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Chapter Eight: Lessons in Defiance
Training began the moment Ryan stepped into the underground refuge. The air smelled faintly of dust and old stone, but the room buzzed with a quiet energy—people moving with purpose, maps spread across tables, whispered conversations about Scribes and surveillance.
Seris led Ryan to a cleared space at the center of the chamber. "If you're going to survive, you need to understand what you are," she said. "And what the system inside you can do."
Ryan nodded, though his stomach twisted with nerves. The black cracks on his arm pulsed faintly, a reminder of the price he had already paid.
A man stepped forward—broad‑shouldered, with a stern expression softened only by the faintest hint of sympathy. "Name's Kael," he said. "I'll be handling your combat training."
Ryan blinked. "Combat?"
Kael crossed his arms. "The Scribes won't stop hunting you. You need to be able to defend yourself."
Before Ryan could respond, another voice chimed in—a woman with silver hair tied back in a braid. "And I'll teach you how to control the corruption," she said. "Name's Mira."
Ryan glanced at his arm. "Can it really be controlled?"
Mira's expression tightened. "If it couldn't, you'd already be dead."
Liana stepped closer to him. "Ryan won't face this alone."
Seris nodded approvingly. "Good. You'll need each other."
Kael clapped his hands once. "Enough talking. Let's see what the Fatebreaker can do."
He tossed Ryan a wooden staff. Ryan barely caught it.
"Try to hit me," Kael said.
Ryan hesitated. "I don't want to hurt you."
Kael smirked. "You won't."
Ryan swung.
Kael dodged effortlessly, tapping Ryan's shoulder with two fingers. "Too slow."
Ryan tried again. And again. Each attempt ended the same way—Kael moving like water, Ryan stumbling to keep up.
Frustration built in Ryan's chest. His arm throbbed. The cracks pulsed.
A chime echoed in his mind.
[Skill Activation Possible: Fate Distortion]
[Use? Y/N]
Ryan didn't think.
He chose YES.
A ripple of blue energy burst from his hand. The air warped. Kael's movements slowed—not physically, but as if the path of his actions had been bent.
Ryan struck.
The staff hit Kael's side, sending him stumbling back.
The room fell silent.
Kael straightened slowly, rubbing his ribs. "Well," he said with a grin, "looks like you really are a Fatebreaker."
Ryan exhaled shakily. The cracks on his arm glowed brighter for a moment, then dimmed.
Mira stepped forward, eyes sharp. "Every time you use that power, the corruption grows. You need to learn control before it consumes you."
Ryan nodded. "Then teach me."
Seris crossed her arms. "We will. But first—there's something you need to see."
She led them to a map pinned to the wall. Red circles marked several locations across the city.
"These are the places the Scribes have searched in the last hour," Seris said. "They're closing in."
Liana's voice tightened. "So what do we do?"
Seris looked at Ryan.
"We move. Tonight. Because the Scribes aren't just hunting you anymore."
She pointed to the largest red circle—drawn around the entire district above them.
"They're hunting all of us."