It was the same thing for both of us…..
October 19th 2021,
Jason woke up just before his alarm went off. Once again, sleep had eluded him, haunted by the recurring nightmares that had become all too familiar. He sat up, his gaze falling on the picture frame on his bedside table—a photograph of his younger self standing proudly between his father and mother. He sighed deeply, running a hand through his disheveled hair.
If only his kid self knew what he was like now.
Jason pushed himself out of bed and headed to the sink. He splashed cold water on his face repeatedly, but the dark circles under his eyes stubbornly remained. With a weary look, he removed his shirt in preparation for a shower, revealing a burn scar that stretched from his neck down to his shoulders. The scar was a cruel reminder of a mission he had almost failed, a painful memory etched into his very skin
An hour later, Jason was dressed and ready for work.
Jason and Lisa had scheduled the makeup battle exams for Kazemaru, Tendo, Silva, and the newly admitted student, Eric Egoshin, to take place that day. Unlike the main battle exams, this session would be more private. Only Jason, Lisa, and the students who had previously passed the exams would observe the battles. After ensuring the participants had fully recovered from their injuries sustained during the previous tests, the two instructors decided it was time for the retake.
At the moment, the students stood at the entrance to the battlegrounds—the same area used in the prior exams. As they prepared to start, Lisa stepped forward to address them.
Lisa: Listen up, everyone. Before you head into the exams, I need to explain the rules. Pay attention because I won't be repeating myself. Got it?
Everyone: Yes ma'am!
Lisa: So unlike the other exams, this time, you won't be fighting each other.
Kazemaru: We won't?
Silva: Why not?
Lisa: For starters, we only have three second-year students, and two of them are on a separate mission right now. The last one is still recovering from being stabbed in the chest after that incident at the hospital.
Tendo: (clenches his fists)
Kazemaru: (sigh) Makes sense.
Lisa: So, for this exam, you'll be battling the shadow monsters that have been set up in the battlegrounds. You'll be graded and ranked based on how effectively you use your skills and techniques during the fight.
Eric: (to himself) Shadow monsters, huh? (adjusts his glasses) I guess I won't have any problem going all out then.
Lisa: (glances at Eric briefly) That's all. When you hear the signal, begin your exams.
Everyone: YES MA'AM!!!!!
Meanwhile, Jason stood at a distance, watching Lisa address the students retaking their exams. After a while, Lisa approached and stood beside him..
Lisa: He looks just like him, you know?
Jason: (smirks) If I had a dollar every time someone said that, I'd be rich. Even Haruto and Koichi mentioned it.
Lisa: Haruto and Koichi haven't left yet?
Jason: Nope. Apparently we need more hands here in HQ since we're heavily understaffed right now so they're sticking around for now.
Lisa: Where are they now?
Jason: They said something about escorting Gabriel to a meeting he has with the board members today.
Lisa: That doesn't sound good.
Jason: (cracks his neck) It's not. Gabriel's been under fire for his leadership ever since the deaths of our former classmates and the Kaimi Daja incidents. People are tearing him apart for how little progress we've made in capturing them.
Lisa: But we've taken down some of them, haven't we?
Jason: Yeah, but aside from what Karla and her... bizarre sister situation revealed, we've got almost nothing. The leader of the Kaimi Daja is apparently like the All Mother from 800 years ago. But even with that, we don't know their base. Without that, how can we take them down? The board will just keep pinning all the blame on Gabriel—and that's why I can't stand them.
Lisa: Do you think things will ever go back to how they used to be?
For a moment, a memory of their time as students at the Hunter Academy flashed through both their minds. They shared a bittersweet smile.
Jason: No, they won't. But I wish they could. If they did, everyone would still be here with us.
Lisa: Yeah. Sanito and I would've gotten married. You and Joshua would still be bickering while Marlo tried to break it up. Haruto would still be chasing after Koichi. And everyone else… they'd still be alive. Safe and sound. But…
Jason: (sighs)
Twenty seconds later, Jason signaled the students, and the make-up battle exams began immediately.
The students quickly demonstrated their skills and techniques, making swift work of the shadow monsters released into the battlegrounds. From the observation room, Jason, Lisa, Takimo, and Rin watched intently.
Kazemaru, Silva, and Tendo performed exceptionally well, efficiently taking down every shadow monster they encountered.
Jason: (to himself) They're all doing well, just as I expected. They have high potential. But they're not the ones I'm focused on right now. (looks at a screen showing Eric running alone) It's him. Eric Egoshin.
Lisa: (noticing Jason's focus) He hasn't run into any shadow monsters yet.
Jason: True. He's unlucky, isn't he? I was hoping to see what he could do.
Lisa: Oh, wait—look! He's found one!
Jason: Has he?
Lisa was right. Eric had finally encountered a shadow monster as he moved through the battlegrounds.
The creature was navy blue, stood eight feet tall on all fours, and had three hideous eyes that made it terrifying to behold. Its grotesque appearance could unnerve the average person—but Eric remained unfazed.
Eric: (to himself) A shadow monster, huh? Took long enough to find one. (examines it from head to toe) So, this was once human? It doesn't look human at all anymore.
The shadow monster began to circle Eric slowly. He calmly assumed the HEITO stance, preparing to draw his sword.
Eric: (takes a deep breath) Just like big brother used to do it. [WHITE: CRESCENT AURA].
Jason: (smirks) Just like Joshua, huh?
Eric Egoshin had two unique lighter techniques in his arsenal. The first, "Divergent Moon," was a technique he had mastered by studying Joshua's training and teaching himself.
The shadow monster suddenly rushed toward Eric, but he didn't draw his sword. Instead, he charged toward it. Just as the monster's claws were about to reach him, Eric vanished from its sight.
In a swift motion, Eric leaped above the shadow monster, unsheathing his sword mid-air.
Eric: [WHITE: KENJUTSU SLASH]
He slashed, but to everyone's surprise, his blade didn't make contact with the monster. It appeared as though he had simply cut through the air.
Takimo: Huh!?
Rin: It didn't work?
Jason: (smirks) That's not it. It did hit.
A moment later, the others understood what Jason meant.
Though Eric's sword hadn't touched the shadow monster, multiple slash marks suddenly appeared across its body, striking it all at once. The creature collapsed and died almost instantly.
Lisa: Oh, I see now.
Rin: He didn't need his sword to touch the monster.
Jason: Exactly. He can send slashes flying with lighter energy, without needing to make physical contact.
Takimo: That's incredible.
Jason: (to himself) Joshua didn't have that. That must be Eric's second lighter technique.
Eric Egoshin's second lighter technique, "Kenjutsu," allowed him to channel lighter energy through his blade and send slashes flying at his enemies. These slashes didn't just cut—they erased whatever they struck on contact, making the injuries far more severe and nearly impossible to heal.
Eric smiled as he saw that his attack landed exactly as he intended.
Eric: It landed. Just the way I wanted it. (Looks at his sword) Big brother, watch over me.
At that moment, numerous shadow monsters appeared, surrounding Eric. He took his stance, ready to face all of them.
Lisa: He's quite the fighter. And not to mention, he has two techniques. Seems like he already had some training before he came here.
Jason: (nods his head)
As Jason watched Eric slay the shadow monsters, he recalled something Eric had said when they first met:
"I won't make the same mistake. IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW STRONG THEY ARE—WHEN I COME FACE TO FACE WITH THE KAIMI DAJA, I WILL CORRECT MY BROTHER'S MISTAKE AND CUT THEM DOWN."
Jason: (To himself) His heart is set on vengeance, and he's using it as his motivation. That's probably a good thing. It's the one thing Joshua never did. He never fought for vengeance. (Sighs.) So I guess there's finally a difference between the two of you.
2014
During their academy days, Jason was always trying to outdo Joshua, but he never succeeded. Frustrated, Jason decided to challenge Joshua to a fight. He told Haruto, Lisa, and Marlo beforehand, but their reactions were less than encouraging.
Lisa: Huh?! Fight him?! Are you crazy!?
Jason: YES!! I'm going to challenge him and end this rivalry once and for all
Marlo: It's not a rivalry if you're the only one bothered by it.
Haruto: So, you just love making a fool of yourself, huh?
Lisa:But why fight him? He's a pretty nice guy, and everyone seems to get along with him.
Haruto: Everyone except his dumb ass. (Points at Jason.)
Jason: He just annoys me so much! He gets everything on the first try, while the rest of us have to work hard for it.
Haruto: He's an Heir of the All Mother, you moron. Of course, he'd be good at almost everything.
Marlo: That's true. The heirs are usually born more gifted than the rest of us.
Jason: Doesn't that infuriate you guys?
Lisa: Nope
Marlo: No
Haruto: Not really. Why get mad over something you can't control? You'll just go bald early thinking about it too much.
Jason: (Biting his lower lip.) I'm still going to do it.
Haruto: What? Challenge him?
Lisa: You're already number 2 in the whole class. Isn't that enough?
At that moment, Joshua walked into the classroom
Jason: HEY THERE JOSHUA!!!!!
Haruto: (Slaps his hand on his forehead.) What an idiot.
Joshua: Oh Jason. What is it this time?
Jason: I CHALLENGE YOU TO A HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT FIGHT!
Joshua: Huh? A fight with me?
The entire class overheard Jason's declaration and gathered to see Joshua's response.
Jason: (points at him) That's right! I'm challenging you to a hand-to-hand combat fight.
Joshua: But why? I don't want to fight you.
Jason: You've been a pain in my neck ever since we came to this academy, and I just want to settle the score.
Joshua: Score?
Haruto: (to himself) What are you, five?
Later, Jason and Joshua stood outside, preparing for their fight. Their entire class gathered to watch the showdown. However, the fight was over in ten seconds—Jason lay on the ground, his right cheek bruised from Joshua's single punch. The crowd voiced their disappointment as they dispersed, leaving Jason on the ground.
Joshua: (Walking away with a stern expression.)
Haruto: (helping Jason stand up) We all told you this was a bad idea.
Jason: (scoffs)
Later that evening, Jason went to the nurse's office, where his bruise was treated with a small bandage. On his way back to his room, he heard someone call his name. Turning around, he saw Joshua beckoning him to follow. The two walked outside and sat down, watching the sun slowly descend.
Joshua: How's your face?
Jason: It hurts. (sarcastically) Thanks for asking.
Joshua: (Looking down at his feet.) Well, I'm sorry for hitting you.
Jason: (touching his bruised cheek) Don't be. I was practically asking for it. I picked a fight with you.
Joshua: Yeah, but why? Why did you want to fight me?
Jason: Huh? I already said the reason, didn't I?
Joshua: I could tell that wasn't it.
Jason: (cartoonish face) HUH!? You did!?
Joshua: (smiles) NOPE. But you just confirmed it by your answer just now.
Jason: (cartoonish face) DAMN YOU, FOUR EYES.
Joshua: (Laughs.) Well, I have a guess. Correct me if I'm wrong. You joined the academy because you feel like your powers were given to you for a purpose, and you want to give it your all. That's why you're number two in the class. But since I'm number one, it makes you feel like you're not doing enough. You wanted to fight me to prove to yourself that you are.
Jason: Wow. You really got everything right.
Joshua: I did?
Jason: NOPE. I just wanted to make you feel like you were on the mark.
Joshua: (smiles) Trying to get back at me?
Jason: I guess it didn't work, huh?
Joshua: Keep trying and maybe you'll get it.
Jason: Maybe?
Joshua: Look, I won't say something obvious like "I understand what you're going through" because I really don't.
Jason: (cartoonish face) Bragging much?
Joshua: But you shouldn't compare yourself to someone who's more blessed than you. You'll just end up with low self-esteem.
Jason: So, what do I do then?
Joshua: You're number two in our class. Isn't it obvious? Hang around those at the top. See what they do right, and learn from it. Maybe then, you'll beat me in a fight.
Jason: (smirks) I'M GONNA BEAT YOU TO A PULP WHILE I'M AT IT TOO.
Joshua: Do that after you've learned from me.
Jason: Right