Crossing into the Hoodway was no ordinary transition.
When the gatekeeper opened the gate, it didn't explode with light, nor did it swallow darkness.
Instead, the air parted with an eerie stillness, as if the world itself were slowly breathing.
"Be careful," the gatekeeper said in a low voice. "This world doesn't attack you with just its power, but with what makes you doubt yourself."
Lloyd (formerly Kaitsu) took a step forward.
The moment he crossed, he felt an invisible weight pressing on his chest, not like the pressure of energy, but like his memories themselves had grown heavier.
The Features of a Merciless World
The Hoodway was neither a crumbling world, nor a flourishing one.
It was a solid world.
A gray sky tinged with dark blue,
slow-moving clouds,
and a vast expanse of dark rock interspersed with massive stone cities,
built in an ancient style,
as if carved by force rather than by construction.
The people here…
were not weak.
They walked with steady steps,
their eyes wary,
and their bodies bore the marks of old battles.
Lloyd looked around,
then said:
"Here…everyone is a fighter."
"Because the weak don't live long in the Hoodway," replied the gatekeeper.
The First Confrontation
Less than an hour later, the confrontation occurred.
In a wide open space within one of the cities,
a group of fighters surrounded a wounded man.
"Pay the tax or we'll tear you to pieces!" shouted one of them.
Lloyd stopped.
He looked at the gatekeeper.
"I won't interfere…unless I have to."
But the wounded man fell to the ground.
The next moment…Lloyd's body moved on its own.
He found himself in the middle of the open space.
"Another stranger looking for death?" said one of the fighters sneeringly.
Lloyd replied calmly,
"Leave him alone… and consider this a warning."
They laughed.
That was… their mistake.
A Fight Without Embellishment
Lloyd hadn't used his full power.
One step,
One precise strike,
One calculated displacement.
It wasn't a show fight,
But clean, sharp, terrifying.
In less than a minute,
They were all on the ground,
Breathing… But unable to get up.
A heavy silence fell.
One of the spectators said,
"This… isn't an ordinary fighter."
Lloyd turned around,
As if nothing had happened.
But two eyes had been watching him from the beginning.
Shira Azzurro
She stood on the edge of a building.
Her hair was dark reddish,
Her eyes were sharp,
And her body bore the marks of rigorous training.
She said calmly,
"Your style…is nothing like the Hoodway's."
Lloyd raised his head.
"And I'm not looking for similarity."
She leaped from the height,
and landed firmly in front of him.
"My name is Shira Azorro."
She paused for a moment,
then added,
"And you…are either a big problem, or an opportunity."
The Challenge
Shira didn't ask for an explanation.
She didn't ask him where he came from.
She simply said,
"A duel."
Lloyd looked at her for a long time.
He felt something strange… Her power wasn't loud,
but it was suppressed,
as if waiting for the moment to explode.
He said,
"I'm not looking for a fight."
She smiled.
"But the fight will seek you out."
And the next moment…
she vanished.
The Battle of Wills
She was fast.
Faster than he expected.
He blocked her punch with difficulty.
He felt a jolt in his arm.
"This...isn't normal," he thought to himself.
"Hesitates..." Shira said as she charged.
"Just measuring," he replied, backing away.
The fight intensified.
Sparks flew.
The ground cracked.
Lloyd began to raise his level,
little by little.
Shira felt the pressure.
"So...is this your limit?!" she cried.
Lloyd unleashed a concentrated burst of power.
One punch...turned the tide of the fight.
Shira fell to one knee,
panting.
Lloyd stopped immediately.
After the Fight
He approached her slowly.
She was trying to get up,
but her body betrayed her.
"Finished," he said quietly.
She glared at him,
then...laughed.
"It's been a long time... no one has beaten me."
He took out a piece of cloth and, without a word, began to bandage her wounds.
She was surprised:
"Why?"
He replied without looking up:
"Because the fight is over."
From that moment...
Something began to change.
Days at the Hoodway
Lloyd stayed at the Hoodway.
He trained.
He fought.
He learned.
And Sheera...
was always nearby.
She watched him train alone,
pushing his body beyond its limits,
without complaint,
without hesitation.
One day she told him:
"You don't fight to win... you fight to arrive."
He didn't understand her meaning,
or he ignored it.
Because his focus was elsewhere.
In Zebra.
Unseen Feelings
With time,
Sheera began to wait for him.
She watches him return from his training, riddled with wounds.
She snaps,
"You'll kill yourself like this!"
He replies calmly,
"I won't die before I reach him."
She didn't say her name at first…
But she knew.
Her heart had chosen,
Even if he didn't notice.
Leaving
One night,
Lloyd stood on the outskirts of town.
The gatekeeper said,
"It's time."
Shira sensed something was wrong.
She moved closer:
"You're leaving…aren't you?"
He nodded.
She was silent for a long time,
Then she said,
"The Hoodway will always be open to you."
He looked at her:
"Thank you…for the fight."
She smiled sadly.
She didn't say: Stay.
Because she knew…
He wouldn't.