Another day.
Same routine.
The world moved normally.
That was the strangest part.
School. Classes. Silence.
While walking through the corridor, Tiger keeps thinking about the dream.
Will that God show me something about the future?
Or was I already walking inside it?
He exhales. "Of course I'll see him again. Whatever it is… I can't overthink this."
The feeling returns.
Someone is watching him.
From a distance.
Not with eyes.
With intention.
He ignores it.
Class ends. His sir approaches.
"Tiger. How is your training going?"
"It's going well, Sir."
"Good. Let's test that."
They step outside to the practice ground. Far ahead stands a target buttress.
"You see that?"
"Yes… but it's around 40 or 50 meters away."
His sir grabs his shoulder and pulls him farther back.
"From here."
Tiger looks down at the red line beneath his feet.
"Seventy-two meters?"
"You said your practice improved."
"Okay, I'll do it."
Before he finishes, a bow and arrow are already in his hands.
Tiger checks the bow's flexibility carefully, making sure the string won't snap. He lifts the arrow, breath steady, vision locked on the target. For a second, the red circle of the target looked like a crimson eye.
Just as he's about to release—
He slips.
Balance wavers, The ground didn't feel unstable.
It felt pushed.
but he steadies himself.
He draws again.
"Stop!" his sir shouts suddenly.
"What happened?"
In an instant, his sir rushes behind him. Something invisible tries to shove Tiger forward.
His sir grabs it mid-air—
A brown teddy bear. Its stitched smile felt wrong.
Too stretched.
He slams it against the ground. The moment he touches it, flames ignite. Fire spreads briefly through the grass before dying out. The flames burned blue for a second — then turned normal.
"How did it burn?" Tiger asks.
"My fire abilities," his sir replies calmly.
His sir scans the area with sharp eyes but senses nothing else.
"You can continue. I'll watch."
Tiger raises the bow again.
A violent wind crashes toward him.
So strong it twists his stance and alters his aim.
But his sir doesn't move an inch.
The wind doesn't touch him.
As if it recognized its target.
"Sir… why isn't it affecting you?"
"Be quiet and focus."
Suddenly, the same teddy appears in the air for a split second, flying toward Tiger.
He leaps.
Even with the storm shifting his direction mid-air, he catches it before hitting the ground. The storm stopped the moment his fingers closed around it.
When his sir sees the toy again, his expression darkens.
The same mark… it's identical.
Moments later, the wind stops completely.
"Are you fine?" his sir asks.
"I'm okay. Your power is incredible. You didn't even move."
His sir looks at him in silence.
If this is before awakening… what will he become after?, he thinks. You're already stronger than me. And you don't even realize it.
"This day isn't suitable for practice," his sir says finally. "We'll continue next time. Go home. It's evening."
Tiger leaves the school grounds.
The teddy is still in his hand.
He tells no one. Not even himself
While walking back to his rented place, he sighs.
"Tomorrow… I have to meet Rigarta."
He looks at the sky.
"What am I even supposed to say?
It looked like an ordinary day.
But something had tested him.
And something had failed.
But nothing about it was