Suddenly, a searing heat tore through Kyle's body and dragged him into wave upon wave of pain.
The urge to scream clawed at his throat as his skull seemed to melt from within.
His eyes burned bloodshot, red veins branching outward, while his bones felt as though they were cracking apart and forcing themselves into a new shape.
"Fuck! Ahh!"
Within moments his vision collapsed into a suffocating black.
His body toppled to the ground, unconsciously.
***
Kyle's eyes snapped open at the sound of a knock on his door.
He jerked upright in a panic, stumbling backwards across the room until the back of his head struck the wall with a sharp thud, sending him crumpling to the floor.
His hand shot behind his head to ease the sting, but the rest of his body felt drained and unresponsive.
He pushed himself up, legs trembling beneath him, only for them to give way at once and dump him back onto the floor.
"...What is wrong with my body?" he muttered bitterly, staring at his legs and glancing around the room with mounting confusion.
He remembered the moment before blacking out, the storm of pain that had ripped through him as if his bones were being torn apart and remade, his flesh set aflame, and his mind melted in its own heat.
The manual had called it punishment, the price for forcing a breakthrough by acquiring more Qi than his core could currently handle, and now he understood the weight of that warning.
For a long moment he sat in silence, breath uneven, trying to piece together what he had overlooked.
What exactly was he supposed to do in order to ascend, to breakthrough without drawing the wrath of the manual?
However, his chain of thought was soon interrupted by another knock, followed by a familiar voice outside.
"Kyle, wake up. I was told this is your room now. I suppose you finally had a proper sleep, but it is time for training. There is no place for the weak here," Na-Ri called through the door, her tone brisk yet patient as she waited.
Kyle's expression darkened.
So this day truly intended to wring every last bit of luck out of him.
He had already endured the punishment of the manual for failing to grasp what was required for a breakthrough.
The solution was as simple as asking the right question, but pride was not something he easily set aside.
And now he found himself bound to the beautiful stranger, whether he welcomed it or not...
He pushed himself upright and moved towards the door, but halted midway, hand hovering just short of the handle.
Something caught his mind.
Through the window, the silver light still lingered, proof that he had not been unconscious for long.
...However, Na-Ri's greeting suggested something else entirely.
It sounded as though he had been out for the entire day and was only now waking up the following morning.
He distinctly remembered being told there would be no training today, since the schedule was given over to cleaning duties.
He had seen it himself when he arrived, the others busying about, though Orion had been idle enough to wander over and satisfy his curiosity about the newcomer.
But now Na-Ri spoke of training.
There was no chance he had lost an entire day, unless they had suddenly decided to abandon the routine.
His gaze dropped to the essence cores still scattered across the floor.
He moved quickly to gather them up, slipping them back into his bag before turning to the chest.
Inside, he found a folded set of clothes waiting.
It was a simple set: a white sweatshirt, a pair of blue shorts, and clean slippers.
Kyle picked them out with a weary look, glancing down at his own state.
He was still in his torn jeans, despite having washed himself earlier.
"I should probably change into this," he muttered, deciding on the spot, forgetting entirely that someone still waited beyond the door.
Na-Ri, as if expecting no better, let out a faint sigh and moved away down the corridor.
She wore a blue sweat pant and shirt of the same style he now held in his hands, and it seemed to be the common attire for nearly everyone in this place, the only distinction lying in the choice of colour.
Her hair was tied back into a ponytail, the style drawing sharper attention to the delicate outline of her face.
While making her way along the corridor and turning towards the staircase, Na-Ri came face to face with Orion rushing up, a wide grin spread across his face.
He stopped abruptly when he caught sight of her.
His eyes lit with unrestrained delight as he lunged forward, wrapping her in an eager hug.
"My lady, I missed you so much. Why would you leave us like that? Seriously, what happened was not—"
Na-Ri shoved him firmly off her, though she still returned a faint smile.
Her gaze swept over him from head to toe.
He was dressed much the same as she was, the usual sweat pant and sweat shirt, his in the familiar brown he favoured.
"Hey, Orion. Thanks for the warm welcome, but shouldn't you already be at the training ground? Or do you want another punishment from Mr Vincent?" Her tone carried no warmth as she brushed past him without breaking stride.
Orion only shook his head, his grin widening further, looking for all the world like a fool who either did not notice or refused to acknowledge that she was deliberately ignoring him.
With a cheerful voice, the pretty young man replied:
"Nah, I just wanted to bring that newbie along with me, Kyle. I heard he came back with you. Besides, he didn't seem much like the bonding type, so I decided to act as his guide. I liked him the moment I saw him. Strange, right?"
Na-Ri turned her head slightly towards him, her gaze lifting briefly to the ceiling before she answered with quiet solemnity:
"News does travel quickly. As for this sudden 'liking' of yours, I fail to understand it. He is the most irritating person I have ever met apart from you. But then again, two annoying people will always find some affinity with one another. Just make sure he gets to the training ground."
Orion chuckled, bowing with his usual playful flair before speaking again with his gentle tone:
"At your service, my lady. I also heard Mr Vincent intends to teach us a new martial art as a way of welcoming you back, his best student. Never encountered it before myself, but I think it's called Systema, or something along those lines."
"Systema? The Russian martial art? Interesting." The beautiful stranger continued her descent down the stairs without offering anything further that might prolong the exchange.
'She really does know everything. Remarkable. Still, none of what happened was her fault; their deaths and the collapse were beyond her. I only hope she realises that before long...' The pretty young man thought as he lingered on her retreating figure, then bounced on his heels with a sudden burst of delight, as though he had finally been reunited with a long-lost friend.
With that, he rushed into the hallway, only to see Kyle stepping out of his room with a bitter look.
Kyle wore a short white sweat pant, his black wolf-cut hair left rough and untidy.
A dirt-stained bag hung over his shoulder, carried almost like the only family he had.
He never trusted leaving the bag behind.
Even with the door locked, he felt uneasy about its safety without his constant watch.
The essence cores inside were his lifeline, and if they ever went missing, he knew he would lose his mind for good.
He glanced to his right, expecting to see Na-Ri, the one who had knocked on his door, but she was nowhere in sight.
That left him with a problem.
He had no idea how to reach the training ground.
No one had given him a proper tour of the settlement, and the guard who had escorted him in had been too deranged to bother with such things.
His eyes shifted to the right with a dark look, only to find Orion standing there, one hand tucked neatly behind his back and the other raised in a cheerful wave.
A bright smile lit his face as though the world had never wronged him.
Kyle sneered, one corner of his mouth twisting upward in annoyance while his eyes narrowed with visible frustration.
'You have got to be kidding me. Not this grinning idiot again.'