Ryo closed his eyes once again.
It wasn't an escape from reality, but a deliberate return to a battlefield that the physical body dared not enter. The moment the sounds were severed, the bed vanished, the ceiling disappeared, and the heavy scent of disinfectants faded away… replaced by a white void.
The wind was not seen, but it was there, flowing like a living being—circling, swirling, slowing down, then suddenly exploding. In the heart of this void stood ryo… and before him, the black shadow manifested once more.
A featureless, voiceless version of himself, yet heavier than a mere figment of imagination.
It did not attack immediately.
It was waiting.
ryo took a single step forward. He tried not to force his movement, not to precede the current. His body tilted slightly, his shoulders relaxed, and his breath was drawn in slowly, as if it were part of the wind itself.
Then—
The shadow moved.
A side punch pierced the air like a whip.
ryo tried to slide with it, but his foot faltered. The punch struck ryo's head, and he felt a flash of sharp pain in his real head, as if his thoughts had collided with a wall. He retreated half a step, his teeth gritted in silence.
He did not stop.
He stood his ground again.
He raised his arms, not as a barrier… but like broken wings trying to learn to fly once more.
A low kick.
ryo spun with it, an incomplete half-turn—
A second strike.
He fell to his knee within the simulation; the white ground was as cold as metal, or so ryo's mind imagined it. He pressed his fist into the illusory dirt and forced his body upright.
"Don't precede… don't lag…"
The shadow attacked with a flurry of strikes: right, left, then a direct lunge.
ryo moved, stumbled, twisted, and punched the air instead of the face. He felt the winds passing around him without carrying him.
A sharp ache pierced his temple.
The world shook.
He fell once more, but this time, he landed on his head.
The scene did not break immediately; instead, the pain stretched out, as if his very consciousness had struck solid ground.
Then, ryo heard a sound.
A faint… and real creak.
ryo opened his eyes violently.
Night had fallen without him realizing. The dim light of the lamps reflected off the walls, and the air felt slightly heavier. The room door opened, and a doctor entered pushing a trolley, topped with simple plates emitting warm steam.
In one of the plates were oval-shaped white objects.
The second plate contained a large quantity of small white grains.
ryo looked at her with a stoic expression, then asked with a wonder free of objection:
"What is this food?"
The doctor stopped in her tracks, stared at him for a second, then pointed hesitantly to one of the plates.
"This is… eggs."
Then to the other:
"And this is rice. It is a… normal meal for humans."
ryo blinked once in bewilderment.
Then he said calmly:
"Fine, thank you."
A nervous smile appeared on her face.
"No need for thanks… if you need anything, ask anyone here."
She exited and closed the door behind her.
Silence reigned in the room.
ryo stared at the plate.
"So… this is what humans eat."
He held the wooden spoon, slowly stirring the rice; its white grains sliding and returning without resistance. He lifted a small portion of it, bringing it close to his mouth, hesitating for a fraction of a second, puzzled by the spoon… and the grains upon it. Then he put the spoon into his mouth and tasted… he chewed with wonder…
His movement stopped.
ryo's eyes widened.
"It is…"
He swallowed.
"…The most delicious thing I have ever tasted in my life!!"
He lowered the spoon slowly, looking at it with a doubt that cut through his amazement.
"But… what is this strange tool? I could barely eat with it."
He set it aside. He gripped the plate with both hands and began to drink the rice as one drinks soup, with the voracity of a warrior. Then, with his left hand, he left the plate and snatched an egg, taking a bite.
"…This one tastes even better!"
The entire egg disappeared into his mouth.
He did not stop until the plate was completely empty.
He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, his chest rising and falling with a rare comfort.
"This food is wonderful… I never had the chance to eat it before, but…"
He went silent.
His fist clenched.
He tried to rise, and indeed, he stood.
He stood on his feet.
He looked at them for a second and whispered with a confident smile, "Let me see if this body has returned to work at full strength.."
He bent his knees slightly, preparing to jump. An ancient instinct stirred. The white aura surged automatically, flowing into his EIU Channels, reaching his feet, and the winds swirled around them.
Then, he moved upward.
BAM!
He collided with the ceiling.
His body fell, but at the last moment, he moved his body with the current, adjusted his center of gravity, and landed standing on his feet.
"Argh… damn this cursed ceiling."
The door burst open. The doctor rushed in, her eyes wide.
"What happened?!"
ryo pointed coldly toward the ceiling.
"Nothing. I just hit this cursed ceiling."
She froze.
"What do you mean you hit a ceiling more than four meters high?! And also, how are you even standing!"
She turned to leave, assuming ryo was just a mad soldier of the Kingdom, but before she closed the door, ryo asked her in confusion:
"By the way… where is that old hag of a leader?"
The doctor turned toward ryo, and anger began to flare in her veins.
"Respect yourself, you fool! That is a Leader, not an old woman for you to say that!"
A side-smile appeared on ryo's face, as if he were enjoying provoking her...
"So, where is she?"
The doctor sighed, her voice returning to a calm tone.
"Training the new recruit on metal control."
Then she turned and walked out, slamming the door hard.
Silence returned.
Rio looked at the door and said with great enthusiasm while smiling:
"If she training that fool , then I'll train more!"
ryo closed his eyes slowly.
The wind returned to its movement.
The mental exercise was not over yet...