The air was thick with silence as Jonathan sprinted through the academy courtyard, sweat pouring from his brow. His heart pounded against his ribs like a war drum, echoing his rising panic. The streetlights overhead flickered gently, casting long shadows over the empty campus. Behind him, the quick patter of footsteps grew louder as Hiruzen and Emma chased after him.

  Hiruzen: "Jonathan, wait! Come on, just stop for a second!"

  Jonathan: (not turning back) "Go away! Just leave me alone!"

  Suddenly, His foot got caught on a raised pipe near the maintenance path, sending him tumbling hard into the grass. He groaned as he hit the ground, hands scraping against the cold concrete. Before he could push himself up, Hiruzen and Emma caught up.

  Emma (panting): “Jonathan, stop! What was that back there? What did Logan mean by… the boiler room?”

  Jonathan curled in on himself for a moment, face hidden in the shadows. He didn’t answer.

  Hiruzen (calm but firm): “You’ve known him way longer than me. If anyone would know what he was talking about, it’d be you.”

  Emma: “Actually... when I joined the Academy, Jonathan was already in Reito’s unit. We’ve trained together for a while, but he’s never mentioned anything about this.”

  Jonathan: (bitter laugh) "You think I tell people about that? Emma, when you got here, I’d already been dumped into Reito’s unit like some broken toy no one wanted. The truth is... everyone here either avoids me or whispers behind my back. I promised myself I wouldn’t let it happen again."

  Hiruzen: (stepping forward, voice calm but firm) "I haven’t known you long, but trust me when I say I know what it means to suffer."

  Jonathan: (sarcastically) "Oh really? One mission together and you think that qualifies you to lecture me? Come back when you’ve lived with a label like mine."

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  Hiruzen: (quietly) "My mom and sister were murdered in front of me when I was a kid."

  The world seemed to stop.

  Emma’s eyes widened. Jonathan froze mid-motion, his breath catching in his throat.

  Jonathan: (stammering) "You... You’re joking, right? Just trying to get me to open up?"

  A single tear, frozen in texture, rolled slowly down Hiruzen’s cheek, catching the light of a nearby lamppost.

  Hiruzen: "I wish I was joking more than anything. But I’m not. That’s my reality. I don’t share this to win your sympathy—I share it because we’re a team. I trust you two."

  The silence that followed was heavy.

  Jonathan: (barely a whisper) "Damn... I didn’t know. I didn’t know any of that."

  Hiruzen: "Now it’s your turn. We can’t keep walking around with shadows on our backs."

  Jonathan swallowed hard. The tension in his shoulders slowly released. He looked up at the stars overhead, as if searching for answers, then finally nodded.

  Jonathan (voice shaky): “It was my first day at the academy. I’d been recruited by Mrs. Zinc herself. I was cocky. Thought I’d ace the placement trial and be the next big thing.”

  Emma (softly): “That sounds like you.”

  Jonathan chuckled bitterly before continuing.

  Jonathan: “The trial was a cakewalk. Took out some hothead in seconds.He talked a big game, but I wiped the floor with him in under a minute. I thought I made an impression... and I did. The leader of the Inferno Unit invited me to join."

  He laughed bitterly.

  Jonathan: "The guy I beat wanted into that unit too. After the trial, I went to grab my room key and info packet. But that guy... he was waiting for me with his little crew. Five of them. All armed. Crowbars. Pipes. Chains. They didn’t just beat me—they pummeled me."

  Emma: (covering her mouth) "Oh no..."

  Jonathan: "My ability... I absorb kinetic energy not only through movement but impact as well. So with every hit, I got closer and closer to detonation. I was dizzy, bleeding, trying to crawl away. I ran blindly and ended up in the boiler room... and then... I lost control."

  He looked down at his hands, flexing them slowly.

  Jonathan: "The explosion leveled half the school. They said the blast radius extended over 300 meters. Casualties were light—thank God—but some people walking nearby... they didn’t make it. I was suspended indefinitely, almost expelled."

  Hiruzen: (quietly) "What changed?"

  Jonathan: "Reito. He saw the security footage. He argued that I wasn’t in control, that I was attacked. It took weeks of hearings, but he got the board to back off. The attackers were expelled. I was transferred to his unit, under tight supervision. But the rumors stuck. Everyone thinks I’m a walking bomb. Maybe they’re not wrong."

  Emma: (tearful, voice trembling) "How... How could I have fought beside you all this time and never known how much you were hurting?"

  Jonathan: (sighs) "Because I didn’t want you to see me like that. I didn’t want anyone to."

  Suddenly—

  BOOOOOOM.

  A thunderous explosion rocked the night. A massive plume of smoke erupted in the distance—the direction of the South Sector.

  Hiruzen: (eyes narrowing) "What was that?!"

  Jonathan: (jumping to his feet) "No clue, but that wasn’t a drill. Come on!"

  Emma: "Let’s go!"

  The three of them took off into the darkness, the embers of the explosion lighting the sky behind them.

  End Chapter.