Hours before the Golden Globe stirred awake, the Flow Star lay wrapped in perfect silence.
Koya stood alone in the empty training hall, gripping Ikua's arm tightly. The place was quiet as a graveyard. The only sounds were her calm, measured breathing and the steady thump of her own heart.
She raised the artifact, exhaled slowly, and swung.
Again.
And again.
One final wide arc — then she stopped, arms lowering, sweat dripping down her face and neck. Eyes still closed.
Work on my senses, she thought.
"Wish I'd asked how," she muttered aloud. "Guess I'll have to learn from scratch."
She sat on the cold floor, legs crossed, and placed Ikua's arm across her lap. Eyes closed once more.
"We have five senses," she whispered. "Smell, touch, taste, hearing, sight… I've already started working on sight. So I guess boosting the rest is my only option."
Day broke.
The Golden Globe came alive as always — lively, loud, and full of morning energy.
Koya stood alone beneath a cluster of tall spirit trees near the Flow Star, eyes closed, Ikua's arm held loosely at her side. A calm wind moved around her, lifting fallen leaves into lazy spirals.
From a short distance, Sarah watched with a bright, excited smile.
Immira walked up beside the girl. "What are you doing here, child?"
Sarah didn't look away. "I'm just watching Koya."
Immira followed her gaze. Koya had been standing motionless for nearly an hour.
A single leaf drifted down from the branches above.
Got it now, Koya thought.
She swung Ikua's arm in a smooth, wide arc. The leaf landed gently on top of the artifact, perfectly balanced.
Immira's eyes widened. Sarah clapped excitedly, her grin huge.
Koya opened her eyes slowly. She stared at the leaf resting on Ikua's arm, stunned for a moment. The faintest trace of a smile almost touched her lips.
Immira walked over, clapping softly. "Congratulations, child."
"Thanks… but it took me quite a while just to do this," Koya said, still staring at the arm. "I'm learning too slow."
Immira gently held Koya's head with both hands. "Progress takes time. You don't expect to master it on the first try. Be patient."
Koya met her eyes and nodded quietly.
"Come on," Immira said with a warm smile. "Let's go eat something."
They walked away together.
In the Flow Academy, Ra'an sat alone in his dorm room, head lowered, eyes closed.
What's going on…? Aren't I improving at all?
No… no more defeats. No more weakness.
Him, Koya, Melly — everyone will be below me. I must be the best.
He stood up and walked out, jaw set.
Back at the Flow Star, the sun had climbed to its peak.
Koya stood alone in the large training hall once again.
She swung Ikua's arm with everything she had. Immira's earlier words echoed in her mind:
"Every time you train, imagine you're in a real battle against someone strong — someone you would lose to. Keep fighting that opponent until you win."
Koya closed her eyes.
In her mind, the empty hall vanished.
She stood on the Golden Arena floor. Ra'an appeared across from her, eyes cold and confident, moving with terrifying speed. He teleported behind her in a blink. She spun and swung — too slow. His fist connected with her ribs, the impact jarring her entire body. Pain flared, real enough to make her grunt.
She countered, imagining Ikua's arm manifesting a blade. Ra'an dodged effortlessly, reappeared at her side, and slammed a kick into her knee. She staggered. He pressed the attack — left, right, teleport, strike — each blow faster than the last. Every time she tried to block or counter, he was already somewhere else.
Sweat poured down her real face even though she was only standing still.
In the vision, Ra'an laughed darkly. "Still the same flowless freak."
Koya roared and swung with all her strength. The imagined blade met empty air. Ra'an slipped inside her guard and drove a palm strike into her chest. She flew backward, crashing hard onto the arena floor. The pain in her mind felt so real her actual knees buckled slightly.
She collapsed in the real world, breathing heavily, palms on the floor.
Can't even win in my own head…
She lay there for several long seconds, chest rising and falling.
Then she pushed herself up.
She raised Ikua's arm again.
The mental battle restarted. Ra'an came at her even faster this time. She dodged, countered, missed, got hit, stood back up — over and over. Each imagined defeat hurt more than the last, but she kept swinging.
Time blurred.
Night had fallen by the time Koya finally dropped to the ground again, completely spent. Ikua's arm lay beside her. Her palms shook from exhaustion, hair plastered to her forehead with sweat.
She stared at the artifact, eyes heavy but calm.
Then she fell backward onto the floor.
"Nahh… I'll continue tomorrow," she whispered, voice calm and utterly exhausted.
To be continued…