Dust kicked up around the ring as they circled each other again.
Kaia's breathing was steady.
Noctix's legs were tense, ready.
She'd already landed two hits. Light. Clean.
Enough to let him know she wasn't playing.
---
Her eyes flicked down to his feet.
Then—movement.
Fast.
She came in low, foot sweeping wide.
Noctix jumped back—barely.
A graze on his shin.
He winced.
She's faster than before.
---
Kaia didn't wait.
She dashed again, high this time.
Palm strike straight to the chest.
Noctix moved—
But not fast enough.
---
Her hand caught him square in the collarbone.
He staggered back two steps, choking on his breath.
"You keep hesitating," she said, brushing her hair from her face. "You've got something in there. I can feel it. So why are you holding back?"
---
Noctix grit his teeth.
"I'm not—"
"Then prove it."
---
She came at him again, faster than before.
His body tensed.
Think.
Move.
Counter—
No.
He let go.
And that's when it happened.
---
The mark along his arm flared—
Not just bright—alive.
Purple-violet light surged up to his shoulder like a wave.
The air around him shimmered.
Reality bent for just a second—
And then he vanished.
---
Kaia's palm sliced through empty space.
No hit.
No contact.
Just wind.
She froze mid-strike, wide-eyed.
"What the—?"
---
Behind her—
A pulse.
She turned too late.
Noctix was already there.
Standing straight.
Eyes calm.
Mark still glowing.
"I didn't think," he said softly.
"I just moved."
---
Veil Step: Slipline.
[1st Phase Activated]
---
Kaia didn't move.
She didn't even breathe.
She looked him over.
Chest rising.
Heart racing.
"…That wasn't speed," she muttered.
"That was—something else."
---
Noctix lowered his hand.
He wasn't sure what he just did.
But the mark knew.
And it was awake now.
---
Across the cliffside, a quiet buzz echoed in the distance.
Far above the school, a glass-like drone flickered red — its lens focused directly on the training field.
Watching.
Recording.
Tracking.
---
End of Chapter Nine.
Next: "Rank Zero