Rey woke with a sharp inhale, his chest rising instinctively before his mind could catch up.
The ceiling above him wasn't his.
For a moment, his gaze stayed locked there, unmoving, as if his brain refused to process what his eyes were telling him.
The wooden panels were older, slightly cracked near the corners, carrying a faint dampness that didn't belong to his room upstairs.
His fingers twitched against the bedsheet.
Rough texture.
Different fabric.
Not his.
'…This isn't right.'
He slowly turned his head to the side, eyes scanning the room with deliberate care this time.
The layout felt familiar.
Too familiar.
Same structure. Same dimensions.
But stripped.
Empty.
Like a forgotten version of something he once knew.
'Below rooms…?'
The thought came, but it didn't settle.
Something about this felt off in a way that wasn't physical.
'Is this another one of Aiden's setups…?'
Just as Rey shifted his weight, pressing his elbow into the mattress to sit up—
BANG!
The door slammed open so hard it rebounded against the wall.
"Rey!"
Hosric rushed in.
Not walked.
Not entered.
Rushed.
His steps were uneven, almost stumbling near the bed before he caught himself. His usually composed figure looked… broken at the edges.
His hair was disordered, strands sticking out where they never would.
His eyes—slightly red, sleepless, strained.
"You're awake…!"
Relief hit his voice hard. Not controlled. Not masked.
Raw.
Rey blinked at him, then deliberately slowed his breathing, letting his shoulders sink slightly as if exhaustion weighed him down.
"Yeah… uncle…" His voice came out hoarse, uneven, like someone just dragged out of deep sleep.
"What… happened? Where am I?"
Hosric didn't answer immediately.
He stepped closer, eyes scanning Rey from head to toe, searching—checking—confirming something only he knew.
"You're in the lower rooms," he said quickly, almost dismissing it.
"They've been locked for years."
Then his tone shifted.
Sharpened.
"Forget that. Are you feeling anything? Pain? Pressure? Dizziness?"
Rey opened his mouth to answer—
But Hosric was already pulling out his phone.
"No. I'm calling a doctor."
"Wait—"
Too late.
The call was already connecting.
Rey exhaled slowly, letting his head fall back against the pillow.
'…same as always.'
His hand slid across the bed until his fingers brushed against something solid.
His phone.
He picked it up, pressing the power button.
Nothing.
Dead.
"…of course."
He held it there for a moment before trying again.
This time, the screen flickered to life.
While it booted, Rey's expression subtly shifted.
The laziness in his eyes faded.
Something colder replaced it.
Under the blanket, his fingers curled slightly.
A thin strand of darkness slipped out, almost invisible against the dim lighting, crawling down like liquid shadow until it touched the floor.
[Abyssal Pulse Echo]
The moment it activated—
Rey's pupils contracted.
The world didn't expand.
It unfolded.
Information flooded in—not visually, but structurally.
Like his mind was being fed coordinates instead of images.
Every wall.
Every object.
Every presence.
Mapped.
A full dome of awareness formed inside his head, rotating slightly as if adjusting to his perspective.
Rey didn't move.
Didn't react.
But inside—
Everything sharpened.
'Ground floor…'
His position locked instantly.
'Three people inside.'
Hosric.
Two servants.
Beyond the walls—
Movement.
Multiple signatures.
Blurry.
Too far.
Too many.
Not assassins…
Too careless.
Too exposed.
Then—
His room.
Rey's focus narrowed.
The image formed.
Clear.
Everything was in place.
Bed.
Desk.
Cabinet.
Then—
The wall.
Gone.
Not damaged.
Not cracked.
Gone.
The window side had been completely destroyed, the structure torn open like something had forced its way through without resistance.
Rey's breathing paused for half a second.
'…so it wasn't a dream.'
If he had seen it physically—
His reaction might have slipped.
But like this?
Detached.
Controlled.
His jaw tightened slightly.
'Aiden… Victor…'
Silence.
No response.
Rey's grip on the bedsheet tightened just a fraction.
'Still ignoring me…'
The phone in his hand buzzed softly as it finished loading.
Notifications flooded the screen.
Missed calls.
A lot of them.
James.
Again.
Again.
Again.
His mother.
Even more.
And then—
One number.
Unknown.
Only one call.
No follow-up.
Rey stared at it for a moment longer than necessary.
'…that's odd.'
Before he could think further—
Footsteps approached.
The door opened again.
A middle-aged man entered with Hosric.
The doctor.
Rey adjusted his posture slightly, supporting himself halfway up while still leaning back against the bed.
"Hmmm…"
The doctor stepped closer, observing him carefully, eyes moving with clinical precision.
"…interesting."
Hosric frowned. "What is it?"
The doctor didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he reached forward, checking Rey's pulse, his breathing, the subtle reactions in his muscles.
"Physically stable," he muttered. "Awake. Responsive."
A pause.
"I expected him to remain unconscious for at least two to three days."
Hosric exhaled slowly. "He's… different."
Rey gave a faint, casual smile.
"Strong will," he said lightly.
The doctor didn't smile back.
"Let's see if that's all it is."
He began a full check.
Hands steady.
Movements precise.
Seconds passed.
Then a minute.
Then two.
And slowly—
His expression changed.
His brows drew together.
His lips pressed thin.
He stopped.
Took off his glasses.
Cleaned them slowly.
Hosric noticed immediately.
"…what's wrong?"
The doctor hesitated.
Then stood upright.
"Mr. Valemont… I need a word."
Outside.
The door closed behind them.
Rey didn't move.
But his attention sharpened completely.
"…yesterday his condition was critical," the doctor's voice came through, low but clear enough.
"Internal damage. Severe."
A pause.
"But today… There's nothing."
Silence.
"What do you mean, nothing?" Hosric's voice dropped, cold.
"I mean exactly that."
The doctor exhaled.
"No internal injuries. No swelling. No residual trauma."
Another pause.
"It's as if… his body was reset overnight."
Hosric didn't respond immediately.
"…that's impossible."
"I agree."
The doctor's tone lowered further.
"There's either something inside him…"
"…or someone interfering from outside."
Footsteps.
"I've said what I can."
The sound of him leaving.
Moments later—
The door opened again.
Hosric walked back in.
This time—
He was calm.
Too calm.
"Rey."
Rey looked up.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
A short pause.
"Sit up for a moment."
Rey hesitated.
But complied.
Hosric moved behind him, sitting on the edge of the bed.
His hands came forward.
Resting firmly on Rey's back.
Not gently.
Deliberately.
'…what is he doing?'
Before Rey could ask—
Something inside him twisted.
His mana—
Shuddered.
The smooth flow collapsed instantly, turning chaotic, unstable, like something had been forcefully inserted into a system that rejected it.
Rey's breath hitched sharply.
'What—'
The sensation wasn't pain.
It was worse.
Violation.
Something foreign was moving through his mana channels, probing, forcing its way deeper.
His control slipped.
The flow surged wildly, crashing against itself.
'Calm down…!'
He forced it.
Pushed it.
Tried to stabilise the circulation.
Nothing worked.
The harder he tried—
The more violent it became.
Until—
He felt it.
The source.
Right behind him.
Hosric.
Rey's eyes widened slightly.
'He's checking me… directly.'
Not physical.
Through mana.
Deep.
And in that instant—
A cold realisation settled in.
'If I lose control now…'
Everything will be exposed.
For the first time since waking—
Rey didn't act.
Didn't think.
He reacted.
The moment Hosric's energy pushed deeper—
Rey's body reacted.
Violently.
It wasn't just a disturbance.
It was rejection.
A foreign force slipped into his mana channels like cold steel forced into flesh, moving against the natural current, scraping through pathways that were never meant to hold it.
Rey's back stiffened instantly.
His fingers dug into the bedsheet.
"Ugh—"
His breath hitched.
Not loud.
But sharp.
Inside him, two forces clashed.
His mana—dark, fluid, instinctively devouring.
Hosric's energy—dense, controlled, invasive.
The moment they touched—
They collapsed into each other.
Rey felt it.
Not like pain from a wound.
But like something grinding inside his veins.
Heat surged up his spine.
His vision blurred slightly.
His mana reacted first.
It lashed out.
Devouring.
The foreign energy began breaking apart the moment it entered deeper layers, getting consumed piece by piece—
But not cleanly.
The process was unstable.
Chaotic.
Like swallowing poison and trying to digest it at the same time.
Rey's jaw tightened.
A faint line of red appeared beneath his nose.
Stop…
His control slipped.
The flow inside him spiralled.
Unstable.
Violent.
If this continued—
It wouldn't expose him.
It would break him first.
Just as he was on the verge of losing consciousness.
And then—
A voice reached his ears.
"Tch… and I was just praising you."
Everything froze.
Not the world.
Not time.
Just the chaos inside him.
A presence appeared.
Sudden.
Absolute.
Aiden.
He didn't "arrive."
He simply was there.
Standing beside Rey, looking down at him with clear irritation.
"I leave you alone for one hour…"
He clicked his tongue.
"…and you turn your insides into a battlefield."
Rey couldn't even respond.
Aiden raised a finger.
A simple motion.
And the chaos… stopped.
Not suppressed.
Not pushed back.
Controlled.
A thin, invisible layer formed between the two energies inside Rey.
Not a barrier.
More like… separation.
His mana was pushed back into its lanes.
Hosric's energy isolated, cut off from interaction.
Like oil and water forced into stillness.
The grinding stopped.
The burning faded.
Rey's body relaxed instantly, his shoulders dropping as he took a deep breath.
Behind him—
Hosric stiffened.
His brows furrowed.
'What…?'
Just moments ago, his energy was being devoured at an unnatural rate.
Pulled apart like it didn't belong.
And now—
Nothing.
Clean.
Normal.
Like Rey's body had suddenly become… ordinary.
Hosric slowly withdrew his hand.
His expression returned to calm.
But his eyes—
Stayed sharp.
Something was wrong.
He knew it.
"Uncle…?"
Rey spoke, turning slightly.
His voice steady now.
Too steady.
Hosric stood up.
"…you're fine."
Short.
Measured.
"Just rest."
Rey narrowed his eyes slightly. "That's it?"
A brief pause.
"…That's it."
Hosric turned.
Walked to the door.
Then stopped.
Without looking back.
"You're not going to the tournament."
Rey's expression hardened.
"I'll handle your result. You've done enough."
A beat.
"And call your mother."
The door closed.
Silence filled the room again.
Rey stared at it for a few seconds.
Then exhaled slowly.
"…same as always."
He leaned back slightly, running a hand through his hair.
Inside—
Aiden chuckled.
"Careful. He almost saw something interesting."
Rey's eyes darkened.
'You planned that?'
"No," Aiden replied lazily. "But I did enjoy watching you struggle."
"…you're annoying."
"Yet necessary."
The presence faded.
Rey clicked his tongue softly and picked up his phone again.
First—
The unknown number.
He stared at it for a few seconds before dialling.
Ringing.
No response.
Again.
Nothing.
"…waste of time."
He dropped it.
Next—
James.
The call connected almost instantly.
"REY?!"
Rey winced slightly, pulling the phone away from his ear.
"…yeah, I'm alive."
"Don't 'yeah' me, idiot! Do you even know what you looked like out there?! You were half-dead!"
Rey smirked faintly.
"Still won."
"…you're unbelievable."
There was a pause.
Then—
A quieter voice.
"…you okay?"
Rey's expression softened slightly.
"Yeah."
A short pause.
"Better than yesterday."
They talked.
Not long.
But enough.
About the match.
About the poison.
About how close it got.
James laughed.
Complained.
Swore he'd beat Rey next time.
But beneath it—
Relief.
Clear.
Unhidden.
When the call ended—
Rey stayed still for a moment.
There was a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, his finger tracing the screen as if deciding what to do, yet he still chose to go through with it.
Then tapped the next name.
Mom.
The call rang.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
Connected.
Silence.
"…Hello?"
Rey spoke first.
Nothing.
Then—
A shaky breath.
"Rey…?"
His grip tightened slightly.
"…yeah, mom."
That was enough.
The silence broke.
A quiet sob slipped through the call.
Then another.
Rey closed his eyes briefly.
"Hey… I'm fine."
"You're not fine!"
Her voice cracked immediately.
"You think I don't know what happened?! Your uncle told me everything!"
Rey didn't interrupt.
"I heard what that poison was… do you even understand what could've happened to you?!"
Her voice trembled harder now.
"I thought… I thought I lost you…"
That one line—
Hit deeper than anything else.
Rey's expression shifted.
Not guilt.
Not fully.
But something close.
"I'm still here."
He said it quietly.
Firmly.
"…and I'm not going anywhere."
"You don't know that!"
Silence.
Then softer—
"…just come back."
That one didn't come with anger.
It came with fear.
"We don't need any of this… not the tournament, not the recognition…"
Her voice broke again.
"…I just need you safe."
Rey looked down at his hand.
For a moment—
He didn't answer.
'I made her worry again....'
Then—
"…I can't."
Not harsh.
Not cold.
Just honest.
"I finally got my chance, Mom."
His voice steadied.
"I'm not throwing it away halfway."
A long silence followed.
Then—
A weak laugh.
Mixed with tears.
"…you really are stubborn."
"Got that from you."
"…shut up."
They both smiled.
Even if they couldn't see it.
The tension eased slowly after that.
By the time the call ended—
Her voice had changed.
Still worried.
But lighter.
Rey lowered the phone.
"…handled."
He leaned back slightly.
Thinking.
Tournament.
Restriction.
Surveillance.
Getting out won't be easy.
A slow smile formed on his face.
"…but not impossible."
Just as he swung his legs off the bed—
His body paused.
A strange sensation.
Faint.
But real.
From deep within—
Something stirred.
Not mana.
Not Aiden.
Something else.
Something that hadn't reacted even when Hosric's energy invaded.
Until now.
Rey's expression slowly faded.
"…what was that?"
For the first time since waking—
He wasn't thinking about escaping.
He was thinking—
'What inside me… just moved?'