The tension in the air was almost suffocating. Ikaris stared at the empty space where the stranger had disappeared, his words still echoing in his mind. Something big was coming. Something he didn't fully understand, but which he now knew he couldn't ignore, was coming for him.
He turned quickly to Laila, who was still breathing heavily. Her eyes were wide, and her body trembled slightly, as if something was fighting inside her.
"Laila! Are you all right? Did they hurt you?"
She shook her head slowly, bringing her hand to her chest. "No... not exactly. But that feeling... it was horrible. Like something was trying to pull me away. It was as if, for a moment, I wasn't here anymore."
Ikaris' heart raced. This was serious. More serious than any training or fight he had ever faced. Those beings... they were something that even the system didn't seem to fully recognize.
[Ding]
[Alert: Unknown entity has interacted directly with a being close to the host].
[Analyzing side effects...]
[Error. Insufficient data.]
Ikaris gritted his teeth. "Good. Even the system doesn't know what's going on. That's not good."
Laila squeezed his hand, her eyes meeting his. "Ikaris... whatever this is, we need to prepare. I sensed... I sensed that they're not going to stop here."
He nodded. "I know. And let's not wait until they decide to show up again. Let's train. Let's get stronger. Whatever it is, I won't let them touch you again."
Laila smiled a little, despite the situation. "You really can't go a day without thinking about training, can you?"
He laughed lightly, trying to ease the tension. "Well, if you think about it, every day without training is a day lost in becoming stronger."
She sighed, but didn't disagree. "So, what's the plan? Are we going to go home and pretend nothing happened?"
Ikaris looked around. The street was silent, as if nothing had happened. But he knew that wasn't true. Something was different now. Something had changed that day.
He took a deep breath and made his decision. "We're going home for now. But from tomorrow, we're going to start a new level of training. I need to find Kael. And maybe... even Master Kame. If Kuririn has taught me so much, I want to see how far I can get by learning from the source himself."
Laila raised an eyebrow. "Master Kame? How do you think you can unlock him as a master?"Ikaris shrugged. "I'll ask the assistant, anything I can try to find to buy in the store, but before that, I want to test a few things. Something tells me that my way of fighting could evolve even further."They started walking back home, both in silence, processing everything that had happened. The world around them seemed normal, but the truth was that nothing was the same anymore, dangers seemed to lurk in every alley they passed.
When they arrived, Ikaris immediately activated the system interface again.
"System, can you analyze any changes in Laila after that incident?"
[Ding]
[Analyzing...]
[Changes detected]
[Alert: The being Laila Fonseca showed subtle changes in her energy pattern. Stabilization level in progress].
"Wait... stabilization? What does that mean?" Ikaris frowned.
[Ding]
[Insufficient data for a complete answer. The energy present in the host does not belong to this system. Continuous monitoring is recommended."]
Laila bit her lip. "So something really has changed in me... but we don't know exactly what." Ikaris sighed.
Ikaris sighed. "That means you need to be even more careful from now on. Until we understand what happened, we can't risk anything."
She nodded. "What about you? What are you going to do?"
He crossed his arms, thinking. "First, I'm going to try to deepen my connection with my own Ki. Kuririn said I should integrate my hidden energy into my normal Ki flow, right? Maybe that's the key to taking the next step."
Laila smiled. "So, are we back to the training routine?"
Ikaris laughed. "Exactly. And this time, we'll prepare for anything that might come."
But deep down, he knew. The sense of danger was still there, like a shadow hanging over him. Those beings weren't going to disappear so easily.
He needed to become stronger. More than ever.
Suddenly realizing something, Ikaris looked at Laila with a mischievous smile "So now you'll have to join my training... hehe, let's see what a pure human with maximum potential looks like!"
Laila froze at the look on Ikaris' face... now it was time for her to suffer a little.
...........
Ikaris POV
Laila and I were sitting on my bed facing each other. Before I started any training, I needed to help her control her Ki.
And that's what I did, I used my own ki as a guide to move the ki in her body.
I have to say that a pure human is really scary, I don't know if she was that talented before, but in one hour, she managed the feat of totally controlling her internal ki... well, according to the system's proficiency, she'd be at a solid 25%!
Laila looked at her own hands, feeling the energy vibrating subtly in her body. It was strange and fascinating at the same time. Ever since she had received her evolution to "Pure Human", something inside her felt different. She could feel the energy in a completely new way, as if it had always been there, but she had never realized it.
"So... that's what you feel all the time?" Laila asked, looking at Ikaris.
I smiled, crossing my arms. "Yes, but for me it's more intense. My Ki has always been present and active, especially after my awakening as a Saiyan. But you... you're picking it up too quickly."
Laila arched an eyebrow. "Is that good or bad?"
"It's amazing!" I replied excitedly. "It means that your body has really changed. Your potential is much greater than before. If you keep this up, you'll soon be able to use Ki for fighting too."
She laughed. "Wait a minute. I just wanted to get a bit stronger so I wouldn't fall behind. I'm not trying to become an elite warrior."
I just shrugged. "Too late. Now that your body has changed, you have the ability to become much stronger. And, to be honest, with these strange beings appearing, I think you'd better have at least a modicum of self-defense." Laila sighed.
Laila sighed. "Okay, okay... and how do we do that?"
I got up from the bed and held out my hand to her. "Come with me. Let's test something outside."
...
Night had fallen, and the two of them were on the bald ground often used by Ikaris and Kael for training. The sky was clear, illuminated by a bright moon and a few scattered stars.
"Tonight is the night of the full moon..." I stared at the moon contemplatively, if I were an ordinary Saiyan, this would be disastrous, yet the system allowed me to block the transformation.
I took a few steps back and turned to Laila. "Right, now that you can feel the Ki, let's see if you can use it to strengthen your body."
Laila frowned. "How do I do that?"
"Simple. Close your eyes and try to direct the energy into your muscles. Ki isn't just destructive power. It also serves to increase your strength and endurance."
She took a deep breath and did as he asked. She felt the energy pulsing inside her and tried to channel it through her body. Little by little, something began to happen. Her muscles became firmer, her breathing more controlled.
I watched intently as this unfolded. "That... that's working very well for a first test."
Laila opened her eyes, surprised to feel the difference in her body. "Wow... that really works."
He smiled. "Now, let's see if you can hit me."
She blinked. "What?"
Then I got into a fighting stance. "Come on, try to punch me. I won't hit back."
Laila hesitated, but then took a deep breath and stepped forward. Her fist moved with surprising speed, but at the last second, Ikaris deflected it easily.
"Good speed, but predictable." He commented, dodging another blow.
Laila growled, trying again, now with more force. But Ikaris continued to dodge with ease. "That's annoying."
I laughed briefly. "Welcome to the world of real combat."
She threw another blow, and this time, I casually blocked it with my palm. The impact caused a small displacement of air around them. Laila's eyes widened.
"That... that was pretty strong," I commented, surprised. "You're really progressing fast."
Laila smiled, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Well, if I'm going to keep up with you, I need to improve fast, right?"
A smile formed on my face. "Looks like the warrior mentality is starting to show."
Although the fatigue was somewhat visible on her face, today had been a long day, and it was far from over.
.....
The dawn progressed as the two continued to train. Small advances turned into significant improvements, and Ikaris was encouraged to see Laila's progress.
He was avoiding looking at her fighting power, just as Kael had taught him, fighting power is nothing more than a number, sometimes it is not an absolute quantification, after all he is living proof of this, in just over two weeks, her strength has increased by more than 5x just by learning about combat, while in reality, her strength was not much different.
And I could tell, Laila was having fun with it all, I was just defending her blows, and slowly guiding her according to the battle techniques of the turtle style, and surprisingly, this also improved my own skill.
[Ding]
[Turtle School Fighting Style - lvl2 -> lvl3]
But then, in the middle of the training, I felt something.
A shiver ran down his spine. His Ki wavered for a moment, as if he had sensed a strange presence.
Laila noticed his expression change. "Ikaris...? What is it?"
He didn't answer immediately. He closed his eyes and expanded his perception. At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But then he felt it.
A presence... watching from afar.
His eyes opened immediately and he looked up to the top of a nearby building. He couldn't see anything, but he was sure. Someone was there.
"Laila... come in now." Her voice was more serious than ever, that pressure... He was sure, if this thing wanted him, he'd be dead by now.
She noticed the change in his tone and didn't hesitate. "Right." She ran into the building, while Ikaris stood still, his eyes fixed on the darkness.
He waited.
For a long moment, everything remained silent.
Then he heard a voice.
"You're progressing too fast, boy."
The voice came from all directions at once, echoing through the air like a whisper.
Ikaris narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"
Nothing answered for a moment. But then the figure appeared.
Unlike the hooded men from before, this being didn't try to hide. He was tall, slender and his skin was as pale as the moon. His eyes shone with a golden hue, and his presence was... wrong. He wasn't just a strong being. He was something that shouldn't be there.
"You don't need to know my name." The figure said, stepping forward. "But you do need to know this: you are walking a dangerous path."
Ikaris didn't let his guard down. "And you're here to threaten me?"
The being smiled strangely. "No. I'm here to warn you. You have yet to see the true face of danger."
The wind blew strongly, and Ikaris felt his own energy react to that of the figure.
That wasn't good, he felt as if he couldn't control his own power.
[Ding]
[ALERT! ALERT! UNIDENTIFIED ANOMALY IS AFFECTING HOST, PREPARING EMERGENCY MODULE!]
Glancing briefly at the system screen, I felt cold sweat drip from my forehead. "I already know something big is happening." He spoke. "And I'm not going to run away."
The stranger tilted his head. "That's exactly what I expected you to say."
Suddenly, the figure disappeared in a blur, reappearing right in front of Ikaris. Before he could react, a finger was pointed at his forehead.
"But are you ready to see what's really coming?"
In the next instant, Ikaris felt a deep impact on his mind. His vision blurred and his consciousness was pulled towards something greater, something vast...
And, for the first time, he felt fear... no... that was dread.