Chapter 22: Beneath the Surface

Kael awoke to darkness—not the cold, empty kind, but the sort that hummed with hidden voices and quiet movement. The infirmary lights were low, casting long shadows along the sterile white walls. A low beeping came from the monitor beside him. His chest ached with every breath, and his limbs felt like they were packed with lead.

He turned his head slowly. Tetsu sat slouched in a chair nearby, arms folded, chin tucked against his chest, lightly snoring. Hana sat beside him, not asleep, but silent, flipping through a small worn book. She glanced up as Kael stirred, and her lips curved into a tired, relieved smile.

"You're awake," she said softly, standing up.

Kael managed a weak, sarcastic grunt. "Did I win?"

Hana smirked. "You passed out before the last hit. That counts for something, right?"

He groaned, trying to sit up, but a wave of dizziness stopped him.

"Don't push it," she said, gently helping him lean back. "Kaede said you overexerted yourself. Your energy levels were off the charts—then dropped like a stone. What happened?"

Kael looked away. "I... I don't know. I didn't use any powers. Not really."

"Didn't look like 'nothing' from where we were standing." Hana leaned back slightly, studying him. "Ryuu said you held back. Is that true?"

Kael didn't answer.

Before she could press him, the door creaked open. Kaede entered, coat rustling as he moved with calm purpose. His gaze passed over Kael, then settled on the two sitting beside him.

"Out," Kaede said simply, gesturing toward the door. "I need to speak with him."

Hana hesitated. "He just woke up—"

"I know. Which is why we speak now, while it's fresh."

Tetsu woke with a start. "Huh—wha? Oh. Is he good?"

"More or less," Kaede muttered.

Hana gave Kael one last glance. "We'll be right outside."

The door clicked shut behind them. Silence settled.

Kaede didn't move for a long moment. Then he walked to the foot of the bed and crossed his arms.

"You fought better than expected," he said.

Kael blinked. "Thanks, I guess?"

"That wasn't a compliment."

Kael frowned. "Then what is it?"

"A warning," Kaede replied. "You don't understand what's happening to you. That much is clear. Your Will is reacting on instinct—chaotic, unshaped. That burst of power you tapped into? That wasn't controlled. It was a reflex. If you'd pushed just a little harder…"

Kael didn't want to hear the rest. But Kaede said it anyway.

"…you wouldn't be here."

A heavy silence followed. Kael's heart beat harder. "Then teach me."

Kaede raised an eyebrow.

Kael clenched his fists beneath the sheets. "If I'm dangerous... if I'm not in control... then help me get there. I want to learn. I need to."

Kaede studied him, eyes narrowing. "You're not ready."

"Then make me ready."

Kaede's eyes held his for a long moment. Then he sighed and turned away.

"We start tomorrow morning. Five A.M. Training grounds, alone. Tell no one."

Kael nodded. "Got it."

Kaede paused at the door. "And Kael…"

"Yeah?"

"If you lose control again, I won't hesitate to stop you. Even if that means putting you down myself."

Kael swallowed but nodded. "Understood."

Kaede left.

The next morning came too quickly. Kael slipped out of the dorms before the sun rose, the academy still asleep. The training grounds were cloaked in fog, mist curling around stone pillars and practice dummies like ghosts.

Kaede was already there, standing in silence.

"You're late," he said without turning.

Kael blinked. "It's 4:59—"

Kaede turned and tossed something at him—a weighted cloak. "Put that on."

Kael struggled into it. The moment it settled on his shoulders, his legs nearly buckled.

"Weighted?" he gasped.

"Fifty kilos," Kaede said casually. "You'll wear it for the next week."

Kael grunted and forced himself upright.

"Today's lesson is simple: control. We're not going to draw on your full Will. You're going to learn how to feel it, sense it, and keep it caged."

Kael nodded.

Kaede's voice dropped into something colder. "Sit. Cross-legged. Close your eyes."

Kael obeyed, settling on the cold ground.

"Now reach inside. Not for power. Not to use it. Just to see it."

Kael tried. He slowed his breath. Focused inward.

At first—nothing.

Then… a flicker. A heartbeat, deeper than his own. He flinched.

"There," Kaede said quietly. "That's it. You've felt the beast."

Kael's breath caught.

"The Will inside you isn't just shadow," Kaede continued. "It's ancient. Buried. Something the world forgot how to fight. You awaken it, even a little, and you risk being consumed."

Kael opened his eyes. "Then how do I fight with it?"

Kaede knelt beside him. "You don't fight it. You make it respect you. You force it to see you not as prey… but as its Wielder."

Kael's skin prickled with cold.

"That's what we'll train. Not strength. Not speed. Authority."

Days passed in grueling silence.

Every morning, Kael trained with Kaede in secret. Meditation. Weighted movement. Control drills that tested the edges of his sanity. The Will within him stirred often—hungry, defiant—but Kaede guided him through every surge. Slowly, Kael began to understand its rhythm.

By day, he kept up the charade. He laughed with Tetsu, avoided Ryuu's gaze, and pretended Hana's casual smiles didn't send his heart into quiet confusion. No one knew the truth. No one saw the storm beneath his skin.

Except for Tetsu.

One night, as they sat atop the roof of the dorm building, watching stars shimmer above the fractured skyline, Tetsu finally asked, "You're hiding something, aren't you?"

Kael stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"You've been... different. Since the beast. Since the exam. And don't say it's just training. I've seen you move like something else is inside you."

Kael stayed quiet.

Tetsu sighed. "I'm not asking for the whole truth. Just enough to know you're not slipping away from us."

Kael turned to look at his friend—his first friend. The one who risked his life in Chapter 4 without hesitation. The one who caught him when he fell.

"There's something inside me," Kael said quietly. "A Will. Old, dark. I don't fully understand it yet. But I'm trying to learn before it breaks free."

Tetsu nodded slowly. "Then I'll be here. Until it does. Or until you master it."

They didn't speak for a while after that. They didn't need to.

A week later, a new announcement spread through the academy like wildfire.

A real relic raid.

A newly discovered corrupted zone had been found near the outskirts of the Ashen Forest—one of the last places known to harbor relics from before the Fracture. Students would be divided into squads and sent to recover lost Will relics for study and containment.

It was a big deal.

Kael, Ryuu, Hana, and Tetsu were all selected for the same squad—under Kaede's command.

When the roster was posted, Kael caught a flicker of something in Ryuu's eyes. Not quite resentment. Not quite curiosity. Something deeper.

"Try not to faint this time," Ryuu said dryly.

Kael smirked. "Only if you keep up."

Their banter was short-lived. The mission would be dangerous. The Ashen Forest was known for unpredictable anomalies, corrupted wildlife, and hidden fractures that swallowed whole units in the early years.

But Kael was ready—or as ready as he could be.

He didn't know what they'd find out there.

But part of him was starting to wonder if the darkness inside him had been born for this.