Completely exhausted and covered in sweat, Teon stumbles through the front door of the estate before breaking down in its entrance hallway. Lucius's head looks out of a doorway, a surprise written over his face. He walks towards the boy and kneels down next to him.

  "Finally you're back."

  He helps Teon to stand up and supports him.

  "And how many laps did you finish?"

  Panting, the boy looks up at him.

  "Not one... broke down as I reached one half round... had to take a break."

  "That's too bad. Unfortunately that means you'll have to do it again tomorrow."

  He pats the boys' backs as they walk through the building towards Teon's room.

  "You better go to bed now."

  Teon nods, still panting. He slowly opens the door to his room and disappears inside.

  "He is not as impressive as you promised."

  Without looking over at Rumi, who is standing in the threshold of the hallway, Lucius answers quietly.

  "Just wait till you see his innate ability."

  Rumi scoffs before turning around and leaving Lucius standing there alone.

  The following day Rumi and Kai are walking together through the forest to the training field.

  "Have you seen your friend today?"

  "No, Teon's room was locked. Maybe he is too tired after yesterday and is still sleeping."

  After a few more minutes of walking through the forest, the two arrive at their training field. Both are surprised by what they see. Right next to the fissure, where Kai left the day before, stands Teon, hands placed on his knees to support himself. He is covered in sweat and panting heavily.

  "T...Teon, for how long have you been here?"

  Teon looks up at his friend and new trainer and tries to grin. He sits down and leans his head back. Rumi speaks up.

  "How many laps?"

  "Two..."

  "Two laps on his second day?! That's better progress than Kai had."

  Kai, who knows that as well, looks slightly jealous.

  "How long have you been doing it already? How long did you sleep?"

  Sweat drips down Teon's forehead. He glances over at Kai and takes a deep breath before answering.

  "I slept for 7... 7 to 8 hours."

  Kai starts counting with his fingers while.

  "Considering the time you came back and went to bed yesterday, that means..."

  "He already surpassed you, compared to the time you traveled to the mountains."

  "I wasn't giving it my all that time."

  Kai replies, pouting.

  Teon grins at the interaction in front of him.

  "And am I allowed to train with you guys now?"

  "No."

  The answer surprises and shocks Teon. But before he can say anything, Rumi continues speaking.

  "Right now, you are still not fast enough to keep up, so it would be useless. But if you want, you can watch."

  "That's not what I hoped for, but better than nothing, I guess."

  Sitting down at the edge of the clearing, he watches the other two spar. Rumi seems to go out even more than the day before.

  Kai glances over to Teon, who has a visible problem with following their movements. Behind Teon Lucius walks out of the forest and sits down next to the boy.

  "Why are you sitting here?"

  "Rumi said it would be useless to train with them right now, so I'm supposed to watch. But I can barely keep up."

  Teon responds without looking away from the sparring match.

  "Oh... How about you train with me today? I'll adjust to your level so you can keep up."

  Teon's eyes light up at these words, and he stares at Lucius. The old man grins at his eagerness and stands up.

  "Follow me. I know the perfect place."

  Moments later they arrive at the foot of the island's single mountain. Lucius tells Teon to go all out and attack it. The boy swallows hard and nods. Pointing his spread fingers at the mountain, blood streams shoot out and cut lines into the stone.

  "I expected that much at least. But it's truly not enough to keep up with the other two."

  He takes a few steps away from Teon.

  "Show me how your soul-energy has evolved. Release all at once."

  Teon nods again before taking a deep breath. As he exhales, he releases everything. Lucius smiles in dissatisfaction. Rumi and Kai, on the other side of the island, stop their sparring match and look in Teon's direction.

  "This pressure feels similar to the one at the entrance exam. But it's so much more intense."

  Kai remarks.

  Max, Lloyd, and Kaia, standing on the training field, look up at the sky. All could feel this familiar pressure, but it was so much more intense than they remembered.

  Far away in two completely different places in the world, two men also look up in the sky. One is wearing a yellow oversized jacket, with spiky brown hair. Grinning, he leans back against the side of a massive animal.

  "This promises to be exciting!"

  The other sits inside a modern penthouse on a cliffside. His arms resting on his chair's armrests. An interested expression was written over the man's face.

  "Who did you find there again, Lucius?"

  Back on the island, Teon falls to his knees.

  "Exhausted?"

  "Yeah."

  "Understandable. You've grown much stronger since the entrance day at the Soul-Corps."

  Teon grins self-satisfied. Then suddenly Lucius disappears and reappears behind Teon.

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  "Even though your growth is impressive, it's not enough to beat a foe on the same level or slightly higher. And the only power you have at your disposal is rather weak."

  Later that evening, Kai is sitting in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal. Teon walks inside, visibly exhausted.

  "Why did you go earlier this noon?"

  Teon plops down in a chair across from Kai.

  "Lucius came by and took me to train with him."

  "For real?! He never did that with me!"

  In this moment Rumi enters and stops in front of the fridge. She looks through it as she speaks.

  "That's really something new. He doesn't dirty his hands normally. Didn't even train with me."

  Teon turns on his chair to look at her.

  "I don't want to be rude, but I still don't know who you are exactly."

  Kai chuckles at his words. Rumi slams the fridge door closed and turns around, holding a beer in hand.

  "I'm Hyper-Lethal number 4."

  Teon's eyes widen in surprise, his jaw dropping. Kai starts laughing in the background.

  "S…sorry... I didn't know; no one told me..."

  "Don't worry, little one."

  Opening the fridge again, Rumi takes out two more beers and sits down at the table with the boys. Placing the two bottles in front of them, she looks expectantly.

  "Want to drink one with me?"

  Both of them stare at the bottles. Kai speaks up first.

  "I don't think we're old enough for that."

  Rumi scoffs.

  "Bullshit, where I grew up you were allowed to drink at the age of 16. How old are you?"

  "19."

  "Good, so drink one with me!"

  Hesitantly, both of them take the beer and open it, taking a sip. Both their faces distort at the taste of it, causing Rumi to laugh. After a few minutes Kai slams the empty bottle on the table.

  "Finished. That was disgusting."

  "Come on, it can't be that bad."

  "No... he is right; it's really disgusting."

  Teon supports Kai's statement. Rumi pouts in response. In that moment Teon notices a ring on Rumi's left ring finger. She notices his gaze and grins.

  "Interested in that?"

  Holding up her hand, she musters her own ring. Kai looks surprised.

  "That's the first time I've seen it."

  Rumi smiles to herself before her gaze parts from the ring and returns to the two boys in front of her.

  "Is… is it what I think it is?"

  Teon murmurs, causing Rumi to smile even brighter.

  "Yes."

  "You're married?! Why did you never tell me?"

  Kai blurts out, a bit offended that his trainer hid something like this from him.

  "Why should I? It's not your business."

  "S...sorry."

  Kai gets quiet and looks down.

  "Who is it?"

  "Hm?"

  "Who are you married to?"

  Rumi smiles, enjoying Teon's interest. Closing her eyes, she thinks for a moment.

  "Imagine a 27-year-old with the mind of someone your age."

  "Where is he?"

  "Is he as strong as you? Is it one of the Hyper-Lethals?"

  Rumi's eyes switch between the two boys as they attack her with questions.

  "Calm down so I can answer your questions."

  The boys nod and stare at her excitedly.

  "First, I have no idea where he is. He just disappeared one day. But he has done this ever since I've known him, so no big deal. The only person who could maybe know where he is would be Lucius."

  She pauses for a moment before answering Teon's questions.

  "He is not one of the Hyper-Lethals, and he isn't comparable to any of them."

  "So he is weaker than you?"

  The number 4 starts laughing at Teon's questions and slaps the table. After some time she manages to calm down.

  "You amuse me, little one. I didn't mean he is weaker. Far from it. Picture me... I'm Hyper-Lethal number 4. On a ladder to categorize power, I would be on the 4 highest steps. In this metaphor there is no step for him. He is above everything we have ever seen before."

  The two boys stare at her, unable to imagine a person like this.

  "That's enough, Rumi!"

  She winces and looks down at the table, nervously fidgeting with the ring on her finger. Lucius stands in the doorway to the kitchen. glaring at her.

  "S...sorry...I thought it would be okay to..."

  She quiets down because of Lucius's gaze. Teon looks at him.

  "Why don't you want us to know about this guy?"

  "Because it's not relevant for you to grow stronger. You should concentrate on your training and not some man who isn't even on this planet!"

  He turns around again, but before leaving, he speaks up again.

  "And Rumi, no alcohol for the boys again!"

  She winces again and nods. Lucius leaves, and the two boys look at the, normally so strong and proud, woman in front of them, now totally intimidated.

  "I have another question."

  Rumi looks up again.

  "Yeah, little one?"

  "If you, Lucius, and your husband are so powerful... why do we need to get stronger?"

  Rumi smiles slightly at Teon's question.

  "Because, even though we are powerful. We are not immortal. Some day we will die. But the nightmares won't stop coming!"

  She stands up, takes the empty bottles, and throws them in the trash.

  "Enough for today. Good night, boys."

  She leaves. The two boys look at each other, and after speaking more about the earlier conversation, the two go to bed.

  Teon lies awake in his bed, moonlight shining through his window.

  "How strong is this man really?"