The alpha wolf lunged, claws aiming to tear Arin apart. But Arin moved. His body, despite screaming in agony, reacted on its own. He twisted his body mid-air, narrowly avoiding the wolf's strike and as the beast passed him, he clenched his fist and drove it into the wolf's side.
"AGHHH!" Arin roared, ignoring the burning pain in his arm. The wolf staggered, more from surprise than damage. Arin stumbled, his body swaying from the injuries. Blood dripped from his wounds, but instead of slowing down… his muscles felt lighter. His vision cleared. The pain dulled.
What is this…? The wolf attacked again and this time, Arin didn't think. He moved. He sidestepped the wolf's pounce, grabbed its fur mid-air, and slammed it into the ground. His body screamed, his bones felt like they were cracking but his strength rose. "What the..." Li muttered, his eyes narrowing.
The alpha wolf snapped its jaw toward Arin's neck, but Arin caught it. His hand wrapped around the beast's jaw, stopping it inches away from his throat. His muscles burned. His bones cracked. But he didn't stop. "DIEEEE!" Arin roared, forcing the wolf's head to the side and with a sickening crack, he broke its neck. The wolf twitched… then fell limp.
Arin's breathing was ragged. His vision was hazy. Blood dripped from his mouth, his arms, his legs but he was still standing. His body trembled violently, but the strength still surged within him. "…Hah… haah… I… I did it…" Arin panted, his voice cracked.
And then his body gave out. "Guh—!" His knees buckled. His vision turned black. The pain the unbearable pain he ignored finally swallowed him whole. Li watched as Arin collapsed face-first into the dirt, his body motionless.
"…Tch." Without thinking, Li moved. He appeared beside Arin in an instant, crouching down to check his pulse. Still alive… barely. His eyes flicked toward the dead alpha wolf. He killed it barehanded… while on the verge of death.
Without a word, Li hoisted Arin onto his back. His body was hot burning from the inside like a furnace. His breathing was shallow, but steady. "…Hmph." Li scoffed, glancing at the unconscious boy on his back. "Congratulations…" he muttered, his voice flat but with a faint trace of… something. "You just awakened your ability."
He kept walking, his footsteps steady. "Seems like your power grows the more you get beaten up…" He clicked his tongue, his grip on Arin tightening. "What a ridiculous ability." But despite his harsh words his pace quickened, his body moving on its own to get the boy to safety.
"Still… you managed to kill an alpha wolf with your bare hands." Li's voice grew quieter. "…Not bad." And without another word, he carried Arin home not even realizing that his chest felt slightly less heavy than usual.
As Li approached the village with Arin slumped over his back, he could already see a small house in the distance. It was modest cracked walls, patched roofing but it carried warmth. As he neared the entrance, he hesitated. Why am I even bothering with this…? he thought bitterly. Yet his feet didn't stop.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
Moments later, the door creaked open. A woman around her mid-thirties stood there. Her face was gentle, but the moment her eyes landed on the unconscious Arin, her expression shifted into pure horror. "A-Arin?!" she gasped, her voice cracking. "W-What happened to him?! Oh god—!" "Relax. He's alive," Li cut in coldly. He carefully shifted Arin's weight off his back, handing him to his mother. "Just… unconscious."
But the mother didn't even hear him. Her hands trembled as she cradled her son. "Oh my poor boy… h-he's covered in blood…!" "…It's not his blood. Not most of it, at least," Li said bluntly, avoiding her gaze. The mother's head shot up, her teary eyes glaring at him. "Who… who are you?! What happened to my son?!"
"…Li Vrak," he finally introduced himself after a long pause. "…I'm the one training him." The mother froze. Her face twisted into disbelief. "Training him? My son…?" She let out a bitter, confused chuckle. "I-I don't understand… why would he…?" "…Ask him when he wakes up," Li muttered, turning his back to leave. "He's tougher than he looks. He'll be fine."
"Wait." The mother's voice cracked, stopping him in his tracks. "W-Why… why was my son… with you?" Li didn't look back. "…He asked me to train him. I refused. He kept pushing. Eventually… I gave in." Tears streamed down her face as she held her unconscious son close. "And you… still let him get like this?"
Li's chest tightened. "…He wanted to get stronger." His voice was barely above a whisper. "…And he did." And without another word he walked away.
Arin's mother wasted no time. The moment Li left, she gently carried her unconscious son inside, placing him on the worn-out bed. Her hands trembled as she wiped the dried blood off his face, her heart breaking at the sight of his bruised and battered body.
"My boy… what did you do to yourself…" she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks. She grabbed a damp cloth and began carefully cleaning his wounds. His arms were swollen, his knuckles busted open, and his entire body was littered with bruises and scratches. Yet despite his condition his face looked oddly… peaceful. As if he was proud of something..
Her chest tightened. What did that man put you through…? As she continued tending to him, she recalled the man's cold, empty gaze Li Vrak. His voice was devoid of warmth, and his presence was suffocating. Yet despite everything, Arin chose to follow him. Why?
Hours passed. The night stretched on. Yet she never left his side. Occasionally, Arin would groan in pain, his body slightly shifting from the soreness, and every time she would gently stroke his hair.
"I'm here, sweetie… it's okay. I'm here…" She didn't sleep that night. Not even for a moment. She just… watched over him. Wondering what kind of future her son was about to step into.
Li returned to his empty, lifeless home. The door creaked as he stepped inside, and the moment it shut behind him silence consumed him. The same silence he had grown accustomed to for years.
He placed his katana against the wall, the faint traces of Arin's blood still clinging to his clothes. He didn't bother cleaning it off. Instead, he sank into his chair, his empty gaze fixed on the wall.
But his mind… wasn't empty. Not this time.
"Beat it. Show me your progress.""But I don't have a weapon.""You have your fists."
Li exhaled sharply. His fingers dug into his temples. "Why did I do that?"
He wasn't supposed to care. He wasn't supposed to feel. But the image of Arin's bloodied body the way he kept getting up despite his bones practically giving out it kept gnawing at him.
"You're not human, are you?"
Li's hand twitched. His own words echoed in his head, and the expression Arin had given him at that moment a proud, almost victorious grin despite his battered body made Li's chest tighten.
Why did he care? Why did it bother him that Arin collapsed in front of him? Why did it sting to see him in such a broken state? He should've felt nothing. He was supposed to feel nothing. But instead —
His hand clenched. Damn it. "It's none of my concern…" he muttered, his voice cold but shaky. "The boy asked for it. I simply fulfilled his request." But the image of Arin lying motionless on the ground flashed again.
His ragged breathing. The broken bones. The bruised knuckles. The way his body kept adapting no matter how much pain he endured. And worst of all The moment Arin collapsed and Li rushed to catch him. Li's hand trembled. His teeth gritted. Why did I do that? "I should've left him there," he muttered bitterly. "It's his fault for being reckless. It's his fault for asking me to train him."
And yet — His mind retaliated.
"You'll die if you keep pushing yourself like this.""Then I'll die standing."
Li's grip on his arm tightened. His jaw clenched painfully. "Stupid kid…" Why did it bother him so much? Was it because Arin was the first person who ever persisted? Was it because Arin showed an unyielding desire to protect the same desire Li once had before his world turned gray?
Or was it because deep down Li saw a glimpse of his younger self in Arin? "No," Li spat, shaking his head violently. "I'm not like him. I was never like him. That kid's going to get himself killed if he keeps this up." And yet… he knew he was lying to himself.
Because if that was true why did Li run toward Arin the moment he heard his scream? Why did his body instinctively move when Arin was in danger? Why did he care? "…Damn it." Li buried his face in his hands. For the first time in years, his heart felt heavy. And it wasn't from killing or surviving it was from something he long thought dead.
Concern. Genuine, gut-wrenching concern for someone other than himself. And it terrified him.