Poison stepped forward before anyone else could speak.
"I'll go."
A hush settled over the training grounds.
Asam slowly lifted her emerald eyes toward him.
"You?"
Poison met her gaze without flinching.
"I lost."
No excuses.
No anger.
Only truth.
"I failed my mission. I almost got Ren killed. I underestimated my opponent, and I paid for it."
He tightened the straps around his wrists.
"I'm not making that mistake again."
Several recruits exchanged glances.
Ren folded his arms, watching quietly.
Matthew leaned toward Amelia.
"…He's serious."
Amelia nodded.
"He always is."
General Saijew didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked toward Asam.
"Your choice."
Asam stepped away from Kahn, the layered metal plates of her armor barely making a sound.
She walked until she stood only a few feet from Poison.
Her eyes traveled over him.
His stance.
His breathing.
The tiny scar across his cheek.
The countless little details most people ignored.
"You want to prove yourself."
Poison answered immediately.
"No."
That answer caught everyone off guard.
"I want to earn it."
For the first time…
Asam smiled.
A tiny one.
"Good answer."
She drew one dagger.
Not both.
Only one.
"I won't be using my contract."
She pointed the blade toward him.
"And neither will you."
Poison frowned.
"…Why?"
"Because your problem isn't power."
She lowered the dagger.
"It's your fundamentals."
She turned toward everyone.
"Most young warriors believe power wins battles."
She looked back at Poison.
"Power ends battles."
She tapped the side of her head.
"Skill decides them."
She assumed a relaxed stance.
"Come."
Poison wasted no time.
He disappeared.
His feet barely touched the earth as he burst forward with assassin-like speed.
Straight line.
Left side.
Knife aimed for her ribs.
Asam sighed.
Too obvious.
She sidestepped.
A tiny movement.
Nothing flashy.
Poison's blade sliced through empty air.
Before he could recover…
Tap.
Her free hand gently struck his shoulder.
The force completely redirected his momentum.
Poison stumbled three steps before catching himself.
No pain.
Just embarrassment.
"You committed."
She twirled the dagger once.
"But you never thought about what happened if I moved."
Poison rushed again.
This time slower.
More controlled.
He feinted high.
Switched low.
Pivoted.
Swept toward her legs.
Better.
Much better.
Asam smiled again.
She hopped.
Barely.
His sweep missed.
The instant he looked upward…
She flicked two fingers against his forehead.
Tap.
Poison froze.
"…Again."
He attacked.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Within minutes sweat soaked through his clothing.
His breathing became uneven.
Every attack failed.
Sometimes she countered.
Sometimes she dodged.
Sometimes…
She didn't move at all.
She simply adjusted the angle of her body enough for every strike to miss.
Finally…
Poison collapsed onto one knee.
"…How?"
Asam crouched in front of him.
"You fight people."
She shook her head.
"I fight decisions."
She pointed toward him.
"You decide before you move."
She tapped his forehead.
"I read it."
"You attack with your body."
She tapped his chest.
"I attack with your mind."
Poison stared silently.
General Saijew smiled faintly.
"She's teaching you prediction."
Asam stood.
"No."
She corrected.
"I'm teaching him patience."
She looked toward the rest of the recruits.
"Most battles are lost before the first strike."
She slowly sheathed her dagger.
"Because someone becomes emotional."
Poison lowered his eyes.
"…Like I did."
She nodded.
"Against Ahn."
Silence.
Poison didn't deny it.
"I got angry."
"You got desperate."
She corrected him.
"They're different."
She began walking circles around him.
"When your first attack failed…"
"You abandoned your training."
"When your second attack failed…"
"You abandoned your plan."
"When Ren was hurt…"
"You abandoned yourself."
Poison's fists tightened.
Every word landed.
Because every word was true.
"You weren't fighting to win."
She stopped behind him.
"You were fighting because you were afraid."
The words echoed through the training field.
Even Ren looked down.
He remembered that battle.
Poison had stopped thinking.
He had simply attacked.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Until Ahn broke him.
Poison slowly stood.
"…Then teach me."
Asam studied him for several seconds.
"You have potential."
She looked toward Saijew.
"The highest assassin potential I've seen in years."
Poison blinked.
"But…"
She continued.
"…you think too loudly."
Several recruits looked confused.
Abraham wasn't.
"…He's broadcasting his intent."
Asam nodded toward him.
"The intelligent one understands."
Abraham adjusted his glasses.
"Every movement begins with a thought."
"If the thought is obvious…"
"The movement becomes predictable."
Asam smiled.
"Exactly."
Kahn finally spoke.
His deep voice rolled across the courtyard.
"Fight me."
Everyone turned.
Poison's eyes widened.
"…Me?"
Kahn nodded once.
"You've learned enough for today."
He planted his enormous curved blade into the earth.
"I'll teach you something different."
Poison swallowed.
He looked from the gigantic warlord…
…to the sword larger than himself.
"…I don't think this is fair."
Kahn stared at him.
"It isn't."
A beat of silence.
"War never is."
Even Asam chuckled quietly.
General Saijew folded his arms.
"This lesson…"
"…everyone should watch."
The recruits instinctively gathered around the sparring ring.
Something told them this wasn't going to be another lesson about technique.
It was going to be a lesson about surviving someone who was overwhelmingly stronger than you.
Kahn stood motionless in the center of the arena.
His enormous curved blade rested upon one shoulder as heat shimmered around his body. The stone beneath his feet had already begun to crack from the overwhelming temperature radiating from him.
Poison stood opposite him.
His breathing had steadied.
His earlier humiliation against Asam had disappeared from his posture.
Asam noticed it first.
"He adjusted."
General Saijew nodded.
"He stopped trying to impress."
Kahn slowly lowered his weapon.
"Use your contract."
Poison blinked.
"…Really?"
"I asked you a question."
Poison inhaled deeply.
"…Yes."
Green poison seeped from beneath his skin.
The air around him became toxic as streams of venom curled around both arms like living serpents.
His eyes sharpened.
His stance lowered.
This time…
He waited.
Kahn smiled.
"There you are."
The giant vanished.
The recruits gasped.
Poison barely caught the movement.
He twisted.
CLANG!!
His twin daggers collided with Kahn's massive blade.
The impact threw Poison backward several feet.
Instead of falling…
He rolled.
Recovered.
Attacked again.
Kahn blocked.
Poison disappeared to the side.
A slash.
Another.
A kick.
Poison's movements flowed together much cleaner than before.
No panic.
No desperation.
Every strike carried intention.
Asam folded her arms.
"He listened."
Kahn swung horizontally.
Poison ducked beneath it.
He thrust his hand forward.
"Venomous Point."
Dozens of razor-thin poisonous spikes erupted from his forearm.
Kahn answered by coating his body in obsidian-black armor.
The poisonous spikes scraped against the stone-like skin.
Nothing.
Poison's eyes widened.
"…It didn't pierce."
Kahn's deep voice answered.
"It wasn't supposed to."
His fist struck Poison's stomach.
BOOM!!
Poison skipped across the arena, carving a trench through the earth before stopping himself.
He coughed.
Blood dripped from his mouth.
He smiled.
"…Again."
Kahn nodded once.
"Again."
The fight continued.
Minutes passed.
Poison adapted faster with every exchange.
His poison forced Kahn to alter his movements.
His speed made the massive warrior miss attacks that should have landed.
Even Asam raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting…"
Arya grinned.
"He's getting better!"
General Saijew quietly watched.
"No."
His eyes never left Poison.
"He's remembering."
Poison slid beneath another swing.
His daggers carved across Kahn's obsidian arm.
Tiny scratches.
Nothing more.
Not enough.
Not nearly enough.
Kahn suddenly inhaled.
The temperature plummeted.
Frost spread across half the arena.
Before anyone could react…
The opposite side erupted into scorching heat.
The battlefield split between ice and fire.
Ren's eyes widened.
"…Temperature control."
Abraham immediately began analyzing.
"He's simultaneously increasing and decreasing molecular movement…"
Matthew stared.
"…That's ridiculous."
Kahn raised his sword.
"You've done well."
The recruits collectively held their breath.
"But this ends now."
Heat.
Cold.
Both rushed into the massive blade.
The steel glowed orange…
…then white…
…then black.
Even General Saijew narrowed his eyes.
Poison planted both feet.
He remembered.
Ahn.
Ren collapsing.
Blood.
His own helplessness.
His failure.
He had been too weak.
Too emotional.
Too slow.
Too selfish.
He squeezed his dagers tighter.
"I won't…"
Kahn stepped forward.
"…lose again."
The blade descended.
An overhead strike powerful enough to split the arena in two.
Poison couldn't dodge.
Couldn't block.
Couldn't survive.
Then…
Everything stopped.
Silence.
The wind vanished.
The flames froze.
The frost ceased spreading.
Dust remained suspended in the air.
Kahn stood completely still.
His sword hovered inches above Poison's head.
Nothing moved.
Not even sound.
Poison slowly looked around.
"…What?"
He reached toward the frozen blade.
It did not move.
He stepped backward.
The entire world had become a painting.
"…Am I dead?"
"No."
A woman's voice echoed through the endless silence.
Poison turned.
Dark green sand drifted together behind him.
From it emerged a woman clothed in flowing emerald and black garments embroidered with golden scorpions.
Her skin carried the warm bronze of ancient Egypt.
Her long black hair flowed like liquid ink.
Behind her rose the translucent tail of an enormous scorpion.
Her golden eyes held centuries of exhaustion.
Poison immediately recognized her.
"…Serket."
The goddess smiled sadly.
"You've grown."
Poison stared.
"…You're real."
"As real as you."
She walked past him, looking at the frozen battlefield.
"I've watched every step."
Every scar.
Every mistake.
Every victory.
Poison lowered his head.
"I wasn't strong enough."
"No."
She answered softly.
"You weren't honest."
He frowned.
"I watched you fight Ahn."
"You weren't trying to protect Ren."
Poison looked confused.
"…What?"
"You were trying to prove yourself."
Silence.
"…"
"You forgot."
She gently touched the necklace around his neck.
"The reason you fight."
Images flooded his mind.
His father smiling.
His father kneeling before him.
Placing the necklace around his neck.
"No matter how strong you become… protect people who can't protect themselves."
"Promise me."
Poison's vision blurred.
"I…"
His voice broke.
"I forgot…"
Serket nodded.
"I know."
She turned away from him.
"I forgot too."
Poison looked up.
She stared into endless darkness.
"I served Ra."
A pause.
"I served Apophis."
Another.
"I called both justice."
She closed her eyes.
"I betrayed myself."
Her voice became heavy.
"I kept choosing sides instead of choosing what was right."
Poison listened.
"I was a spy."
"I convinced myself neutrality was wisdom."
"It wasn't."
"It was fear."
She finally faced him again.
"You have something I lost."
"Choice."
She smiled.
"A contract isn't power."
"It is memory."
"It remembers who you truly are…"
"…when you forget."
She extended one hand.
"You've mastered poison."
"But poison alone cannot save."
Green poison slowly dissolved.
Crimson replaced it.
Dark.
Dense.
Heavy.
Blood.
It wrapped around Poison's arm.
"Life…"
"…and death."
"Both flow through blood."
"Protect them."
"…or destroy them."
"That decision belongs to you."
The crimson energy erupted around him.
"Wake up."
Everything shattered.
Time resumed.
Kahn's blade continued downward.
But before it landed…
A crimson whip erupted from Poison's right arm.
CRACK!!
It wrapped around the descending blade.
The impact echoed across the entire training grounds.
Everyone froze.
Kahn's eyes widened.
The blade…
Stopped.
Poison stood beneath it.
One hand gripping the blood whip.
The other reaching upward.
Dense crimson blood surrounded his body like flowing armor.
His once-green aura had transformed.
Deep scarlet.
Almost alive.
The ground beneath him cracked.
Blood floated through the air in ribbons.
General Saijew's eyes widened.
"…"
Asam whispered.
"He awakened…"
Arya's mouth hung open.
"No way…"
Ren instinctively smiled.
"…He did it."
Matthew jumped to his feet.
"Poison!"
Amelia covered her mouth.
Luna couldn't stop grinning.
"Took you long enough."
Sofia quietly watched.
"…Congratulations."
Abraham immediately began analyzing the phenomenon.
"The density…"
"It isn't ordinary blood…"
Valentina laughed.
"I knew he'd do something crazy."
Even Kibo stared in amazement.
"Hope…"
"…looks different for everyone."
Kahn slowly pulled his blade back.
He looked at Poison for several long seconds.
Then…
The towering warrior smiled.
A genuine smile.
"You've crossed the threshold."
Poison slowly looked down at his own hands.
The crimson blood obeyed every thought.
A heavy whip dissolved into dozens of floating streams before reforming around his arm.
He could feel it.
Every heartbeat.
Every pulse.
Every drop.
Far beyond the training grounds…
Within the palace…
The Pharaoh stopped walking.
His golden eyes slowly narrowed.
"…Another one."
He smiled to himself.
"So the pieces continue to move."
Back on the training field, General Saijew never took his eyes off Poison.
Then…
Something happened that none of the recruits had ever seen.
General Saijew smiled.
Not the faint, disciplined smile of a commander.
Not polite approval.
A real smile.
One filled with unmistakable pride.
He looked at Poison exactly as a father would look at a child who had finally stood back up after falling.
Quietly, almost to himself, he said,
"…Your father would have been proud."
The entire field fell silent.
No one interrupted the moment.
Even Kahn lowered his blade in respect.
Because everyone there understood one thing.
Poison had not simply grown stronger.
He had remembered why he chose to fight.