After his last visit to the Winterfell estate, coupled with the process of obtaining a new weapon, it took nearly two days of Cain’s ti. The ti would be extended if, by any chance, he didn’t refuse the Winterfell family dinner.
Sure, the real food they served had been a revelation to his palate. Yet, beneath it all, a strange restlessness churned. He realized, with so surprise, that he missed it—the sll of dirt on his morning run.
The boy was a bit taken aback by the thought that he would miss sothing as mundane as running around the field for hours. However, that activity also helped him grow.
On the dirt track of the training facility, under the warm glow of the rising artificial sun. Hundreds of cadets were running, circling the edge. Their breaths were steady, and they kept gazing at the front spot, watching Cain lead the pack.
But one thing that perplexed them was his calm expression, which showed no trace of exhaustion. It’s been hours since they did the training, but not a single drop of sweat stread down Cain’s forehead, nor did he grit his teeth.
That realization hit them like a physical shock as a fragnt of mories from the spar in the arena resurfaced.
At that ti, when the other cadet saw the crimson-haired senior gushing out with a formidable bloody aura that choked their breath. Yet Cain stood still, taking his stance as if nothing had happened and faced his opponent straight, showing no sign of fear.
In the last mont, the cadets were holding their breath, bracing for the impact of the collision, but to their surprise, the battle ended in a matter of a blink as Cain showed his lightning-quick movent to knock out the senior.
It was at that mont that the cadets began to see him with reverence; so of them even feared him. But despite the branched thoughts, the cadets were whispering in their minds.
’We must work harder in our training!’
Thanks to his presence in the field, it ignited the fla slumbering deep within the cadets’ hearts to keep trying and striving to at least be helpful on the battlefield when the ti cos.
In the midst of this swirling gratitude from the cadets, Cain kept his gaze straight, keeping his running pace. The feeling of his feet pounding against the hard ground truly made his heart pulse to live. He could sll the dirt mixed with sweat mingling within the vast place, yet this kind of chaotic place cleared his thoughts from unnecessary worry.
’It’s different.’
Cain looked over his shoulder, witnessing his comrades following from behind. The four’s expressions were hardened with sweat streaming down their face, making their skin glisten under the golden light. He gazed at the blonde-haired boy, who narrowed his eyes, striving to reach Cain’s position but to no avail. The scene put a grin on his face.
He was so focused on his own rhythm, amplified by his rising paraters, that he didn’t register his comrades’ growing struggle to keep up. However, the boy was oblivious to it all because many things had happened in the past few days.
As he was about to increase his pace, General Dosh, who stood on the podium, roared; his voice rumbled across the atmosphere.
"Hurry, you guys are half-way from the finish line. Speed up!"
"Yes!"
Not wanting to lose, the cadets shouted; their voices, a mix of frustration and determination, lit a fire in their eyes.
Hearing the chorus, the grey-haired boy parted his lips into a smirk. A ferocious glint shone in his black eyes.
Cain inhaled deeply, then stomped the ground. His vision distorted, and the world around him drained of color, as if ti itself had slowed.
Within that slowed world, Cain could move freely as he kept his running pace stabilized. But one thing started to change; he could feel a loud ’thump’ reverberating from his chest down to his nerves until it spread in his body.
A faint jolt, like static electricity, coursed through his veins. For a mont, his limbs felt lighter as if he had grown a pair of wings. The Ether power responded to its user’s will, strengthening his physique.
Several seconds later, he crossed the finish line, leaving all his comrades agape, their eyes wide with shock at the disappearance of their power.
Cain crossed the finish line and only began to slow dozens of ters beyond it. He blinked, prompting his heightened sense to return to normal, and saw his shadow stretched toward the west.
His ears perked up when he heard footsteps approaching from behind. The boy turned around and furrowed his brow, witnessing Dosh walk toward him.
As the two distances shortened into several tres, the man’s right hand beca blurred. Cain saw a glittering thing co approaching his face with a spin.
’This again!’
He sighed in bewildernt. How co the adults he ets always throw sothing at him? Can they just give it to him by hand?
With a flick of his hand, Cain snatched the thing and looked at what it was. It was a white card with a book symbol in the top corner and his na beneath it.
"That’s what I promised. You can now go and borrow any book in the library."
Dosh said, prompting him to stare at the man’s face before nodding. However, a mont later, he saw the general keep his gaze straight, seemingly hesitant to speak.
Cain knitted his brows, asking.
"What is it? Why are you looking at like that?"
The man swallowed hard, then took a step closer until his towering body stood a ter before Cain. Dosh exhaled and said in a whispering voice.
"...I heard everything from Albert and Alex. It seed you did sothing to Selena?"
A mont of silence passed as the grey-haired boy gazed at Dosh’s sincere and softened expression. It was such a rarity for the man to show such a weakened appearance.
Cain nodded and added.
"Yeah, I was lucky, that’s all."
Dosh snorted, his stiffened lips broke into a broad grin when he heard Cain’s evasive answer.
"Well, I just want to say thank you for saving one of my comrades, that’s all."
"Comrade!?"
Before Cain could pry further, the cadets finished their run and stayed near the finish line. The man turned his back on Cain, making him miss his chance to ask.
’Comrade, huh? I never expected that.’
His connections within this city’s power structure were deeper and more personal than he’d imagined. Senior Luna, Dosh, Albert, Selena, Alex. They ford a hidden web of threads.
The boy shrugged, throwing away the thoughts from his mind. His priority was the white card he was holding.
Cain raised the card, which had a smooth, hard-tal texture. He put it into his pants pocket and couldn’t help but grin while thinking of what would co.
’I can borrow the book I’ve always wanted to read all this ti.’
He returned to his group, then stood in line to hear General Dosh’s last words before being dismissed into each other’s business.
The boy, at that ti, was still unaware of what awaited him, and the morning training he missed this ti would be the last ti he would attend.
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