training starts

the boy sat still after they had dinner, the silence thick around him. He had lost track of time. Relying only on his natural instincts. Yet it got harder to tell morning from night apart. Their hideout was always filled with darkness. Neither Edward nor Peter allowed the use of phones - 'they can trace the signal,' Edward warned.

Truthfully, Chike doubted they had anyone to call. One of Peter's doorway constantly hovered over a billboard from the streets of their small town. It was the one used to stream news too locals as they go about their daily activities. That was the only source of information he got - according to it, everything was the same casual boring. The Baptism ritual would continue as planned.

Grey, however was the only notable difference, he was still searching. Frequently appearing in interviews to assure residents all was fine, other times there were glimpse of him moving through town, this time with a new squad. Chike suspected one of them had a tracking gift. Grey now suspected he wasn't alone.

It wasn't until the third day that Chike noticed something strange.

The hideout was never in the same place.

Hallways shifted. Doorways turned up where none existed before. Even the outside view through windows changed subtly—sometimes showing dense forest, other times rocky cliffs. At first, he thought he was imagining it. Then he caught Peter exiting through a wall that hadn't been there the day before.

When he asked, Edward finally explained.

"We're inside an anomaly," the old man had said, stirring a bowl of hot broth over the fire. "This isn't an ordinary house. It's possessed."

Chike blinked. "Possessed?"

"Yes. A spirit resides here—one of the rare neutral ones. We made a contract with it. Peter's gift shields the structure from discovery, and I offer it Chi in return for shelter and mobility. A fair trade."

 Both men often vanished for hours and return with a live animal, and loads of fruit. The boy often wondered why the didn't kill it but the old man wouldn't answer that question.

"Heal. You'll need all your strength for what comes next," the old man had said.

Ofor had gone unusually silent. The being within him had protested the alliance from the start. Chike could still feel it's presence, coiled inside like smoke. It was brooding now, searching for something - a memory - from its original host. It claimed. But without its other missing fragments, even that was futile.

In the dark quiet, Chike's drifted. He thought of his classmates. Their second baptism would strip them of their Chi - forever. Most of them had treated him like a disease, but even so, he now felt a new emotion: pity. They didn't deserve it. He none of them really knew. Would they chose this if they did?

A dangerous thought crept into his head: what if I stopped it?

He shook it off almost immediately. First, he wasn't strong enough. Not yet, his brief fight had already shown him the price of power - burning through his own life force. Then there was Grey, the local Priest, the police all stronger, better trained.

He would need more than just strength to even walk in alive.

On the fourth day, Chike awoke feeling refreshed - his body no longer sore, his mind clear. Edward had promised that his training would begin today, and for the first time in a long while, excitement stirred in his chest. Today he thought, I'll finally learn what my gift is.

But the joy quickly dimmed as a darker thought passed through him - training felt like something that'll bring him closer to death. He'd already learned that using his power drained his Chi - his very life force.

Still, he pushed the fear down and steeled himself. He'd made his decision. There was no turning back now.

He inhaled deeply. Then headed to the central room, where Edward was already waiting.

The old man gave him a single nod before speaking.

"The first thing you must master," Edward began, "is how you control your Chi through your nerve-thread."

He stepped closer, his countenance calm, instructive.

"Chi begins from your core - the spiritual center of your being. You must imagine it expanding slowly, permeating your body, flowing through your nerves in the same way blood flows through your veins - however it flows through the nerve thread. You can use it to reinforce yourself - your limbs, your muscles, channel it evenly and slowly. Till you get the hand of It."

Edward paused, observing the boy carefully.

Chike closed his eyes. He'd done this before - when he was angry, desperate, and cornered. The fear had made a difference, he now struggled to find that rage. He reached deeper. He pictured the familiar sensation: a storm rising from his chest, slow and warm, then swelling.

And then - it came.

A gentle pulse, then a surge, coursed through his limbs. His heartbeat quickened. His arms felt heavier, stronger. He could feel it - Chi as it envelop his body.

Edward's eyes widened slightly. He said nothing, but the shift in his gaze said everything. 

This isn't the same energy he used before, the old man thought. This is lower but still.

The boy's Chi output was far above anything Edward had ever seen - stronger than many ranked lieutenants in the Faith Militia. And this was him without training.

"Incredible," Edward murmured under his breath. Now he needed to know the boy's limits.

He turned to Peter and gave a silent nod. The man stepped forward, his boots echoing slightly across the chamber floor as stood facing the boy.

Chike steadied himself as his rage grew. It lacked the motivation of fear like it did the last time. Ofor had guided him the first time he used it - talking him through the process. Now his guide was quiet.

Then--

Danger sense kicked.

Chike's eyes flew open just in time to see Peter's fist flying toward his face. He dodged - barely. The punch missed by inches, but the force of it split the air with a sharp boom. A clean slice opened along Chike's cheek from the wind pressure alone. A warm feeling flowed out. Blood.

His eyes widened.

That punch would've killed me.

Edward's calm voice echoed in the room.

"Most recruits go through standard control drills before sparring an opponent. But you already have been in battle. I though we'd skip a few steps. Plus you don't have much time."

Chike didn't reply. He understood clearly. Still, Peter was a terrifying opponent to start with. The man was stoned- faced, always silent, and his control over his gift was perfect.

"Your first task: knock peter out."

Chike blinked.