Nathan reset for the fifth ti, breathing harder now. Sweat trickled down his jaw, dampening the edges of his bandages. His grin was gone, replaced with a clenched jaw and the stubborn gleam that always ca when he refused to lose.
rlin stood opposite him, wooden blade resting lightly at his side. His breathing hadn't quickened. His body felt loose, steady, ready for another exchange before Nathan had even finished dragging in air.
'It's not fair,' rlin thought, watching Nathan shift his stance. 'He's not weak. He's good. Better than almost anyone. But to … it's like he's moving underwater.'
Nathan lunged again, this ti faking low before snapping upward toward rlin's shoulder. rlin didn't even need to think. His blade moved with him, deflecting easily before twisting Nathan's arm just enough to send his sword flying. The wooden weapon clattered across the dirt.
Nathan froze, arm locked awkwardly in rlin's grip.
"…Damn it."
rlin let go, stepping back without a word.
Nathan bent, retrieved his sword, and straightened with a frustrated huff. "You make it look like child's play."
rlin t his gaze for only a mont. Then looked away. "Maybe you're just slow."
The jab landed sharper than he intended. Nathan blinked, then barked a short laugh, shaking his head. "Ass." He smacked his own shoulder with the wooden blade. "Don't think you can push off with cheap insults. You're not rid of that easy."
rlin's lips almost twitched. Almost.
From the fence, Elara's voice cut in. "Enough for today."
Both turned toward her. She hadn't moved from her place, arms still crossed, but her eyes had narrowed.
"Nathan, you're reopening your wounds. rlin, you've proven your point. Stop before one of you ends up carried off the field."
Nathan groaned. "I'm fine."
Elara shot him a look that could slice steel. Nathan shut up, rolling his shoulders sheepishly.
rlin lowered his weapon, grateful for the interruption.
"Food," Elara said firmly. "Both of you. Now."
—
The room was busier than earlier, soldiers drifting in from drills. Boots clattered on stone, the low hum of voices filling the air. The sll of stew replaced porridge, richer, though it still clung with the sa heavy blandness.
Nathan dropped heavily onto a bench, grabbing a bowl like he hadn't eaten in days. rlin slid down across from him, slower. Elara sat between them, her posture straight as if she'd been carved from discipline itself.
Nathan devoured his stew. Elara ate with careful, precise motions. rlin stirred his with the spoon, staring at the steam rising.
'The system says the gap's widening. They'll notice sooner or later.'
He forced down a mouthful, chewing without tasting.
Nathan finished half his bowl before leaning back with a groan. "Alright. I'll admit it, today you had . Completely. I couldn't even blink before you were on ."
rlin kept his eyes on his food.
Nathan tilted his head, studying him. "Seriously, though. How are you doing it? I train the sa hours, push just as hard. But you—" He gestured with his spoon. "—you're on another level. It's like the rest of us are standing still."
rlin froze.
Elara set her spoon down softly, gaze flicking between them.
'He's getting too close. If I say anything wrong—'
rlin forced a shrug. "So people learn faster."
Nathan frowned, unsatisfied. "Yeah, maybe. But this isn't just learning. It's like…" He trailed off, eyes narrowing. "Like you're seeing the fight before it happens."
The words were almost too close. rlin's chest tightened.
Before he could answer, Elara cut in smoothly. "That's called instinct. So fighters develop it earlier, so never do. rlin just has it."
Nathan looked at her, then back at rlin. "Instinct, huh?"
rlin kept his face blank, spoon scraping the bottom of the bowl.
'She covered for . Again.'
Nathan eventually leaned back, letting it drop.
But the suspicion in his eyes lingered.
—
The evening brought a softer light, the sun sinking low over the walls. Soldiers trickled away, leaving the courtyard nearly empty. rlin sat alone on a low stone ledge, watching the last glimrs fade.
The air felt cooler now, brushing across his sweat-soaked tunic. He exhaled slowly, tension pressing hard into his ribs.
The system chid faintly again.
[Warning: Disparity Increasing]
[Projected Isolation Event: High Probability]
rlin closed his eyes.
'Isolation event. That's one way to phrase it. ans I'll lose them. Nathan. Elara. Everyone. One step at a ti, until I'm standing alone.'
He gripped his knees, jaw tight.
'What's the point of surviving if I end up with nothing left?'
The faint scuff of boots broke his thoughts.
"Brooding again."
Elara's voice.
rlin opened his eyes to see her approaching, arms folded, hair loose from its tie in the evening wind. She stopped a pace away, studying him with that sa sharpness she always carried.
"Don't give that look," she said softly. "You sit out here every night, staring like the sky's got answers."
rlin didn't respond.
She sighed, sitting beside him on the stone. For a mont, they both watched the horizon in silence.
Then she said, "Nathan's worried about you."
rlin's head turned slightly. "Nathan worries about everyone."
"This is different."
She tilted her head, eting his gaze. Her eyes held no accusation, only quiet persistence. "He thinks you're hiding sothing."
rlin's pulse quickened. "…And you?"
Her lips curved faintly. "I know you are."
He stiffened.
But before he could speak, she continued, her tone softer now. "I don't need to know what it is. Not yet. Just… don't shut us out. We've already lost too much. If you vanish into whatever you're carrying—" Her jaw tightened. "—we won't get you back."
rlin stared at her, words caught in his throat.
'She doesn't understand. She can't. But… she's closer to the truth than she realizes.'
He finally forced a response. "I'm still here."
Elara studied him for another long mont, then nodded once. "Good." She rose to her feet, brushing dust from her trousers. "Don't make drag you inside again."
She walked off, leaving him with the fading sun.
—
The fortress had quieted, only faint sounds drifting through the halls, snoring soldiers, distant patrol boots. rlin sat at his desk, lantern low, staring at the glowing text hovering before him.
[Warning: Accelerated Growth Detected]
[Projected Star Advancent Threshold Within Range]
rlin's stomach sank.
'Already. Too fast.'
The system pulsed again.
[Advisory: Concealnt Recomnded]
He pressed a palm over his face, breathing slowly.
'Concealnt. As if it's that simple. Nathan's already pushing. Elara already knows too much. And if either of them—'
The knock at the door cut through his thoughts.
Not Elara's knock. He knew that rhythm by now.
"Nathan," rlin muttered, half to himself.
The door opened. Nathan slipped inside, no grin this ti, no banter. Just steady eyes, locked on him.
rlin straightened, body tense.
Nathan closed the door behind him, pulling out the chair opposite and sitting heavily.
"You're hiding sothing."
rlin's fingers curled against the desk.
Nathan leaned forward, elbows on knees. "I don't care what. Not right now. But don't lie to . Don't pretend you're fine when you're not. I'm not blind, rlin."
rlin said nothing.
Nathan's jaw clenched. "I don't know what road you're on. But I'm not letting you walk it alone. So whatever it is, however far ahead you are—deal with it. With us. Not just by yourself."
The words hit deeper than rlin expected.
He turned his gaze aside, throat tight.
'If only you knew. If only you understood what being twelve-star really ans.'
But he couldn't say it. Not yet.
Nathan pushed back from the chair, standing. His voice was quieter now. "I'll wait. However long it takes. Just don't make regret it."
He left, shutting the door softly behind him.
rlin sat in silence long after.
The system flickered again.
[Emotional Instability: Elevated]
[Reminder: Objective – Survive]
rlin whispered into the empty room.
"I'm trying."
—
Mist clung low to the ground, cool and damp. Nathan stood already in the yard, wooden sword in hand, grin restored like nothing from last night lingered.
"You look like death," he called. "Perfect ti to spar."
rlin rolled his shoulders, stepping onto the dirt. "You just don't learn."
Nathan barked a laugh. "One of these days, I'll catch you slipping. And when I do, you owe a drink."
Elara leaned against the fence, arms crossed, watching with her usual skeptical frown.
rlin caught the wooden sword Nathan tossed. The weight was almost laughable, but it would serve.
They squared off.
Nathan lunged. Fast. Strong. His blade sliced through the air with sharp precision.
But to rlin, it was slow. So slow.
His body moved without thought. Step aside, twist the wrist, blade already at Nathan's ribs before Nathan even realized he'd missed.
Tap. Reset.
Again. Again.
Every strike, every lunge, every desperate attempt, rlin was ahead. Always ahead.
Nathan stumbled back, breathing ragged, frustration flashing in his eyes.
"You see it," Nathan growled. "Before it even happens. Don't you?"
rlin froze.
Elara straightened on the fence, her eyes narrowing sharply.
Nathan stepped forward, chest heaving. "That's it, isn't it? You're not just faster. You know. Sohow, you know."
rlin's throat tightened. His fingers clenched on the wooden hilt.
'Too close. He's too close.'
He forced his voice steady. "You're imagining things."
Nathan's gaze burned into him, searching, unwilling to let go.
Elara's voice cut through the tension, sharp as steel. "Enough."
Both turned. She pushed off the fence, striding toward them. "This isn't training anymore. It's tearing each other apart. Stop."
Her eyes flicked between them. Too knowing. Too sharp.
rlin lowered his blade.
But inside, the system whispered again.
[Isolation Event Approaching]
And this ti, rlin had no answer.
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