.
---
Three weeks passed like a blur.
Unit 06 had stopped complaining. They had adapted.
Inspector Leo's training was still brutal, but they'd learned the rhythm. And more importantly—they'd found theirs.
They began waking up at 2:00 a.m., a full two hours before the rest of the academy. It wasn't part of the rules. It wasn't suggested. It was necessary. Their bodies moved on instinct now. Sleep, train, eat, bleed, repeat.
Elliot found clarity in the grind.
Kira sharpened her precision.
Zane pushed his strength to wild limits.
Henry—still the joker—never let the squad lose spirit.
And together, they became more than just a unit.
They became a family.
---
One early morning, under the stillness of cold stars, they were training on the side field—shadow fighting, weighted sprints, and meditating near the Soul Flame Pillars.
Then—thud… thud… THUD.
Boots.
Not just any boots. Black and gold. Loud. Cocky.
Unit 01.
They strutted onto the field like they owned it. Towering. Confident. Smirking.
One of them—broad shoulders, jagged soul marks on his arms—walked toward the punching pillars where Kira and Kayden were training.
"You all are in our spot," he said with a twisted grin. "Didn't they teach you rats how ranks work?"
Elliot stood, sweat still dripping. He walked forward, calm but unflinching.
"We're not moving."
Another Unit 01 member, thinner but wild-eyed, scoffed. "You must think this is a democracy."
Zane stepped beside Elliot. "We earned our right here."
Suddenly, the wild-eyed guy's hands lit up with a burning red soul energy—pulsing like lava. His aura flared violently.
"Maybe I should knock the respect into you—"
"Enough."
The voice cut clean through the field like a blade of ice.
They all turned.
He walked in slow. Tall. Pale skin. Piercing silver-white hair. A calm expression that didn't need to scream. It whispered power.
Michael.
He was the calmest, quietest, and yet most feared among Unit 01. Rumors said he could break a man's soul energy with just his gaze.
Michael didn't yell. He just looked at the hot-headed member and said, "I said, leave them."
The guy gritted his teeth. "Tch… whatever."
Michael turned to Elliot. The two locked eyes.
A moment passed. No words. Just understanding—and challenge.
Michael's lips curved into a smirk.
"See you later."
He turned. The others followed, casting glares and scoffs behind them. But Unit 06 stood firm.
Kira exhaled. "What was that about?"
Henry whispered, "I think I just met my sleep paralysis demon."
Elliot stared where Michael had stood.
This wasn't over
---