## Chapter 21: The Weight of Normalcy (and Sasha)
Sunlight streamed through the apartment window, painting warm stripes across the living room rug. The oppressive silence of the previous evening had lifted, replaced by a fragile, determined normalcy. Thanks to the "ongoing structural assessment and trauma counseling" mandated by the Collegiate administration after the breach, Elara had a week-long holiday. Kelvin had already crushed two of his **System**-mandated daily quests before she even stirred: a grueling 5-minute agility drill (involving impossible leaps between furniture that had Elara muttering "show-off" from her doorway) and a meditation session focused on **Bloodlust** suppression that left the air faintly crackling.
Now, for the finale: **Foundation Forged - Part 2**. This time, the objective was simple: **100 Push-ups.**
Kelvin lowered himself to the rug, settling into a perfect plank position. He took a deep breath, the familiar burn starting in his chest and shoulders as he began the rhythmic descent and push.
"Okay, Sash, spill. What did Professor Hendricks *actually* say when they told him classes were canceled?" Elara's voice, bright and carrying the faint tremor of lingering adrenaline, filled the room. She wasn't just talking; she was perched sideways on Kelvin's lower back, her legs dangling, scrolling through her phone.
Kelvin grunted, the extra weight negligible with his **Level 10 STR (11)** and **VIT (17)**, but still unexpected. "El... what are you doing?"
"Providing resistance training," she declared airily, shifting slightly. "Gotta make sure you don't get lazy, 'Mysterious Blood-Soaked Savior'. Keep going! Forty-three... forty-four..." She counted loudly, then returned to her call. "Sash? You there?"
Sasha's voice, tinny but excited, came through the speaker. "I'm here! Hendricks? Oh, he went full 'I-told-you-so' about gate resonance harmonics destabilizing local infrastructure. Practically vibrated with academic vindication. But forget him! El, seriously, the videos! They're everywhere! Grainy, shaky, but... it's *him*!"
Kelvin pushed up, focusing on form. **<< Push-ups: 51/100 >>**. Elara bounced slightly with the motion.
"Which videos?" Elara asked, feigning innocence poorly. "The ones of the blurry figure swinging between buildings like a deranged Spider-Man?"
"YES! And the ones *inside*! People are calling him 'The Chain Reaper'! 'The Crimson Shadow'! It's wild!" Sasha's voice was pure exhilaration. "El, your brother was... terrifyingly awesome! Did you see how he just *whipped* that first goblin? Like *BAM*! Right through the chest! And then the way he moved... it wasn't human! It was like watching liquid darkness fight!"
"Fifty-five... fifty-six..." Elara counted, then lowered her voice conspiratorially, though Kelvin could hear every word. "Sash, it was... insane. He just *appeared*. One second, that thing was about to... you know... and the next, *thunk*, chain through the heart. And then he just... went to work. It was fast. Brutal. Like he wasn't even thinking, just... reacting." Her voice held awe now, overriding the residual fear. "He saved everyone in that hall, Sash. Everyone."
Kelvin pushed through rep sixty, the burn intensifying pleasantly. Hearing the raw admiration in Elara's voice, the way she was bragging to Sasha, eased a knot of tension in his chest he hadn't fully acknowledged. She wasn't recoiling today. She was... proud. Scared still, yes, but fiercely proud.
"Sixty-two... sixty-three... Did you see the part where he used that goblin's own knife?" Elara continued, warming to her theme. "That big ugly one charged him, and Kel just *dove*, grabbed its ankle, flipped it, then *stabby-stabby*! So smooth! Like something out of an action sim!" She punctuated this with another slight bounce.
"Ow," Kelvin grunted, more for effect than actual pain.
"Quit whining, you big lump," Elara retorted affectionately, patting his shoulder blade. "Seventy! You're slowing down! Sash, you should see him now. Doing push-ups like a machine. With me on his back! Claims it's 'light cardio'." She snorted.
"Seventy-four," Kelvin corrected mildly, pushing up steadily. The **System's** counter ticked upwards in his vision, syncing with Elara's enthusiastic tally.
"El, he's a superhero," Sasha breathed, starstruck. "An actual, secret superhero. Who lives with you. And does push-ups. This is the coolest thing that's ever happened! When do I get to meet 'The Chain Reaper' properly? Does he sign autographs?"
Kelvin almost lost his form, coughing out a laugh. "Tell Sasha the 'Chain Reaper' only signs autographs in goblin blood. And it's messy."
Elara relayed this, giggling. "He says it's messy. Probably smudges. So, maybe not." She listened for a moment. "Yeah, yeah, we'll do lunch soon. Once the Association stops lurking outside the building." Her voice dropped slightly. "Captain Stern-Face paid another 'courtesy call' this morning. Just observing, he said. Right." She sighed, the light mood dimming momentarily. "Anyway, gotta make sure this superhero finishes his reps before he collapses. Talk later, Sash!"
She ended the call and leaned forward, resting her chin on the top of Kelvin's head as he pushed through rep eighty-five. "So," she said, her voice softer now, playful but with an underlying seriousness. "'The Chain Reaper', huh? Catchy. Very edgy. Very... dungeon-core-novel."
"Eighty-eight," Kelvin grunted, focusing. "Needs work. Sounds like a discount furniture store. 'Chain Reaper Couches: Uncomfortable, But Deadly!'"
Elara laughed, the sound warm and genuine. "Okay, okay. How about 'The Architect'? You know, building a better tomorrow... one dead goblin at a time?" She paused, then added quietly, "Seriously though, Kel. What you did... Thank you. It was terrifying. It was insane. But... it was also kind of the most amazing thing I've ever seen." She squeezed his shoulders gently. "Ninety-nine... One hundred! Okay, superhero, you're done. Now, move it. I need the couch back for important napping."
Kelvin lowered himself for the final rep, then pushed up, locking his arms. He rolled out from under her with surprising grace, sitting back on his heels, breathing deeply but steadily. He looked up at Elara, seeing the lingering awe mixed with the familiar sisterly affection. The fear wasn't gone, but it was sharing space now with pride and a dawning, bewildered acceptance.
"The Architect has potential," he conceded, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "Less furniture, more... ominous planning." He gestured towards the kitchen. "Important napping requires fuel. Architect demands pancakes. With extra bacon. Hazard pay, remember?"
Elara grinned, the shadows of the breach momentarily banished by the warmth of the morning sun and the absurdity of her brother, the alleged Chain Reaper, demanding pancakes. "Ominous planning it is. But you're cooking, 'Architect'. Consider it part of your 'building a better breakfast' initiative." She flopped onto the couch, pulling a blanket over herself, watching him with a mixture of exhaustion, affection, and the thrilling, terrifying knowledge that her quiet, broken brother was gone. In his place stood someone forged in shadow and blood, capable of impossible things, who still argued about bacon. It was a new world, strange and dangerous, but for this moment, bathed in sunlight and the smell of impending pancakes, it felt strangely, cautiously, like home. The **Shadowkey** hummed softly in his mind, a promise of trials to come, but here, now, the weight of his sister's pride felt like the best reward the **System** could never give.