[Arin]
[Level 4]
Arin stood at the center of it, chest rising with the rhythm of a forge bellows, heat pulsing under his skin.
"I can feel it… Level 4," he whispered, almost to himself.
Mira stepped closer, eyes wide. "...Level 4? Already?"
He flexed his fingers. "Yeah… it's different this time. Stronger."
Mira tilted her head. "You said that last time too. What's different about this one?"
Arin glanced at his hand. "It listens now. Before, it fought me. Now it feels… alive."
Mira frowned slightly. "Hmmm...Alive isn't always a good thing, Arin."
He gave a small laugh. "You sound like Kael already."
During the climb from one to two, he'd felt almost nothing: a whisper of warmth, a faint hum behind his heartbeat.
But this… this was different.
The ember inside him didn't flicker anymore—it flowed, a molten current that obeyed him as if recognizing a master it had once rejected.
[Status: Ember Flow Stable]
His fingers tingled. Light shimmered faintly along the edges of his hand before dissolving back into skin.
He flexed them, almost afraid to move too fast. Power was never kind; it liked to be courted, not commanded.
A memory cut through him like a knife—the sneers of the elders in the Hall of Light, the way his grandfather's attendants whispered: "The Pope's grandson without a spark."
He had been a shadow beneath a name carved from flame.
And yet now, standing beneath a new sun, he felt the ember hum with something close to pride.
Mira watched him quietly from a few paces away, braid catching the light.
Her gaze was half curiosity, half caution.
She said nothing, but he could feel the questions pressed behind her lips.
How did you move that fast back then? What happened between the training that made you excel so rapidly..?
Arin caught the look and smiled, though his heartbeat was uneven.
Excitement tasted almost like fear, and fear was dangerous for someone like him.
He remembered Kael's lessons—fear feeds the ember, yes, but let it feed too long and it begins to eat you.
He exhaled and rolled his shoulders. "But...I'm Still weak," he murmured. "Still too weak."
Mira crossed her arms. "You call that weak? You nearly burned the air around your hands.
"Yeah Nearly...only Nearly, but Nearly isn't enough," Arin said quietly. "I can't afford nearly.
She frowned. "You talk like there's a clock ticking over your head....at the matter of fact, since that day, you started acting mature...maybe there's still something you're not telling me..."
He looked at her. "Maybe there is."
The air smelled of wet stone and training dust. The sounds of sparrows filtered through the silence.
He raised his arm, letting ember flow through his wrist, guiding it the way Kael had taught: slow, circular, never forced.
The current obeyed smoothly this time. It was almost beautiful.
"Arin," Mira said softly, tugging at the edge of his sleeve. "Come on...we came to check out the neighborhood together...You're drifting alone again."
He blinked, realizing he'd been lost inside his own pulse. "Ri...Right. Sorry."
She smiled faintly. "You do that every time. Forget where you are.
He smirked. "Maybe I like it better where I am.
They walked toward the northern path, where old shrine steps climbed into the forest mist.
Each step was slick with dew, each breath colder than the last. Somewhere beyond the hill, incense smoke curled—a faint promise of peace.
He had heard bad stories about this place, like it was haunted or something.
Then the System pulsed.
[Detection: Mid-Level Demonic Shadow]
[Mission: Eliminate Target]
[Difficulty: Very Hard]
[Reward: +1000 XP]
Arin froze halfway up the stairs. His throat tightened; the scent of incense turned metallic.
A thousand experience points. Enough to push him closer to the next threshold—to prove that the failure from the past world had been reborn into something that mattered.
His heart whispered Take it.
He glanced over his shoulder. Mira was watching the shrine's torii gate sway in the wind, unaware of the mission alert glowing before his eyes.
"Hey," he said lightly, trying to hide the alert. "Let's check the shrine."
Mira frowned. "Arin… the wards aren't ready yet. Kael said it's dangerous."
"I know, but I just want to… see it," he replied, forcing a casual tone.
She looked at him, frowning. "The wards up there haven't been repaired yet. Kael said—"
A hand settled on his shoulder. Heavy. Grounded.
He hadn't heard a single footstep.
Kael.
The mentor's shadow fell long across the stone steps. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes—those sharp, glacier-blue eyes—held the weight of someone who had seen a hundred impulsive students burn out too soon.
"You were thinking of challenging it, weren't you?" Kael asked quietly.
Arin's throat worked. "I—maybe."
Kael sighed, folding his arms behind his back. "Hook a shark because you once caught a minnow?" His tone was mild, almost kind, which somehow made the sting worse. "Strength intoxicates faster than wine, Arin. It's the oldest poison we know."
Arin muttered, "It's not about intoxication. It's about testing limits.
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Limits are found in training, not tombstones.
Mira stepped beside Arin and, without ceremony, punched his arm. "He's right, idiot."
Arin winced but smiled. "Fine, fine. I get it."
Mira gave him a look. "Do you? Because the way you were staring up there said otherwise."
He exhaled, rubbing his neck. "I just—wanted to see how far I've come."
Kael's voice cut in. "Then live long enough to measure it.
Inside, though, the numbers still gleamed: 1000 XP.
He could almost taste the next level, much smoother flow, much stronger body. The thought slithered through him like heat through iron—beautiful and dangerous.
Kael watched the struggle play across Arin's face. "Greed isn't evil," he said at last. "But it blinds faster than fear. And you—of all people—can't afford blindness."
The words landed heavier than any blow.
For a moment, Arin saw the future again—the blackened sky of his other life, the cities eaten by shadow, the smell of burning faith. He remembered his own scream cut short by darkness.
You died once already, he whispered to himself. Do you think the world will offer you two miracles?
No.
He lowered his eyes. "You're right, Kael."
Kael nodded slowly. "Good. Then keep your hunger on a leash. It'll bite deeper than any demon if you don't..."
"Understood," Arin said quietly.
"Good," Kael said. "Because today, arrogance dies before you do."
Then his pocket device chimed. He answered, expression shifting. The conversation was brief, punctuated by curt nods. When he hung up, there was the faintest curve at the corner of his mouth.
"...What is it?" Mira asked.
"An evolved spirit," Kael said. "Loose near the western river. Class A threat." He looked between them, gaze sharp and amused. "Lucky for you, Arin—you'll see what real danger looks like."
The System shimmered again behind Arin's eyes:
[New Mission Incoming]
[Objective: Learn a Skill from Kael]
[Reward: +250 XP]
Excitement flared through him like a spark to dry grass.
He straightened. "Then let me come."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "You think you're ready to learn from a live hunt?"
Arin met his gaze. "I need to be."
Kael studied him for a long moment, expression unreadable. "Need and readiness aren't the same thing Arin..
Arin's jaw tightened. "Then I'll learn the difference out there. Come on, you know I can handle my own weight now right?"
The older man held his stare, then finally nodded once. "Fine. Watch. Listen. Don't interfere."
He turned to Mira. "You, however, will return to your home. Your aura reserves haven't recovered."
Mira's jaw tightened. "I can ...still fight."
"I know." Kael's tone softened. "And that's exactly why you shouldn't. Discipline is not the absence of strength—it's the control of it."
She hesitated, torn between pride and obedience. Arin reached out, clasped her hand. "Go, Mira. I'll visit after. We'll play chess, like before.... Don't worry about me."
Her fingers trembled against his for a heartbeat, then she nodded. "You'd better come back, ember-brain."
Arin grinned faintly. "Wouldn't miss that rematch."
Kael's voice interrupted. "Let's move. The river won't wait."
As they turned toward the misted trail, Mira's voice followed softly. "Don't do anything reckless.
Arin glanced back over his shoulder, smile faint. "Haha...No promises."