Kane woke up on the cold stone floor of the abandoned tunnel, his back stiff and his hand still curled around the glowing watch shard.
The golden light had dimmed to a faint flicker, but the old voice in his head was wide awake.
"Rise and shine, kid. Today's the day you stop being a punching bag."
Kane stretched, feeling a strange energy humming in his bones—nothing like the spirit power from a normal contract, sharp and clean, like a blade waiting to be unsheathed.
"First lesson," Kael said. "Open your eyes and really look. Everyone with a contract has glowing lines running through their body. Those are the threads you're gonna cut."
Kane stood up, focused, and glanced toward the mine entrance. Sure enough, he could see faint blue and red threads floating in the air, wrapping around the miners walking past the tunnel. Most were dim, weak—like candle flames about to go out.
"Those are their contracts," Kael explained. "The brighter the line, the stronger the power. The darker the knot at the end… the worse the price they're paying."
Kane's throat tightened. He'd lived with these people for years. He never knew they were all slowly being eaten alive by their own power.
"Now, focus that energy in your hand," Kael said. "Imagine it's a knife. A single, sharp cut."
Kane did as he was told. The golden light from the shard flowed up his arm, gathering in his right hand. His fingertips glowed faintly, like they'd been dipped in sunlight.
He felt strong. Fast. Alive.
For the first time in three years, he wasn't weak.
Just as he was about to practice again, loud footsteps and laughing voices echoed down the tunnel.
Kane's face went cold.
Two guys walked in—big, rough-looking miners, both wearing the Blackveil family's black iron badge. They were Victor's favorite goons, the ones who'd beaten him up more than once for "being in the way."
"Well, well," the bigger one said, grinning mean. "Look who's hiding in the trash tunnel. The broken little contract freak."
The other one cracked his knuckles. "Victor sent us. Said to teach you a lesson for running your mouth last night. He wants you to crawl back and beg Lila for forgiveness."
Kane didn't move. He just stared at them, his hand still glowing.
"Hey," the first goon snapped. "You deaf? On your knees."
He took a big step forward and swung a fist straight at Kane's face.
It was the same move they'd used a hundred times. Before, Kane could only block and take it.
Today was different.
Kane sidestepped, fast as a shadow. The fist missed him by an inch.
Before the goon could react, Kane raised his glowing hand and touched the man's arm—light, quick, almost gentle.
Snap.
A faint golden sound echoed in the tunnel.
The goon froze. His eyes went wide. He looked down at his own arm, confused.
"Wha… what the hell?"
His contract lines—bright red just a second ago—faded to nothing. All the strength in his body vanished. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, gasping like a fish out of water.
The second goon stared in absolute shock.
"You… you cut his contract!"
He panicked and lunged at Kane, pulling out a rusted dagger.
Kane didn't even flinch.
He stepped forward, grabbed the man's wrist, and pressed his glowing finger against the contract thread on his neck.
Snap.
Another cut.
The second goon's power vanished too. The dagger clattered to the ground. He fell backward, scrambling away in terror.
"You're a monster!" he screamed. "A Contract Breaker! The Church will burn you alive!"
Kane knelt down, his face cold and calm. The golden light on his hand flickered, dangerous and bright.
"Go back to Victor," he said quietly. "Tell him I'm coming. Tell him the next time he sends someone to beat me up… they won't be going back at all."
The two goons didn't need to be told twice. They scrambled to their feet, stumbled out of the tunnel, and ran for their lives, not even daring to look back.
Kane stood there alone, his chest rising and falling. The power in his hand slowly faded away.
Kael's laugh echoed in his head, proud and loud.
"Not bad for your first real fight. Clean, fast, brutal. Just like a Breaker should be."
Kane looked at his own hand, still feeling the ghost of that sharp, cutting power.
He'd just beaten two men who'd bullied him for years. Without taking a single hit.
For the first time, he truly believed it.
He could win. He could beat Victor. He could avenge his parents.
"Next step," Kael said. "We get you out of this mine. You need real training, real spirit energy, real fights. This shithole can't make you strong."
Kane nodded. He grabbed his tattered coat, slipped the watch shard into his pocket, and walked out of the tunnel.
The morning mist was lifting, and the sun peeked through the grey clouds.
Somewhere in the mine, Victor was yelling. Lila was probably talking about her new fancy life.
But none of that mattered anymore.
Kane was no longer the broken kid they kicked around.
He was the one who cut contracts.
And his enemies had no idea what was coming for them.