Ren stilled and took a deep breath.
'Moving like this is still too hard. The Ether keeps retreating if I move too fast, and I have to be fully focused to keep it spread out in the first place.'
Ren sighed and began doing his morning training as usual. That was until he noticed green eyes watching him by the door.
Ren jumped back, eyes snapping to the door.
"Damn it, Cain! Can't you knock?!"
Cain just replied passively.
"... I didn't want to interrupt."
Ren stared at him in silence.
'So you silence the door with Ether?!'
Ren rubbed his forehead in frustration and grumbled.
"...Just come in."
Cain walked towards the bed and gestured for Ren to follow. Ren followed, and the two of them sat on the bed.
"So, why is the busy Mr. Wizard coming to visit?"
In the past week, Ren trained as much as he could, trying his best to keep his mind busy.
However, as he got used to controlling Ether, he found his mind wandering sometimes.
At times, he thought about his family.
At other times, he thought about what he was going to do when he got out.
Cain came up in his thoughts a lot too. However... Ren hadn't seen Cain since the first day, so seeing him now was quite surprising.
Cain pointed over his shoulder at the camera behind him.
"I was told that a certain someone was already moving with Ether spread throughout his body, so I came to check on you. How are you doing, by the way?"
Ren raised his eyebrows and looked at the camera.
'So he's actually doing his job after all.'
Ren lay back on the bed and looked at his arm.
"I'm... better. The first couple of days were rough, but... all I've had in this room for the whole week was time."
He put his arm down and stared blankly at the ceiling.
"I tried running away from my thoughts by training, but as time went on, even that wasn't enough."
He looked at Cain, who was listening to him in silence.
"So I thought—thought long and hard about my parents, my situation, the future..."
Ren paused mid-sentence, the last thought still occupying his mind.
Before he could continue, Cain's gruff voice cut in.
"I see."
Cain turned around and looked Ren in the eyes.
"Ren, do you want to be a striker?"
That question made Ren sit up and look at Cain questioningly.
"Become? Aren't I already a striker?"
Cain shook his head slowly.
"You're an Attuned, Ren. Not a striker, an Attuned, and while those two are often mixed up, there's one key difference."
Cain glanced at Ren's scarred arms before looking him in the eye once more.
"Responsibility."
Ren sat and listened to Cain like this was one of his usual lessons.
"Most attuned are strikers," Cain said.
"But not all."
He paused briefly.
"Some attuned couldn't handle the pressure and responsibilities weighing on their shoulders, others were decommissioned due to injury, and some... like you, never even got a choice in the matter."
Cain's face darkened when he remembered that day.
"Those of your case don't always become strikers, sometimes they do, out of a desire for vengeance, or a heroic spirit. There are others however, who'd rather settle down, and live like normal people—or at least, almost normal people."
Ren stared at Cain, his eyes showing the conflict within his head.
"So, Ren. I'm giving you a choice, do you want to risk your life and bear the responsibility that is a striker's mantle, or do you want to live in the city, continue your education, and settle down."
Ren took a few minutes to process this decision. This was it—the moment he had been waiting for. He had always wanted to be a striker, but he found himself strangely hesitant.
Remembering that day he stepped into the world of spirits still struck fear in his heart. The ashy figures, the screams, and the sky full of "stars". It was a mad world full of danger and pain.
But, Ren had already made his decision. Just like he made that promise so long ago.
"You already know my answer, don't you?"
Ren smiled wistfully, remembering a bygone time.
Then he looked at Cain, his eyes free of hesitation.
"I'm going to become a striker... and make this world safe."