The days had blurred together, each one more taxing than the last. Kairo had spent countless hours perfecting his control over Ten, Zetsu, and Ren. The relentless routine had become second nature to him—an unspoken rhythm of struggle and mastery. But something had changed. There was a subtle shift in his understanding, an awakening of sorts. His control was more stable, more refined. He had reached a milestone.
It was time for Roderick's next challenge.
Kairo's heart beat steadily in his chest as he stood in the training room, facing his instructor. Roderick's aloof gaze met his, offering no hint of approval or disapproval. The man's expression was unreadable as usual. "You think you're ready," Roderick said, his voice flat. "Let's see if that's the case."
Kairo swallowed, the weight of Roderick's words settling in. He had worked hard, pushed himself to his limits, but this was the true test. A real challenge. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he was ready.
"You understand the rules," Roderick continued, "Your goal is to avoid me. I'll give you a head start. Your task is simple—use your Nen to hide and protect yourself. I won't be using my full power, but I'll still find you. If I do, we'll see how well you can fight."
Kairo nodded, already activating Zetsu. He let his aura recede, focusing on suppressing his presence to its minimum. His breathing was slow and controlled, every movement deliberate as he mentally prepared himself. The room around him was dark, the only light coming from a few scattered lanterns on the walls, casting long, stretching shadows. He would need to use the darkness to his advantage.
"Go," Roderick commanded, and in an instant, Kairo was moving.
With a fluid motion, Kairo darted into the shadows. His steps were light, barely a whisper against the cold stone floor. His heart pounded, but his mind was calm, sharp. He wasn't just hiding—he was blending into the environment, becoming part of the dark room, using the flickering lanterns as his guide. Each movement was calculated, his every sense stretched to its limit. The faintest rustle of his clothes against the stone echoed in his mind, but Kairo ignored it, pushing forward.
His aura was a subtle presence, his Nen contained but potent. He had spent so much time refining his Zetsu that now, he could hide it completely, as if his very presence had been swallowed by the shadows. Kairo was a whisper in the air, a flicker of movement hidden among the shifting darkness. He couldn't afford to think about anything else—this moment was about control. Silence. Patience.
Then, the air shifted.
Kairo felt it before he heard it—a barely perceptible change in the atmosphere. Roderick was close. He could feel the instructor's presence, but it was only a faint ripple, a pressure at the edge of his awareness. For the first time, Kairo understood what it meant to be hunted.
A whisper of movement. Suddenly, Kairo's body tensed, and he sprang forward, twisting and flipping through the shadows. His movements were fluid, graceful—he was a blur of motion, twisting like a shadow through the air, every step calculated with deadly precision. He moved like a dancer, his body light and agile as he wove through the environment. A somersault carried him past a pillar, his legs barely grazing the stone, and then a flip put him over a stack of crates, narrowly avoiding the silent footsteps behind him.
But Roderick was faster.
Before Kairo could even react, Roderick appeared behind him, a blur of movement that seemed to fold into the darkness effortlessly. He reached out with a hand, grabbing Kairo's wrist before he could slip past. A sudden surge of energy—Ren, Kairo's last line of defense—spilled out of him as he snapped his other arm forward, aiming a vicious elbow strike at Roderick's chest. But Roderick anticipated it, sidestepping with a fluid motion and twisting Kairo's arm, forcing him to the ground with a brutal speed.
Kairo gritted his teeth as he hit the floor. His mind raced, but his body didn't stop moving. He rolled, pushing himself back up onto his feet in one fluid motion, his legs springing him into a tight flip. Every movement was a reaction to Roderick's precise counters, but it felt like he was chasing a shadow. He couldn't win.
He attacked again, his feet light against the stone as he propelled himself forward, launching a spinning kick at Roderick's head. The move was quick, but Roderick sidestepped it with unnerving ease, his movements smooth and effortless as if he were simply floating in place. Kairo landed in a low crouch, eyes narrowing as he launched himself into a series of fluid handstands, using his hands to propel himself into the air and avoid the next series of attacks.
Roderick, unimpressed, ducked beneath Kairo's aerial strike and swiftly grabbed his legs mid-air, spinning him in a circle before slamming him into the ground. Kairo's breath left him, but he didn't stay down long. He rolled with the impact, using the momentum to spring into a backflip, his body coiling and twisting as he evaded Roderick's next strike.
The fight was a dance—a constant push and pull of attack and evasion. Kairo moved with grace, every strike a blend of precision and agility. He snapped a series of rapid jabs at Roderick's chest, each blow calculated for maximum speed. Roderick, however, was a wall, effortlessly absorbing the blows with minimal movement, parrying with ease and striking back without hesitation.
Kairo didn't slow down. He leaped high into the air, flipping twice before diving downward in an attempt to land a kick to Roderick's shoulder. Roderick twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the kick and responding with a swift jab to Kairo's side. The strike landed with a sharp crack, knocking the wind out of him.
For a brief moment, Kairo's vision swam as he staggered back. His legs shook, but his resolve only hardened. He couldn't afford to falter. He couldn't afford to lose.
With a roar, Kairo surged forward again, using his remaining energy to propel himself into a series of acrobatic kicks and punches, each move more desperate than the last. He spun, flipped, and twisted in the air, his hands a blur of motion as he tried to land a hit. His body felt heavy with fatigue, but he pushed through, ignoring the strain.
Roderick allowed him to attack, stepping back just enough to give Kairo the illusion of an opening. Then, with a swift move, Roderick grabbed Kairo's wrist and twisted him into a painful lock, forcing him to the ground again with brutal force. Kairo's body collided with the stone floor, and this time, he couldn't recover fast enough. His breath hitched as the air was knocked out of him.
"You're quick," Roderick's voice cut through the silence. "But speed alone won't be enough."
Kairo lay on the ground for a moment, panting heavily. Every muscle in his body screamed for rest, but he refused to give in. His mind raced, thoughts spinning. He had failed. Again.
But as the darkness of exhaustion closed in, he realized something. Roderick wasn't just testing his abilities—he was teaching him. The instructor's every move had been deliberate, an unspoken lesson in what true mastery over Nen looked like. Kairo was still a child in this world, but he had learned more in this fight than he had in any previous training session.
"You're not ready yet," Roderick said, his voice calm, almost indifferent. "But you're closer than you think."
The instructor stepped back, allowing Kairo to catch his breath. "Tomorrow, we begin with Hatsu. I'll teach you how to manifest your own Nen ability."
Kairo stayed silent, his mind still racing with the lessons learned from the fight. He had been defeated, but he had learned. And one day, he would be ready. He would be ready to escape.