The afternoon sun hung low over the quiet Manila neighborhood, casting warm gold across the rooftops and narrow streets. Heat settled heavily in the air, pressing down on the quiet houses and still trees.
Behind the Nozomi home, the backyard training ground looked as though a small battle had taken place.
Dust coated the circular patch of dirt where Kosoku and Gabriel had spent the past several hours sparring. Footprints overlapped in messy patterns across the ground. One of the wooden practice dummies leaned awkwardly to one side, its base loosened after being struck too many times.
Kosoku sat near the center of the circle with his legs stretched forward. His breathing came slow and deep as he tried to calm his exhausted body.
Sweat slid down the side of his face.
His shirt clung to his back, damp from the long session. Dirt marked his sleeves and knees, and even while resting his arms trembled slightly from fatigue.
Across the yard, Gabriel Cruz stood beside the wooden fence.
The assassin leaned casually against the posts with his arms crossed, observing his son in silence. Even while standing still, he carried the quiet intensity of someone who never truly relaxed.
After a moment, Gabriel finally spoke.
"You're improving."
Kosoku looked up. "That sounds like a compliment."
Gabriel shrugged. "Don't get used to it."
Kosoku chuckled softly and rubbed the back of his neck. "I know right."
The back door slid open behind them.
Alisa stepped outside carrying two bottles of cold water. A gentle breeze moved through the yard, lifting strands of her silver-blonde hair as she walked toward them with steady, unhurried steps.
Even after years of living among warriors, she carried the calm composure of someone who rarely allowed tension to reach her.
She handed one bottle to Kosoku. "You pushed yourself too hard again," she said.
Kosoku took the bottle and drank deeply. The cold water felt refreshing after hours of movement under the sun.
"You always say that to me, Mom."
Alisa smiled slightly. "Because it's always true."
Gabriel chuckled quietly and Kosoku smiled but finished half the bottle anyway.
For a moment the three of them remained there, the afternoon wind drifting lazily through the trees beyond the fence.
Then Gabriel's expression changed, his gaze shifted toward the street and his eyes narrowed slightly.
Kosoku noticed immediately. "...They're back?"
Gabriel nodded once.
Kosoku followed his father's gaze beyond the fence.
Across the street, beneath the shade of a tall tree near the corner, a black sedan rested quietly along the curb.
It looked ordinary but something about it felt wrong. They still watching.
Kosoku sighed quietly. "The Association again."
Alisa crossed her arms and glanced toward the vehicle. "They're persistent."
Gabriel pushed himself off the fence and stood upright. "They're curious."
Kosoku tilted his head. "About me?"
Gabriel looked directly at him. "You're a five-year-old who throws lightning."
Kosoku scratched his head awkwardly. "...Fair point and it sounds annoying."
Alisa studied the sedan for another moment before speaking calmly. "Don't worry, they won't interfere."
Kosoku glanced at her. "How do you know?"
"They're observing."
Gabriel nodded. "That's what scouts do."
Kosoku looked back toward the car. The windows were dark enough to hide anyone sitting inside.
"Should I act normal?" he asked.
Gabriel smirked faintly. "You mean pretending you're not strange?"
Kosoku shrugged. "Yeah something like that."
Alisa smiled gently. "You are normal, Kosoku."
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Define normal."
Kosoku laughed quietly. "Apparently not lightning."
The three of them shared a brief laugh but Gabriel's attention quickly returned to the training yard. "Training isn't over."
Kosoku's shoulders immediately sagged.
"..Seriously?"
Gabriel pointed toward the dirt circle.
"One more exercise."
Kosoku groaned but forced himself to stand.
"So, what now?"
Gabriel walked to a small bench near the fence and picked up a strip of dark cloth.
Kosoku narrowed his eyes. "That looks suspicious, Dad."
Gabriel held it up. "Blindfold."
Kosoku blinked.
"No way... you're joking."
Gabriel shook his head. "No, I'm not."
Kosoku immediately looked at his mother for help.
Alisa only smiled. "He's serious."
Kosoku sighed dramatically. "This is cruel."
Gabriel stepped closer. "If you hide your mana, your senses become more important."
Kosoku eyed the cloth. "So you want me to fight without seeing?"
Gabriel nodded at last Kosoku considered it
then he shrugged. "Fine."
Gabriel tied the cloth over Kosoku's eyes.
Darkness swallowed his vision, Kosoku shifted slightly. "This is uncomfortable."
Gabriel stepped back into the circle.
"Focus and concentrate on your surroundings."
Kosoku stood still—Without sight, the world felt completely different.
The backyard that had seemed familiar moments ago suddenly felt larger.
More quiet and every sound sharpened. The wind brushing against his skin, the faint crunch of dirt beneath Gabriel's boots and the subtle shift of air whenever someone moved.
Kosoku took a slow breath.
"Ready?" Gabriel asked.
Kosoku nodded. "Ready."
The first attack came silently.
Kosoku heard the movement a fraction of a second before Gabriel reached him.
His head turned instinctively and his arm lifted. Gabriel's strike brushed past his sleeve. Kosoku jumped backward and steadied himself. Gabriel's voice carried faint amusement.
"Not bad."
Kosoku smiled beneath the blindfold. "I heard you."
Gabriel attacked again. The strike came lower, Kosoku ducked and rolled across the dirt before pushing himself back to his feet.
Dust scattered across the ground.
"Your balance is improving," Gabriel said.
Kosoku tilted his head slightly. "You sound surprised?."
Gabriel chuckled. "A little."
Kosoku stood still again. He focused on the sounds around him. Footsteps, breathing,
wind and Gabriel's mana. Everything sharpened now that sight no longer distracted him.
Then Kosoku moved first, he lunged toward where he believed Gabriel stood. Gabriel stepped aside easily.
Kosoku halted. "Hey...you moved."
"Of course I move."
Kosoku sighed. "That's unfair."
Gabriel smirked. "Fighting usually is."
Kosoku steadied his breathing again but this time something felt different. The darkness around him no longer felt empty. He could feel Gabriel, not clearly but faintly. The shift of air the pressure of movement and the way the ground responded when someone stepped.
Kosoku moved forward slowly, Gabriel attacked again, Kosoku dodged him, not perfectly but close enough. Gabriel's hand stopped just short of Kosoku's shoulder.
For several seconds neither of them moved.
Then Gabriel spoke quietly. "..Interesting, you're adapting it."
Kosoku removed the blindfold. "What?"
Gabriel looked at him differently now. "You just sensed my movement."
Kosoku blinked. "...Did I?"
Alisa had stepped closer during the exchange. Her calm eyes studied her son carefully.
"Yes, you did." she said.
Kosoku scratched his head. "I just felt something."
Gabriel crossed his arms again. "That's instinct."
Kosoku tilted his head. "Is that good?"
Gabriel's smirk returned. "For an assassin..."
He paused. "....very good."
Kosoku smiled.
But across the street, inside the parked sedan, two Philippine Warrior Association scouts had been watching the entire training session through binoculars.
One of them slowly lowered the lenses.
"...Did you see that?"
The other nodded. "He dodged without sight."
The first scout leaned back in his seat while staring toward the Nozomi house again.
"That kid…" He paused. "...is definitely not normal."
The second scout glanced down at the tablet on his lap. On the screen, a mana scanner reading flickered quietly—a moment later the number changed.
The scout frowned. "...Wait a second."
The first scout looked over. "What?"
The man turned the tablet toward him, the display showed a sudden spike in energy readings.
Not lightning, not wind and not water elements. It was something else, something ancient. The two scouts looked back toward the Nozomi house at the exact same moment.
And far away inside the quiet backyard...
Kosoku suddenly felt a strange pulse deep within his chest. Like something sleeping inside him had just stirred.
For the briefest moment—
The air around him went completely still.