Ro sat on the porch in a lotus position, eyes closed, breathing slow and steady. The sun dipped toward the horizon, staining the sky in orange and red.
Ray stood behind him, arms crossed, expression stern.
Ro tilted his head slightly—
Smack.
A wooden stick came down with full force.
"DAMMIT, OLD MAN!" Ro shouted, clutching his head. A red welt was already forming.
"Rooster boy," Ray said calmly, "your mind must be still to feel the world around you. Nature flows evenly. Balanced. You, however, are anything but."
Ro grumbled under his breath.
Footsteps sounded on the path.
Ro glanced down the hill and spotted Kenji climbing up. He was battered worse than usual—bruises dark, one eye already swelling shut.
"Did you gimme, bro?" Ro asked, still seated.
Kenji looked up, scowling. "Yeah i got them. They just didn't stay down."
Ro whistled softly.
Kenji walked past him without another word and went straight to wash up.
Dinner passed quietly.
No one commented on Kenji's injuries. Ray avoided looking at him. Anna said nothing, Selena looked at Kenji concerned. Takahiro and Yume sat stiffly, unsure what to say.
Ro, however, had no such restraint.
"Oi, Kenji. Want more chicken?" Ro asked, already on his third plate.
"No," Kenji replied flatly. "I'm going to sleep."
Ro froze mid-bite. "Huh?"
Kenji was already gone.
"Kenji. Kenji. Kenji. Wake up."
Kenji groaned as someone shook him.
"What do you want, you bastard?" he muttered.
"Hurry up and change," Ro whispered. "Or I will go get cow shit to put on your face."
Kenji cracked an eye with annoyance open just in time to see Ro grabbing a lantern and climbing out the window.
"Rooster head bastard…" Kenji muttered, following him outside.
They moved quickly through the dark.
"Where are we going?" Kenji asked.
Ro glanced back, twisted a hidden switch beneath the lantern.
Crackle.
Blue flame ignited, casting an unnatural glow along the path ahead.
"We're going to get you awaken," Ro said simply.
Kenji stopped.
His fists clenched. "I already tried. Meditation. Training. That stupid glowing lake. It doesn't work."
Ro turned around and walked back to him. He knelt until they were eye level, placed a hand on Kenji's shoulder.
"Listen, my brother—"
Smack.
Ro slapped him across the face.
"WE ARE THE WOLF PACK!" Ro roared in a harsh whisper. "WE DON'T GIVE UP ON OUR PREY UNTIL WE TAKE IT DOWN AND EAT IT!"
Kenji stared at him, cheek stinging.
Ro leaned closer, eyes locked onto his. "What happened to charging forward? What happened to your dream?"
Kenji looked down.
Then he looked up again.
He grinned.
"Let's do it."
Ro's grin widened. For a moment, Kenji looked like he used to—wild, reckless, burning with determination.
Ro turned and started walking. "LET'S GO!"
Back at the house, Ray stood by the window, watching the two figures disappear into the dark. Anna sat nearby, candle still burning.
"If they're going to sneak out," Anna muttered, "couldn't they at least be quiet about it?"
Ray frowned, gaze fixed on the moon.
Is my son an idiot it can't be from my side right?
Ray glanced at Anna suspiciously, Anna glared at him "Old fox are you thinking something rude right now?"
Ray smiled "Never in your presence honey."
Yes it must be