Chapter 4: Echoes of the Forgotten
The streets of Elaris had a voice. It wasn't loud, but it was ever-present. Dogs barking in alleys. Boots crunching over broken glass. Wind threading through wooden shutters. And now, it had a new sound: arguing.
"You're not hearing me!" Kai barked, walking behind Sir 8 like a shadow with something to prove. "You've seen how weak I am. I need to get better or I'm gonna die the next time someone comes after me."
Sir 8 didn't stop walking. "Then die. It happens to boys who think the world owes them power."
Kai rushed ahead and planted himself in Sir 8's path. "Stop walking away!"
Sir 8's eyes narrowed. "You got a death wish or just bad manners?"
"I'm not scared of you."
"Then you're stupid."
Sir 8 stepped aside and kept walking. Kai didn't follow this time. He just stood there, fists clenched, jaw tight. His voice cracked with desperation.
"Do you think I want this?" he called out. "Do you think I enjoy being weak?"
Sir 8 slowed, back still turned.
"My whole life, people said I'd be special. That I'd be strong one day. But I'm not. I'm not anything. I've watched others surpass me, outgrow me, leave me behind. And I—I can't even pass a basic combat exam. So yeah, maybe I'm dumb for asking you over and over. Maybe I'm annoying. But I'm not quitting."
That got Sir 8 to turn around.
He walked slowly back, eyes locked on Kai's like two storm fronts about to clash.
"You wanna know why I haven't trained you?" he asked, voice low.
Kai didn't flinch. "Yeah. I do."
Sir 8's voice turned sharp, surgical. "Because training someone like you means waking up all the things I buried. Means dragging ghosts out of graves and giving them names again. You want discipline? That ain't what I offer. I give people war. You ready for war, boy?"
Kai stood firm, eyes burning. "I already live in one."