It Was Shinata who first noticed how broken I felt. One night, as I sat alone beneath the stars after another grueling day of training, she quietly sat beside me.
"You're too hard on yourself," she said softly.
I looked away. "Easy for you to say. You're special. You have lightning. I… I have nothing."
She shook her head gently. "You have us. And you have a strength you don't even see yet."
---
Her words stayed with me. Over the next weeks, she helped me train in secret, correcting my stance, pushing me past my limits. We laughed, we argued, we stumbled through failures together.
Slowly… I began to change. My blade grew steady. My focus sharper.
Even Master Saver noticed. "Your progress… impressive," he muttered one morning, his sharp eyes softening just slightly.
But the Null Core remained dormant, a silent weight inside me. I could feel its presence, but I had no idea how to awaken it.
And yet… for the first time, I didn't feel completely alone.