----
The training continued.
And somehow, despite everything they had already covered, Jiwoo kept finding new ways to surprise Kayden.
Mostly by how stubborn he was.
Which was both impressive and irritating.
A dangerous combination.
"Again."
Jiwoo looked exhausted.
His shoulders rose and fell with every breath.
His hands were still raised in front of him, but his stance had become sloppy.
Asuka noticed immediately.
"Stop."
Jiwoo froze.
"But—"
"Stop."
Her tone was gentle.
But firm.
Jiwoo lowered his hands.
Kayden, sitting on the railing nearby, nodded.
"Good."
Jiwoo looked confused.
"I thought you wanted me to keep going."
"I wanted you to know when to stop."
Jiwoo blinked.
Asuka walked closer.
"You are improving."
Jiwoo smiled slightly.
"But?"
"There is always a but."
Kayden nodded.
"Unfortunately."
Asuka ignored him.
"The Black Flash technique I showed you…"
Jiwoo straightened.
"You mean that one?"
"Yes."
She tapped his chest.
"That is not your priority."
Jiwoo looked surprised.
"But it was really powerful."
"It is."
"So why not focus on it?"
"Because right now, you are not at the stage where it solves your problems."
Jiwoo tilted his head.
Asuka explained.
"Think of Black Flash as something you use when everything is already aligned."
She raised one finger.
"Your timing."
Another.
"Your energy control."
Another.
"Your physical condition."
"All three need to work together."
Jiwoo nodded slowly.
"So if I learn it…"
"You gain another option."
She looked at him.
"Not a replacement for your weaknesses."
Kayden crossed his arms.
"Exactly."
Jiwoo looked at him.
"You agree?"
"Unfortunately."
Kayden sighed.
"You have a habit of finding one thing that works and then relying on it."
Jiwoo looked away.
"…Maybe."
"Definitely."
Asuka nodded.
"Your one-hit attacks are powerful."
She glanced at the destroyed and repaired punching bag.
"But if you meet someone who survives it…"
Jiwoo became quiet.
"Or someone who understands your pattern…"
A pause.
"Then what?"
Jiwoo lowered his gaze.
"I'd lose."
"Yes."
Asuka's honesty was gentle.
Not cruel.
"You need more options."
Jiwoo sat down on the floor.
"So what should I focus on?"
Asuka answered immediately.
"Energy."
Kayden pointed.
"Reserves."
Asuka nodded.
"Your output is impressive."
She looked at Jiwoo.
"But your reserves are still too small."
Jiwoo frowned.
"Can't I just recover faster?"
Kayden glanced at him.
"Explain."
Asuka crouched beside him.
"You have an affinity toward time."
Jiwoo blinked.
"Because of the force control?"
"Yes."
"The force control you gave me?"
"Yes."
Kayden looked interested.
Because even now, he still found himself thinking about how ridiculous that was. Asuka had given Jiwoo a force control connected to time. Something that should have been impossible. And she acted like she had simply handed him a useful tool.
"Asuka?"
"Yes?"
"Continue."
She nodded.
"Because of that affinity, you can potentially accelerate your own recovery."
Jiwoo's eyes widened.
"I can?"
"Yes."
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
"But."
Asuka nodded.
"But."
Jiwoo sighed.
"Of course."
Asuka smiled slightly. "Reversing time is naturally more effective."
"Think of it like this—" She picked up a small pebble from the floor.
"This."
She placed it down.
"Is speeding up."
A small distortion surrounded it.
"The object moves forward faster."
The pebble rolled slightly.
Then stopped.
"But reversal…"
She looked at the pebble.
"Is returning something to a previous state."
Kayden watched carefully.
"It requires rebuilding what already happened."
Asuka nodded.
"Exactly."
Jiwoo listened.
"So it's harder."
"Much harder."
She gave an example.
"Imagine two people fighting."
She pointed to Jiwoo.
"One person can instantly return themselves to perfect condition."
Then another point.
"The other person can recover faster than normal."
Jiwoo nodded.
"The first person has a huge advantage."
"Yes."
"Because they can keep resetting."
"Yes."
Asuka looked at him.
"The second person is still taking damage."
Jiwoo understood.
"Even if I recover faster, I might still lose."
"Correct."
Kayden nodded.
"And your biggest problem is already energy."
Jiwoo looked down.
Asuka continued.
"If you spend more energy accelerating recovery than you can passively regain…"
She shook her head.
"It becomes inefficient."
Jiwoo sighed.
"So I have another ability that I can't use yet."
"Yes."
"That sounds familiar."
Kayden looked away.
"That's because you have a terrible habit of collecting impossible abilities before you're ready."
Jiwoo smiled awkwardly.
"That sounds like my fault."
"It is."
Then Asuka said something that made Kayden stop.
"Which is why I developed something else."
Kayden immediately looked at her.
"Something else?"
"Yes."
Jiwoo looked excited.
"What is it?"
Asuka walked toward him.
"A framework."
Kayden's expression changed.
Because he knew that word.
Asuka was never just talking about a technique.
She was talking about something fundamental.
"Asuka."
"Yes?"
"What did you do?"
She tilted her head.
"Improved his reserves."
Kayden stared.
"Explain."
Asuka placed two fingers over Jiwoo's chest.
"Your core."
Jiwoo stayed still.
"This force control uses space."
Kayden narrowed his eyes.
"Space?"
"Yes."
"Not time?"
"Time is the affinity."
She explained.
"Space is the structure."
Kayden went quiet.
Asuka continued.
"The idea is simple."
She pointed toward Jiwoo's core.
"Create a vacuum within the core."
Jiwoo blinked.
"A vacuum?"
"A separate space."
Kayden's eyes widened slightly.
"Wait."
Asuka continued.
"It acts as additional storage."
Silence.
Jiwoo looked confused.
Kayden did not.
He understood immediately.
"No."
Asuka tilted her head.
"No?"
"You're saying…"
His eyes narrowed.
"You created another reserve inside his core?"
"Yes."
Jiwoo blinked.
"Another reserve?"
Asuka nodded.
"In theory."
Kayden stared.
Then slowly looked at Jiwoo.
Then back at Asuka.
"You gave him two cores."
"No."
Asuka shook her head.
"Not technically."
"But functionally?"
A pause.
"…Yes."
Kayden was silent.
Actually silent.
Which was rare.
Very rare.
Jiwoo looked between them.
"Is that bad?"
Kayden turned.
"Bad?"
He pointed at him.
"Do you understand what you have?"
Jiwoo looked nervous.
"No?"
Kayden looked back at Asuka.
"This is insane."
Asuka shrugged.
"It is useful."
Useful.
That word.
Kayden almost laughed.
Useful.
She called it useful.
A technique that could completely change an awakened fighter's limits.
Useful.
Asuka explained calmly.
"The secondary space does not function like a true core."
She tapped Jiwoo's chest.
"It is storage."
"However…"
Her eyes sharpened.
"Because it uses space principles, energy retention is improved."
Kayden immediately understood.
"So he absorbs faster."
"Yes."
"And wastes less."
"Yes."
"And while fighting…"
Asuka nodded.
"He can recover energy passively faster."
Jiwoo's eyes widened.
"So I can fight longer?"
"Yes."
Kayden stared at him.
"Do you realize what this means?"
Jiwoo shook his head.
Kayden pointed.
"Most awakened people fight with one reserve."
He looked at Asuka.
"You gave him the equivalent of a second."
Asuka tilted her head.
"Eventually."
"Eventually?"
"His current reserves are still small."
Kayden sighed.
Of course.
Even when she created something ridiculous, she still had to mention limitations.
"But as he grows…"
Asuka continued.
"The storage grows."
Kayden rubbed his face with one paw.
Or tried to.
Being a cat made that less impressive.
"Two reserves."
Jiwoo looked at his hands.
"That's…"
"Overpowered."
Kayden answered immediately.
Jiwoo looked startled.
"Really?"
"Yes."
A pause.
"Annoyingly so."
Asuka smiled faintly.
"That is why he still needs training."
Kayden looked at her.
"You say that after giving him a technique every awakened organization would kill for?"
"Yes."
"Casually."
"Yes."
"Like it's nothing."
Asuka blinked.
"It was just solving his problem."
Kayden stared. That was the problem. She genuinely meant it. She had looked at Jiwoo's weaknesses. Identified them. And created solutions. Like it was natural. Like she was not casually changing the future of the awakened world.
Jiwoo looked determined.
"I'll train harder."
Kayden sighed.
"Of course you will."
"Mr. Kayden?"
"You have that look."
"What look?"
"The one where you decide something impossible is possible because someone told you it was."
Jiwoo smiled.
"Is that bad?"
Kayden paused.
Then looked away.
"No."
A smaller pause.
"It's annoying."
Asuka watched them quietly.
This was familiar. Too familiar. A strong mentor. A stubborn student. A ridiculous amount of confidence. Different world. Different people. Same pattern.
Later, after Jiwoo left to rest, Kayden remained in the training room.
Quiet.
Thinking.
"Asuka."
"Yes?"
"You know what you are?"
She looked over.
"No."
"Trouble."
She tilted her head.
"That seems unfair."
"No."
Kayden looked toward the punching bags.
"You and I have a disciple who can potentially stop time due to your force control."
Then he looked at her.
"And I have another disciple who is building impossible techniques like they're homework."
Asuka blinked.
"Jiwoo is not my only disciple."
Kayden froze.
She smiled faintly.
"You are also my teacher."
A rare moment.
Kayden had no immediate response.
Then—
"Hmph."
He looked away.
"Obviously."
Asuka smiled.
There it was.
The arrogance.
The pride.
The complete inability to accept affection normally.
Exactly like—
She stopped the thought.
No.
Different person.
Different life.
Different world.
Even if the similarities were sometimes ridiculous.
Kayden glanced at her.
"You were thinking about something."
Asuka went still.
"Was I?"
"Yes."
"You can tell?"
"You're obvious."
She looked offended.
"I am not."
"You are."
A pause.
"Asuka."
"Yes?"
"Stop collecting troublesome things."
She looked around the room.
At Jiwoo's training equipment.
At the cats sleeping upstairs.
At the house.
At Kayden.
She smiled softly.
"I think it is too late."
Kayden sighed.
Unfortunately…
He agreed.
Because somehow, somewhere along the way—
The strongest awakened one. The girl with impossible abilities. The kind boy who refused to give up. And a bunch of cats. Had become something dangerously close to a family. And honestly? That was probably the most troublesome thing of all.
Morning came quietly.
Unlike most mornings in the Seo household. There was no explosion. No awakened battle. No criminal appearing out of nowhere. No Kayden complaining loudly. Just sunlight through the windows, cats stretching lazily, and Jiwoo preparing for school.
A normal morning. Or as normal as life could be now. Jiwoo adjusted his backpack before stepping outside. For a moment, he paused. Not because he was tired. Though he was.
Very much so.
Training with Kayden and Asuka had been exhausting lately. His body was constantly pushed. His energy control was constantly corrected. His mistakes were constantly pointed out. But strangely…
He liked it.
Because he could feel himself changing. He placed a hand lightly over his chest. Not physically. But internally.
There.
Deep inside his core. Something existed now. Something he still couldn't fully understand. A second space. A vacuum. A place created by Asuka's force control.
A gift.
That was what mattered. Jiwoo still didn't understand the complicated principles behind it.
Space.
Energy retention.
Storage.
Affinity.
Those words were still difficult. But he understood one thing. His little sister made it for him. She spent time creating something specifically because she wanted to help him. And that alone made him happy.
"She really is amazing…"
Jiwoo smiled softly.
Then he started walking. As he moved through the streets, he began his usual force control practice.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Breathing.
Feeling.
His energy circulated. And for the first time, he could truly feel the difference. Before, using his abilities felt like trying to empty a lake with a cup.
Powerful.
But limited.
Now…
It was still not endless. But there was more. A second place where energy could rest. A second place where he could draw from. His reserves were still small. Asuka had been very clear about that. The framework was there. The foundation was there. But he had to build it himself.
Still…
Jiwoo smiled.
"I'll get stronger."
Not because he wanted power. Not because he wanted fame. Because he wanted to protect people.
His friends.
His sister.
His cats.
And maybe…
Even Mr. Kayden.
"Jiwoo Seo."
Jiwoo stopped.
A familiar voice.
He turned.
"Subin?"
Subin Lee stood nearby, arms crossed.
She looked exactly as irritated as she usually did.
Jiwoo smiled politely.
"Good morning."
Subin's eyebrow twitched.
"Don't talk to me like I'm your friend."
Jiwoo blinked.
"Oh."
A pause.
"Did you get home safely yesterday?"
Subin stared.
Completely thrown off.
For a moment, she genuinely had no response. 'What the hell is wrong with this guy?'
She had approached him. She had threatened him. She had demanded things from him. And he was asking if she got home safely? 'What kind of person was he?'
"Forget that."
Subin shook her head.
"I'll get straight to the point."
Jiwoo tilted his head.
"What is it?"
"Call Wooin here."
Jiwoo's expression changed.
Not angry.
Just cautious.
"Why?"
"Just do it."
"Subin…"
Jiwoo looked at her.
"What are you trying to do to Wooin?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"Stop babbling and do as I say."
Jiwoo shook his head.
"No."
That answer surprised her.
"You…"
Jiwoo continued.
"I don't know what's going on between you and Wooin."
His voice stayed calm.
"But Wooin didn't do anything wrong to you."
Subin stared.
"You're defending him?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because he's my friend."
That simple answer irritated her more than anything.
"Hey."
She stepped closer.
"Do you belong to Shinhwa like Jisuk?"
Jiwoo shook his head.
"No."
"Then what are you?"
"I don't belong anywhere yet."
Subin looked away.
"Hah."
Her expression turned cold.
"How ridiculous."
Jiwoo stayed quiet.
"Just like Jisuk said."
She looked back at him.
"You guys really don't know anything about this world."
Jiwoo frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Subin's expression hardened.
"You want to die?"
Jiwoo blinked.
"What?"
"You don't have a group."
She stepped forward.
"And you dare ignore what I say?"
The air around her cooled.
"My grandfather is the Union's president."
Jiwoo stayed still.
"You heard that yesterday."
Subin's eyes sharpened.
"You have nobody backing you."
A pause.
"Who do you think you are acting like this toward me?"
Jiwoo looked at her.
"You're saying because I don't belong to a group, I should just do whatever you say?"
Subin's expression shifted slightly.
"That's not what I—"
"You're telling me to bring Wooin here."
Jiwoo shook his head.
"But you haven't explained why."
Subin went quiet.
Jiwoo's voice remained gentle.
"I'm not going to betray my friend just because it's easier for me."
For a moment, Subin just stared.
Then—
She laughed.
Not happily.
More like disbelief.
"You're lucky I don't hit people for no reason."
Jiwoo frowned.
"But—"
"Listen."
Her expression became serious.
"Don't act like that with everyone."
She looked at him.
"You never know what someone else will do."
Jiwoo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"It doesn't matter."
Subin blinked.
"I'm not going to betray my friend."
The confidence in his voice was strange.
Not arrogant.
Not prideful.
Just certain.
Subin looked away.
"Yeah."
She sighed.
"Sure."
Like she didn't believe him.
Then another voice interrupted.
"You again?"
Both turned.
Wooin stood there.
Subin immediately looked annoyed.
"Oh."
She glanced at him.
"There was no need to call you after all."
Wooin's expression stayed calm.
"Are you threatening Jiwoo because you have business with me?"
Subin paused.
Wooin continued.
"Like I told you yesterday."
His eyes sharpened.
"If you have business with me, talk to me."
A quiet moment.
"Why are you here?"
Subin looked at him.
Then away.
"I wanted to see for myself."
A pause.
"Whether you were really worth it."
Wooin frowned.
"For Mr. Park to break the Union's rules."
"And why should I do what you say?"
Subin looked at him.
"Because it's best for you."
Wooin didn't answer.
Subin continued.
"And don't try to get out of this."
Her voice lowered.
"If you do…"
She looked toward Jiwoo.
"It'll be your friend's turn."
The air changed.
Wooin's telekinesis began leaking.
Subin's ice aura appeared.
Then—
"Wait."
Jiwoo stepped between them.
Both looked at him as Subin complained, "What now?!"
"Awakened ones shouldn't fight on the streets."
Subin stared.
Jiwoo continued.
"Your grandfather is the Union's president."
He looked at her.
"Shouldn't you be more careful?"
Silence.
Even Subin had no immediate answer.
Because annoyingly…
He had a point.
Wooin looked away slightly.
Jisuk would have probably complained about how ridiculous this situation was.
But even he would admit Jiwoo was right.
Which was how they ended up at Shinhwa.
Standing in front of Jiyoung Yoo and Inhyuk.
Jiyoung sat calmly.
Arms crossed.
Looking between them.
"So…"
A pause.
"You two want to spar?"
Subin immediately bowed slightly.
"Sorry, Jiyoung."
She explained.
"I left the Union without permission."
A pause.
"I couldn't test him there."
Before Jiyoung could respond—
The door slammed open.
"Wait."
Everyone turned.
Jisuk Yoo entered.
His eyes immediately lit up.
"So Subin and Wooin are fighting?"
A grin appeared.
"This is gonna be fucking fun."
Jiwoo blinked.
"Jisuk?"
Jisuk pointed.
"Jiwoo."
He looked completely serious.
"Call your sister."
"Why?"
"She can't miss this."
Inhyuk, standing nearby, immediately covered his face.
"Why are you like this?"
Jisuk ignored him.
"This is important."
Inhyuk sighed.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because you're treating a serious spar like entertainment."
Jisuk looked offended.
"It is entertainment."
Jiyoung closed her eyes.
A headache was already forming.
Somehow…
Somehow this group kept getting bigger.
And louder.
And more troublesome.
And yet…
Looking at Jiwoo.
Looking at Wooin.
Looking at Jisuk.
She had to admit one thing.
They were changing each other.
And perhaps…
That was not a bad thing.
----