The wind stood still.
The sky above Rebel Town felt heavier than usual. Clouds circled like silent spectators.
The battlefield?
An abandoned field behind the college. Grass swayed like waves, unaware of the history about to be written.
Zain stood alone.
Confident. Focused.
Wearing the same calm that led U-Force through siege, death, and victory.
Across from him stood Mahir.
Hands in his pockets.
Back straight. Eyes unreadable.
There were no fists raised.
No screaming.
No flashy declarations.
Just two men —
one seeking worth,
the other holding judgment.
---
"I hope you're ready, Zain."
Mahir's voice was low, almost kind. But it echoed through Zain's bones.
> "I didn't come here to hope," Zain replied. "I came to prove."
Mahir nodded.
Step.
He took one casual step forward.
And the air changed.
Wind collapsed. Gravity twisted.
Zain's shoulders tensed. His body recognized something his mind didn't yet.
This wasn't just Mahir.
This was something beyond him.
Zain dashed forward.
Sharp. Clean.
He threw a lightning-fast jab—
Blocked.
Mahir didn't even look.
Zain spun, kicked—
Missed.
Mahir sidestepped. Effortlessly. Eyes still calm.
Then—
CRACK.
A single palm to Zain's chest.
Zain's feet lifted off the ground.
He flew back five steps, his breath stolen.
He landed, knelt, and wiped blood from his lip.
> "That... wasn't just strength."
Mahir tilted his head.
> "You're using aura like a sword. I'm using it like gravity."
Zain,
His movements now slowed —
Breath synced. Feet aligned. Aura awakened.
His figure flickered slightly.
Like the flame of a candle resisting the wind.
He vanished—
Reappeared above Mahir.
A clean knee, aura-infused.
BOOM!
Mahir blocked it with one arm—but was pushed back two steps.
The ground beneath him cracked.
Zain didn't stop.
8 strikes in 3 seconds.
Kicks, elbows, aura pulses, feints.
This was Zain—
the tactical genius of Rebel Town.
He landed a direct hit to Mahir's jaw.
Silence.
Zain's aura blazed.
Students watching from rooftops gasped.
> "He's pushing Mahir back...!"
Mahir wiped his lip.
And smiled.
> "Not bad," Mahir said.
"You've learned to breathe with flame."
He took one breath.
The earth...
shook.
His aura didn't rise.
It dropped.
Heavy. Black. Endless.
Zain's flame flickered.
Mahir vanished.
BANG!
Zain flew sideways, slammed into a tree.
Before he could react—
THUD!
Mahir's knee struck his ribs mid-air.
CRACK.
Zain dropped like a comet.
He tried to rise—
SLAM.
Mahir grabbed his face and pinned him down.
Zain struggled.
His aura tried to resist.
But it shattered.
Mahir's voice was colder now.
> "Battle means nothing without resolve. Resolve means nothing without truth. And truth, Zain..."
He leaned in.
> "You're not ready for it."
---
Zain passed out.
Blood in his mouth.
Chest barely rising.
Mahir stood up.
He looked at the silent crowd on rooftops, students who now understood who really ruled this.
He turned to leave—
then stopped.
> "Next time… you'll be stronger,
until then, remember this fall."