The alarm went off before the sun had decided whether it wanted to rise.

  Kaelan shut off his phone with his good hand and stared at the ceiling.

  Mild pain in his ribs.

  Moderate pain in his shoulders.

  Severe pain… in his pride.

  “Great,” he muttered. “I feel like I got run over by a truck full of feelings.”

  Saji shouting.

  The Absorption Line grazing his aura.

  The Resonance pounding like a heart out of rhythm.

  And then that sentence, said with irritation… but honest:

  “I don’t want you as a rival. I want you as a teammate.”

  He wasn’t sure whether that made him feel better or worse.

  He got dressed, adjusted the cast in its sling, and headed toward Sitri territory.

  Today there were no fallen angels. No shattered temples.

  Today there was something worse:

  Serious training with Saji and Tsubaki.

  The gym felt colder than usual. Either the reinforced barriers were to blame… or Tsubaki Shinra standing in the center like an ice general, clipboard in hand.

  “Arverth,” she greeted without lifting her gaze much. “Punctual. Better.”

  “I’m trying to improve at something,” Kaelan replied.

  The door burst open.

  “I’M PUNCTUAL TOO!” Saji shouted.

  He entered like he was formally filing a complaint against the universe itself. Impeccable uniform, serpentine aura barely contained.

  Tsubaki wrote something down.

  “Two minutes early, Saji-kun. Acceptable.”

  Saji smiled with a pride that looked physically painful.

  They exchanged looks.

  It wasn’t pure hostility anymore.

  But there was tension. Competition.

  And… something like concern that neither of them wanted to name.

  Tsubaki closed the folder.

  “Good. We begin.”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “There will be no combat,” Tsubaki announced.

  Saji frowned.

  Kaelan exhaled in relief… far too quickly.

  “We’ll only work on what Sona-sama ordered: joint control.”

  Tsubaki pointed at them with surgical precision:

  “One: Arverth explodes at any strong emotion.

  Two: Saji pushes at any strong emotion.

  Three: that is a recipe for team-wide disasters.”

  “Could we not summarize ourselves like cheap therapy pamphlets?” Saji protested.

  “You are not in a position to worry about marketing your flaws,” she replied.

  They knelt facing each other.

  “Basic synchronization: inhale for three, exhale for four. Ten cycles. No magic.”

  They tried.

  They failed.

  They complained.

  Tsubaki threatened to recite the entire disciplinary code aloud.

  And, little by little…

  the Resonance loosened.

  the Absorption Line stabilized.

  the gym stopped vibrating.

  Tsubaki took notes.

  “Acceptable,” she declared. “My head does not hurt. We continue.”

  Kaelan smiled. Halfway.

  It was a victory.

  A small park. Old swings. One large tree.

  Saji checked the mission sheet.

  “Low-class energy node. Possible minor spirit trapped. Objective: stabilize. No complications.”

  Kaelan approached the tree.

  The Resonance vibrated faintly, like a sigh.

  “There’s something attached,” he said. “Not hostile. Just… sad.”

  Saji looked at him seriously.

  “Good. You calm it, I seal.”

  Kaelan closed his eyes. He opened the Resonance—not like an explosion, but like a door left ajar.

  He felt:

  A child. Old laughter. An empty swing. A memory clinging to the trunk because no one had said goodbye.

  Kaelan murmured:

  “It’s okay. You can go.”

  A soft glow rose, drifting like a floating dandelion seed.

  Saji activated the seal.

  “Done. Flow stabilized.”

  Kaelan exhaled, relieved.

  “That was… nice.”

  “Don’t get used to it,” Saji snorted. “Most things want to kill you.”

  Kaelan laughed.

  The Resonance vibrated.

  Calm.

  For the first time in days.

  Tsubaki handed over the report.

  “Mission completed. Arverth maintained Resonance control. Saji applied the seal correctly. No collateral damage.”

  Sona didn’t respond immediately. She looked out over the city as if evaluating the possibilities of the entire world.

  “Good,” she said at last. “We move on to the next training tomorrow.”

  Tsubaki inclined her head.

  “Both of them… are advancing.”

  Sona adjusted her glasses.

  “Let them continue. I’ll need them ready sooner than expected.”

  Kaelan let himself drop onto the bench.

  Pain in his legs.

  Mild pain in his chest.

  Resonance tired—but not overflowing.

  Progress.

  Saji appeared and sat at the far end.

  Silence.

  But not hostile.

  “You did well today,” Saji said, like the words cost him money.

  Kaelan raised an eyebrow.

  “Was that a compliment?”

  “Don’t get used to it,” Saji grunted. “You didn’t blow anything up. That’s progress.”

  “You did well too,” Kaelan said. “You kept me grounded when the node tried to latch onto me.”

  Saji scoffed.

  “If you break, Sona kills me. And I’d rather die in combat than from administrative disappointment.”

  Kaelan laughed.

  The Resonance relaxed.

  For the first time, he didn’t feel… alone.

  “Same time tomorrow,” Saji said, standing up. “And don’t be late. If we’re going to be Sitri’s front line, we can’t afford to look pathetic.”

  Kaelan raised his good hand in acknowledgment.

  “Understood, partner.”

  Saji stopped. Glanced sideways.

  “Don’t call me that yet. Don’t use that word so easily,” he muttered. “Survive twenty more training sessions first.”

  Kaelan watched him walk away.

  And for the first time since arriving in Kuoh…

  for the first time since dying…

  for the first time since being revived…

  The Resonance whispered softly:

  “Sitri Pawn. Not an anomaly. Not entirely.”

  Kaelan slipped his hands into his pockets.

  “I guess… this counts as progress.”

  And for once… the world let him breathe.

  Just once.