Oscar walked through the doorway.

  For years, the only light he had ever known came from cold laboratory lamps. Now the sunlight felt unfamiliar.

  Haruto placed a hand on Oscar’s head.

  “Well?”

  Oscar rubbed his wrists where the chains had been.

  “It’s been so long since I’ve been able to stop and see the sun.”

  Haruto could sense the pain behind those words.

  “So,” Oscar continued, “am I just supposed to walk into this academy and they magically fix my core?”

  Haruto chuckled.

  “If it were that easy, every unstable core user would be flooding their gates.”

  Oscar sighed.

  “Of course it wouldn’t.”

  They stepped away from the cabin.

  Oscar stopped.

  The world beyond him was… normal.

  Trees swayed gently in the wind. Bright green grass covered the ground, and a soft breeze brushed against his skin.

  Oscar looked up at the sky again.

  It still felt strange.

  A blue that looked different from the one he saw when he escaped the lab.

  Haruto leaned against the doorway.

  “You were never allowed to leave the facility, I assume?”

  Oscar stared at the ground.

  “…Never like this.”

  Haruto nodded.

  “I thought so.”

  For a moment, neither of them spoke.

  But one question lingered in Oscar’s mind.

  “Haruto.”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “What is it?” Haruto asked.

  “Why are you helping me so much?” Oscar said. “If I were you, I might’ve killed myself in your position.”

  Haruto raised an eyebrow.

  “You want the honest answer?”

  Oscar shrugged.

  “If you want.”

  Haruto walked past him into the clearing.

  “Because you’re dangerous.”

  Oscar sighed.

  “Well… good thing you’re strong.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re terrible at comforting people.”

  Haruto chuckled.

  “You flatter me.”

  “Anytime.”

  Haruto’s expression grew more serious.

  “Leaving you alone would be irresponsible.”

  Oscar let out a dry laugh.

  “So you’re saying I’m a walking disaster.”

  “Pretty much.”

  Oscar kicked a few small rocks across the dirt.

  “Sick.”

  Haruto looked at him as he began walking. Oscar followed.

  “The people who made you… they won’t stop looking.”

  Oscar’s expression darkened.

  “You don’t have to tell me something I already know.”

  Haruto studied him.

  “I can tell something else is bothering you.”

  Oscar hesitated.

  “My friend,” he said quietly. “He’s still there. Suffering.”

  Haruto didn’t interrupt.

  “They separated us right before we escaped,” Oscar continued. “He sacrificed his chance to leave for mine.”

  Haruto placed his hands on his hips.

  “So you’re planning on going back.”

  Oscar’s eyes hardened.

  “Absolutely.”

  Haruto nodded.

  “Then you’ll need to get stronger.”

  Oscar gave him an unimpressed look.

  “No way. Never thought of that.”

  Haruto ignored the sarcasm.

  “Right now your core is unstable. You rely on instinct more than control.”

  Oscar shifted his weight.

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

  Haruto stepped closer.

  “I say that because it’s the only reason you’re still alive.”

  Oscar’s eyes widened.

  Then Haruto continued.

  “But it’s also the reason you almost died in that forest.”

  Oscar couldn’t respond.

  Because he knew Haruto was right.

  If he pushed his core any further, he might destroy himself.

  Haruto walked toward an open clearing beside the cabin.

  “If you want to survive the entrance exam… you’ll need better control.”

  Oscar frowned.

  “Entrance exam?”

  Haruto glanced over his shoulder.

  “You didn’t think Aegis Academy just accepted people because they show up?”

  Oscar groaned.

  “It’s the top academy in the world.”

  “Applicants have to pass trials first.”

  Oscar rubbed his face.

  “So if I fail… I don’t get any help.”

  Haruto gave him a thumbs up.

  “Bingo.”

  Oscar let out a long sigh.

  “So what kind of training do I need?”

  Haruto stopped in the center of the clearing.

  “Show me how you fight.”

  Oscar blinked.

  “You serious?”

  Haruto nodded.

  “You said you survived the facility.”

  Oscar rolled his shoulders and stretched.

  “Yeah.”

  Haruto’s gaze sharpened.

  “Then prove it.”

  Oscar stepped forward.

  His core stirred weakly inside him.

  He stomped the ground and took a fighting stance.

  “Combat Mode: Dead Man’s Intuition.”

  Even injured, his instincts reacted immediately.

  Oscar lunged forward.

  Core energy condensed in his fist to strengthen the blow.

  Haruto prepared to block.

  But Oscar vanished.

  A short teleport placed him directly in Haruto’s blind spot.

  Oscar swung.

  Haruto didn’t even turn.

  A shockwave burst outward.

  BOOM.

  Oscar flew across the clearing and slammed into the ground.

  He groaned.

  “That really frickin’ hurt.”

  He slowly pushed himself up.

  “Old man, couldn’t you hold back a little more?”

  Haruto crossed his arms.

  “I’ll have you know I’m still young.”

  “I’m only thirty-eight.”

  Oscar stared at him.

  “Damn.”

  He smirked.

  “Maybe I should’ve hit you harder.”

  Oscar sighed.

  “…Yeah. I definitely need more training.”

  Haruto rolled his shoulders.

  “That’s the spirit.”

  A grin spread across his face.

  “Because it starts now.”