Naoki stepped into the ring, his steps heavier than usual. Across from him stood Ken, the same ice manipulator he had fought against during the group battle, back when Blessing and Yuki stood beside him. Back when it felt like he wasn't alone.Ken's expression was unreadable, cold as the frost curling at his fingertips."So it's the dead weight." Ken said calmly. "Let's see how you do without your team."Naoki didn't respond his eyes burnt with frustration. This wasn't just a match for him it was personal. He had something to prove to himself.As the bell rang Ken wasted no time. A sharp whistle escaped his lips as jagged ice blades shot toward Naoki with deadly precision. Naoki dodged left but as one blade missed, it exploded in a sharp burst of frost. The freezing shockwave licked his arm, sending a spike of cold through his bones."What…?" Naoki gasped, stumbling back. As he inhaled, the frigid air hit his lungs like daggers. "Even the air…" He thought. "He's freezing the oxygen."Ken watched with cool detachment. "You're already slowing down."Naoki winced, his fingers trembling. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a folded paper fan. With a snap, it transformed into a gleaming wind forged dagger, swirling with sharp currents. He charged, but the frost on the ground made his footing unstable, and Ken launched another wave of icy shards.Naoki's breathe went shallow now. "At this rate I'm gonna lose again."But then a thought. He staggered back, pulled three sheets of paper from his side pouch, and began folding rapidly. "If one element can't break through…" he muttered sweat and frost mixing on his brow.Ken raised an eyebrow. "Still trying?"Naoki's eyes narrowed. "I'm not done yet."In his hands, the papers shimmered one crackling with fire, another humming with lightning and the third dense earth."Then I'll use three." He launched forward, desperate, frozen but still fighting.Meanwhile the sound of hurried footsteps echoed against the narrow alleys of the city's edge. Esther's breathe come in sharp bursts, her school uniform clinging to her as wind rushed past her. Clutched tightly in her hand was a crumpled letter, the ink slightly smudged from her grip."Esther, I'm in trouble. Please come help me. Your big brother." No signature, just those haunting words.Her eyes were wide with panic, heart pounding louder than her feet against the pavement. She had skipped school the moment she read it, no questions. No second thoughts. She didn't even take time to change clothes."I'm almost there," she whispered between breaths, following the directions the letter had given. The Hero Society Trial Ground wasn't nearby, it was practically on the outskirts of the city. But she didn't care."He wouldn't write this unless it was serious…" But behind her, in the far shadows of the alleys and rooftop, something moved. Unseen and watching.The letter in her hand… it was a lie. And she was running straight into it.The low hum of machines echoed through the cold walls of the Hero Society's surveillance chamber. Dozens of glowing screens lined the room, each displaying real time data from various sectors. Among them one monitor began blinking, a red dot tracing a route outside the usual grid.A sharp eyed operator jolted upright. "Sir… we've got something," he said, his voice uncertain but alert.The man seated at the head of the room, cloaked in a long grey coat with a scar running beneath one eye, didn't look up. "Report.""She's moving. Esther Chiaki… she's left her school premises."The man paused. "And?"The operator hesitated, his fingers dancing nervously across the keyboard. A map expanded, showing the blinking dot weaving through unfamiliar roads. He swallowed hard."The route she's taking… it's headed here. Towards the trial grounds."That made the room still. The commander's eyes narrowed, the weight of something unseen passing through his expression. He leaned forward."Track her every step. I want full visuals, drones and ground surveillance. Don't let her out your sights.""Yes, sir."The red dot continued its quiet pulse on the screen, as if mocking them with its certainty."Kusikabe, call Elan."A beat of silence. "Someone sent her," the commander muttered, almost to himself. "But the question is… who and why."Back in the grounds the sound of cracking ice echoed through the arena as Naoki stumbled back panting heavily, frost clinging to his uniform. Shards of glimmering white danced through the air, Ken's calm footsteps trailing behind the storm. Every paper weapon Naoki summoned shimmered with a promise flame, lightning and more but none could outpace the creeping cold that slowed his limbs and dulled his senses.Another missed slice. Another icy explosion."Come on Naoki." Yuki whispered. "Ken wasn't able to show his true power in the team battles but his precision is insane."Elan coughed, a visible mist escaping his lips. It's freezing even inside. His knees buckled, and as he knelt, he clutched a single paper shuriken, breathing into it with what warmth he had left.Elan watching the match calmly from the observation deck, tilted her head as a buzzing sounded from her earpiece. Her relaxed smile didn't fade, but her eyes narrowed slightly.She stood suddenly, stretching her arms lazily."Ahh! All this tension's making my back stiff. I'm gonna go grab some fresh air. Maybe a hot drink."Kairo turned to her, brow raised. "Now? During this fight?"She gave him a wink. "Can't appreciate greatness if you're frozen stiff, right?"Before he could say more, she was gone, her coat trailing behind her as she slipped through the door.Kairo narrowed his eyes. Something felt of about Elan.She was never the type to miss a match. His gaze drifted between the ongoing fight and the door Elan vanished through."Somethings up." And in the ring, Naoki rose again, barely, facing the bitter cold and the opponent who seemed untouchable to him.Ken exhaled slowly, frost curling from his lips as he raised a hand."Give up, Naoki," he said, tone flat but not unkind. "You can't win. You're too slow… too brittle."Naoki stood, bruised, trembling, lips chapped from the cold. His legs wobbled as he held his last paper blade, its edge glowing faintly with stored lightning. His breath come ragged. He didn't answer. Then, he charged.And in the sprint, that desperate burst forward, a storm of buried thoughts rose in his chest."All my life… it's always been the same."A flash, Naoki as a child, sitting alone on the school bench. Books knocked from his hands. Laughter echoing from a group walking away."No matter what I did, I was always the one picked last. The one left behind."Ken side stepped and drove a freezing palm into Naoki's ribs. He staggered but didn't fall.Another flash, a group of older kids talking about Naoki in class as he was staring at the door with paper flowers in his hand. "You like Naoki don't you Alya." They said. Alya tilted her head. "What? No I see him as a little brother I mean after all Naoki is a cry baby and well I like strong people and he's just… weak.""I thought… maybe powers would change things. Maybe if I could do something special, just one thing, I wouldn't feel so… disposable I could be strong."Another explosion behind him, ice surged up his back, tearing into his skin but he kept running."But this power… turning paper into weapons? What kind of strength is that? It tears, burns and folds."Ken spun and kicked Naoki across the ring. He hit the ground hard, spitting blood.The crowd grew quiet. Only the wind howled."I trained anyway, I tried anyway. And every time I thought I could finally stand equal with the rest… life reminded me equality is just a fantasy."He crawled, slowly gripping a half torn paper kunai."In the end the story were the underdog beats the scary monster just because he works hard is all just a hallucination."He pushed himself up again. Ken's eyes narrowed. "Why? Won't you just give up." Ken said as he kicked Naoki.The cold was unbearable now. Ken's frost hung thick in the air, the ring shimmering with spikes of ice and glistening mist. Naoki's limbs barely responded, his fingers numb, legs sluggish."Yeah why don't I just give up? Why I'm I even here…?" He wonderedThe crowd grew still. The announcer raised his mic. "Winner." A groan cut through the silence. Naoki moved.He staggered. One knee scraped the floor. The other followed. And then he rose. Kneeling. Chest heaving. Arms shaking.Gasps echoed from the crowd.Ken took a step back, eyes widening. "But… how?"Naoki's thoughts swirled like a storm."I've tried to shine using my own light but." He thought his hand fumbled under his shirt and pulled out a glowing ribbon. The one Headless had given him in the past. "A gift one of many." Headless word flew in his mind."If it means leaving my weakness behind… Then I'll do it. I'll take power from the dark, I'll carry the weight, I'll go to hell and back, I'll burn my soul till nothing's left if that's what it takes to get stronger if it means I'll finally matter if it means… she'll finally look at me."He put the ribbon near his blade, but before the knot could be tied. BOOOM!The arena shock violently. A massive explosion erupted from the observation tower behind them, glass shattering, dust filling the sky.Alarms blared. Screams followed.The proctors scrambled. And in the smoke unknown and uninvited intruders emerged.Naoki froze, eyes wide, half tied ribbon fluttering in the wind. And just like that the match was over.Naoki looked at the chaos and then up at the observation tower. And there he was staring down at the trial grounds.Naoki's expression turned into a frown as he whispered. "Headless."
