Chapter 16: A Hidden Destiny

Inside my room, Ziekary was tossing and turning in my bed, murmuring in her sleep as she relived her terrifying first encounter with the fake Charlotte. A sudden, piercing scream tore from her throat as she was swallowed whole in her dream, jolting her entirely awake.

I immediately pushed my door open and stepped over to check on her. "Ziekary? Something the matter?"

She looked around frantically, blinking against the light, and touched her head with a shaky hand. "Umm... it was just a dream..." She met my gaze.

"Come on," I offered, offering a comforting smile. "Wanna get a cup of hot drink? I’ll make you some."

As I headed out of the room, she slipped out of bed and followed right behind me. Outside, the early morning sky was quiet, filled with soft birdsong and a crisp, peaceful atmosphere. We sat together high atop the edge of the clock tower, Ziekary holding a warm cup of hot chocolate.

"So, how are you feeling?" I asked.

"I’m... well," she murmured, looking down at the city streets far below. "I still cannot accept that my grandmother’s gone." She looked up at me with a heavy, sorrowful expression.

"I totally understand," I replied, smiling gently to reassure her. "You know, me and my brother caught the guy who was responsible for your grandmother’s death."

"You did?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"Yeah. If you would like to see him, I could arrange it for you."

She gazed back up at the sky, pondering my offer before shaking her head. "Umm... no. I think I’m not ready to face him, whoever he is."

I chuckled softly, looking out at the horizon. "All right."

Once she finished her drink, she set her cup down beside her. "You know," I continued, turning back to her, "I’ve been wanting to tell you this ever since the first time I met you."

She blinked at me with a curious look. "You are really, really tiny, you know that?"

Ziekary instantly brought both hands up to her face as her cheeks flushed bright red. "You have such a petite body," I added, "I never met anyone like you. And I admit, this world can be pretty peaceful; I’m starting to call it my second home. Except for when I use my abilities to awaken other entities that’s why I didn’t use them in my previous fight."

"Wait, you did?" she gasped.

"Of course."

"Did you win?"

"Haha, yes, I did," I grinned. "It wasn’t an easy fight there’s no such thing as an easy fight. Most of my fights were pretty brutal, but I can say that one was the easiest."

With a cheeky, blushing face, she asked, "What’s gonna happen to me now, Kyrie?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... is it really okay for me to be here?"

"Well, do you have anywhere else to go?"

She bowed her head down, her voice small. "No, not really. I really don’t have anyone else."

"If that’s the case, you can stay with me. I don’t mind."

She looked startled. "Are you sure?"

"What’s the matter?"

"It’s just that I never tried living with a guy," she mumbled, keeping her head bowed while turning bright red.

I let out a warm laugh, filling the morning air with a lighthearted tone.

"Hmph..." she pouted, covering her face with her hands.

"This is my second time having a casual conversation with you... wait, is it?" I smiled. "You are really cute."

Embarrassed, she suddenly gave me a playful push. "Stop it! You’re making me blush."

"Hey, you didn’t have to push me," I laughed, scratching the back of my head.

"I don’t care if you fall," she retorted, dropping her hands from her face. "I mean, you’re a parkourist, you can take care of yourself even when you fall."

As I kept chuckling, her right hand suddenly went numb, and her fingertips slowly darkened.

"Ouch, it hurts," she winced, clutching her right wrist and opening and closing her hand.

"May I see?"

"Kyrie, what is this?" she asked, distressed. "It keeps showing up ever since the day you saved me. And it hurts."

I took her right hand, concentrating as I tried to dissipate the dark energy locked inside before finally letting go.

"Oh, hey, it’s gone!" she sighed in relief. "I didn’t know you could do that too."

"It’s starting to manifest," I told her grimly. "So, what Rylee told me is true."

"What do you mean, manifest ?"

"Remember, I injected a small amount of dark matter into you to save your life, right?"

"Yes, I’m aware."

"That dark matter isn’t just going to disappear. It will begin to grow and spread throughout your body."

Alarmed, she stood up abruptly from her seat. "Wait, what did you say?!"

"Hey, calm down," I urged, motioning for her to sit back down. "Could you sit down? You might fall."

She sat back down in heavy silence. "Will I die too?"

Her question brought back the heavy warning Rylee had given me over the phone: once dark matter is injected into someone's body, they either die or endure it through intense physical exercise acting just like I did so the dark energy doesn't evolve and take over.

"It means I’m going to have to train you," I said firmly. "I have no choice. Like I said, I’m ready to take full responsibility for what I’ve done."

"But I’m not a sporty person," she protested. "Is it really necessary?"

"Listen to me. If we don’t deal with the dark energy that’s slowly consuming your body, you’re going to die," I explained. "That’s the reason I agreed to take you in to begin with."

Ziekary turned her head away, a deeply worried expression clouding her features. "So... what are we gonna do?"

"I’m going to turn you into a confident and brave person."

She offered a faint, apprehensive smile. "Do you really think I’m qualified?"

"Of course you are," I encouraged, offering a warm smile. "I’m going to teach you martial arts and guide you every step of the way. I’ll be your mentor. Just follow my instructions, and you’ll be fine. So, what do you say? Are you in?"

She looked down, troubled. "A few days ago, I witnessed a tragic accident. Then I woke up from a nightmare. And now... I’m going to become a martial artist, but... is it just to keep me alive?"

"Actually, that’s not the only reason," I replied. "I’ll tell you when the time is right."

Still looking uncertain, she nodded softly. "Umm... okay. I trust you, Kyrie. We’re friends, right?"

"Yeah, we are," I chuckled softly.

As I gazed out into the distance, my mind drifted back to the holotape Seralphyne had given me, showing Athenaria explaining the true, devastating extent of my powers.

"Kyrie?" she called out, snapping me back to reality.

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about something else."

"Oh, okay then. So, when will my training start?"

"You sound excited," I smiled. "We can start as soon as tomorrow."

"I just realized you’ve saved me so many times already," she said, determination replacing her fear. "Even though I haven’t fully moved on from my grandmother’s passing, I want to be strong. I want the ability to defend myself as soon as possible. And I don’t want to rely on you all the time. I’m tired of this life I want to become the best version of myself."

"That’s the spirit," I said, gently patting her on the head.

"But wait, I have one question."

"What’s your question?"

"Will I have the freedom to choose which martial art I want to learn? I mean, you’re an MMA fighter, right?"

"I’ve been fighting all my life, so yeah, I’ve mastered a wide variety of martial arts," I chuckled. "So, go ahead. Name your fighting style."

As I took my first sip of coffee, Ziekary smiled with newfound determination. "I’ve decided I want to learn Wing Chun."

I instantly spat out my coffee, coughing violently for a few seconds.

"Did I say something wrong?" she blinked.

"Of all the fighting styles... why Wing Chun?"

"Because it looks like it’s easy to learn, and I can imagine myself fighting gracefully with it."

I wiped my lips, bursting into laughter. "You’ve got a good eye. I started studying martial arts at the age of 12 and have won countless fights, both in and out of the cage. It’s great that you want to learn Wing Chun, but here’s the thing: I haven’t fully mastered it myself. So I’m not sure I’ve got the guts to teach you that."

"Oh, come on!"

"What about karate? Or Krav Maga? Or Jiu-Jitsu?"

"I’m not even familiar with any of those! I want to learn Wing Chun."

I burst out laughing again. "Okay, okay! Now I’m embarrassed." Raising my voice, I called toward the apartment, "Hey, Kiyon!"

"I can’t hear you, bro! I’m pretty busy right now!" Kiyon shouted back from inside.

I shook my head with a smile.

"So, will you teach me?" Ziekary pressed. "It’s impossible that you don’t know a thing about Wing Chun. Will you teach me? That’s what I really want to learn."

I smiled warmly back at her. "Okay, fine. How hard can it be?"

She stood up from her seat and began heading back toward the platform entrance. "You know, Kyrie... you’re like the best friend I never had. Thank you for making my day. I know you’re just trying to help me, and I’m really grateful for that."

With a final smile, she turned and walked back inside the apartment.

I looked up at the clearing sky, shaking my head. "First Nekojinn, and now her... What has my life turned into?"

Gazing into the open air, my thoughts drifted. "Auntie... or should I say, Mom. Wherever you are now, I hope you’re proud of me. I’m really trying to be the person you wanted me to be. And honestly... it’s pretty boring. What else can I say?"

Standing alone atop the clock tower, I watched as the morning sun finally began to rise.

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