Time seemed to slow as a whirlwind of thoughts raced through Felix's mind. 

"Why?"

"What's happening?"

"Why is the person I hate and despise the most sitting in front of me?"

"Will he finally kill me this time?"

[Bang]

"What?" Felix whispered as he opened his eyes, bewildered. The beam of Zor energy had vanished, replaced by a shimmering transparent barrier that enveloped him like a protective cocoon.

"Cut the boy some slack, Viktor,” came a voice from behind. A hand rested gently on Felix's shoulder.

"F-Father?” Felix stammered, looking up into his father’s striking red jewel-like eyes. In that instant, he felt himself shrink; his body transformed into that of a five-year-old child.

The room seemed to grow larger around him as he calmed down under the warmth of his father's hand on his shoulder. His father had silver hair like Viktor's, slicked back with an air of authority. 

He possessed a physique similar to Viktor's but was slightly taller, sporting a faded beard that framed his strong jawline. Dressed in a crisp white shirt with golden buttons and navy blue pants, Luc radiated confidence.

"Why are you here?" Viktor said, rolling his eyes.

"Luc, you know that the boy needs some proper training, don't you?" Viktor said.

"He's just five! Let him live a bit first," Luc replied.

"And I know my Felix; he will become strong like his father. Wait—scratch that—he will be the strongest in Pandora!” Luc declared proudly.

"Tch! You know with his power we could even rule the world, right?" Viktor retorted.

"I believe true enlightenment comes from absolute control and the elimination of outdated systems,” Viktor continued.

"Enough, Viktor! This is the last time I'm going to repeat myself. I haven't kicked you out of this mansion because you are my little brother!" Luc shouted, anger flashing across his features.

"Fine! Do whatever you want!” Viktor shot back, rising from his chair in a sudden burst of fury. He stormed out of the room, casting one last glare at Luc before disappearing into the shadows beyond.

"Sigh... When is he going to learn?” Luc murmured to himself before turning back to young Felix.

"Hey kiddo, why are you crying?” Luc asked gently as he knelt beside Felix.

"Fath... father!” Felix stammered through tears.

"I...” He struggled for words as emotion choked him.

"Look at me,” Luc said softly while placing a comforting hand on Felix's small head.

"Are you scared of Uncle Viktor?”

"Don’t worry about anything. I will always be with you—like your shadow in sunlight.” His voice was soothing yet firm as he tried to calm Felix down.

"You know you are special; one day you will know—and when that day comes you will need nobody—but I will need you now and always.”

"So promise me that you will let your strength shine through kindness and courage—that’s the true mark of power.”

As Luc spoke, a flicker of determination ignited within Felix.

"I will,” Felix declared with newfound resolve, wiping his tears away.

"I will become strong—not just for myself, but for everyone.”

"That’s my boy,” Luc said proudly as warmth filled their moment together.

"What’s happening? Father?” Felix shouted desperately as Luc began to disappear into nothingness along with their surroundings.

"I am so proud of my little boy," Luc's voice echoed softly before fading completely into silence.

 

 

"FATHER!” Felix jolted awake from his bed.

"You... Big...liar... You didn’t stay with me as you promised,” Felix whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks as he clenched his fist.

"Sensei?” someone called from outside the old guest room.

"Kai?” Felix looked up at his friend.

"Are you alright?” Kai asked as he approached Felix.

"Yeah... I’m really sorry for how I acted. You must think I’m pathetic,” Felix said, looking down at his trembling hands.

[SLAP]

"Ouch!” Felix shouted as Kai slapped him.

"You know my father would slap me like that when he needed me to come to my senses,” Kai said firmly.

"You’re pathetic. I mean, look at you—crying like a baby. You can’t win big fights, and you don’t even have a girlfriend.”

 

"But you know what? You’re my friend and sensei, so you can’t be lame. I want my friends to be super strong and cool,” Kai continued.

"Pretty strong words coming from a child,” Felix replied, meeting Kai's gaze.

"Oh, so now I’m the child?”

"Hahaha,” Felix let out a small laugh.

"Thank you, Kai. You are indeed more mature than I am.”

"Don’t try to butter me up now; I’m not going to accept your apology like that.”

"So what do I need to do to earn your forgiveness?” Felix asked earnestly.

"Since you asked…”

"You need to tell me everything that’s troubling you. Okay?”

"Don’t tell me about your past; just let me know what’s bothering you in the future,” Kai added matter-of-factly.

"Is that all?" Felix asked, surprised by the simple request.

"Yes," Kai nodded, then added, "and you should thank the beautiful, scary lady; she was the one who brought you here."

Felix's brow furrowed in confusion. "Do you mean Miku?"

"Where is she?" Felix asked, glancing around the room as if expecting to see her materialize from the shadows.

"She left as soon as she laid you in bed," Kai explained, a hint of admiration in his voice.

Felix nodded slowly, processing this information. "I will," he replied.

"Now move along; I'm going to sleep," Kai said nonchalantly as he stretched out on the bed, which was spacious enough for two people to be comfortable.

"You're going to sleep here?"

"Yes! Until you leave this village, I'm going to sleep here. Now let me sleep; I am very tired."

"This kid is something else," Felix thought fondly as he watched Kai settle down under the blanket and close his eyes peacefully.

"Father," he thought into the stillness of night, "I will fulfill your request. I'll do whatever it takes to save innocent lives. I will carve my own path that will make you proud from heaven."

Images of everyone began appearing in Felix's mind: Ryota, Suzu, Kai, Jun, Granny Satomi, Kimiko—and Miku.

"I will even sacrifice my life for them if that's what it takes."

"I finally understand now—living in El Verde was my biggest mistake; that is not how life should be lived."

"I know I can't be like you, but I will at least try because I want to keep you alive in my mind."

"So now, my only goal is to walk the path that you walked."

"Duke Lucian Diaz..."

As Felix lay down to sleep.

The next day, he reflected, "Man, was it hard to sleep with Kai! He kicked me more than a hundred times and snorted all night," as he walked to the kitchen.

"I think I came here too early," he whispered, noticing that Miku was nowhere to be found.

"I'll find her later to thank her," he thought while searching for something to eat.

He found some vegetables but wasn't sure how to cook them.

"Sigh..."

[THUD!!!]

Suddenly, a loud thud echoed through the house, as if someone had fallen.

"What was that?" he exclaimed, quickly heading toward the stairs.

"Hey! Are you okay?" He saw Miku sprawled on the floor.

Felix turned her over to check her face.

"Your face is bright red. Do you have a fever?" he asked, trying to get a response from her.

"K... Kimiko," she murmured, her eyes barely open.

"Does she think I’m Kimiko?" Felix wondered.

"First things first—I need to get her to her room.” He scooped Miku into his arms, careful not to jostle her too much as he carried her upstairs.

"I couldn't find her room and couldn't waste more time, so this will have to do," he thought as he gently placed her on the bed of the room he was residing in.

"This is very weird. She helped me yesterday, and today I am helping her."

"Look at her, the cold killing machine, now so vulnerable. She doesn't even look like a clan leader."

"I wonder what caused this kind of fever?" he thought.

"I learned in the training with my father that a fever can occur due to a sudden change in temperature or an enormous amount of stress."

"I can't worry about that now; I need to help her."

"I need a cold towel or cloth..." Felix then remembered something his father taught him: "It's my only hope."

Felix placed the thick blanket over Miku; she was wearing padded kimono, which already kept her warm. Then he hurried to the kitchen.

"Okay, let's see if we have everything," Felix whispered to himself as he stood in the kitchen and counted the ingredients.

"One onion… two carrots… two sticks of celery… one potato… mint herbs.”

"This should do."

He cleaned all the vegetables with water.

"Carrots first,” he said with determination.

"Chop, chop, chop!"

He clumsily chopped them, sending one rogue carrot flying across the room. 

"Now where did that ninja carrot land?”

Now for the onion. "Okay, Mr. Onion, let's not make this weird. I'm just going to... chop you up a bit."

"Chop, chop, chop!" As he started chopping, his eyes began to water.

"Argh! Why are you fighting back? This isn't a duel!" Wiping his eyes, he added, "Why do they call it an onion anyway? Shouldn’t it be called a ‘cry baby’?"

He moved on to the celery and grabbed it. 

"Chop, chop, chop!"

He accidentally cut his finger while chopping the celery but didn’t react to the tiny cut and continued working.

"Celery, into the pot you go!” he exclaimed as he tossed the chopped celery into a large iron pot hanging over a traditional irori hearth.

"Now for the potato. Why does this look like Kimiko? Oh wait, why am I talking to a potato?"

"Chop, chop, chop!" He struggled to cut the potato but eventually managed to dice it roughly.

"Four cups... one, two, three, four...ish. Close enough!" He poured the water into the pot

Finally, he grabbed the mint leaves. 

"Mint! In you go!" He tossed the mint into the pot and stared at the fire, watching as the flames danced.

He watched the pot, waiting for it to boil. Finally, the soup started to simmer.

"Is it hot?" He tried to put a finger into the boiling water.

"Hot! Hot! Hot!" It was indeed hot.

Then he stirred the pot gently. "I should let this simmer for about 20 minutes. Just enough time for everything to soften."

After the soup was ready, Felix made his way to the guest room, a warm bowl balanced carefully on a wooden tray. The aroma of savory broth filled the air.

"I hope she is feeling better," Felix thought as he opened the door.

"Uhhhh...."

"Why are you standing there?" Felix asked as he saw Miku standing still, looking outside the window.

She turned and nearly lost her balance, swaying like a drunk person.

"L-Lowerrr... yourrrr... gazzzeee... yooou... foooooll... Dooooo... youuuu... noooot... knooowwww... whhooo... I... ammm..." she said slurring as she walked towards Felix, wobbling unsteadily like a leaf caught in a gentle breeze.

"Are you alright?" Felix asked.

Out of nowhere, Miku launched a wobbly kick at him. Felix instinctively jumped back into the corridor, narrowly avoiding her attack. The bowl of soup teetered dangerously on the tray.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Miku didn’t respond; her eyes were distant, as if she were trapped in a dream. She lifted her right hand, palm open, and began to gather Zor energy.

"Oh no."

[Thwack]

A knifehand strike hit her neck and knocked her out just in time.

"Phew… I’m glad her guard was down. Otherwise, this place would have been toast,” he said as he caught her unconscious form before it touched the ground. "This woman is crazy—even with a fever.”

He then laid her back in bed and went to retrieve the wooden tray he had left on the floor. Then he heard a small voice from the corridor.

"Sensei... where are you?" Kai called out from the hallway. 

Felix went to check on Kai. "Kai? Where are you?" He looked around but didn’t spot him.

 

"What happened?” Felix asked, kneeling beside him and noticing the boy’s disheveled appearance.

"I… got… lost… and… I’m… really… hungry…” Kai explained in a weak voice, his eyes wide with desperation.

Felix smiled sympathetically and held out a bowl of soup. "Then here, eat this soup I made.”

"Really?” Kai's face lit up with excitement as Felix handed him the bowl.

"Thanks for the meal!” Kai exclaimed before diving into the soup with unrestrained enthusiasm.

After finishing every last drop, Kai looked up at Felix, gratitude shining in his eyes. 

"Thanks a lot, Sensei. You saved me today! Now, can you show me the way to the main door?”

"Alright,” Felix replied warmly.

"Okay! I’m going to play with Jun now. I’ll be back at noon for training!” Kai exclaimed as he scampered off.

Felix watched him go, shaking his head with a smile. The chaos of the morning had settled into an unexpected calm—at least for now.

"I haven't seen Kimiko or Granny anywhere," he mused.

Then he soaked the cloth in cold water and put it on her forehead.

After a few hours, she finally stirred.

"Where... am I? What... happened?" she asked weakly, slowly getting up and taking in her surroundings.

"Careful," Felix said from her side.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, confusion evident in her voice.

Felix ignored her comment and reached for the bowl of soup.

"You need to eat something. It'll help with the fever."

"I don't need your help," Miku protested, but her body betrayed her as she struggled to sit up. 

"Just shut up and eat, will you?"

After a brief moment of silence, Miku's eyes narrowed, the remnants of her fever-induced haze slowly dissipating.

"Eat? Why would I listen to you?" she retorted, her voice still weak but laced with the familiar edge of defiance.

"Because you need to regain your strength," he replied calmly, placing the bowl closer to her. "I won’t leave until you do."

Miku’s glare could have cut through steel, but Felix stood firm, determined to care for her despite her protests.

Miku hesitated, her pride clashing with her body's demands. She looked at the soup, its steam curling in the air like a whisper of comfort.

She flicked her arm and threw the bowl, which shattered into pieces.

"You're infuriating," she murmured, her voice a mix of frustration and exhaustion.

"I knew this would happen, so here!" Felix said as he picked up another bowl from the floor.

"You shouldn't waste food like that, you know," Felix said.

"Please don’t break this one, I’ll leave it here so you can eat whenever you like." He placed the bowl gently near her on the bed.

With that, he left the room, leaving Miku alone.

"Who does he think he is—"

"Grrrrr."

Her thoughts were interrupted by the growl of her stomach. She glanced at the soup.

"Sigh..." She picked up the bowl and began to eat.

Outside the room, Felix smiled, unseen by Miku.