Kai sat at his desk, staring blankly at his notebook. It was afternoon, but his internal clock was shattered. He was mentally frayed, his mind a battlefield of exhaustion. He tried to focus on his homework, but the numbers and letters felt like meaningless scratches on paper.

  He was a Void Watcher now. His soul no longer craved school or grades; it craved the hum of steel and the cold rush of Jonk. He was living two lives simultaneously, and the friction between them was wearing him thin. He forced himself to finish his work and went to sleep early. However, the fact that he went to bed early didn't mean he got any rest. Almost all night, he was plagued by dreams of how weak he was and the haunting image of the moment he saw John being pierced through.

  The next morning, his body felt better, but the mental scars remained, even if they had slightly diminished. He grabbed his backpack, laced up his sneakers, and headed to school. On the way, his thoughts were a dark loop: John almost died because of me. I can’t risk being weak when we meet again. We’re a team. He’s giving everything he has... and more.

  "KAI!"

  A voice shattered his trance. Han was shouting, waving a hand in front of his face. Kai blinked, startled.

  "Oh... hey, Han," Kai muttered, trying to look normal.

  "Something up, man?" Han asked with a playful nudge. "You’re totally in your own world today."

  Kai forced a small, genuine smile. "No, just thinking about some stuff." They walked to school together, but Kai’s performance in class was lackluster. Kai’s mind was drifting toward anything except the equations given by the teacher. Even so, he wasn't failing, but he was distant—not just because of his training, but because of a lingering, cold sensation. He felt a Jonk signature nearby. It was faint, disappearing and reappearing, but it didn't feel like any normal Jonk. It was a Jonk that could barely be felt, only every now and then, but when Kai focused on that sensation, it felt as if he were being pricked. Kai thought to himself: I just finished an almost lethal mission, and already a new problem appears.

  After school, as Kai turned to head home, a hand caught his shoulder. Han looked at him with uncharacteristic seriousness. "Kai, you were paranoid today. If you ever need help, don't forget I’m here. We’re friends, after all." Han smiled and walked away before Kai could even find the words to respond.

  Kai walked home, frustrated. "Right when I’m looking for a portal to the Void, it doesn't appear! When is Kaelen going to take me back?" The strange Jonk he had felt earlier kept flickering, but it was impossible to pin down. He knew he could sense monsters from miles away, but investigating on his own without authorization was a risk he couldn't take yet.

  He entered his house quietly. His parents were asleep on the couch, a movie still playing on the TV. Kai paused the film, left his backpack by the sofa, and retreated to his room. It was Friday—no homework, just boredom. But just as he was losing hope, a purple-black rift opened beneath him, swallowing him whole.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  He landed in the Void. Kaelen was already waiting, his silhouette sharp against the grey horizon.

  "Sorry I didn't bring you sooner, Kai. I’ve been busy," Kaelen said, his voice unusually grim. "Remember what I said about a traitor? I’ve been investigating on my own. The more I find, the more certain I am. But we have no time to waste. Let’s begin your training."

  Kai didn't wait for instructions. He drew his blade, deciding to maintain a steady 10% output to build endurance. But instead of a command, all he received were two lightning-fast slashes across his chest.

  Kai spat blood, the air leaving his lungs. He tried to lunge at Kaelen, but his legs failed him after two steps, and he collapsed to one knee. He hadn't even seen the attack. Worse, he hadn't felt Kaelen activate his Jonk.

  "Today, I will teach you something that can't be learned through normal drills," Kaelen said, his voice cold, refusing to offer a hand or a healing touch. "Regeneration for a Watcher comes in two forms. There are those like Mara who can mend limbs and heal others. But there is also basic regeneration—the body’s ability to survive. If you are cut enough times, your body learns to close the wounds on its own to keep you in the fight, even if you're barely functional."

  Kaelen extended his sword, the tip hovering centimeters from Kai’s throat. Even without touching him, Kaelen inspired a strange sensation of pure fear, something Kai felt all the way to his soul. Before Kai could think of anything, Kaelen’s voice broke the silence. "I will cut you today until you either break or you stand up and touch me with your blade."

  Fear, raw and primal, surged through Kai even more than before. Kaelen’s eyes were devoid of their usual playfulness. He looked like an executioner. Kai’s wounds didn't heal instantly; they only partially closed, just enough to stop the bleeding. He flared his Jonk to 15%. There was no point in holding back now.

  Kaelen moved. It looked slow—so slow that Kai raised his sword to block seconds in advance. But when the blades met, the impact hit Kai like a falling mountain, sending him hurtling backward into the dirt. In his mind, Kai thought: If he hit just a little harder, he would have snapped my sword in two...

  However, Kai didn't stop to make a strategy. Kai scrambled up, launching a counter-attack. He swung with everything he had, convinced he had a clear shot, but Kaelen didn't even move. The blade missed his neck by a fraction of an inch. Kaelen’s face remained a mask of haunting emotionlessness. Because of the total lack of emotion on Kaelen's face, Kai, unintentionally and subconsciously, began to weaken himself. He didn't know if he was afraid or if he even stood a chance; it was a coldness he hadn't seen in any other opponent, not even the monsters.

  He lunged again, and this time, he saw a blur. He anticipated the strike partially, but Kaelen’s blade still found his shoulder, piercing deep into the muscle. Kai did something desperate but simple: he funneled every ounce of his Jonk into his own sword.

  As Kaelen let go of his hilt to avoid the surge, Kai twisted his arm mid-air—the sound of his wrist snapping echoed through the Void—but he managed to bring his blade down on Kaelen’s weapon. The training sword shattered into pieces.

  Kai moved to follow up, but Kaelen stepped back, just enough to narrowly avoid being hit. Suddenly, a small, proud smirk returned to his face. "Calm down, Kai."

  "Master... I’m sorry about your sword," Kai panted, clutching his broken wrist.

  "That wasn't my sword," Kaelen replied calmly, looking at the shards on the ground. "A Watcher’s true blade only appears when their Jonk is active. That was just a tool for training. But remember this: every ounce of pain today was a lesson. I won't heal you this time. You will heal naturally. That is the only way to teach your body to survive."

  Kai listened, realizing how many small, brutal lessons stood between him and the level of a Leader. He looked at Kaelen, his expression turning solemn. "Master... when is the next mission with John?"

  Kaelen went silent for a long, awkward moment. "In four human days. But be warned, Kai. Rumors are swirling. This mission was given to hundreds of recruits before you... and not a single one returned. It is a nightmare deeper than anything you have faced."