"I'm going to become a striker... and make this world safe."
Those words struck silence in the room for a moment.
A wistful expression adorned Cain's face, a smile slowly creeping up it.
"Glad to see you back, Adept Ren."
Ren smiled back at him.
"Glad to be back."
Cain reached over and ruffled Ren's hair.
"You did good, kid. I've always known you were hell-bent on becoming a striker for the longest time..."
He sighed, remembering his old friend.
"But reality... it has a way of breaking people."
Grotesque images of aspiring strikers flashed through his mind.
"After what you went through, most would've given up, gone mad, or worse..."
His hand came down to Ren's shoulder.
"But you didn't."
Ren's smile stiffened.
"Not only did you do your best to recover, you also never lost sight of your goal. Honestly, I don't know if I could've done better myself."
Ren's heart felt heavy hearing Cain's praise.
"I wouldn't say I recovered, more like... scarred for life."
Cain didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he took Ren's arm and held it in full view of both of them.
"Scars are not flaws, Ren."
His voice was calm, but sharp.
"They are lessons."
Ren flinched.
"Your scars will haunt you, they'll always be there to remind you of your mistakes."
Cain took a deep breath, his voice becoming gentle.
"But they'll also remind you of your triumphs and most of all... of your survival."
Ren looked away and muttered under his breath.
"What... Triumphs?"
Cain sensed his inner conflict.
"Ren, those who let their scars consume them never move forward, they get stuck in the past and lose sight of the future."
A few faces flashed through Cain's mind as he spoke.
"Recovering, however, is using your scars to push you forward, never forgetting them, but never letting them control you."
Ren sat there pondering Cain's words, his mind whirring with contradiction.
His breathing grew uneven.
'He's right... worrying now won't change the past, but learning from it can change the future. I get that, I do, but... why is it so hard?'
Cain felt Ren's hand shaking in his grasp.
As Ren's conflicting emotions clashed, his core acted up once more, as it had done many times the past week.
Only the emotions this time were not a recollection, but an ongoing turmoil occurring inside him.
Needless to say the reaction was much stronger.
"Augh!"
Ren let out a yelp as he fell to the floor.
"Ren!"
Cain quickly sat him up and inspected his core.
'Damn it, he's going unstable...!'
Cain began channeling his ether into Ren to help him control his core.
'What...?! Why is it so rampant?!'
Cain clenched his teeth, realizing how far his words pushed Ren's inner conflict.
Cain held Ren's face from both sides, making them lock eyes.
"Ren, listen to me. I know you're in pain and can't think right now, but you have to listen."
Ren couldn't answer from the sheer pain clouding his mind.
"Accept your scars and wear them with pride!"
Those words echoed through the chaos in Ren's mind, and for a moment, his thoughts cleared.
'Wear them with pride...'
A memory surfaced in Ren's mind, a memory of a kid crying to his dad about his scarred kneecap.
"E-everyone will think I'm weird now, dad! I wish I never rode that bike in the first place!"
Ren heard a familiar, warm laugh.
"Don't worry son, nobody is going to think you're weird because of a little scar!"
"It's not funny!"
He patted Ren's head gently, comforting him with a grin.
"Besides, don't you think all cool warriors have a scar or two? Look at uncle Cain, the guy has too many scars to count!"
Ren remembered uncle Cain's arms as his eyes lit up.
"Yeah! And nobody thinks they're weird!"
Ren's father smiled.
"Attaboy, so like every great warrior, you should wear your scars with pride!"
Ren wiped his eyes and looked up at his father while smiling.
"Okay!"
Ren's breathing slowly steadied, his Ether's rampage settling.
He calmed down and took a deep breath.
He gritted through the pain and started controlling his Ether to store it back in his core.
After a few moments of silent resistance, Ren fully restored his Ether to its original place.
He opened his eyes and saw Cain's worried face right in front of him.
He saw him heave a sigh of relief at the sight of Ren's recovery.
Ren rubbed the back of his head.
"Sorry for worrying you... and thanks for the help."
Cain had a sunken look on his face as he looked at Ren.
"No, I'm sorry fo-"
"Stop."
Ren interrupted Cain.
"Don't apologize, that outburst was bound to happen."
Ren let out a heavy sigh.
"And it would've gone much worse without you."
Ren's eyes met Cain's.
"So once again, thank you."
"Goal or not, avoiding my feelings was only going to get me killed if not for you."
He paused for a second.
'...And thank you too, dad.'
Ren's gaze was clear, his eyes aflame with resolve.
"..."
Cain sat there speechless for a few seconds, then he let out a low chuckle.
"Hah, I know I'm the one who trained you, but I don't remember training you to be this strong."
Ren's gaze softened as his smile matched Cain's.
"You didn't."
He paused.
"You trained me to be stronger."