CHAPTER 53: BE STILL

"You’ll help me?" Ren asked quietly.

"Of course. I can’t just let my boyfriend’s apprentice look so down in the dumps." Gale answered with a smile.

"I wish Kaien could be more like you sometimes."

"Cut him some slack. He means well. We’ll start tonight." Gale chuckled.

—-------------

Meanwhile, back in Squad 4’s underground training room, the others sat slumped against the walls, catching their breath. None of them could quite process what had happened or rather, what they hadn’t even seen, given how quickly Ren had ended the spar.

"I still can’t believe it." Miko muttered. "Ren’s a beast of his own. At this rate, he might’ve even caught up to Shin."

"Yeah." Sora added, her tone heavy with respect. "I felt it firsthand. His battle instinct is insane. He sets traps without hesitation, always waiting for the perfect counter, like he can read every move before you even make it. And that pressure he gives off, it’s overwhelming."

"I already knew he had sharp instincts." Minato said, recalling past experiences. "I taught him a few tricks myself. But that power just now, that was something else entirely."

Their words faded into silence. The weight of what they had witnessed lingered, pressing down on them.

Then, unexpectedly, Kaela, the quietest among them, spoke. Her voice was soft, almost hesitant.

"But I think he’s frustrated."

"What do you mean? He literally beat me while I was in Phase Two of my Core Release like it was nothing. And he didn’t even release his phase 2." Sora asked in disbelief.

"That’s exactly why he’s frustrated." Seth muttered. "Because he doesn’t have Phase Two yet."

Sora blinked. "What? But he’s powerful."

"Yeah." Seth admitted. "He might as well be a high 7 star already, maybe even disaster class. But the problem is, he’s stuck. He’s hit a wall."

Minato frowned. "What do you mean by stuck?"

Seth sighed. "Think about it. Have any of you noticed that Ren’s the only one barely making any progress this past week? Sure, his combat strategies keep evolving, he’s getting sharper, deadlier, and smarter, but Core wise? Drive power wise? He’s in a slump."

"I didn’t even realize that." Sora said softly. "Maybe it’s because he’s already so strong that we didn’t notice how little he’s been growing."

"Exactly." Seth continued. "He’s pushing himself too hard. The war is coming, and after how badly he struggled against that Messenger, he’s desperate. He wants strength, fast. He wants to be able to stand against the Fangs. And when he can’t, it eats at him."

The room fell silent again as the weight of Seth’s words sank in. They had always assumed Ren would break through anything in his way, like he always had. His progress had been so fast, so overwhelming, that none of them stopped to consider the possibility of him hitting a wall, or how much it would gnaw at him when he did.

"How can we help him?" Minato asked, clearly worried.

"I don’t think we need to." Seth answered calmly. "We should just stick to our training and focus on ourselves."

Minato frowned. "What do you mean? We can’t just leave Ren behind!"

"First of all." Seth said firmly, "There’s no way that monster of a guy will ever be left behind. Second, if we don’t power ourselves up, then who’s going to protect him or each other? We can’t just let him shoulder all the beating and entrust everything to him. And lastly..." He paused, a small smile forming at his lips. "The White Owl herself is already taking care of it."

"The White Owl?" Sora’s eyes widened. "She’s here?"

Seth nodded. "Yeah. I didn’t even notice her until she revealed herself. She watched the whole spar from the shadows, then let me see her before leaving, like she was telling me, ’I’ve got Ren covered.’"

"I can’t believe it, none of us even realized someone had entered," Sora muttered.

"That’s exactly what you’d expect from a top class spy who’s basically living hiddenly in ward 13." Seth chuckled, but there was a quiet respect in his voice.

The sessions continued on until the afternoon as Ren pushed himself in silence. The others occasionally stole glances his way, but Seth’s words lingered in their minds. They knew better than to show pity as it would only dig Ren deeper into his frustration.

After dinner, Ren slipped away without a word, heading straight for the rooftop where Gale had promised to meet him.

When he arrived, Gale was already there, singing, and horribly out of tune.

"At least there’s something you’re really bad at. Good thing you’re a warrior and not a singer."

"C’mon! I’m not that bad at singing!" Gale argued.

"Yes, you are. But at least you’re good at fighting and recon, right?" Ren shot back dryly.

Without warning, Gale smacked him on the head. Ren stumbled and fell flat onto the rooftop tiles.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"I think the first thing I need to teach you is delicacy!" Gale pouted with hands on her hips. "You and Kaien both lack it!"

Ren sat up, rubbing his head with a sigh. "If this is how the training starts, I’m already regretting it."

"Too late." Gale grinned, offering her hand to pull him up. "Lesson one begins now."

Without wasting another second after the silly ruckus about Gale’s singing, they finally settled down, sitting cross-legged on the rooftop, facing each other.

"So? Why can’t I master Core Spiraling?" Ren asked, his voice low, almost desperate.

Gale rested her chin on her hand. "Well, first off, Core Spiraling isn’t something just anyone should learn. Not everybody can pull it off, even if they’ve already reached advanced phases of their core release. Most of us, myself included, prefer Drive Art Chaining to cut down the delay between techniques. But you..." she smirked. "You’re different. Your whole fighting style is built on speed. For you, Core Spiraling isn’t just useful, it’s perfect. It’s the missing piece."

Ren frowned. "But... I just can’t get it. I’ve tried minimizing the leaks, redirecting the flow, but the pain won’t stop."

"You already did it once." Gale tilted her head knowingly. "During your spar earlier. Though it was pure instinct, not control."

Ren just looked at her as frustration clawed in once again.

"You see, spiraling your core at high speed pushes out two, sometimes three times the energy of your normal release. But here’s the catch, it doesn’t just spiral outward. The energy wraps around your body because you try to minimize the leaks, and with nowhere to go, some of it moves too fast for you to notice that it cycles back into your core. You’re forcing power in and out at the same time." She pressed a hand against her chest. "That creates a clog inside, like trying to force a flood through a narrow pipe. The pressure is why you’re in so much pain."

Ren’s eyes widened as the explanation sank in. It finally made sense. And yet, his brows furrowed.

"If that’s the case... then how am I supposed to stop my core from bursting apart?"

"It’s simple. You just have to look deeper into your core."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ren asked, clearly dumbfounded.

"As I said earlier, the inward cycling happens because the energy you release is too fast. Your natural reaction is to redirect its flow and patch up the leaks. But instead of just plugging holes, you need to dive deeper and faster. Catch the slipping energy before it clogs your core, then force it to spiral around you, not back inside. In other words, you block the inward flow and recycle it outward again. That way, not only do you get rid of the clog, but the flow becomes even faster, more efficient, and even sharper."

Ren’s mouth hung open. "Simple, huh? Let me get this straight. I’m supposed to, one, stop the leaks, two, redirect the outward energy, three, block the inward energy, and four, cycle it all outward again. And I have to keep doing this constantly just so my body doesn’t feel like it’s being shredded from the inside out?"

Gale grinned, leaning back on her hands. "Exactly."

Ren buried his face in his palm. "Yeah... simple. No it’s not!"

Gale laughed softly at Ren’s outburst. "Well, it is easier said than done. But I know you can pull it off."

"How?!" Ren snapped, his frustration boiling over.

"You need to stop rushing." Gale’s voice dropped into a calm, steady tone, her words sinking into the silence around them. "Right now, you’re clouded. I get it, the war hanging over your head, the fear of the Fangs, it’s eating at you. All you can think about is getting stronger, fast. But core control doesn’t come from desperation. It comes from stillness. From clarity. If your mind is a storm, how can you possibly guide the flow of your energy?"

Ren lowered his head, his fists tightening on his knees. Deep down, he knew every word was true, and he couldn’t deny that Gale was right.

"What you need isn’t more force." Gale continued gently. "What you need is patience. Give yourself some space to breathe. I know you’re on edge, but that tension is shackling you. So breathe, Ren. Stay still. Stop fighting yourself for once."

Ren exhaled shakily. "Yeah. I think I got too caught up. After fighting that messenger and barely surviving, all I could think about was power, getting stronger no matter what. I didn’t even notice how impatient I’d gotten. So what do you suggest I do now?"

"For tonight’s session?" Gale smiled faintly. "Meditate. Sit here, close your eyes, and don’t think of anything. Just listen to the night. Feel the breeze. Let yourself be blank for once."

Ren frowned. "Will that really help?"

"Trust me." Gale answered with a gentle smile.