The door to the dorm clicked shut behind him.

  Rei stepped out into the morning chill, dragging his feet across the gravel path. The sky was painted with streaks of soft orange and blue, but his eyes didn’t register any of it. He looked like a ghost of himself. Dark bags under his eyes, posture slouched, and shoulders heavy with more than just exhaustion.

  He hadn’t slept.

  Again.

  His limbs screamed from the night’s punishment. Every muscle ached, but not in the rewarding way. It was a dull, numbing kind of pain that lingered long after the effort stopped being worth it.

  Still… he moved.

  Training. He needed to train.

  Rei made his way to the usual clearing—the one where Raphael always waited, arms crossed, eyes sharp, instructions sharper.

  But no one was there.

  His steps slowed, boots crunching the gravel beneath. The place was untouched. No scuff marks. No blades in the dirt. No familiar figure in black waiting to drill him down until he got it right.

  "...Huh?"

  Rei waited. Maybe he was early. He sat on the rock where he usually tied his boots tighter and waited. Minutes turned into a half hour. Then an hour. Still nothing.

  “Maybe he’s in the sim room today,” Rei muttered, pushing himself up. “Maybe it’s just a change of schedule.”

  He brushed off his knees and headed toward the simulation building.

  But that was empty too.

  Panic crept in. Not the explosive kind—just a slow, rising pressure in his chest. He left the building and started asking around.

  “Hey, have you seen Raphael?” he asked Caleb, who was sparring with Jian.

  “Nope,” Caleb said, brushing sweat off his brow. “Haven’t seen him all day.”

  He asked Stacy, who just shook her head. “Not since yesterday’s drills.”

  Carter shrugged when asked. “Dude’s a ghost most days. No idea.”

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  Hours passed. By the time the sun dipped behind the trees, turning the sky gold, Rei had asked nearly everyone. No one knew where Raphael was. Not even the other instructors seemed to know or if they did, they didn’t care enough to say.

  His heartbeat quickened, more from shame than nerves.

  He’d wasted the whole day.

  No training. No drills. No progress.

  "Stupid…" he whispered, clenching his fists. "What was I thinking…?"

  The shadows stretched longer as he made his way back toward the clearing. His thoughts swirled with what-ifs and self-blame, until—

  He stopped.

  Raphael was there. Leaning against a tree.

  Like nothing happened.

  “Rei,” Raphael said, not even turning to face him. “Took you long enough.”

  Rei’s heart jumped. “There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

  “You wasted an entire day,” Raphael said flatly.

  “I thought we were training—”

  “You’re not training today,” Raphael interrupted.

  Rei blinked. “...Wait, what?”

  “You’re taking a break. Starting today.”

  Silence.

  “...What?” Rei asked again, this time slower.

  “You heard me.”

  “No. No, wait, I don’t understand.” Rei stepped closer. “Why?”

  “I know about your late-night sessions,” Raphael said, finally meeting his eyes. “You think sneaking off every night went unnoticed?”

  Rei’s mouth opened but no words came out.

  “I saw the fatigue building. The dark circles. The limp in your left leg. I’ve been patient, Rei. I watched to see if you’d realize the damage you were doing.” Raphael’s voice stayed calm. Not angry. Not mocking. Just… cold.

  “But isn’t that what I’m supposed to do?” Rei finally said, voice cracking. “Push myself harder? That’s how I’ll catch up to them!”

  Raphael shook his head. “No, Rei. That’s how you burn out. That’s how you *fail*.”

  “But I have to improve! I’m falling behind. Everyone else—”

  “Isn’t killing themselves in the process,” Raphael cut in.

  Rei’s voice rose. “You don’t get it! I don’t have a powerful Grace like them. I don’t have fancy gear or a cool sword or sniper vision or—"

  “You think that’s the reason you’re weak?”

  Rei froze.

  Raphael’s tone had shifted. No longer measured. There was something darker in it now. Like a match being lit in a quiet room.

  Raphael stepped forward, towering over Rei. “You’re weak because you’re obsessed with chasing an illusion. Trying to earn worth through exhaustion. You think that’s noble?”

  “I—” Rei began, but he was cut off as Raphael grabbed him by the collar and yanked him forward.

  “You’re not your teammates. You’re not your failures. You’re not even your Grace.”

  Rei’s eyes widened.

  Raphael leaned in, voice lower now. “You want to know why I took you on personally?”

  Rei didn’t answer.

  “Because you’re not just fighting enemies out there. You’re fighting yourself. Every time you swing that sword, you’re not thinking about the battle. You’re thinking about how pathetic you’ll be if you don’t win.”

  “Shut up—”

  “You’re scared. You’re desperate. You’re drowning in the need to matter, and it’s blinding you.”

  Rei shoved him back. “You don’t know anything about me!”

  “I know your father.”

  Rei froze.

  “What…?”

  Raphael let go, taking a step back. “I fought beside him.”

  “No,” Rei said, backing away. “You’re lying. You never—”

  “Your dad was one of the strongest warriors I ever met,” Raphael said, eyes like ice. “He never needed to prove himself to anyone. He didn’t seek validation in blood or medals. He fought to protect. Not to be seen.”

  Rei’s throat tightened. “Stop…”

  “And compared to him?”

  Silence.

  Raphael’s words cut like glass.

  “You’re nothing.”

  Rei’s entire body locked up. The world tilted.

  “I’m sorry he never got to see what his son became,” Raphael said, his voice quieter now. “Because I doubt he’d be proud of this.”

  Rei’s knees gave slightly. The words echoed louder than any monster’s roar.

  “I—” Rei gripped his head, shaking. “No. No, you don’t get to say that!”

  “I do,” Raphael said. “And now that you’ve hit your limit… you’ll be training alone from this point forward.”

  Rei looked up, eyes wild. “You’re abandoning me?”

  “No,” Raphael said. “I’m giving you the chance to climb out of this yourself.”

  “And if I don’t?” Rei snapped.

  “Then you’re out of the Syndicate operation. End of story.”

  Rei’s chest tightened. “You can’t—”

  “I can. And I will.”

  The silence after that was suffocating.

  Raphael took one last look at Rei—at the way his hands trembled, at the tears brimming but not falling.

  Then he turned.

  And walked away.

  Leaving Rei alone in the empty clearing. No blades. No drills. No teacher.

  Just the weight of failure pressing down on his shoulders.

  And the echo of a name he could no longer live up to.

  [End of Chapter]