It started with a single moment of hesitation.
Ryu stood across from Reina in their usual sparring arena, nestled near the Fleedorb capital. The wind blew calmly, rustling the sand below their feet.
"Come at me, Ryu," Reina smirked, brushing a strand of silver hair from her face. "Don't hold back just because we're engaged."
Ryu smiled faintly, exhaling. "I never do."
They clashed. Steel met steel, pressure met pressure. Energy flared through the air, each movement a blinding blur to the average eye.
But something was… off.
By the twelfth exchange, Reina felt it.
His footwork was slower. His strikes had lost their snap. His aura—normally dense and oppressive—felt thinner, almost flickering.
At first, she thought he was distracted.
But when she disarmed him at the 37th move, she knew something was wrong.
He stumbled back, clutching his ribs, breathing heavier than he should.
> "You're not fine," Reina said sharply, rushing toward him. "You're never this sloppy."
"I just... didn't sleep well," Ryu replied, trying to brush it off.
But Reina's sharp eyes didn't miss the faint black shimmer that flashed across his chest—where the heart was engraved.
She froze.
> "You're weakening," she whispered.
Ryu didn't deny it.
---
Whispers in the Blood
That night, Ryu sat alone beneath the crescent moon.
His hand lay against his chest.
No pain.
No voices.
Just… fatigue.
It was like a part of him was being drained, slowly and silently.
Even his internal energy circulation—once flawless—began to feel inconsistent.
Some routes felt blocked, others simply flickered out of sync.
Mina examined him the next day.
She ran her healing energy through his meridians, scanning everything.
> "There's nothing wrong…" she said nervously. "Physically, you're perfectly healthy. But your core… your energy… something is sapping it."
Reina stood behind her, arms crossed, visibly tense.
> "The heart," she muttered. "It's finally doing something."
Ryu looked away. He didn't want to believe it.
But he had already suspected.
---
Doubt and Fear
In the following spar, Reina beat him again. This time, far too easily.
He had once stood equal with the top-tier 7th Stage Mobs.
Now, he struggled to keep up with Reina at 60% effort.
His instincts remained sharp.
His will unbroken.
But the power, the mob energy, the very thing that made him who he was—
—it was fading.
Only one date echoed in his mind.
9-18.
---
To be continued..