It's been two months since Keita started his recovery training.
The scrawny, hollowed-eyed boy who had begged Jin for strength was gone. In his place was a youth with lean, corded muscle and a steady, rhythmic gait. His feet were now covered in callouses. He had become so fast, in fact, that he was now the only person in the estate capable of dodging Anya's broom–a feat Master Jin claimed was more impressive than slaying an ogre.
"The kid's actually doing it," Jin muttered, lounging on the estate roof with a twig tucked into the corner of his mouth.
He watched the small figure circling the perimeter below. Keita wasn't staggering anymore; he had the appearance of a seasoned champion.
"Poor kid." Jin smirked to himself, adjusted his arms behind his head. "He's starting to think this is real training."
Below, Keita hit his internal lap counter.
Two hundred.
His breathing was deep and controlled. The hellish difficulty of the first week had become a background hum. His body had created an internal clock—even if he tried to sleep in, his legs would start twitching the moment the sun touched the horizon.
…
"[Create: Water]"
"Thank you Miss Anya," a drenched Keita said.
"You're starting to need me less. After a few days I can go back to cleaning." Anya said, diligently tending to her duties.
The season has changed to the Month of Turning Leaf, Equis. A curtain of rainfall would become much more frequent in the coming days.
Keita would still run. He would not slow down.
Wiping the water from his eyes he kept his pace.
Someone else was also with him.
"Run Keita! Run!"
A splash echoed from the direction of the fountain. Keita turned his head, a smile breaking through his focus mask,
Sofia was marching along the walls. She was dressed in a bright yellow raincoat that was slightly too long for her, matching rubber boots that went up to her knees, and a tiny umbrella that she wasn't actually using.
"Over here!" she cheered, holding out a wooden tray with a covered cup and a small plate of sandwiches.
Keita slowed just enough to snag the cup. "Thanks! But you're going to catch a cold if you stay out here any longer."
"No! I want to stay with you!" Sofia shouted over the drizzle.
As if the heavens heard the cries of the child, the rain suddenly stopped and the sun came out strongly.
She began running alongside him–or rather, splashing alongside him. Her small boots made a rhythmic splat-thump, splat-thump as she struggled to keep up with his long strides.
By lap two hundred and twenty, his clothes clung to his skin, but his heart felt lighter than it ever had in his old village.
"I'm slowing down!" Sofia panted, her raincoat flapping like a yellow flag. "It's fusion time! We need to combine our powers!"
Keita laughed, a sound free of the trauma that usually haunted him. He skidded to a halt, knelt in the grass and tapped his shoulders.
"Get on!"
Sofia didn't hesitate. She scrambled onto his shoulders, her small arms hugging his head and her chin resting atop his crown.
"Activating Engine Boosters!" she squealed. "Move out!"
Keita stood up. Two months ago, the weight of a child would have snapped his spine. Now, he felt the resistance, but he also felt the power in his thighs as he took off.
"The lonely dragon by the lake,
Cannot wait to grow its wings,
Freely it soars at heights unheard,
Leaving the fire to the kings!"
The two chanted a song from the theme song from Sota Sentai: Battle For The Golden Dragon Scale to pass the time.
"One more lap!" Sofia shouted, pointing a tiny finger toward the finish line.
Keita crossed the finish line at full sprint, the sun warming his face as he finally slowed to a walk. He didn't drop her. He kept Sofia on his shoulders, both of them breathing hard, staring at the sunset that was now painting the estate in hues of orange and purple.
"Good job!" Sofia cheered, patting his head.
They headed back toward the house, a boy who was no longer a "monster" and a girl who saw him as a "hero," leaving a single trail of footprints in the drying mud.
Just like that, he has finished his laps for the day.
Anya was standing by the door, her apron spotless despite the chaos. She held two thick, fluffy towels in her hands.
"Dry off, both of you," she said, though her tone lacked its usual bite. She leaned in, wiping a smudge of mud from Keita's cheek.
"Go to the dining hall after washing up. I've prepared a feast."
Keita and Sofia bolted for the baths. The two made a mess of the room, spreading soap everywhere as they played in the bath. Once they got dressed, they ran to the hall. The table was a mountain of food. There was a massive roast of forest boar, glazed in a dark berry reduction, surrounded by mountains of mashed tubers and buttery greens. Three loaves of crusty bread sat steaming in a basket, alongside a pitcher of cold, creamy milk.
Keita inhaled the food on his plate. The nutrition hit his system, the rich ingredients from the estate's private gardens beginning to replenish his muscles instantly.
"Easy there, kiddo. The food isn't going to run away," a voice rumbled from the head of the table.
Jin was sitting there, surprisingly without his trademark book. He was watching Keita eat with an expression that wasn't quite a smile, but it was the closest thing Keita had seen to it.
"Master Jin," Keita said, swallowing a mouthful of boar. "I… I finished the training."
"I saw," Jin said, leaning back in his chair.
He reached out and flicked Keita's forehead—not hard, but enough to make the boy blink.
"Looks like you've evolved from a walking corpse to a mere foot soldier. You've got a good enough foundation now. You've shown me you have the one talent that actually matters in this world."
Keita paused, a piece of bread halfway to his mouth. "What talent?"
"Spite," Jin grunted. "The ability to keep moving when the world tells you to stay down. It's a rare thing."
Jin stood up, his earring catching the chandelier light.
"Enjoy the meal, kid. Sleep well. Because starting soon, this will be the last good sleep you will have in a long while."
Keita looked at his hands, the subtle tremors of exhaustion, and the newfound strength. He looked at Sofia, who was already fast asleep with a piece of bread in her hand, and at Anya, who was watching from the side with a soft expression.
For the first time since the fire, Keita felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be.