April sat on the cold training mat, looking at her hands.
The claws had retracted, but the sharp, tingling energy lingered in her fingertips. Something inside her was awakening.
Jax crouched beside her. "Feels weird, doesn't it?"
April flexed her fingers. "Like something's trying to break out."
Dante chuckled from across the room.
"Because it is. Your body's adjusting to the Gear. You haven't fully awakened your sigil yet."
April's eyebrows narrowed. "Then how do I control it?"
Jax smirked. "Simple. You practice until it's second nature. First step: to summon them on command."
April swallowed hard. Call the claws… like calling a part of herself she barely recognized.
"Focus on that feeling," Saya instructed, pacing. "The way it surged when you fought. Your body already knows—now you have to listen."
'Listen to my body,' April thought. April tried hard, recalling the moment—Jax's attack, the sudden surge of instinct, the rush of pure survival.
Her breath steadied.
Then—
Shk!
The claws extended.
"Good. Now retract them," Instructed Saya.
This time it was harder. Pulling back felt like yanking a wild thing into submission. April tried and tried. Then after several tries, she somehow managed, trembling slightly.
Jax clapped. "Not bad. Now, lesson two: precision."
Dante walked in with a thick steel pole on his right shoulder.
Then he set up infront of April. "Cut through it."
April froze. "Through steel? Isn't that—"
Dante waved a hand. "You already tore reinforced fabric. This is ten times stronger. Just try."
After a whole 20-seconds of second guessing herself April steeled herself.
She slightly dropped low, left foot forward while her right foot behind.
She focused then the next second she swung.
CLANK!
A dent appeared, faint but real.
"Again!" Jax ordered.
April did so without any complain.
CLANK!
"Again!" Once again ordered Jax.
She repeated.
Each strike leaving a groove, each impact vibrating through her arm. Her hands trembled—not just from fatigue, but from a growing, unfamiliar power.
"Getting better," Dante said.
Next, combat application with Kai and Saya.
"Claws won't matter if you can't hit your target," Kai teased. "Let's see if you can touch me."
April lunged. Kai sidestepped effortlessly.
"Too slow."
Kai suddenly burst into an incredible sprint—blurring through the air until he appeared right in front of April.
April's eyebrows rose high, revealing the faintest trace of widened eyes—shock.
"What the? How... how fast...?"
But instinct overpowered hesitation.
Without thinking twice, she leaped backward—four centimeters, light as a spring. While in motion, her body coiled and flipped forward, right leg swinging high before crashing down in a fierce axe kick.
To the untrained eye, it was brutal, flawless—her heel connecting cleanly with Kai's head, slamming him into the ground. The impact split the training floor, cobweb cracks spreading like lightning.
But that was only the illusion.
In reality, Kai had predicted her every move. He moved with her momentum, letting gravity disguise his counter. As April's leg descended, Kai flipped forward himself—graceful, deliberate—and before his head could hit the ground, he twisted mid-air. His upper half floated inches above the floor while his lower body arched skyward.
April's heel struck nothing but air.
Her breath caught. Her stitched lids rose a fraction higher. He dodged that?
Before she could even register it—
Thud!
Kai's feet slammed into her stomach. The hit sent her flying back like a ragdoll. She skidded across the ground, dust flaring up around her. But before she could fully crash, April twisted mid-slide, slamming her palm down to stop herself.
She barely had a moment to breathe before Kai appeared in front of her again—his foot swinging toward her head.
April ducked, just in time. The kick sliced the air above her. She countered with an uppercut aimed to knock him out cold—
—but Kai was already gone, retreating in a blur.
Then the real test began.
He started circling her, faster and faster—his form splitting into streaks of motion. April turned, trying to keep up, her breathing sharp, heart racing. Every time she swung, he wasn't there. Every time she reached out, he'd already vanished.
After several failed attempts, April exhaled through her nose, lowering her stance.
"Alright… then let's change the rhythm."
A faint smile touched her lips.
She'd stopped chasing him. Now—she was waiting.
She focused. Echoing effect activated—tracing his subtle movements, every shift in weight, the whisper of his fabric.
She adjusted mid-motion, slashing—
Rip!
A small cut appeared on his sleeve.
Kai blinked once then twice, then he grinned.
"Not bad, Wolf."
But even as a sense of pride stirred, doubt crept in. 'Am I still myself? Or just a weapon in claws and senses?'
Her training pressed on, day after day.
—
Later, returning to her quarters, an unnatural silence gripped the warehouse.
Footsteps—heavy, calculated—echoed.
April froze.
Figures blocked the entrance. Their movements were precise, their breathing too controlled—like they'd trained to erase emotion itself.
Light from a flickering bulb caught the insignia stitched into their dark tactical armor.
A dragon-shaped emblem, coiled in a perfect circle, gleamed faintly across their shoulders and chestplates. The creature's wings curved inward, its fangs locked around its own tail—an ouroboros-style dragon devouring itself, etched in crimson and silver.
The scales shimmered faintly like molten metal, and beneath it, a single word was engraved:
RAGNARÖK.
The sight sent a chill crawling down April's spine.
She didn't need to ask who they were.
She could feel it.
The hunters had come.
Her stomach tightened.
"Ragnörak," she whispered.
The leader's calm voice cut through the tension. "Found you. Little wolf."
April braced herself. A dozen soldiers in black armor raised rifles, but their commander, a tall man with a cold gaze, gestured for restraint.
"Let's see what she can do," he muttered.
April's heart hammered. She could track every shift, every twitch, every subtle adjustment in their stance.
Then—one lunged.
She dodged, claws flashing mid-motion.
Slash! Armor shredded. He stumbled, cursing.
The others hesitated.
Jax, Saya, Dante, and Kai watched silently. Not helping—forcing her to stand or fall on her own.
Three more attacked. April moved, sweeping one off his feet, slicing another's arm. The third grabbed her—but she twisted, elbowing his ribs.
April was fast, brutal & efficient.
Then—the commander finally chose to step in.
Pain exploded across her side. April skidded backward. He was fast too fast, too precise.
She lunged again—missed. A brutal kick sent her sprawling, chest heaving.
Finally, Jax's calm voice rang out. "Enough. Move in."
The pack sprang into action. Dante blocked the commander's next strike, shattering the floor beneath him. Saya and Kai joined, pinning the enemies.
The commander stepped back, smirked. "Stronger than expected. I'll need to inform the leader."
The commander snapped his fingers, all ragnarök soldiers moved forward. Creating a make-shift barrier.
And the commander grinned stepping backward. "See you soon, little one."
And just like that the commander left, then followed by the rest.
April gasped, leaning on one knee.
"Who… was that?"
"Just a mere ragnarök commander," Dante replied.
April's breath caught. "Just a mere commander? You've got to be kidding me!"
Jax's face darkened. "Ragnörak has other Gear users. And now they know about you. They'll come for us more than ever."
April clenched her fists. Doubt lingered, gnawing at her. She was stronger. But was it enough?