8 Years Later
Between mountains and high peaks, far from all residential areas,
powerful fire tornadoes rush toward a man trying to evade them. But before he succeeds, some flames scorch his arm, and he suffers from dehydration due to the intense heat caused by that fiery boy.
The man shouts:
Gara: Hey, flame! Lower the temperature a bit—I feel like I'm roasting here!
Jack (coldly): Aren't we supposed to train under all weather conditions? I'm helping you learn too.
Gara: Damn you, boy.
Jack (mockingly): Looks like I'm going to beat you today.
Gara: In your dreams.
The battle between them intensifies again.
Jack lunges fiercely at Gara using massive flaming blades, while Gara quickly forms a shield of ice combined with earth.
The collision creates intense steam, forcing Jack to retreat.
Gara takes advantage of the steam and attacks with earth shards while Jack can't see, but—no use.
Jack dodges swiftly, and as Gara appears in front of him, Jack punches him hard in the stomach. Gara counters with a strong left kick to Jack's arm, and both step back slightly.
In moments, their wounds vanish, and they resume the fight with renewed intensity.
(The stronger a person is and the more energy flows through their body, the faster they heal. The speed of healing largely depends on the person's strength and the amount of energy stored within. This applies only to energy-based injuries and not all cases.)
Four hours of continuous battle pass.
Both are gasping for breath from sheer exhaustion.
Gara: The mountain's shape has changed...
Jack looks around, exhausted, and sees the mountain about to collapse from the intensity of their fight.
Jack: That's good then.
He adds sarcastically: Come on, old man, let's keep going. A draw isn't my goal—this time I'll take your head!
Gara: Haha, and I don't want a draw either. I can still have some fun with you, flame.
He looks at the sky to estimate the time.
Gara: But… shouldn't you tell her you'll be late coming back?
Jack looks around and realizes how late it is.
Gara: So, what do you think?
Before he can finish, Jack shoots up into the sky, flying home quickly.
Gara laughs heartily—that little girl, Black, has grown into a very strong young woman. Her punches are precise and far from easy to recover from. Nothing annoys her more than them being late for meals or coming home.
He flies after Jack, not wanting to be even more late.
Jack arrives to find Black had just finished preparing the food.
He's in a terrible state—so are his clothes.
Black: Welcome back… Go shower first, then come eat.
Jack (smiling): What did you make us today, Bee? I'm starving.
Black: I made your favorite meal—and the master's.
Jack (grumbling): Why? Why did you make his favorite too?
Black (smiling): Jack.
Jack: Yes?
Black (in a threatening tone): Will you go shower? Or will you go the rest of the day without food?
Jack (faking fear): I'm showering now!
He rushes to his room, and Black smiles after him.
Gara arrives minutes later.
Black: You're late, Uncle Gara.
Gara: I was making sure no one crossed the mountain's barriers.
She hands him a glass of iced juice.
Black: Here you go, master. Drink something—you're as dry as a leaf.
Gara: Thank you, Bee.
After finishing:
Gara: It's delicious… What did you add today, Bee?
Black (smiling): I added the same thing you added to the water this morning before you left.
Gara is shocked—it's become truly hard to fool her now.
She hands him the antidote.
Gara: Alright… what is it?
Black: Black Azima plant poison. Colorless and odorless.
Jack: Old man, you can't fool her anymore. My God, I've lost count of how many times you've poisoned us—were you trying to kill us?
Gara nonchalantly walks to the dining table.
Gara: Come on, Bee, I'm hungry.
They all sit to eat, and afterward, Gara tells them to prepare to go out today.
Each heads to their room to get ready, and then they head to one of the nearby towns.
Gara often takes them to different places to teach them more about the world. He'd also taught them four different languages, which allowed them to travel to many regions.
In the city of Beiman,
Black moves from shop to shop, buying supplies. They then go to the market. She's picking some fruits while Jack and Gara stand aside carrying bags and chatting.
Black walks off a bit to buy more items.
Some men spot her.
One man: Wow, look at that beauty over there...
Black looks stunning. Her hair flows down her back, and she's wearing a white blouse and black trousers.
They walk toward the fruit stand where she stands.
Jack notices their direction—and their staring eyes.
He doesn't move, letting Black handle it, while Gara watches Jack's expression shift—one he knows well, the kind that means someone is going to die. Gara also watches Black to see what she'll do.
One of the men talks to the fruit vendor.
Man: Hey, I'll pay for the pretty lady's fruits.
Without even looking at him, she extends her hand with the money to the vendor.
But one man tries to grab her hand.
She grabs his and twists it so hard he feels it might snap.
He falls to the ground in pain as she keeps her grip strong.
The other two men, seeing this, try to attack her using the wood and wind elements.
She blocks them easily—without using her powers.
Gara had trained them to fight without energy, enhancing their physical endurance and combat skills.
She kicks one of the men while still holding the first, then pushes him and lands a punch that knocks him to the ground.
Gara notices another fight nearby—someone seems seriously hurt.
He tells Jack to go help.
But Jack doesn't move. He's focused on Black, furious.
He wants to go to her—but Gara stops him.
Gara: Let her handle it herself.
One of the men tries to sneak up behind her with a wind attack.
She dodges it, and he curses her with a foul insult.
That's when Gara can no longer restrain Jack.
Suddenly, Black sees the man's tongue flying through the air, blood everywhere.
She's shocked—Jack had decided to kill them.
Gara went to see the person from the other fight, leaving this erupting volcano to Black.
Jack nearly severs the hand that reached for her—
Black snaps out of her shock and grabs him.
Black (screaming): Stop! Jack, stop!
She turns to the terrified men, frozen in place.
Black (furious): What are you doing, you idiots?! Run for your lives! Take your friend and go!
Jack (burning with rage): Black, let me go!
He tries to break free, but she holds on tightly.
Jack doesn't want to use full strength to break away—he's afraid of hurting her.
He decides to burn the men with fire.
But she senses it.
Black (pleading): Jack, please don't. Please, Jack, don't kill them. Please.
Jack feels her fear—not for herself, but for him.
She doesn't want him to carry the burden of killing over something like this.
And after all that happened, those men likely wouldn't dare approach any woman again.
Jack starts calming down, controlling his breathing, taking a deep breath,
closing his eyes—fighting the urge to kill.
Jack began to control his anger, steadying his breath and taking a deep breath. He closed his eyes, trying to suppress his murderous desire.
Gara looked at what had happened with disapproval and silently decided to take action once they returned.
Jack opened his eyes, now composed. He smiled gently at Black—an expression that didn't match his earlier behavior—and patted her head.
Jack: "Black, calm down. I won't hurt them, alright? I promise."
Then he gave the others a deadly glare and added,
Jack: "Get the hell out of my sight."
The two ran off, carrying their friend whose mouth was bleeding profusely.
Afterward, Jack turned back to smile at Black and joked with her to lighten the mood. He succeeded, making her laugh and forget what had happened, at least for a moment. Then he told her to sit down while he went to gather the fruit that had fallen near the stall owners.
She wanted to help, but he firmly refused—he didn't want her to see the blood-covered fruit or the blood scattered around the area.
Jack picked her up despite her protests and placed her on a bench a little farther away.
Jack (firmly): "Stay here and don't move."
She wanted to object, but Jack gave her a stern look, so she decided to stay put.
He smiled and patted her head again.
Jack: "Good girl. Stay right here. I'll be back soon, okay?"
Black: "Alright. I swear I won't move at all."
Jack went to pick up the scattered items and apologized to the stall owners, who were so terrified of him they nearly wet themselves. Just a moment ago he was a ruthless killer, and now he was smiling—he even looked like a handsome angel.
Jack had sharp, attractive features and a muscular build, but the murderous aura around him made everyone wish to remain unnoticed.
After gathering everything, he paid for the damages and the rest of their purchases, then returned to Black, where Gara was already waiting with a disapproving look on his face.
Gara: "Black, do we need anything else?"
Black: "No, Master. We bought everything."
Jack: "B, do you want to go—?"
Gara (interrupting): "Home."
Jack (uninterested): "Why go back now?"
Gara: "Black, let's go home."
He picked up the bags and walked off without giving them a chance to object.
Black: "Jack, let's go home this time, and next time we'll visit more places, okay?"
Jack: "Alright, let's go."
They used their energy to return. On the way back, Gara recalled the past ten years and how difficult it had been to train Black because of Jack—who was so afraid of her getting even a scratch. They always argued, and Jack sometimes forced himself to agree to the training because of the danger they faced. Black had always wanted to train and often took Gara's side against Jack. That was the only reason Gara managed to train her at all—Jack had reluctantly allowed it.
When they arrived home, Gara placed the bags in the kitchen and went straight to his room without saying a word.
Black knew he was angry, so she decided to cook one of his favorite dishes and have Jack apologize during dinner. She would also apologize for not reacting quickly enough earlier.
She started cooking, and Jack helped her. When they finished, they went to call Gara.
Black: "Jack, we need to apologize to Uncle Gara for what happened today."
Jack: "No, I won't. I didn't do anything wrong."
Black: "Seriously?! You almost killed someone today."
Jack: "They deserved it."
Black: "Ahhh… God, have mercy!"
She stomped her foot and went to Gara's room. Jack chuckled at her reaction and followed behind her.
She knocked on the door.
Black: "Uncle, dinner is ready. Come eat with us."
Gara came out and found Jack standing next to her.
Jack: "Hey, old man—"
Gara (cutting him off): "Let's eat first, then we'll talk."
Jack and Black: "Okay."
After they finished eating and cleaned up, Black made some drinks, and they sat together. She sat next to Gara.
Black: "Uncle, I'm sorry for what happened today."
Gara looked at Jack:
Gara: "Don't you have something to say?"
Jack: "I didn't—"
Black elbowed him and whispered:
Black: "Jack, shut up and apologize."
Jack (whispering back): "Why are we whispering?!"
Black: "Jack, apologize!"
Jack sighed:
Jack: "Old man, I'm sorry."
Gara: "I know you're not sincere, you little runt."
Jack stood up angrily:
Jack: "Yes, I'm not! They dared to look at her!"
He continued with even more rage:
Jack: "I should have gouged their eyes out, then burned them alive!"
Gara : "Jack, are you insane?! Yes, they deserved punishment, but not death! And Black could have handled the situation on her own. Meanwhile, there was someone else who needed help, and you ignored him! That's unacceptable. You can't just turn your back on someone in need."
Black realized that Gara wasn't just angry about Jack's desire to kill—he was also upset that Jack didn't help someone in need. She felt angry with herself; many people could have been hurt because of her.
Jack: "It's not part of my mission to care about him."
He sat back down as if he hadn't just dropped a bombshell, confirming Gara's greatest fear—Jack only cared about two things: Black and revenge. Everything else meant nothing to him.
Black tried to speak, but Gara stopped her and told them to listen.
Black: "Go ahead, Uncle."
Gara: "Your training is over."
To be continued.....