EYES THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE WATCHED

As usual Arslan enter the courtyard silently and begin to take breakfast...

He had just finished breakfast with the other Mythics and made his way to the training ground, his robe brushing through the soft grass. The sky above was dull silver, holding the weight of clouds, but Arslan didn't care. He was focused. Today was the day Kar'Thael would help him refine their second technique.

Kar'Thael's voice stirred with intent.

> "Today," he said, "you will learn something different. Something darker. I call it the Black Halo."

"Black Halo isn't a weapon," Kar'Thael explained. "It's an aura. A field. It surrounds you like a curse and feeds on the strength of others inside it. The longer they stay near you, the weaker they become. But here's the cost—it drains you too."

Arslan furrowed his brows. "So it's a gamble?"

> "No. It's control," Kar'Thael replied. "Control the time they stay in it. Control yourself. Now breathe… slow.

The floor beneath Arslan dimmed as a pulse of black energy seeped from his core. He gritted his teeth as the pressure built in his chest. Kar'Thael's guidance continued:

> "Visualize a ring, around you—ten feet wide. Let the energy seep from your spine, your chest, your bones. Make it flow. Don't push it—let it bleed."

Dark mist began to form around Arslan, swirling in a slow orbit. His breathing grew ragged. His hands trembled.

> "That's it," Kar'Thael said. "You've summoned it. Hold it steady."

The halo flickered—shadows dancing in a ring like smoke. The energy warped the air itself, humming low, like a whisper between dimensions.

But within ten seconds, Arslan dropped to one knee. Sweat beaded at his brow.

> "I can't... it's pulling too hard—"

> "That's the price," Kar'Thael warned. "Right now, you're its host. Someday, you'll be its master."

The halo vanished, collapsing inward with a quiet shhhhk.

Arslan gasped, falling back against the wall, exhausted.

> "How long?" he asked.

> "Fifteen seconds," Kar'Thael answered. "Next time, twenty."

A smirk crept onto Arslan's face despite the pain.

> "Then we go again tomorrow."

From a nearby pillar's shadow, a figure stepped out—quiet, yet watching.

Nirela.

She stood silently at first, arms crossed, her long moonlight-touched hair flicking in the morning wind. Arslan didn't notice her. He was too focused—combining his old technique Oblivion Burst with a slicing motion of the Dark Bow. The result flared out in a crescent arc, blasting through the shadow target with precision.

From deep within, Kar'Thael's voice rose in a low panic.

> "WTF… How are we so careless? What if she saw me emerging? Idiot—this is not the place to flex everything."

Arslan's expression hardened slightly but didn't break concentration. He knew Nirela hadn't seen Kar'Thael—his essence had stayed merged. No physical form. No glow. Just him and his energy.

Still, her presence irritated him.

Nirela stepped forward after a few more minutes, clapping gently. "That was impressive," she said softly. "You've improved… a lot."

Arslan gave a cold glance, his voice firm. "You shouldn't follow people like a spy."

Nirela blinked, caught off-guard. "I wasn't spying… I was just watching you train. That's all."

There was an awkward pause. The air between them tensed.

From inside, Kar'Thael chuckled mischievously.

> "She was totally checking you out, lover boy. Her heartbeat spiked when you summoned the Black Halo. Adorable."

Arslan clenched his jaw. "Focus," he muttered under his breath, then turned sharply from Nirela.

"I don't need an audience," he added.

Without waiting for a reply, he walked off the training ground, straight toward the Base.

He didn't slam the door when he entered his room—but the silence inside was heavy. Kar'Thael didn't speak at first, maybe sensing Arslan's irritation.

The room was dim as always. Shadows danced across the stone walls. Arslan sat at the edge of his bed, breathing slowly, trying to calm his pulse.

Only then did Kar'Thael finally whisper again.

> "You're angry… but you're not angry at her. You're angry that she saw a piece of you you weren't ready to show."

Arslan didn't reply.

" I know, she was wrong at following us.. but as she said she was watching you just train"

Arslan replied," I don't want anyone to interfere us.... You also know the reason why I was behaving like that.... I want to protect or hide our identity from all of our foes , friends, teammates"

"At least, you should respect her as she is a girl"... Kar'Thael said "Your behavior hurts her"

"I do nothing wrong," Arslan replied

"What happened if she had seen both of us "

But even Kar'Thael couldn't deny it.

Arslan had been seen—just not fully.

And somehow, that was even worse.