“You’re quite the sleeper,” Ryota teases, a grin spreading across his face.

Felix stirs, his eyes open but unfocused, and he remains silent. Ryota gently shakes his shoulder, pulling him from his hazy state. 

“You’re not a morning person, are you?” Ryota continues, still smiling.

“Huh?” Felix replies, his face a mixture of confusion and sleepiness.

Ryota chuckles softly, the sound barely audible. Felix pushes himself to his feet. He takes a moment to survey the cave's interior, his gaze falling on the huddled forms of Suzu, Jun, and Kai. They lie wrapped in thin, threadbare blanket, their faces peaceful in slumber.

Felix turns back to Ryota, his expression now serious.

“We need to leave this area as soon as we can.”

“There’s a chance the Kaals will still be searching for you,” Felix adds, urgency creeping into his words.

Ryota nods, his earlier smile fading.

"We can't fully trust Leonardo," Felix said.

"There is a possibility," Ryota agrees, his eyes darting to the cave's entrance. 

"Plus, we can't live in a cave forever."

A moment of silence stretches between them, filled with unspoken fears and uncertainties. Finally, Ryota speaks again, curiosity coloring his tone.

"Where were you headed before the incident with the Kaals?"

Felix's eyes grew distant, as if looking at something far beyond the cave walls.

"I was trying to find a way out of Higashihara," he explained.

"I got lost along the way."

Ryota considers this; his brow furrowed in thought. Felix continues,

"Maybe you can help me find the direction out of Higashihara later, but first, we need to find a safe place for all of you—a place where you can live in peace." 

Ryota's expression softens, a mix of gratitude and sadness washing over his features. 

"Oh, okay," he replies, his voice barely above a whisper.

Felix nods, resolve hardening his features. 

"Then we must set out now, while the sun still shines and guides our way," he says, already reaching for his worn knapsack.

As Ryota moves to wake his family, the cave stirs with the soft rustling of movement. Suzu stretches, her sharp eyes immediately drawn to the world outside. Ryota whispers urgently, explaining their need to depart, and she nods in understanding before quickly attempting to wake the boys.

Kai rises first, stretching as he steps outside into the cool morning air that nips at his skin and causes him to shiver slightly. He catches sight of Felix.

"What are you looking at?" Felix asked softly, noticing the boy's intent gaze. 

"Your hair," Kai replied, his voice small but clear in the morning stillness. His eyes traced the dark strands that fell past Felix's shoulders.

"It's too long," he added, a hint of childish directness in his tone.

Felix ran a hand through his tangled locks, suddenly aware of how unkempt he must look.

"Does it bother you?" he questioned while pointing at his black hair.

Kai shook his head, his expression turning pensive. 

"No, it's not that," he said slowly.

"It just... reminds me of my father. He used to cut hair like yours all the time; he was a barber in the village we lived in."

A shadow passed over Kai's young face, his next words barely audible.

"He died a month ago, protecting me from the villagers." The boy's eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Then I was kidnapped by the Kaals.

"All of that happened because I have this negative energy."

Felix's heart sank at Kai's words. He saw a reflection of his own pain in the boy's eyes and felt a deep sadness for him. But he resolved not to let the dark fate that haunted him follow Kai. Crouching to meet Kai's gaze, he offered a reassuring smile.

"Really? I think he was a really good barber, looking at your hair," Felix said, his voice gentle. He reached out, hesitantly at first, then gently patted Kai.

"Then maybe you can cut my hair. It's been ages since I had it short, and I'm tired of the length."

A spark of interest lit up Kai's face, chasing away some of the sadness. Felix continued,

"You must know how to cut hair because your father was a great barber."

Kai's smile broadened, but then faltered.

"But I don't have scissors or a comb," he said, disappointment creeping into his voice. His shoulders slumped slightly.

Felix was quick to reassure him. 

"Don't worry," he said, his tone warm and encouraging.

"I'll ask Ryota to make them. He's a talented blacksmith."

Hope blossomed anew on Kai's face. With a nod, he dashed off to join Jun.

As everyone prepares to leave the cave behind, as Felix stands beside the charred remnants of the forest, the landscape is a haunting reminder of the vibrant life that once flourished here. 

The air is thick with the scent of ash and scorched earth, a stark contrast to the sweetness of the forest that used to thrive. He stretches his hands outward, and Ryota, Suzu, and the children watch intently, their eyebrows knitting together in curiosity.

"What was that?" Ryota asks, his voice filled with wonder.

“What did you do?” He presses further.

"I shared my Zor energy with the forest," Felix answers.

“You shared it?” Ryota’s eyes widen in disbelief. 

“How?”

“What do you mean, ‘how’?” Felix responds with a hint of confusion.

"It might be normal to you, but I have never heard of using Zor energy like this," Ryota explains.

“It’s similar to how you share it with someone to heal them,” Felix clarifies.

“But since the forest is so vast, I had to divide my Zor energy into smaller portions.”

"That's amazing," Suzu chimes in from the side.

“This will help the forest regenerate,” Felix adds thoughtfully.

“But I have to do this every two to three months. It’s like watering a plant.”

"But by doing this, you’ve already started the Zor energy usage timer," Ryota warns.

“I know,” Felix replies earnestly.

“I was the one who started the fire; I wanted to do something to fix my mistake.” His voice carries a weight of regret.

"I wanted to do this earlier but couldn't because of the time limit."

“You’re full of surprises, Felix,” Ryota says with admiration.

"My father was the one who taught me this," Felix replies, a hint of sadness creeping into his tone.

"Anyways, we should go," Felix says, determination in his voice.

 

Kai, who had been listening intently, noticed the sadness in Felix's voice when he mentioned his father. The boy's empathy for Felix deepened, recognizing a shared pain between them.

The group sets out towards the fig tree they had discovered earlier. After an hour of walking they reach the tree's gnarled trunk adorned with ripe fruit glistening in the sunlight, as they begin to eat, the children play nearby, their laughter a stark contrast to the somber mood of earlier. 

Felix watches them, a bittersweet smile playing on his lips. Despite the challenges that lay ahead, this moment of peace and companionship serves as a poignant reminder of the beauty that still exists in their world.

Meanwhile, Ryota turns to Felix with an excited glint in his eye.

“Want to spar with me?”

“Okay, let’s do it,” Felix replies eagerly.

“Try to go easy on me; it’s been a long time since I fought,” Felix says with a nervous chuckle.

"I’ll hold back; I don’t think he’ll be able to match my speed. I guess only 0.00005% of my speed will be enough," Ryota thought.

They both assumed their fighting stances, and tension crackled in the air like static electricity. The sun beamed down on them, illuminating their determined expressions as they prepared for their friendly duel.

With a sudden burst of energy, they leap toward each other. Ryota aims a powerful punch at Felix; however, Felix deftly catches Ryota's arm mid-air and pivots gracefully to find an opening in Ryota's abdomen. In one fluid motion, he launches his fist toward the exposed target.

Just as Felix's fist is about to connect, Ryota reacts instinctively with a swift knife-hand strike that cuts across Felix's wrist. Now holding Felix's right arm firmly, Ryota twists his body in an attempt to throw him off balance. Anticipating this move, Felix jumps and rolls aside gracefully while executing a side kick aimed at Ryota’s midsection.

Ryota blocked the kick with his left hand but found himself in a precarious position—he held both Felix's left leg and right hand. In that moment of hesitation, Felix was wide open. 

Watching intently as Ryota attempted to kick him in the chest with his right leg, Felix demonstrated incredible reflexes; he used the force of his right leg to leap above and behind Ryota, freeing himself while landing on his hands and performing a cartwheel that propelled him further back.

Ryota doesn’t want to give Felix time to react. As Felix stands again, Ryota materializes in front of him in a burst of speed and tries to strike him with a punch.

But in an instant, Felix retaliates by materializing above Ryota with astonishing speed. His eyes sharp with focus, Felix aims to punch him from above. 

As his fist lands with thunderous impact on the ground beside him—Ryota barely dodges by jumping backward. They stand facing each other from a few feet apart when Ryota grins and says,

"Amazing!."

"Did your father teach you fighting like that?" Ryota asks, curiosity evident.

From afar, Jun and Kai watch the sparring match unfold with wide eyes filled with excitement.

"You're faster than I thought," Felix says, grinning.

“There is a technique that samurai use to enhance their speed even further, without relying on Zor energy,” Ryota exclaimed.

"How can you increase your speed?" Felix asks, intrigued.

Suddenly, Ryota began inhaling deeply through his nose and exhaling softly in rhythmic breaths. Felix watched curiously as he focused intently on his breathing.

Then, in an instant, Ryota stopped, opened his eyes wide, and with a burst of speed appeared behind Felix. 

Strong arms gripped Felix's neck precisely but gently enough not to harm him—rendering him immobile. Felix tapped Ryota's arm three times as a signal that it was over.

Ryota released him immediately as Felix caught his breath and asked incredulously, "What was that?" 

“It’s called Zen breathing techniques,” Ryota replied.

“Every samurai in all noble clans learns it during training. There are various breathing styles designed to enhance your body's capabilities.”

“The breathing style I used was Tanden breathing,” he explained further.

“This style involves breathing deeply into the lower abdomen to center oneself and generate power and speed.”

“By concentrating my breath in my abdomen,” Ryota continued, “I can quickly gather and direct my body's energy—unifying body and mind for faster reactions and more efficient use of physical strength.”

"It's not like Zor or negative Zor energy; it relies solely on your body's natural energy. If you use this technique for extended fights without proper management, you might collapse from energy loss or even kill yourself."

"It's the polar opposite of being completely out of Zor energy; when you drain all your Zor energy, you don't feel tired at all—you can keep fighting," Ryota concluded.

"So you basically cheated," Felix says, raising an eyebrow.

"What? That's not true," Ryota protests, scratching his face.

Felix steps closer, a serious look on his face, without warning, and then playfully punches Ryota's stomach.

"And this is called a fist," he quips.

Ryota collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach dramatically. Though Felix didn’t punch him with full force, it still stings.

"Okay, okay, you win, man," Ryota admits, still wincing.

At that moment, Kai and Jun came rushing over. Their eyes sparkled with mischief as they surrounded Ryota, giggling and poking at him playfully.

Ryota's pain seemed to evaporate as he looked at the children.

"You little cubs," he said affectionately, slowly getting to his feet.

"Run!" Jun shouted suddenly, and the boys took off, their laughter echoing in the air like windchimes. Ryota gave chase, his long strides easily keeping pace with the children's shorter legs.

Felix observed their carefree play; a solemn promise formed in his heart: he would find these children a safe place, free from the dangers that lurked in the shadows of their world.