The Support Club's training hall buzzed with false calm, its white walls too bright under the glowing energy lamps. The sharp smell of cleaning solutions couldn't quite hide the metallic hint of blood beneath. Students moved through drills with tense precision, their spotless uniforms contrasting with the nervous sweat on their brows.
Everyone felt it — war was coming.
Xian stood at the center station, her usual loud confidence turned up too high. Before her, a practice dummy lay cut open, fake organs spilling across the metal table in gruesome detail
.
"Watch close, rookies," she announced, rolling up her sleeves. A younger student flinched at the red stains on her arm.
"This is how it's done."
Her hands glowed pink with healing energy, pulsing with her quick breaths. Where she touched the dummy's wound, flesh stitched itself back together perfectly — muscles weaving like thread, veins reconnecting like tiny rivers finding their paths.
Alexis stood rigid against the far wall, arms crossed so tight his jacket strained. His eyes never left Xian's hands, watching her fingers shake between bursts of power.
"You're staring," Drake noted, smirking.
"Tracking her energy use," Alexis shot back too fast, his neck turning red. "She's using too much too fast."
"Sure. Tracking." Drake's grin widened as Alexis clenched his jaw. "Tell that to your eyes. They're—"Xian's loud laugh cut through. "Perfect score again!" She wiped her forehead, leaving a red smear. The instructor marked it flawless without looking — her fifth perfect mark this week.The room relaxed slightly until—
CRACK.
A student's protective shield shattered at Station Three, the backlash sending them skidding across the polished floor.
Xian moved before the instructors could react, her boots slipping slightly in the spilled nutrient fluid as she caught the student by their collar.
"Idiots," she muttered through gritted teeth, but her hands were already pulsing with pink energy. The angry burns covering the student's arms faded under her touch, leaving only faint silver traces where raw flesh had been moments before.
"How did you—" the student began, eyes wide with awe.
"Don't." Xian released them abruptly. "Just... don't be stupid next time." The usual razor-edge in her voice had dulled to exhaustion.
A smattering of applause broke out from nearby students and instructors. Xian flashed a quick, practiced smile in acknowledgment before making her way toward where Alexis and Drake stood watching.
Alexis stepped forward as she approached, his normally composed expression giving way to concern. "Third-degree burns healed that quickly? That goes beyond advanced technique."Drake watched Xian's shoulders tense visibly at the observation. "It's fear," he said quietly, the words carrying the weight of shared understanding — the same relentless drive that fueled his own punishing training regimen.
---
The southern courtyard offered quiet escape, its rusted rails and broken benches ignored by the perfect academy. Xian collapsed onto a bench, breathing hard. Alexis silently offered his water bottle, their fingers brushing too long.
"Stop looking at me like that," she snapped, but ruined it by clutching the bottle too tight.
"Like what?" Alexis used that too-calm voice he saved for unstable energy reactions.
"Like I'll shatter!" Xian's hands shook as she drank. A pink flicker at her fingers died immediately.
"Damn it."
Drake leaned against the warm stone wall. "You're pushing too hard. Again."
Xian's laugh sounded raw. "Says the guy who doesn't even know his power."
"That's different."
"Is it?" She turned to Alexis, her tough act cracking. "Tell me — what good are limits if breaking them saves someone?"
Alexis's hand twitched toward hers before fisting. "Your brother—"
"Is why I can't stop!" The words ripped out. For a second, her mask fell — pure pain showing.
Then she was up, pacing like a trapped animal. "You didn't see him after... One second too slow, one bit less power... and now he's—"
Silence fell, thick with unspoken hurt. Alexis stared at his hands like they'd betrayed him. Drake watched the sky, giving them space.
"You're not him," Alexis finally whispered.
Xian slowed her pacing. "I know. That's the problem."
Alexis shifted — just slightly, but enough that his shadow touched hers. "You don't have to—"
!BOOM!
An explosion shook the courtyard gates, scattering messenger birds. Their wrist devices buzzed simultaneously with alerts:"Remain calm. Minor incident in West Quadrant. No danger."
Drake's pulse jumped. "That doesn't seem minor."
Xian was already moving, tiredness gone under battle focus. "Yeah, let's see."
Alexis grabbed her wrist. "You're drained."
"And you're annoying." But she didn't pull away.
Drake rolled his eyes. "Gods help me." He walked past them toward the smoke. "Flirt over bandages later."
Alexis's ears turned red. "It's strategy!"
Xian's laugh followed Drake, almost hiding how her breath still caught. Almost.
The real storm was coming.
Today's blast? Just the first spark.