The heavy doors of the Sacred Chambers creaked open with a groan that echoed down the stone-lined corridor. Eliadan Muthui stepped in first, a steady hand on the hilt of his sword, his presence unshaken even as waves of spiritual energy—some ancient and dark, others radiant and pure—rolled through the vast chamber like heat from a flame. Behind him, Maresa Nyaga followed in silence, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the hall lined with relics of long-forgotten wars.
Weapons of all kinds lined the walls—spears forged from celestial light, hammers humming with demonic fury, and blades whispering languages lost to time. Yet their destination was clear: the obsidian pedestal at the far end, where an aged, rune-inscribed box lay untouched for decades.
Eliadan reached out, brushing dust off the lid. He opened it slowly, reverently, and inside gleamed a pair of twin daggers—slightly larger than the average blade, their design curved and elegant. One had a hilt wrapped in onyx threads, its blade etched with golden runes. The other shimmered with silver filigree, veins of midnight blue running through it like lightning captured in steel.
Maresa crossed her arms. "Are you sure about this? These are weapons born of both blood and bond."
Eliadan nodded. "Kayen is raw, but he's gifted in close quarters. If he cannot yet command spiritual energy, we give him tools that can channel it for him."
Maresa watched him a moment longer before turning on her heel and walking away. "I just hope you're not wrong about the boy."
Elsewhere in the training ground behind Skyborn HQ, Kayen knelt in the dirt, shirt damp with sweat and fists trembling with fatigue. His chest heaved, arms limp at his sides, and every breath tasted like iron.
The image of his mother—pale, unconscious, a mark etched into the back of her head—haunted him. It clawed at the edges of his mind like a beast desperate to escape.
"Still going at it?" came Davis's voice.
Kayen looked up to see both Davis and Selasi approaching, a bottle of water in the captain's hand. Without a word, Davis tossed it. Kayen caught it and drank deeply.
They sat across from him silently until he finished.
Davis broke the silence. "You're pushing too hard."
"I have to," Kayen replied hoarsely.
Selasi tilted her head. "And if your body breaks down before you're strong enough? If you collapse before you get the chance to protect anyone?"
He didn't answer.
"You're not doing this just for your mother," Davis continued. "You're doing this to punish yourself. That anger—it's useful, yes. But left unchecked, it'll destroy more than the things you hate."
"Zemo," Selasi said gently. "Your mom. Your sisters. Are you ready to lose them too… because you let rage blind you?"
Kayen clenched his jaw, staring at the ground.
"Then train with purpose, not with pain," Davis said. "We're not telling you to give up. We're telling you to do it the right way."
Silence.
Then Kayen slowly stood, swaying a bit, before finding his balance. "Train me. Both of you. Whatever it takes… I want to be ready."
The two exchanged a glance—Selasi's with a small smile, Davis's unreadable.
"Before that," Davis said, rising to his feet, "you'll need to pick a weapon. You're good with your fists—but we need to complement that."
Just then, the doors burst open and Eliadan strode in, Maresa behind him. "That won't be necessary."
He dropped the box with a heavy thud. Dust exploded upward and Kayen coughed as a cloud engulfed them.
"Could've warned us," Davis muttered, waving his hand.
Kayen knelt and opened the box. The moment his fingers brushed the daggers, a faint glow pulsed from the blades and traveled up his arms. Selasi stared in quiet awe.
"These…" Davis said, eyes wide. "They were destroyed. The Daggers of Aveth were lost during the purge."
"Apparently not," Eliadan replied.
"But the Council—"
"I'll deal with them," Eliadan interrupted. "Your job is to train him."
Selasi's eyes narrowed. "Even if it means breaking protocol?"
"He's the key," Maresa said. "We all know it."
As the two elders turned to leave, Eliadan added, "Bring Aahliya down. She'll train too."
Selasi turned back to Kayen. "You've been training all morning and you're still ready to jump into another round?" She gave him a sideways smirk. "You're insane."
"I'm serious," Kayen insisted.
Davis leaned in. "We know you are. But get some rest, then look for Aahliya."
Kayen frowned. "I'm not her babysitter."
The two adults stared at him and said in perfect sync, "Look for her."
Kayen blinked at them. "...This is harassment. I should report this to HR."
"Too bad," Selasi said as she walked off.
"You're HR now," Davis added, already disappearing down the hall.
Left alone, Kayen stared after them, then at the box in front of him. "Yeah. No pressure at all, right?"
He turned and headed down the corridor, muttering under his breath, "Babysitting demon girls… this is my life now."