at his lips. His brows raise. "Job? Yeah-yeah, I'm working on it, Vida. I'm working hard."
She pouts, arms crossed. "You say that every time."
He chuckles, leaning back in his chair. "It's a long process, okay? Don't worry. As soon as I get that job, I'll buy you aaaaanything you want." He grins wide, his eyes soft.
Her whole face lights up, bouncing in her seat. "Really? Yay!"
"Hey! Eat your food, dumbass!" Skai teases, pointing his chopsticks at her.
She bursts into laughter, and for a moment the world feels good.
The next morning, light filters through the blinds. Skai stirs awake,
"Hmm… Vida…?"
He dresses slowly, rubbing his eyes. 'That's weird. Vida always wakes me up this early.'
He pushes open her door and the air catches in his throat.
"VIDA!"
She lies pale on the floor, her breath shallow, lips drained of color.
Skai crashes to his knees, scooping her into his arms, shaking.
"Vida! Stay with me, come on-" His hand presses against her neck. A weak pulse, faint but there.
Her eyes flutter open, voice thin. "Big brother…"
He doesn't think. He lifts her and bolts out the door, sprinting down the streets.
"Stay with me, Vida! What's going on?!" His words tear from his chest as he runs, breathing heavy in panic,
The hospital doors slam open as he bursts inside. "Help! Please!"
Nurses rush forward, taking Vida from his arms and laying her onto a stretcher.
"What's wrong?" one of them asks.
"I-I-I don't know, I found her like that this morning!" His voice shakes.
They wheel her away into a room, leaving Skai frozen in the hall. He waits for hours in the white corridors until, finally, a doctor steps out with a clipboard.
"Hello, we found out what's going on with your sister… here, sign this, and she will be fine in no time. No payment needed." His tone is calm,
Relief breaks across Skai's face. "Thank you…"
The doctor adjusts his glasses. "It seems your sister has recently awakened her mana, but what happened is, the output is too strong too quickly, it can overwhelm the brain's mana receptors. This overstimulation causes a condition we call Mana Disruption Syndrome, where the awakened mana can't properly flow and gets trapped. The blocked energy can start to damage neural pathways, leading to cognitive issues, and in some cases, death."
Skai nods quickly, desperate for answers. He looks down at the contract, but the words on the page stop him cold.
'1. Belief Requirement: By signing this document, Person A (you) declare yourself a devoted believer of Noza Ginova. If you are not a believer, you acknowledge that we are unable to assist Person B.'
"What?"
The doctor tilts his head, smiling faintly. "Sorry?"
"I don't believe in this, but fine, I'll sign it." Skai grips the pen, his hand shaking, but suddenly the doctor's palm lands firmly on the paper.
"I can't let you fake your belief. I'm sorry." His voice hardens.
He pulls the contract back,
"Payment for the treatment will cost around 700,000 Entorian Credits."
The words crash against Skai like a blow.
"Seven hundred thousand? Are you out of your mind?!" He grabs the doctor by the coat, eyes wild, voice echoing through the hall.
The doctor doesn't blink. His expression doesn't change. "There's nothing I can do by law, sir."
Skai's grip trembles, then loosens. His hands fall to his sides.
"But… I don't have that kind of money, surely there's something we can agree on…" His voice falters, desperation leaking into every word.
The doctor smooths out his coat, brushing off invisible dust.
"By law, we will have to release your sister in the next twelve hours if no payment has been sent."
The words hang heavy. The hallway feels colder. Skai's body freezes, the noise of the hospital muffled into nothing as his little sister's life ticks down second by second.
…
Present,
Tlen's left side hardens into a jagged skeletal armor across his arm, shoulder, and ribs, his eye burning green.
Across from him, Skai lowers into stance, mana radiating outward in bright neon blue. His hair glows, his eyes sharp and calm.
"I can't lose," he says, voice steady.
Tlen doesn't wait. His feet slam into the ground, propelling him forward at a rapid pace. In one brutal instant, his kick slams into Skai's stomach, Skai's body rockets back, spinning upward.
Midair, Skai twists, breathing heavy but his focus intact,
"Flash Style: Ultra Jive."
Light erupts from him in a violent surge, his entire body wrapped in blazing light blue aura. His eyes shine white, he shoots back at Tlen at an even faster pace,
"He's fast!" Tlen grits, throwing his arms up to shield his face-
-but Skai isn't there. He flashes low, beneath him.
"Boom." Skai's fist buries into Tlen's stomach, detonating force through his core. The blow launches him across the battlefield, dirt exploding under his sliding feet.
Skai doesn't let him breathe. He sprints alongside Tlen's airborne path, each step shaking the ground. He leaps, pivoting in the air, and slams his foot into Tlen's side, redirecting him like a rag doll into another direction.
Huracán's laughs in Tlen's mind, mocking him, "Having trouble, little one?"
Tlen crashes into the dirt, flipping and landing on his feet with grit between his teeth. He slides, "Shut up. I just have to get used to this power."
With no hesitation. He charges again, Skai mirrors him, both tearing across the ruined ground at a rapid pace. They both load up their fists, Tlen's right hook, Skai's left hook, colliding into each other's jaws at the same time.
The impact freezes them, locked face-to-face, knuckles pressed against each other's face
"I can't lose either…" Tlen forces through clenched teeth.
They break at the same time. Tlen drives his knee into Skai's gut, folding him. Skai snarls, twisting into a heavy right hook that whips Tlen's head back, jaw rattling.
Tlen answers by clapping both hands against Skai's ears, a thunderclap that rattles his skull.
Huracán's voice drips dark amusement. "Seems like he can keep up with you, Tlen."
Skai drops low, spinning under Tlen's guard, and sweeps his legs with blinding speed. Before Tlen even hits the ground, Skai springs upward, his kick slamming into Tlen's ribs and blasting him further back.
Tlen stumbles, coughing, but his eyes burn as he pushes up again. "Yeah? Sounds like a you problem."
"Cocky little brat!" Huracán says, annoyed.
Skai closes the distance instantly, a blur of neon fists hammering into Tlen one after another, too fast to follow. Each strike cracks bone, rattles armor, snapping Tlen's body in place like he's chained to the assault.
But Tlen grits his teeth, anticipation saving him. He catches one of Skai's strikes mid-swing, his skeletal hand locking around Skai's wrist like a trap.
Skai yanks, straining, but the grip doesn't budge. The armor holds.
"Crap!"
Tlen doesn't hesitate. He spins, dragging Skai into a whirlwind. The world whirls into a blur for Skai, whiplash jerking his head back, vision flickering. His eyes roll before he can ground himself, the spin building until Tlen hurls him upward at a vicious angle.
Skai's body arcs thirty degrees helplessly in the air.
Tlen plants his feet, shoulders low, his skeletal half surging with destructive power.
"Let's do this, Huracán."
He crouches, then launches like a cannonball, the ground shattering. He roars and splits the night as fifteen years of Huracán's deal drive him skyward, aiming at Skai's chest with his infamous tackle.
The neon light in Skai's eyes flickers back, consciousness coming back to him as he sees Tlen charging at him.
His eyes widen and pupils shrink,
'Vida…'
…