The car screeched to a halt.
Snow sprayed against the tires as Daniel stepped out, cold air biting into his damp skin. A towel hung loosely around his waist, a long coat thrown over his shoulders without much care.
He turned to the boy beside him and grinned.
"Alright—shall we head in? This is my gym. My second home!"
The boy didn't respond.
Daniel didn't wait.
He grabbed the kid's wrist—gentle, excited—and pulled him forward.
The doors burst open.
Warm air, sweat, metal, and noise slammed into them all at once.
Grunts echoed. Weights hit the floor. Fighters sparred in corners. A place alive with motion.
Daniel raised both arms.
"HEY! GUESS WHAT?!"
The gym slowed.
Heads turned.
"I GOT A SON!"
For a second, there was silence.
Then laughter. Whistles. Curious eyes closing in.
"Wait—seriously?"
"No way."
"That kid?"
Men surrounded them—not threatening, not cruel—but close. Too close.
The boy froze.
His shoulders stiffened. His breathing shortened.
Daniel didn't notice.
Not until a man walked in the crowd.
"Daniel."
A deep voice cut through the noise.
The head coach stepped forward. Older. Broad. Sharp-eyed.
"A child?" He paused, looking past Daniel—straight at the boy's rigid posture.
Then his voice rose.
"Idiot! Can't you see?! You're suffocating him!"
Daniel blinked.
"Huh?"
He looked down.
Really looked.
The boy's fingers trembled. His eyes darted. The crowd, the walls, the noise—too familiar. Too close.
Daniel crouched immediately.
"…Ah."
He smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry. My bad."
The men stepped back at once.
The coach crossed his arms.
"So," he said, calmer now. "What's his name?"
Silence.
Daniel's smile faltered.
He turned to the boy. Knelt again.
"Hey… what's your name?"
No response.
Daniel chuckled awkwardly, scratching his cheek.
"Uh—guys. He can't talk. He's mute."
The gym went quiet.
Then—
*SMACK.*
"Ow—!"
Daniel yelped as the coach's hand landed squarely on his back.
"You adopted a child without knowing his name?!"
"How was I supposed to know?! Nobody there knew either!"
The coach pinched the bridge of his nose.
"…Nameless, huh."
He turned sharply.
"Come. My office. Both of you."
Daniel obeyed instantly.
---
The room was quieter. Smaller. The noise of the gym faded behind thick walls.
The boy's expression returned to normal—blank, distant.
Daniel slumped into a chair.
The coach didn't.
"You're getting reckless," he said. "Immature."
Daniel endured the lecture in silence.
Minutes passed.
Finally—
"So," the coach said, sighing. "What do you plan to do with him?"
Daniel looked up.
This time, his smile was different. Softer.
"I'll change his life," he said simply.
"I'll show him what it means to live… not just survive."
The coach studied him for a long moment.
"…Have you thought about a name?"
Daniel turned to the boy.
"Hey," he said gently. "Can you wait outside for a minute? We need to talk."
The boy hesitated.
Then nodded—and left.
The door closed.
Daniel's expression sharpened.
"Sir," he said quietly. "You saw it too, didn't you?"
The coach's eyes narrowed.
"…Yeah."
"So he's one of them."
Daniel nodded.
"I saw it the moment I looked into his eyes," he said.
"A spark. Small, but real."
He took a breath.
"In a world this dark…"
Daniel smiled faintly.
"He's my light."
The coach didn't argue.
Daniel stood.
"And that's why," he said softly, "I want him to be called—Light."