The morning felt different.
Not the cold—that was still the same biting, aggressive cold that had become my normal over the past two weeks. Not the walk to the training yard—that was still the same path, the same stones, the same soldiers passing by with curious glances.
But something in the air had shifted.
I stepped into the yard. The other recruits were already gathering—Mira stretching her arms, Dain cracking his neck, a few others I'd gotten to know by face if not by name. And Kael, standing a few feet away, already looking at me.
Vex appeared at the edge of the yard, his massive frame cutting through the crowd like he owned the place. The recruits immediately fell silent.
"Listen up," Vex announced, his gravel voice carrying across the yard. "Today's Leo's last day here. He's been with you for fifteen days, and now he's moving on to whatever business he has with the Count."
He looked at me, then back at the group.
"For the rest of you, training continues as normal. This is your home. Don't think you're getting a break just because one person's leaving." His eyes swept over us. "But before he goes, we're doing something special. One last spar. But, you're allowed to use mana. No suppressors. Just your skills and your strength."
Murmurs ran through the group. I felt my wrist where the suppressor had been for fifteen days. The skin underneath felt strange—lighter, almost.
"The fight won't stop until someone loses consciousness or admits defeat." Vex looked at me. "Pick your opponent."
I blinked. Pick?
I looked around at the recruits. Mira, who'd nodded at me during breaks. Dain, who'd clapped my shoulder after runs. A few others who'd stopped looking at me like I was garbage.
...And Kael.
He was standing there, arms crossed, that familiar expression on his face. Not mocking anymore. Just... waiting. Like he knew what I was going to choose before I even decided.
Fuck it.
"Him." I pointed at Kael.
Kael's eyebrow rose. Then he grinned. "Finally."
We walked toward the center ring. The other recruits formed a loose circle around us, settling in to watch. I could hear whispers, bets being placed, people taking sides.
Kael cracked his neck as we walked. "Been waiting two weeks for this."
"You and me both."
"Don't hold back, noble. I want to see what you've really got."
I snorted. "Wouldn't dream of it."
"Good. Because I'm not holding back."
We stopped facing each other in the circle. Ten feet apart, the snow around us marked the boundary, packed down from weeks of use.
I looked at Kael. Really looked. He was three or four years older than me, built solid from years of training, his body carrying the kind of muscle that came from work not just exercise. His eyes were sharp, focused, hungry. This wasn't just another spar to him—this was something more.
For me too.
Vex stood at the edge of the circle, arms crossed. "Rules are simple. No killing. Everything else is fair game. Use your mana. Use your skills. The fight ends when someone can't get up or says they're done."
He looked at both of us.
"Ready?"
I nodded. Kael nodded.
"Then go."
Kael didn't move right away. He just stood there, studying me, waiting. I could tell he was expecting me to rush in like a fool, to waste my energy on something stupid. I didn't.
We circled each other slowly, boots crunching in the snow, neither of us willing to make the first move. The crowd of recruits was quiet, watching, waiting.
He called out, "You gonna stand there all day, noble?"
I answered back, "You gonna talk all day, or you gonna fight?"
He laughed, "Fair enough."
Then he lunged at me, faster than before, way faster. He closed the distance in a heartbeat, fist swinging toward my face. My instinct screamed at me. Ah Crap!
I raised my hands just in time—THUD—the impact shook my arms, traveled up to my shoulders. I stumbled back, feet sliding in the snow.
He didn't let up. punch after punch. I try to blocked them or dodged them. This time I wasn't just surviving; I was watching and learning.
He threw a kick at me, I sidestepped. He followed with a punch, I ducked. He grabbed for my arm, I pulled back.
He observed, "You're faster than before." He came at me harder.
The first few minutes were brutal. He was stronger, faster, more experienced. Every exchange left me with bruised ribs, a swollen cheek, arms that ached from blocking. But I kept moving, kept watching, kept looking for patterns.
Everyone has patterns, even Kael.
Around the three‑minute mark I noticed a tiny tell—a shoulder drop before a hook, a split‑second hesitation before his big right hand, the way his weight shifted before a kick. These small things made me realize, he's a human too.
A human like me, who can made mistakes.
He threw a hook. I ducked under it and drove my fist into his ribs. Thud! His eyes widened a little. "Lucky shot," he muttered, but it landed.
We went back and forth.
He still landed more—still better, still stronger—but I was hitting him too.
Little hits, small openings. Nothing that would end the fight, but enough to make him pause, enough to wipe that confident look off his face. Both of us were bleeding now. His lip split, my cheek swelling, his nose red, my eye puffing up.
However... That wasn't enough to stopped both of us.
He gasped, "You're annoying," he said, circling.
I replied, "…Thanks."
He barked, "I didn't mean it as a compliment."
I clicked my tounge, "Damn Bastard."
I sidestepped his next lunge, but the snow betrayed me. My foot slipped, my balance shifted, and I fell sideways. He caught me with a punch to the ribs as I went down.
Whump!
Air exploded from my lungs. I hit the snow hard, gasping, seeing stars. He stood over me, breathing hard, blood dripping from his split lip.
He told me, "Stay down."
Not mocking, just telling.
I looked up at the sky beyond the crowd. Stay down after all this? After, when I finlay starting to face reality?
I clenched my teeth. No, Fuck that.
I pushed myself up, got to my knees, then stood. His eyes widened a little.
"You're insane," he muttered.
My body was running on empty. The hits I'd taken, the exhaustion from the day, it was all catching up. My vision blurred at the edges, my legs felt foreign.
He came at me again. I dodged, barely. Blocked, barely. Everything was slipping. His hits landed—shoulder, thigh, ribs—and I stumbled, nearly went down. I caught myself at the last second. My breath came in ragged huffs.
[Host!] Nova's voice cut through the chaos, sharp, urgent. [Use the active skill now.]
I didn't think. Didn't have time to think. My hand was already moving, some desperate part of me reaching for the only advantage I had.
Flash Instinct—Active.
The moment I triggered it, everything changed.
Lightning mana ripped through my skull—not gentle, not smooth, but violent and raw like a current tearing through wires that weren't built for it. The pain was instant. Sharp. Hot. Like someone had jammed needles behind my eyes and kept pushing.
I almost screamed.
But then—then—the world shifted.
Information started flooding my mind. Not gradually, not gently, but all at once like a dam breaking. Kael's stance, his breathing, the angle of his feet, the tension in his shoulders, the exact trajectory of his next move—all of it crashing into my brain at once.
My thoughts were processing faster than they ever had, racing through possibilities and outcomes and responses in fractions of a second.
Colors didn't just brighten; they burned. Sounds didn't just clarify; they cut. I could hear Kael's heartbeat, feel the air moving around his body, sense the individual snowflakes drifting between us like they were frozen in time.
He moved.
I knew before he started—the slight drop of his shoulder, the tensing of his obliques, the shift of weight onto his back foot. His fist was already coming, but I'd already seen it. Already knew where it would land. Already knew how to avoid it.
My body moved on its own.
Not me—not the part of me that thought and hesitated and doubted. Something deeper. Older. Pure instinct wrapped in lightning. I ducked under his punch—felt it whistle past my ear, close enough to ruffle my hair—and my fist was already driving toward his exposed ribs before I consciously decided to throw it.
Thud!
The impact vibrated up my arm. Kael's eyes went wide. Surprise. Confusion. He hadn't expected that.
I hadn't either.
The skill cut out. The world snapped back to normal speed. And the pain—gods, the pain—crashed down on me like a wave. My knees buckled. I caught myself, just barely, gasping.
Huff... huff... huff...
Behind my eyes, something throbbed. Not the sharp needles from before, but a deep, pulsing ache that promised worse if I did that again.
...What the hell was that?!
[That was Flash Instinct, Host. The active effect.] Nova's voice was quiet, almost careful. [You did it.]
Yeah, But It's hurt like hell. Damn it.
[It will hurt every time you used this skill. Your current body couldn't handle the full potentail of this skill. But you'll learn to handle it.]
I looked at Kael. He was staring at me, rubbing his ribs, his expression caught between pain and something else. Respect? Confusion? Both?
"The hell was that?" he asked.
I didn't have an answer. Honestly? I also don't much about it either. it was my first time using this skill.
But somewhere underneath the pain and exhaustion and confusion—I was grinning.
Hell yeah, It worked. It actually worked.
[Don't get too excited, Host.] Nova's voice was dry, but I could hear something underneath it. Pride, maybe.
[You still have a fight to finish. And your head's about to pay for that little stunt.]
He was right. The throbbing behind my eyes was already getting worse, spreading from that dull ache into something sharper. Hotter.
I know. But still—it worked.
[Focus. He's not done with you yet.]
I looked up. Kael was still standing a few feet away, rubbing his ribs where I'd hit him, his expression caught between pain and something else. Respect? Confusion? Both?
He met my eyes. Grinned—bloody, tired, but genuine.
"Not bad, noble. Not bad at all."
I tried to grin back. Probably looked more like a grimace.
But I was still standing. Still fighting.
...For now.
Then Kael came at me again.
We traded blows. He landed more. He always landed more. My face was swelling, my ribs were screaming, my arms felt like lead. The throbbing behind my eyes hadn't faded—it had settled into a constant, pounding ache that made everything harder.
But I kept getting up.
Every time he knocked me down, I pushed myself back up. Every time he hit me, I found a way to hit back. Not hard. Not enough. But enough to let him know I was still there. Still fighting.
Huff... huff... huff...
My vision blurred. I blinked hard. Kept going.
He threw a punch. I dodged—barely. Threw a kick. I blocked—barely. Grabbed for me. I slipped away—barely.
But I was still standing.
[Host.] Nova's voice. Careful. [Don't even think about it.]
What do you mean? I'm thinking about nothing.
[Shut up you bastard. Do you think, I can't read your thoughts. You're already hurt. The pain from the first use—]
"..."
[If you use it again, it'll be worse. Much worse than you imagined. You could pass out. You could—]
I know, buddy. I know.
I clenched my jaw.
But I'm not losing. This is the only way.
I activated Flash Instinct again.
The moment I did, I understood what Nova meant by worse.
The lightning didn't just surge—it screamed. A violent, raw current tearing through my skull like my brain was being shredded from the inside. The pain wasn't sharp needles anymore. It was white-hot fire. Searing. Burning. Excruciating.
I gasped—a choked, desperate sound—and almost collapsed right there. My body caught itself somehow, muscles locking up, keeping me upright through sheer stubbornness.
Ughhh... fuck...
But the world sharpened anyway. Of course it did. Because the skill didn't care about my pain.
Information flooded my mind—too much, too fast, overwhelming. Kael's breathing, each exhale visible in the cold air. His heartbeat, steady and strong. The exact angle of his feet in the snow.
The tension coiled in every muscle. The sweat on his skin. The blood still dripping from his split lip. I could see all of it. Process all of it. Know all of it.
My thoughts were racing faster than they'd ever raced before—faster than should be possible, faster than my brain was meant to handle. I clenched my teeth so hard I thought they'd crack. Tried to focus. Tried to make sense of the chaos flooding my mind.
Come on. Come on. Focus Leo! Damn it!
And through the agony, through the fire burning behind my eyes, through the overwhelming flood of information threatening to drown me—I saw it.
The opening.
He threw a punch. I saw its path before he even started—the exact trajectory, the exact moment his guard would drop, the exact spot where I needed to hit. It was like watching something that had already happened, already been decided.
My body moved on its own.
I ducked under his punch—felt it graze my hair, close enough to ruffle—and drove my fist into his ribs. Right where I'd hit him before. Right where I knew he was weak.
Thud!
The impact vibrated up my arm. He let out a sharp gasp—"Ugh!"—and stumbled back, one hand flying to his side.
I didn't stop. Couldn't stop. The lightning pushed me forward.
Another punch. He blocked. Another. He took it. Another. He staggered.
His eyes were wide now—confused, maybe even scared, definitely something he hadn't felt in a long time. Like he was looking at someone he didn't recognize.
I hit him again. And again. Each strike fueled by agony, by adrenaline, by the sheer refusal to quit burning in my chest.
Then the skill cut out.
The pain crashed down like a mountain. Not gradually. Not gently. All at once, devastating and complete.
I staggered. My vision went white. My legs gave out. I hit the snow hard, catching myself on my hands, gasping, shaking, every muscle trembling uncontrollably.
Huff... huff... huff...
Behind my eyes, something was screaming. Not the sharp pain from before. Not the fire. Something deeper. Wrong. Like my brain had been pushed past its limits and was never going to be the same.
I stayed there on my hands and knees, fighting to breathe, fighting to stay conscious, fighting to not throw up right there in the snow.
Fuck... fuck... fuck...
Kael was standing over me. Bleeding. Breathing hard. Still standing.
But he was looking at me different now. Like he didn't know what to make of me. Like I was something he couldn't understand.
"You..." He shook his head, disbelief clear in his voice. "You're something else, noble."
I opened my mouth to say something—anything—but the words wouldn't come. The skill had taken too much. My brain was done, fried, pushed past its limit.
Kael's face blurred in front of me. His lips moved, but I couldn't hear the words anymore.
Then the darkness swallowed me whole.