"Why are you here? Why did you follow the decisions they made for you?"
The brute's voice came out calm, inquisitive—almost like an on-call psychologist—while Cael obeyed his instructions. He lunged forward with a straight punch, but the moment it landed, it felt like hitting concrete.
Pain spiraled up from his knuckles to his shoulder.
"Grr… fuck…"
He recoiled, shaking his hand like trying to flick off reality. A sigh escaped, caught somewhere between exhaustion and rage.
"You're a damn steel wall…" He shook his throbbing hand. It was impossible not to be pissed. "Ehr… why are you even saying this? Determination? What the hell does that have to do with anything?"
"It's necessary. Weren't you the one who said you just arrived here today?" the brute's voice rang like a verdict carved in stone. "Then… I'm your master now. I committed to train you, you know what that means? Overtime, kid… and no extra pay for night shifts!" he roared like a challenge, stepping back, bending a knee, preparing the strike with the coldness of someone who already knows it'll land.
The punch never hit him—it froze inches from his face. Still, a savage gust burst in the space between them, like the air itself had collapsed.
The poor bastard felt it. Every cell trembled. Every fiber screamed in agony.
"You see that?"
"Fuck… how could I not?"
"That's just a splinter… a fraction of what I can do. And you know why?"
"Why… huh?"
"Aura. I wrapped myself in my Echo Aura. And you'll only reach this when your mind aligns with your determination. Which, by the way, needs to be crystal clear… What do you want to be? What do you want to do?"
He stepped back. His footing faltered. His legs gave out for a second, and before he could steady himself, he dropped to his knees.
"Shit…"
"Say it!"
"Okay… okay…" His panting breath chopped his words, voice hoarse from effort. "I wanna get out of here…"
"Perfect!" He crossed his arms again, impassive, like he already knew the answer. "But you only leave when the training is over. Got it? Every second you waste here… is time you're throwing away."
"Alright! Alright…" With visible effort, he stood—almost collapsing again. "So how do I do it?"
"Start by answering me this: why did you let them choose for you? You could've turned back, since you said you didn't want to be here…"
"I dunno, fear? One guy tried to kill me, the other saved me… so I followed the good guy…"
"No. It's deeper than that. If it were just that, you'd have been smart enough to get rid of my leader. But I see in your heart… you don't even care to do that…" He was relentless, unyielding. "Is it cowardice? Can't take control of yourself? Childhood trauma?"
"Ehr… what are you even talking about?"
"You're not used to taking action, are you? You just run from things… and somehow, you accept that as a way to escape problems, but… truth is, you escape nothing!"
"Okay, now you're just ripping me apart!"
It was like looking at his father—this feeling of failure crashing over him. His hands trembled, his voice cracked, his eyes blurred. Something burned in his chest, like a flame rising from the ashes of frustration.
"Why don't we just go back to the part where you disapprove of me, huh?"
"Now I get it… That's it. That's what holds you back. That's why you can't touch your Echo. Admit it, you're a coward!"
"Oh come on…" Anger flared, but so did the nerves.
"Admit it!"
"Fine… fine… I'm a coward, is that what you want? That's why I lost my girlfriend, my chances in life… Happy now, damn it?"
"I am. Now I understand what stops you from knowing yourself. You fear failure. But more than that—you rely too much on others. That lack of resolve keeps you from having power over yourself." After the analysis, he turned calmly, giving him his back. "Alright then, I'll give you your first choice. You can stay here and accept the training of your own free will… or you can leave, and live as a human."
"But… people are trying to kill me, damn it! That's not a fair choice!"
"It's not about fairness. It's about choosing. Do you want to fight for your life or keep depending on others? I'm not saying training will take you further, but… you'll have something to belong to, if you want it. It's about the courage to take responsibility, to have a chance… but I won't feed your cowardice. The decision is yours." With that, he began climbing a short five-step stairway and opened a silver ornamental door. "I'm gonna finish my shift. In about six hours, I'll be back. And we'll see… what you decided."
"Okay…"
He swallowed hard.
An hour passed.
He wandered with anxious eyes across the scenery, as if every sound, every detail could give him an answer.
Two hours…
He sighed, turned back, grumbling.
"Who the hell do they think they are? Judging me like that? Fuck… fuck… I didn't even choose this shit!"
He actually left the training field, muttering to himself, but when the third hour struck… he returned. His mouth dry, tongue rough like he'd chewed on dust.
"So hungry… you think there's bread and water around here?"
Staggering, he dragged himself to the door. His legs shaky, feet heavy.
"Hello? Big guy? Got any food in there?"
Four hours.
He slumped against the cold wall, staring at the gate like he expected it to speak. No one entered. No one left.
Cruel as fuck, he thought. I used to be running around, now? A condemned man. What the hell did I do to deserve this?
No more jokes. No more sarcasm. When he heard the doorknob creak, he jumped back with a breath of hope.
"Big guy?!"
Silence.
Five hours.
And then… six.
The door finally opened, revealing the giant at the top of the stairs. Cael was sitting on the ground, nearly dozing off, butt completely numb.
"So?"
"I…" He rubbed his eyes, stomach growling loud. "I want you to train me, you bastard… I… I don't wanna die!"
"Hm… as I said, that's your decision." The man came down the steps, scooping him up in his arms like he weighed nothing. "It won't be easy, but… I can see you'll finally start healing this love-hate thing you've got with life. And maybe, for the first time… fight for it."
And he took him with him.