Three months went by in a flash.

In that short span, Ashwood and its surrounding towns had undergone a discreet transformation. Cade, after taking Ezra and his gang of misfits under his command, had also absorbed the smaller gangs plaguing the neighboring areas. Their subjugation had been swift—almost effortless for him. With each victory, Cade consolidated a small but effective force, bending the chaos of the underworld to his will. Now, the markets bustled with a sense of normalcy, while beneath the surface, power shifted in abrupt moves.

The once-rowdy bar in the corner of Ashwood’s marketplace—where drunkards and hooligans had once reveled in chaos—had fallen into an eerie silence. The wooden sign that used to hang proudly above the door was now a mess of scratches, its name illegible, forgotten. Instead, each of the double doors bore a new inscription, boldly carved: “MARTIAL CLUB.”

Inside, the bar had transformed. The floor was lined with mats, and teenagers along with adults grappled and wrestled, their bodies straining in mismatched gym clothes or whatever they could scavenge. The atmosphere was disciplined a stark contrast to the unruly days before.

Ezra stood at the side, arms folded, his gaze sharp as he watched the trainees. His eyes flicked from one sparring pair to the next, calculating each move with the practiced focus of an instructor. Beside him were two more figures Martin and Vigil—gang leaders Cade had recently subdued, now standing obediently under his banner. They hadn’t had much choice in the matter, after all. Cade’s offer wasn’t one they could refuse. Martin and Vigil were in the same age group as Ezra, in their early twenties. Martin had red sleek hair and was a jolly guy but he would turn venomous without hesitation. Vigil on the other hand was a calculating guy and was wearing bulbous glasses giving him a distinctive look.They had now become part of the Martial Club, consisting of seventeen members, with Cade as the eighteenth and their leader. Among them, Ezra held the rank of vice leader, alongside two others, each vice with an assigned attendant. The rest were ordinary fighters, little more than cannon fodder.

During the daytime, Ezra and the other vice leaders trained the twenty or so recruits that made up the club’s underlings. However, Cade spent his nights sparring with his lieutenants, honing their skills.

Ezra rotated his shoulders, which were still sore from last night's training. While training with Cade was painful, it was even more painful to drift aimlessly through life. He had found what he had been unconsciously searching for—a purpose and someone to follow. Everything seemed to happen too quickly. He had gone from having no direction and no ambitions to being part of something larger and more meaningful. Now, he didn’t need to think about his future. The present was all-consuming, and that was enough.

Ezra’s thoughts drifted as he glanced to his left. Kaze, his attendant, was standing nearby, effortlessly curling dumbbells. His movements were slow and deliberate, his muscles bulging under the strain. "Hey, Ezra," Kaze said, his voice casual. "Shouldn't we remind the boss that it's his graduation today?"

Ezra raised an eyebrow, amused. "You think he doesn't know that?" He paused, then furrowed his brow in thought. "On second thought... maybe you're right."

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Ezra’s gaze shifted to the iron door at the back of the room, leading to a secluded hall. It was an odd addition to the otherwise rustic bar—a polished, heavy thing that seemed out of place. He walked toward it, knocking twice and waiting with the calm patience of a trained butler.

"Come in," Cade’s voice came from within.

The room beyond was small, its walls lined with shelves bathed in the warm glow of candlelight. Cade sat in the center, cross-legged on a prayer mat, his hair tied back—grown longer over the past months. In his hands, he held a small slightly larger than normal Rubik's cube, his fingers tracing its edges as if memorizing every nook and cranny of its structure. More of these cubes were scattered across the room, alongside piles of papers filled with bizarre sketches. Ezra picked up one drawing, inspecting the intricate details. The cube on the paper was peculiar, with small doors etched onto its sides. He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of strange training Cade was doing. When he had asked about the cubes before, Cade’s response had been cryptic: "You’re not ready to know yet."

Ezra had learned in his time under Cade that everything the man did had a purpose, even if it wasn’t immediately clear. If Cade said he wasn’t ready, then he wasn’t ready.

"It's your graduation today," Ezra said, setting down the drawing. "What are your plans?"

Cade’s eyes remained closed as he replied, his tone dismissive. "A meaningless chore. You can pick up my certificate from the school’s head office." Cade thought that it was really not worth attending school for such a trivial task. "Besides, my training has reached a critical point," he spoke as he gestured toward a nearby shelf. "There’s an envelope there with 200,000 Jenny and a thank you letter for my biology teacher, Carl. Be respectful when you meet him."

Ezra nodded, accepting the task with a slight bow. As he turned to leave, Ezra’s mind lingered on the changes Cade had brought to Ashwood. At first, Cade had considered introducing new ventures into the town—ways to make money and put his gang to work. But after taking control of the gambling dens and other rackets, Cade realized that the funds his gang had accumulated were more than enough. Now, most of that money was funneled into training the rookies and strengthening their small army. As their leader, Cade had free rein over how the remaining wealth was spent.

Ezra stepped out, closing the door behind him, leaving Cade to his solitude. Inside, Cade opened his Jade green eyes, his gaze distant as he stared at the cubes around him. "Three months have passed, huh?" he murmured to himself. His heart quickened with excitement. "My Hatsu is almost complete. I can feel it."

After he opened his aura nodes by himself, Cade knew he had a gift. Though he wasn’t as naturally talented as some of the protagonists—Kurapika, Gon, or Killua—his experienced mind gave him an edge. He had taken his time developing his Hatsu, knowing it was complex. Another reason for this delay was that he was Learning advanced Nen techniques.

Placing the cube on the ground in front of him, he inhaled deeply, gathering his focus. His eyes narrowed slightly as his mind sharpened on the object he intended to conjure. In his left hand, a stopwatch rested. He pressed the button, the soft click barely registering in the silence.

Slowly, he raised his right hand, and from it, a construct began to take shape. Tiny pixelated blocks materialized, stacking upon each other, layer by layer. The formation was deliberate, almost mechanical in its precision, as the miniature blocks built themselves into a solid form. Within moments, a Solid Rubik's cube with a miniature tattoo of a coiled black snake carved on each side hovered above his palm, gleaming faintly in the dim light.

He glanced at the stopwatch. Only 1.5 seconds had passed. A slight frown crossed his face. "Not enough," he muttered under his breath, dissatisfaction flickering in his expression. Without hesitation, he reset the stopwatch, letting the conjured cube dissipate into nothingness.

And so, he continued, the rhythmic click of the stopwatch marking the passage of time as he honed his skill in quiet.