The whisper still echoed in Bolt's ears.
"We'll see how far you can go, Warborn."
He sat up in bed, breathing heavily, his heart pounding. He wasn't imagining things—someone had been there. Watching.
Judging.
And they knew.
Not just about his powers. Not just about his recent awakening. They knew who he truly was.
The Warborn.
A title that only a handful of people knew about. The War God. Valeon. And the few schoolmates who had witnessed Valeon's first chaotic arrival—when he nearly tore the school apart.
If this mysterious figure knew too…
Then it meant things were shifting faster than expected.
The next morning, Bolt wasted no time. He found Aether and Akane in the training hall, going through their morning routines.
Aether barely had time to turn before Bolt grabbed his wrist and pulled him aside.
"Something's wrong," Bolt said.
Akane, sensing the urgency in his voice, followed without question.
The three of them gathered in a secluded corner of the base, where no one else could hear.
"Last night," Bolt said, keeping his voice low, "someone was in my room."
Aether's posture stiffened instantly. "What?"
Akane narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure?"
"They spoke to me," Bolt said. "They called me Warborn."
Aether's expression darkened. "No one should know that except us."
Akane's mind was already working. "That means one of two things," she said. "Either someone in the school spilled the secret, or whoever's watching you has connections we don't know about."
Bolt nodded. "It wasn't just some random spy. Their presence felt… powerful."
Aether crossed his arms. "If they know about the Warborn, then this is bigger than just you unlocking 5% of your power."
Bolt exhaled sharply. "I need to figure out who they are."
Akane thought for a moment. "Then there's only one way to start."
Bolt met her gaze.
"We go back to where it all started," she said. "The school."
The school had never fully recovered from Valeon's arrival.
Massive cracks still ran along some of the walls. Sections of the building had been permanently closed off, deemed too dangerous to enter.
It was there, in the abandoned wing, that Bolt and the others gathered.
Aether glanced around. "If someone's been tracking you, there might be clues here."
Bolt ran a hand along the scorched lockers. "This is where Valeon first broke through," he murmured. "This is where everything changed."
Akane walked ahead, scanning the area. "Do you think Valeon left anything behind?"
"Maybe," Bolt said. "Or maybe the War God did."
The three of them moved cautiously through the ruins, looking for any sign of who might be watching.
Then—
Aether froze.
"Someone's here."
A presence stirred in the shadows, barely perceptible.
Bolt turned, his body tensing. He felt it too.
The same energy from last night.
Then—a shift.
A cloaked figure stepped forward, their face hidden beneath a hood. Their red eyes glowed beneath the darkness.
Bolt's breath caught. Not human.
Aether and Akane immediately went into a defensive stance.
But the figure simply tilted their head.
Then, they spoke.
"You are not ready, Warborn."
Bolt clenched his fists. "Then tell me what I need to do."
The figure chuckled softly. "It is not about what you must do. It is about what you will become."
Akane's grip on her weapon tightened. "Who are you?"
The figure ignored her. Their glowing red eyes remained fixed on Bolt.
"The War God watches over you, but he is not the only one."
Bolt narrowed his eyes. "What does that mean?"
The figure stepped back. "You will find out… when the time comes."
Then—they vanished.
Like a whisper in the wind, as if they had never been there at all.
The silence that followed was heavy.
Aether was the first to speak. "That… was not normal."
Bolt nodded slowly. "They knew about the War God. And they knew about Valeon."
Akane crossed her arms. "That means they know more than we do."
Bolt exhaled. "Then it's time we start catching up."
Aether met his gaze. "How?"
Bolt's eyes burned with determination. "By pushing my power even further."
Because whoever this new player was…
They weren't just watching.
They were waiting.
And Bolt wasn't about to let them decide his fate.