Back in the human world, Kai tossed and turned. When sleep finally claimed him, he found himself in a serene, endless meadow under a sky so blue it hurt to look at. But then, the horizon began to bleed ink. The black abyss crawled across the grass, cracking the world like glass.

  A towering figure appeared beside him, a shifting blur of shadows. The creature placed a heavy hand on Kai’s shoulder, its voice vibrating through his bones.

  "Kai... do not fear. I am the only one you can truly rely on."

  Kai shivered in primal terror. Sensing his fear, the creature began to recede. "You may reject me now," the voice echoed, fading. "But you cannot reject me forever."

  Kai bolted upright. It was morning. Kaelen hadn't come for him, so he went to school. To his surprise, he felt sharper. He aced his tests without trying. In the hallway, his friend Han caught up to him.

  "Whoa, man! Did you hit a growth spurt?" Han asked. "You look... different. More relaxed."

  Kai chuckled, realizing the Jonk was physically changing him. "Just puberty, Han. Maybe mine decided to show up all at once."

  The normalcy lasted until he stepped into an alleyway on his way home. A purple-black portal swallowed him, and a second later, he was in the cold hall of the Void Watchers.

  Kaelen was waiting. "No time for homework, Kai. Your first mission is ready. You’ll be paired with another recruit, John. He’s Rank 14990."

  Kaelen pointed to a shimmering gate. "You're going to an abandoned sector of New York. It’s a lowest-level cleanup. But remember... in the Void, 'easy' can turn into 'deadly' in a heartbeat."

  Kai met John, a boy a bit older and clearly nervous. "I'm John. Partners for the day! I've got your back," he said with a thumbs-up.

  The portal spat them out into a desolate, crumbling version of New York. A scavenger monster hissed from behind a rusted car. Kai didn't hesitate. He tapped into 10% of his Jonk—a blur of motion. Slash. The monster's head hit the pavement before John could even draw his weapon.

  John stared, mouth agape. "Whoa... that speed. What rank did you say you were?"

  Kai didn't answer. The ground groaned. A behemoth of a monster, a mountain of flesh and eyes taller than a five-story building, swung a massive limb. It caught John off guard, sending him flying through a brick wall.

  Kai gritted his teeth. Easy mission, huh?

  John scrambled back, bruised. "Any plan, Kai? That thing is a skyscraper!"

  Kai leaned in, his eyes flashing a faint, subconscious yellow. "Yeah. Listen close..."

  John sprinted forward as a distraction. As the giant monster smashed a building trying to crush him, Kai scaled a neighboring wall. He leaped, his blade wreathed in black mist, and tore across the monster's throat.

  Blood sprayed, but Kai’s heart sank. The wound closed almost instantly. The monster roared, its regeneration far beyond anything he had faced in the Pit.

  Kai stood frozen, his sword trembling in his grip. The monster’s throat, which he had just slashed, was already knitting back together with a sickening, wet sound. The sheer hopelessness of the situation clawed at his chest like a physical weight. The behemoth roared, the sound vibrating through the asphalt beneath Kai's feet, and raised a massive fist to crush him. A sudden, violent force yanked Kai backward just as the fist pulverized the ground where he had stood.

  "Kai! Snap out of it!" John shouted, his lungs burning. "We need a plan, now!"

  "What plan?" Kai stammered, his eyes wide with terror. "We aren't strong enough to kill it. It just... it won't die!"

  John grabbed Kai by the shoulders, shaking him hard enough to make his teeth rattle. "We are a team! Listen to me: we just need one opening. One chance. I’ll go in for a distraction, then you use your speed to launch me. With the momentum, I’ll take its head off. Deal?"

  Kai swallowed hard, his knuckles white as he gripped his hilt. "Deal."

  The battle resumed with a fresh intensity. Kai blurred forward, leaping over the monster’s sweeping arm while John slashed at its side, drawing black, viscous ichor. But the creature was enraged. Its movements became erratic, its massive limbs swinging faster than before. Before Kai could pivot, a jagged, bone-like limb pierced through his shoulder.

  The world went cold. Inside his mind, the abyss surged like a dark tide. His eyes began to flicker—blue to yellow, yellow to blue. Black energy started to leak from the wound, a forced, monstrous regeneration taking over his cells.

  “Let me in...” the voice hissed in the depths of his skull.

  "NO!" Kai screamed, his voice tearing through the ruins. With a surge of pure willpower, he shoved the darkness back into its cage. The yellow glow vanished, replaced by a raw, human determination.

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  Ignoring the white-hot agony in his shoulder, Kai shifted his stance. He stopped distributing his Jonk through his body and funneled all 10% into his blade. The steel began to hum with a violent frequency. He swung with everything he had. The impact sounded like a thunderclap, sending the massive creature reeling back, its guard completely shattered.

  "Now, John!" Kai yelled.

  He sprinted toward his partner, grabbed him, and funneled every ounce of energy into his legs. With a thunderous burst of speed that cracked the pavement, Kai launched John into the air. Like a human bullet, John soared upward, his sword glowing with a desperate light. With one perfect, decisive slash, the monster’s head was severed from its shoulders.

  As the giant collapsed, the air rippled. A portal opened beneath the two boys, dragging them back into the cold, silent safety of the Void.

  Kaelen stood there, arms crossed, a faint, knowing smirk on his lips. "That was close. You survived."

  He paced around them, his boots clicking on the stone. "There was an error in the report. That wasn't a Rank 15000 mission. That beast was Rank 14800. It doesn't seem like much, but at your level, that gap is usually lethal. Congratulations on completing it."

  Kaelen checked his device. "John, you are now Rank 14980. Kai, you are Rank 14990. You’re climbing fast, but remember: as the numbers get lower, the power gap gets wider. The difference between 1100 and 1099 is a world away from what you just faced."

  John gave Kai a tired but respectful nod before heading off to find his own master. Kai, however, turned to Kaelen, his face suddenly turning pale.

  "Master, this is bad! Really bad!"

  Kaelen arched an eyebrow. "Another monster?"

  "No! I forgot to do my homework! It’s already night, the teacher will kill me!"

  Kaelen didn't miss a beat. He reached behind his back and produced a notebook and a pen. "Do not worry, apprentice. Did you forget? I am your mentor; I help you with whatever I can, and you help me. I already did it for you."

  Kai stared at the completed homework, breathing a massive sigh of relief. "You're a lifesaver."

  A moment later, Kai was teleported back to his front porch. He stepped inside, trying to be silent, but his mother was waiting. She didn't look angry—she looked exhausted.

  "Kai, we need to talk," she said softly.

  They went to his room. She sat on the edge of his chair, her eyes searching his face. "Kai, I don't know what you're doing, and I will support you no matter what. But your father is worried. You come home late every night, covered in dirt, giving us excuses. He might believe them, but I know they’re lies."

  Kai tried to stammer out a new story, but she held up a hand. "Just... make sure this is what you really want, honey. Make sure it's worth it."

  She left the room, the silence she left behind feeling heavier than the Void. Kai sat on his bed, looking at his calloused hands. Why am I doing this? The next day at school, Kai was a ghost. He answered questions mechanically, his gaze always drifting toward the windows. The moment he stepped into the alleyway on his way home, the rift opened.

  Kaelen was waiting, his eyes sharper than usual. He became uncharacteristically serious. "Kai, in this society, there are many theories, many opinions. But we remain united because the leaders—including myself—maintain control. But what is a leader in your opinion, Kai?"

  Kaelen didn't wait for the answer. "Many would say leaders are powerful people who punish those who break laws. I don't want to be that. I’ve always believed a leader is someone who, when they appear, emits safety and comfort—not fear. But here is a better question: what do you think it means to be weak or strong?"

  Kai hesitated, then spoke: "A strong man... I think he's the one who could destroy countries but chooses not to. Someone with so much power he doesn't even know what to do with it."

  Kaelen listened, wiping his glasses. "That is a correct opinion, Kai. But here is mine. A strong man is the one who, when he wants to fall, refuses to give up. To me, the strong one is he who risks his life constantly, without hesitation, for others, without thinking of the risks. That is a man I respect. That's why I'm reminding you, Kai. No one here wants to be a Void Watcher. We all have different motives, but we all gather here to protect people. If you don't want to do that, this place is not for you."

  Kaelen placed his glasses on a small, floating rock and drew his blade. The steel hummed with a low, predatory vibration. "Today, we begin the training for Kaijiu. It is an extension of your soul, a manifestation of your will. It is unique to every Watcher."

  "I'm ready," Kai said, but his voice lacked conviction.

  "We’ll see," Kaelen countered. "Activate your Jonk to your current maximum."

  Kai strained, but he could only manifest 3%. His heart wasn't in it. Kaelen’s expression shifted to disappointment. "Kaijiu can only be unlocked when the body is pushed to the absolute limit of death. But if the body isn't prepared, the power will simply shatter you. My job is to prepare your vessel. Your job... is to touch me. For now, we are just seeing if we can accelerate the process. Kaijiu is only unlocked when you are on the brink of death or if you've hit 100% of your power. Even then, it isn't guaranteed."

  Kai lunged. Kaelen parried him with a flick of his wrist. Kai attacked again, faster, but Kaelen moved like smoke, always a step ahead.

  "You’re weaker than you were before the mission, Kai!" Kaelen taunted, his blade snapping against Kai’s guard. "Jonk is fueled by determination. If you don't know why you're holding that sword, it’s just a heavy piece of metal."

  Kaelen went on the offensive. His strikes were a blur, forcing Kai back against a jagged pillar. As their swords clashed, the vibration traveled up Kai’s arms, and something inside him finally snapped.

  Why? he thought. Because if I don't do it, who will? He saw the faces of the people in the city, the fear in John’s eyes, the quiet worry of his mother.

  "I was so stupid," Kai growled, his grip tightening until the steel groaned. "I don't do this because I want to. I do it because I’m one of the few who can! I am the shield for the weak!"

  The air around Kai detonated. His Jonk flared to 15%, and a strange, orange light flickered in his eyes. He didn't just move; he vanished.

  Kaelen’s eyes widened. He raised his sword to block a vertical strike, but it was a feint. Kai twisted his wrist mid-air with impossible fluidity. The tip of his blade tore through Kaelen’s shirt, leaving a thin, red line across his chest.

  Kaelen stopped. He sheathed his sword, the cut on his chest already closing. A massive, proud grin spread across his face. He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a deadly serious tone.

  "But remember this for the rest of your life, Kai: never underestimate a leader. Today, I used only a fraction of my power. Do not become arrogant. There are humans out there far more dangerous than the monsters you've faced."

  "I understand, Master," Kai said, bowing deeply.

  "Good. Now, go. John is waiting. I hear this next mission is a real nightmare. Don't die on me."

  Kai started the long walk toward the meeting point, the violet light still lingering in his gaze. But before he disappeared over the horizon, he turned back with a genuine smile.

  "Thank you, Master. Your words helped me more than a thousand hours of training. For that, I am truly grateful."