CHAPTER 21: HE KNOWS MY TRIGGER POINTS (AND NOT THE FUN KIND)

The sushi containers were still on the coffee table the next morning. Natalia noticed them with a frown as she stumbled into the living room, one hand clutching her neck. A groan escaped her lips. The effort of moving sent a bolt of white-hot agony through her shoulders and down her spine.

"Not now," she whispered.

She knew this pain. The Aspect Overload hangover. Every time she pushed too hard, it came back worse. Like her body kept a ledger of every debt, compounding the interest.

Natalia braced herself against the kitchen counter, letting her head hang forward. The movement pulled at something deep between her shoulder blades, igniting another flare of pain so intense her vision blurred. She bit her lip to keep from crying out.

She needed to move. To stretch. To do something. The Cryo-Lich Ring would arrive today, and she needed to be functional enough to test it. Giving in to the pain wasn’t an option.

Taking shallow breaths, Natalia reached for a glass in the cabinet. The motion extended her arm upward, stretching muscles that screamed in protest. The glass slipped from her trembling fingers, shattering on the tile floor.

"Damn it," she hissed, tears springing to her eyes.

She stood frozen, staring at the broken glass, unable to bend down to clean it up. The simple act of picking up the pieces seemed as impossible as climbing Hunter’s Peak barefoot.

Her father’s voice echoed in her head. This is the price of ambition, Natalia. This is what separates the A-Ranks from the rest. Can you pay it?

Yes, she could pay it. She always had. But that didn’t make it hurt any less.

Gritting her teeth, Natalia tried to raise her arm again, to stretch out the knotted mass of pain beneath her left shoulder blade. A whimper escaped her throat as the movement sent fresh spasms down her back.

"Wrong move."

The voice behind her made Natalia stiffen, which only intensified the pain. She hadn’t heard Satori enter the kitchen.

She turned carefully, her face already arranged into a dismissive mask despite the agony coursing through her body. "I’m fine."

Satori stood in the doorway, a towel slung around his neck. His hair was damp, his t-shirt clinging to his still-wet skin. He’d clearly just showered after his morning workout. There was a healthy flush to his face, and his eyes—those strangely mesmerizing eyes—assessed her with an unsettling directness.

"You’re about as ’fine’ as that glass on the floor," he said, stepping carefully around the shards. He opened a drawer and pulled out a small hand broom and dustpan.

"I can clean it up myself," Natalia protested, but even the act of speaking sent a jolt of pain through her neck and upper back.

Satori didn’t argue. He simply knelt and began sweeping up the broken glass.

"Aspect Overload," he said, not looking up. "It’s affecting your thoracic spine, right? Between the shoulder blades?"

Natalia blinked in surprise. "How did you—"

"The way you’re holding yourself. Your left shoulder’s higher than your right, and you’re avoiding rotating your upper body." He dumped the glass into the trash and straightened up. "It’s a muscular response to neural fatigue. Your body’s trying to protect the energy pathways by locking down the surrounding tissue."

His words sounded like they belonged in a medical textbook, but his tone was matter-of-fact, almost bored. As if everyone knew these things.

"Since when are you an expert on Aspect physiology?" Natalia asked, leaning against the counter for support. The pain was making her dizzy now, black spots dancing at the edges of her vision.

Satori shrugged. "I’ve been studying. Had to know what I was getting into if I was going to pass the entrance exam." He wiped his hands on his towel. "Try turning your head to the left."

Natalia hesitated, then complied. The movement sent a fresh wave of pain radiating from between her shoulder blades. She couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped her lips.

"That’s what I thought," Satori nodded. "Teres major and rhomboid minor. There’s a trigger point where they connect that’s probably causing the whole chain reaction."

Natalia stared at him. Who was this person? Certainly not the lazy, gluttonous Satori she’d lived with for the past two years. This person spoke with confidence, moved with purpose, and looked at her with eyes that seemed to see through her facade of strength.

"I need to call Jin," she said, referring to the sports therapist her father had on retainer. "He knows how to fix this."

Satori took a step closer. "I can help."

"You?" Natalia couldn’t keep the incredulity from her voice.

"Me." His expression remained neutral, neither offended by her tone nor eager to prove himself. "You’re pulling the wrong way when you stretch. That’s only tightening the fascia."

Without touching her, he pointed to a specific spot on her back, just below her left shoulder blade. "The knot is here. You need to break up the adhesion or it’ll just keep sending pain signals up your spine."

Natalia narrowed her eyes. "And you know this how?"

Satori’s mouth curved in a small, almost imperceptible smile. "Let’s call it part of my recent self-improvement program."

He stepped back, creating distance between them. "It’s not pleasant. Deep-tissue work. But your training will be shot for a week if you don’t address it now."

Natalia hesitated. The thought of Satori touching her back, pressing into her muscles, made something flutter in her stomach that had nothing to do with pain. But the agony between her shoulder blades was getting worse by the minute. If she couldn’t train, she couldn’t test the Cryo-Lich Ring. If she couldn’t test the ring, she wouldn’t be prepared for the entrance exams.

"Fine," she said curtly. "What do I need to do?"

"Lie face down on your bed. I’ll need to get directly at the muscle groups." He began washing his hands at the sink, methodical and thorough. "Give me five minutes to grab a few things."

He dried his hands and walked out, leaving Natalia standing in the kitchen, clutching the counter for support. Had she really just agreed to let Satori—the boy she’d spent years mocking and despising—put his hands on her bare back?

Yes. Yes, she had. Because right now, the pain overrode her pride.

Natalia made her way back to her bedroom. Each step was an exercise in agony management. She eased herself onto her bed, lying face down as Satori had instructed. The position pulled at the knot in her back, making her bite her lip to keep from whimpering.

Five minutes passed. Then ten. Natalia was about to call out, to demand what was taking so long, when she heard a knock at her door.

"Come in," she said, her voice muffled by the pillow.

If he tries anything... I’ll paralyze him from the neck down.