Kai woke up the next morning feeling as though a weight had been lifted off his chest. He had finally reached out to someone, taken that first, difficult step toward asking for help. And yet, as he sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, that sense of relief was quickly replaced by the familiar nagging doubt. Jin was still a problem. The Ledger was still there, tempting him, reminding him that there was an easier way.

As he got dressed, his mind replayed the events of the previous night. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something bigger was coming, something darker. Hana had warned him. She wanted him to give in, to embrace the power of the Ledger fully. And no matter how much he resisted, a part of him couldn’t ignore the pull it had over him.

He knew one thing for sure: if he didn’t confront Hana soon, things would only spiral further out of control.

Later that afternoon, after a tense day at school where Jin continued to make his presence felt with sly insults and jeers, Kai found himself sitting in an empty classroom, staring at his phone. The room was quiet, the soft hum of the fluorescent lights above the only sound. His fingers hovered over the screen as he scrolled through the messages he had exchanged with Minseo. She had been supportive, offering to meet up after school to talk. But right now, Kai’s mind was somewhere else.

He needed to deal with Hana first.

Summoning his courage, he opened the Ledger, his fingers tracing the smooth cover before flipping it open. He knew Hana could sense when he was ready to talk, knew that she was watching, waiting for him to make a move.

Sure enough, the moment he opened the Ledger, her voice cut through the silence like a blade.

“I knew you’d come around,” Hana purred, her voice silky, yet carrying that unmistakable edge. “Finally ready to stop pretending you can outrun this? The Ledger’s power isn’t something you can ignore, Kai.”

Kai clenched his jaw, gripping the Ledger tighter. He stood up, pacing the room as he tried to steady his racing heart. He could almost feel her presence, like she was standing right behind him, whispering in his ear.

“I’m not here to use the Ledger,” he muttered, his voice low but firm.

Hana’s laugh was soft, condescending. “Oh, really? Then why open it? Why seek me out?”

Kai stopped pacing, turning to face the empty air, knowing she was there even if he couldn’t see her. His fists clenched at his sides as he took a deep breath.

“I’m not running away from you anymore, Hana,” he said, his voice stronger now. “You want me to use the Ledger, to give in to this power, to become like you. But I’m not going to do that.”

Hana was silent for a moment, her presence dark and heavy in the room. When she spoke again, her voice was dripping with amusement.

“You think you have a choice, Kai? You think you can just walk away from this? The Ledger doesn’t work that way. It’s already a part of you.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Kai’s hands trembled, but he didn’t back down. He knew she was right in some ways. The Ledger had changed him, had given him a taste of what it meant to have control, to have power. But he wasn’t about to let that define him.

“I’m not here to walk away,” he said, his voice steady. “I’m here to challenge you.”

The room seemed to grow colder, and Kai could feel Hana’s attention sharpening, like a predator eyeing its prey. She didn’t respond immediately, and the silence stretched between them, thick with tension.

Finally, Hana’s voice returned, this time darker, more serious. “A challenge? You want to challenge me? Interesting. And what exactly are you proposing, Kai?”

Kai swallowed, his heart pounding in his chest, but he didn’t hesitate. “In ten days, I want to fight you. Hand-to-hand combat. No Ledger, no tricks. Just you and me.”

Hana laughed again, but this time it wasn’t mocking. It was a laugh filled with genuine amusement, like she was enjoying this far more than she should have been.

“A fight?” she repeated, her tone incredulous. “You want to fight me, Kai? Do you even realize who you’re challenging?”

“I know exactly who I’m challenging,” Kai shot back, his eyes narrowing. “You’ve been pushing me to use the Ledger, to follow in your footsteps. But I want to prove to you that I don’t need it. I can stand on my own, without your power.”

Hana’s voice turned cold, the amusement gone. “You think you can beat me in a simple fight? You think that’s all it will take to resist the Ledger’s pull?”

Kai felt a shiver run down his spine, but he held his ground. “This isn’t just about the fight. This is about proving to you—and to myself—that I don’t need to be like you.”

Another long silence followed, the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a knife. Kai’s heart pounded in his ears, but he refused to back down. He had come too far to give in now.

Finally, Hana spoke again, her voice low and dangerous. “You have guts, I’ll give you that, Kai. But guts alone won’t save you.”

Kai could feel the weight of her words, but he pushed back against the fear rising in his chest. “We’ll see.”

Hana chuckled softly. “Ten days, then. I’ll give you that much. But know this, Kai: you’re playing a dangerous game. And when the time comes, you won’t be able to rely on anything but yourself.”

Kai’s breath hitched, but he nodded. “That’s the point.”

Just as he thought the conversation was over, Hana’s voice returned, her tone eerily calm. “Five days from now, I’ll test you. We’ll have a warm-up, a little taste of what’s to come. Hand-to-hand combat, just as you asked. But if you fail, if you falter even once, you’ll realize the truth of what I’ve been saying all along.”

Kai frowned, his mind racing. “Five days? I thought we were fighting in ten.”

“We are,” Hana replied, her voice dripping with amusement once more. “But you didn’t think I’d just let you walk into a fight without knowing what you’re up against, did you? Consider it… a preview.”

Kai swallowed hard, the weight of her words settling on him like a ton of bricks. “Fine. Five days. But no Ledger, no powers.”

“Of course,” Hana said smoothly. “Hand-to-hand. Just you and me.”

The air in the room seemed to shift, the oppressive weight of her presence fading, though Kai could still feel her watching, still feel the challenge hanging in the air between them.

Kai closed the Ledger, his hands trembling slightly as he did. He had just made a decision that could change everything, but for the first time in a long time, he didn’t feel powerless.

Five days. He had five days to prepare for the first test. And in ten days, he would face Hana head-on. Hand-to-hand combat, no powers, no tricks. He didn’t know if he could win, didn’t know if he was truly ready to face her. But one thing was certain:

He wasn’t going to back down.

Kai stood in the center of the room for a long time, staring at the closed Ledger. His thoughts raced, his heart still pounding from the intensity of the exchange. But despite the fear gnawing at the edges of his mind, there was something else there too.

Resolve.

No matter what happened, he was going to fight.