"Ohhhh fuuuuccckkkkinnnggg Yeeeeaaahhhh!"
His voice split the silence like a blade through fog. The mist itself seemed to recoil, curling back from the surge of energy radiating off him.
Sparks danced around his hands, wild and uncontrolled, as the Glitch pulsed through his veins. It wasn't a System prompt this time—it was raw, chaotic, alive.
He staggered, laughing and gasping all at once. "Finally… finally the cursed ability actually does something!"
The air shimmered around him. System runes flickered like fireflies caught in a storm.
For once, the universe had tilted in his favor. His body trembled, but not from weakness—this was overflow. The kind of energy that begged to be unleashed.
Kael turned from the dissipating corpse of the demon, wiping his blade clean of blackened residue.
"Arin?"
Arin's laughter broke into breathless disbelief. "Kael—it worked! The Glitch actually worked!"
Kael's brow furrowed. "Glitch?"
But Arin didn't answer. His attention was on the surge within, the ember that now felt like a living thing coiled beneath his heart.
It pulsed, rhythmic and deep, aligning with his heartbeat until both became one thunderous rhythm.
He could feel his levels stacking like waves breaking over a shore.
[Level 5 → Level 6 → Level 7 → Level 8]
A soft, awed whisper escaped him. "I'm… level eight now…"
"Lord above," Arin murmured, eyes wide, "this… this is what power feels like."
Memories flickered—visions of his past life, of failure and mediocrity.
Endless training, sleepless nights, watching others climb higher while his own powers stagnated. All that work, all that time believing he was broken.
Now he understood. He wasn't broken—he had been waiting.
He clenched his fists, and light rippled across his knuckles. "In my last life, I reached this strength at twenty-four… but now—" He grinned, breathless. "Now I'm at this level while I'm still fourteen."
His laugh came low and wild, full of disbelief and awe. "Guess the future's not ready for me yet."
Kael sheathed his blade, eyes narrowing slightly. The air still hummed with residual power—raw, unstable, dangerous. "What did you just do, Arin?"
"Nothing!" Arin lied instantly, then winced. "Okay—something. The System I was talking about, it… glitched. Or… maybe it didn't. I don't know. It just gave me ten times the XP I should've gotten."
Kael studied him for a moment, expression unreadable. "...Ten times?"
"Yeah. Lucky, right?"
"Luck," Kael said flatly, "is the name fools give to consequences they don't understand..."
The words stung, but Arin smiled anyway. "Then I'll be the luckiest fool alive."
He could still feel the ember surging through his veins, like molten gold flowing through glass channels.
His senses were sharpened, every sound in the forest distinct—the distant hum of insects, the low groan of the river, the faint crackle of residual cursed energy dissolving into ash.
Even Kael's presence felt heavier, more defined, as if the man's aura had edges.
Arin exhaled slowly. "Kael."
"Mm?"
"That skill you used before… the one where you poured your ember into your sword. Can you teach me?"
Kael blinked, almost surprised by the sudden question. Then his mouth curved in a faint, knowing smirk. "You want to learn 'Ember Transfusion.'"
"Yeah. I mean, if I strong enough, I should be able to handle it, right?"
Kael shook his head, chuckling softly. "That's not how it works, kid. Ember control isn't about levels. It's about mastery. Balance. Most take years to even sense their ember properly, let alone channel it through a weapon."
Arin didn't blink. "Then I'll just learn it faster."
Kael gave him a long, assessing look, then sighed. "You really don't know how to slow down, do you?"
Arin smiled, unashamed. "Why would I? The world never slowed down for me."
That line hung between them for a moment, heavier than it should've been.
Kael's eyes softened briefly—just briefly. Then he drew his sword again, its steel whispering as it cleared the sheath.
"Fine. Watch closely."
The forest seemed to hold its breath as Kael raised his weapon. A faint glow gathered along the blade's edge—not flame, not light, but something deeper.
The very air bent around it, a shimmering distortion of power so refined it almost felt alive.
"Ember," Kael said, his voice steady, "is not fire. Fire burns out. Ember endures."
He guided his students through each motion slowly, deliberately, his words like chisels shaping understanding.
"First, you align it with your heartbeat. Then, with your breath. Each pulse feeds the next. Control means listening, not forcing."
The ember along his sword danced in rhythm with his heartbeat, brightening with each inhale, dimming with each exhale.
It was elegance in motion—discipline forged into beauty.
Arin watched, transfixed. He could feel it—the harmony, the precision, the patience. All the things he'd never had.
"Now," Kael said, lowering his sword slightly, "you try."
Arin hesitated only for a heartbeat before stepping forward. He picked up Kael's backup blade, feeling its weight settle into his hand. Cold, balanced, waiting.
He inhaled. Focused.
The ember inside him stirred immediately, restless and volatile. It wanted out—it craved movement. He tried to mimic Kael's rhythm, steadying his breathing, syncing with his pulse.
The air thickened. Sparks flickered along the blade. The heat was faint at first, like a whisper of warmth. Then, slowly, it grew.
Kael's eyes widened slightly. "Wait—Arin—"
Too late. The ember surged like a living flame, wrapping the blade in molten light. The knife vibrated, humming with resonance. It wasn't wild—it was perfectly balanced.
Kael exhaled a long breath, stepping closer. "...Impossible."
Arin blinked, sweat running down his temple. "Did I… do it?"
Kael stared at him, stunned. "You didn't just do it. You felt it. Most people need years for that!!"
A slow grin spread across Arin's face as the System pinged.
[Skill Acquired: Ember Transfusion]
[Mission Complete: Master Kael's Technique]
[Reward: +250 XP]
The notification felt almost small compared to what he'd just achieved. He stared at the text for a long moment, then snorted. 'Two hundred fifty? That's it?'
Kael laughed softly, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "You don't look satisfied"
"After a big-time bonus? Yeah, kinda."
"Then you've learned your second lesson," Kael said. "Satisfaction dulls the blade. Hunger sharpens it."
They walked along the riverbank, mist trailing behind them like old ghosts. The world seemed clearer now—the fog thinner, the air lighter. The forest that once felt oppressive now seemed alive, whispering in strange harmonies. Every leaf shimmered faintly under the ember's lingering glow.
Kael's voice came quietly. "You remind me of someone."
Arin glanced at him. "Yeah? Who?"
Kael's eyes softened. "Your grandfather."
Arin froze. The words hit him harder than he expected. "...You mean the Pope?"
Kael nodded slowly. "He carried that same recklessness. The same fire. The same hunger to prove himself. I see it in you every time you pick up a blade."
Arin didn't know what to say. The weight of the comparison pressed on him like armor. Heavy, but grounding.
"He was… incredible," Arin murmured. "In my last life—" He stopped himself, catching the slip. "I mean, from what I heard."
Kael didn't notice—or pretended not to. "He was. And if he could see you now…" His voice trailed, a rare smile ghosting across his lips. "He'd probably tell you to slow down before you blow yourself up."
Arin laughed softly. "Too late."
As the sun began to pierce through the fog, Kael's expression shifted from warmth to focus. "Arin."
"Yeah?"
"You're ready."
"Ready?" Arin frowned. "For what?"
Kael turned toward him, his tone solemn. "For the headquarters."
Arin froze. "The… 'Awakened' Headquarters?"
Kael nodded. "You've earned your first mark. Your ember has stabilized. You're ready to be recognized."
For a moment, the words didn't register. Then, like a spark in dry tinder, realization flared through him.
The Awakened Headquarters—the heart of the Kyoto's power. The place he had only dreamed of reaching in his past life. The place that had denied him until he was twenty-four.
He was going there at fourteen.
He blinked rapidly, laughter bubbling in his chest. "No way. You're serious?"
Kael's gaze was steady. "Deadly serious."
Arin threw his arms into the air, grinning so wide it hurt. "YESSSSSSSSS!"
His voice echoed through the valley, startling a flock of spectral birds into flight. Their wings caught the rising sun, scattering light across the mist like shards of glass.
Kael chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Try not to blow up the gate when we get there."
"No promises," Arin shot back.