Michael lay quietly on the hospital bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
Thomas's explanation continued to replay in his mind.
If what Thomas said is true...
Then one of the reasons I lose consciousness after using the Blue Celestial Energy...
...is because my body has never adapted to that level of power through Full Body Circulation.
His eyes narrowed with determination.
I need to try it.
Maybe... it'll finally explain why my body keeps reaching its limit.
Before he could think any further—
"Ahh..."
A tired voice drifted from the bed beside theirs, separated only by a thin curtain.
"Could you guys please keep it down?"
"You're being way too loud."
Michael blinked.
...That voice.
I recognize it.
A second later, the curtain was suddenly pulled aside.
Neon stood there with her arms folded, wearing an unmistakably irritated expression.
Behind her, Nel rested quietly on the neighboring hospital bed.
Unlike his sister, he wore his usual calm smile.
"Don't worry about it," Nel said gently.
"It's fine."
Neon's sharp gaze didn't soften in the slightest.
"No."
"It's not."
An awkward silence settled over the room.
Gideon immediately scratched the back of his head before smiling apologetically.
"Yeah..."
"She's right."
"We were getting a little loud."
"Sorry about that."
"We'll keep our voices down."
Neon stared at him for another second before giving a short nod.
"You better."
Without another word, she pulled the curtain shut again.
The room fell silent.
Kevin broke it almost immediately.
"Well..."
"She was friendly."
His sarcasm was so obvious that everyone couldn't help but smile.
Michael let out a quiet chuckle.
"Yeah."
"You're right."
"She really is friendly."
Gideon looked between Michael and the closed curtain with a suspicious smile.
"Michael..."
"What exactly did you do to her?"
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I've got a feeling most of that... friendliness..."
"...was directed specifically at you."
Michael looked just as confused as everyone else.
"I'm not really sure."
"After I won my match against her..."
"...she just told me she didn't like me."
Kevin frowned.
"...She just said she didn't like you?"
Michael nodded.
"Yeah."
Thomas, who had remained quiet until now, suddenly spoke in a calm voice.
"Are you sure..."
"...she didn't mean it the other way around?"
Michael blinked.
"The other wa—"
Before he could finish—
The curtain flew open again.
Neon glared at the group with narrowed eyes.
"Hey."
"I can still hear everything you're saying."
Her gaze immediately locked onto Thomas.
"And you."
She pointed directly at him.
"Kill that train of thought..."
"...before I do it for you."
Thomas straightened instantly.
"Y-Yes."
"I'm sorry."
Neon gave a slow nod.
"Oh..."
"And I'm sorry for being so friendly."
Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
Then, without waiting for a response, she slammed the curtain shut once more.
Silence.
Kevin slowly opened his mouth.
"Okay, that—"
He didn't even get to finish.
Gideon stood up from his chair.
"Alright."
"I think that's enough for today."
He stretched his arms before smiling at Michael.
"Tomorrow's practical training starts."
"We'll be learning the basic techniques."
"We should all get some rest and prepare."
Kevin nodded in agreement as he stood.
"Yeah."
"You're right."
He looked toward Michael.
"See you tomorrow."
Thomas followed him toward the door.
"See you tomorrow, Michael."
As Gideon reached the exit, he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right."
"Lucy said she'll come by later."
Michael looked up in surprise.
"She is?"
"I thought she'd be busy."
"She was," Gideon replied.
"But I asked her."
"And she said she'd come."
A small smile appeared on Michael's face.
"Alright."
"Thanks for telling me."
"See you tomorrow."
Gideon smiled back.
"Yeah."
"See you tomorrow."
With that, the three of them left the room, the door closing softly behind them.
The clinic became noticeably quieter once again.
The moment the door clicked shut, the room fell into a comfortable silence.
Neon let out a long breath.
"Finally..."
She rested back in her chair and folded her arms.
"They're gone."
"Now this place can finally be quiet."
Although her voice sounded calm, her mind was anything but.
I can't believe it...
Her fingers slowly tightened.
Every single one of those guys is stronger than me.
She lowered her head slightly.
And the worst part...
They didn't even look like they were giving it everything they had.
Frustration burned inside her chest.
Her hand clenched into a tight fist.
I have to get stronger.
Strong enough to defeat every one of them...
...and everyone else standing in my brother's way.
"...Neon."
Nel's gentle voice pulled her back to reality.
She turned toward him.
"Yes?"
Nel studied her quietly for a moment before speaking.
"You're really hostile toward Michael."
His tone remained calm.
"Even if it's because of your instincts."
Neon nodded without denying it.
"You already know how my instincts work."
She gave a small, self-deprecating smile.
"They're just a copied... downgraded version of your innate ability—Danger Sense."
Nel let out a quiet chuckle.
"You don't have to describe them like that."
He shook his head.
"But... you're right."
After a brief pause, his expression became thoughtful.
"Even so..."
"I don't feel anything from Michael."
Neon looked down at the floor.
"Yeah."
"You wouldn't."
She took a slow breath before continuing.
"My instincts aren't as accurate as yours."
"They're not very good at detecting hidden hostility or small dangers."
"And they can't accurately measure just how dangerous something really is."
She looked toward the curtain separating Michael's bed from theirs.
"But..."
"The moment Michael came to see me after our match..."
Her voice grew noticeably quieter.
"...everything changed."
"My instincts started screaming at me."
She unconsciously tightened her fist again.
"They kept warning me..."
"...that someone—or something..."
"...connected to Michael..."
"...or someone who knows him..."
"...would become an extremely serious danger to me if I got involved with him."
The room became completely still.
Nel's brows furrowed.
"Huh..."
He looked at her carefully.
"Is that really the only reason?"
Neon hesitated before answering.
"...Well..."
She looked away awkwardly.
"He beat you."
"And then he defeated me too."
A faint pout appeared on her face.
"How am I supposed to be nice to someone after that?"
For the first time since the conversation began, Nel smiled.
A quiet laugh escaped him as he reached over and gently patted her head.
"Honestly, Neon..."
"You really need to stop picking fights with people just because of me."
Neon's shoulders relaxed.
"...Okay."
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
But Nel's thoughts refused to settle.
Neon always calls her instincts a downgraded version of my ability...
...but that's not entirely true.
His eyes slowly drifted toward the ceiling.
The one area where her instincts surpass my Danger Sense...
...is their ability to perceive future threats.
Threats that haven't happened yet.
Threats that could appear because of a single choice...
Or because of someone connected to another person.
His expression gradually became more serious.
Her instincts aren't perfectly accurate.
They often underestimate the true level of danger.
Which means...
His heart sank.
If she's calling whatever is connected to Michael "seriously dangerous"...
Then the real threat is probably far worse.
A cold feeling crept through his chest.
Someone capable of killing her...
...simply because she got too close to Michael.
His eyes narrowed.
No...
I hope I'm overthinking this.
Because if I'm right...
Then that person isn't part of the Riftguard.
If they were...
Neon's instincts would've reacted to the person directly...
Or even to this building.
His breathing became heavier.
Which means someone outside the Riftguard...
Knows Michael.
And possesses enough strength to kill Neon...
Even if I tried to stop them.
The thought refused to leave his mind.
Slowly, he turned his gaze toward the curtain that separated them from Michael's room.
A question echoed silently through his thoughts.
Michael...
Just what kind of monster are you involved with?