Elias Ward's visit changed everything.
Not just the caretakers — who now walked around as if the place were moments from inspection — but the children too. Whispered rumors spread like wildfire.
"Did you see his eyes?""He looked at us like he knew our secrets.""He's coming back!""What if he takes someone?"
Rafe ignored all of it.
He didn't have the luxury of fear.
He had nine years before his predicted death in the original timeline.
And Elias Ward had just accelerated everything.
Before sunrise, Rafe was already in the backyard stretching, ignoring the sharp pain in his joints. The frost on the grass soaked his feet, but he barely felt it.
Mara arrived minutes later, hair tied tightly, expression serious.
"He might come back today," she said.
"He won't," Rafe replied. "He'll wait. Watch from a distance. Learn how we react."
"You're sure?"
"No. But it's what I would do."
Mara accepted that answer without argument.
"Then we train."
Rafe nodded.
They started with running — Mara pacing him, Rafe pushing himself past what his body wanted to allow. His legs burned, his lungs felt too small, his arms trembled with every motion.
But he kept going.
Mara jogged beside him, glancing over occasionally.
"You're forcing your breathing," she said.
"I'm… trying."
"You're doing it wrong."
Rafe stopped. "Show me then."
Mara stepped in front of him, placed her hand on her own chest, and inhaled slowly through her nose.
"Fill your lungs from the bottom, not the top," she said."Your breath should feel like you're drinking it."
Rafe watched carefully and tried to mimic her technique.
It worked.
His breathing steadied.The ache in his ribs dulled.His pulse smoothed.
He blinked. "Where did you learn that?"
Mara shrugged.
"I don't know. It felt natural."
Rafe stared at her a second longer than he meant to.
She had instincts.Real ones.Ones that shouldn't appear in a child.
A future warrior's intuition.
As they resumed training, something else happened — something subtle.
Mara grew faster.
Just slightly.Barely noticeable.
But Rafe noticed everything.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Mara. Run across the yard. Full speed."
She hesitated, then obeyed.
Her feet hit the ground in a rhythm sharper than yesterday's.She moved with balance, efficiency — not like a trained fighter, but someone whose body was adapting on its own.
When she returned, Rafe crossed his arms.
"You felt that, didn't you?"
Mara looked down at her hands.
"…Yes."
"What changed?"
"I don't know," she whispered. "But when I woke up… something felt lighter."
Rafe was silent.
Then the System reacted.
DING.Secondary Trait Detected: Unawakened Physical AptitudeMara possesses a dormant physical trait influenced by proximity to the Host.
Rafe's pulse skipped.
His presence was affecting her.
That wasn't normal.That wasn't in the original story.
The System chimed again.
DING.New Quest Available — "Strength in Pairs"Train with Mara until both achieve minor advancement.Reward: +1 StrengthBonus Reward (Hidden): Unknown
Rafe exhaled slowly.
"Of course," he muttered. "The System wants me to train with you."
Mara blinked. "Is that bad?"
"No. It means we're getting stronger faster."
She nodded once, accepting the vague answer.
They moved to push-ups — Rafe trembling, Mara steady.
Then squats — Mara correcting his posture.
Then balance drills — Rafe falling more than standing.
At one point, Rafe collapsed flat on his back, staring at the clouds.
"I hate this," he groaned.
Mara sat beside him, legs crossed.
"You say that every day."
"And it's true every day."
"You still do it."
"Unfortunately."
She nudged his arm with her knee.
"That means you don't hate it."
Rafe looked at her.
"Why do you keep training with me? Most people would give up on someone this weak."
Mara didn't answer right away.
Then she said quietly:
"Because you don't give up on yourself."
Rafe blinked.
"…That's the nicest insult I've ever received."
"Not an insult."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
He turned his head. Mara was closer now than he expected, her eyes steady and honest in the quiet morning.
Before he could say anything, a loud crash came from the far side of the yard.
Both tensed instantly.
A girl — maybe their age, maybe older — burst through the trees behind the fence, clothes torn, hair wild, blood on her cheek.
She stumbled forward and fell to her knees, gasping.
Children who saw her screamed and ran.
Mara stood, alert.
Rafe stepped forward.
The girl lifted her head.
Eyes sky-blue.Shaking hands.Voice cracked.
"P-Please… help…"
Rafe's Bloodline Instinct surged like a shockwave.
DING.Potential Match DetectedA future variable has appeared.
Mara whispered:
"Rafe… who is she?"
Rafe swallowed.
"…A problem.And an opportunity."
The girl collapsed in the grass.
The day everything changed… had truly begun.