Kay finished stretching, shrugged his shoulders, adjusted his posture, and faced the three captains. He gave a slight smile as Lena, Joana, and Ryuji took up their positions around him.

Mira, watching from the outside, hoped he wouldn't overdo it, while Fernanda held her cell phone, ready to record every second.

Yan threw a small plastic knife at Kay's feet; the leaders also had knives of the same type, used in the recruitment test. Kay took the knife, and Joana gave the signal with a hand gesture. The fight began.

"Okay, I'm leaving!" Kay said, throwing the knife on the ground.

"What do you mean?" Joana exclaimed, confused.

"Leader, your neck!" warned one of the soldiers from the first squad.

The necks of the three leaders had red ink stains.

"Impossible... When did he move?" the people present murmured, astonished.

— Impressive... It didn't even seem like he had moved! Did the camera capture that? — Fernanda thought, watching the recording with fascination.

— Where's the key to open the door here? — Kay asked, holding the bottle and the cup.

— No, no, no. You can wait there! How are we going to train if you finish us off so quickly? It's no fun like that! — Lena said, irritated.

"Train, huh? I thought they only wanted to fight me. I have no interest in fighting humans, but I think it'll be good to fight them!" — Kay thought, as she put the bottle and the cup back on the floor.

— Turn your thoughts into instinct! Ghouls are driven by instinct, and while you're thinking, he's already attacking. It would be difficult for you to understand how the ghoul in your suits fights, since you can't get to him. My style is diverse, malleable like water. My ghoul's style is aggressive. If I adapt to his, this could even happen! — said Kay.

— Impossible... The suit is at 130%! — said Fernanda, shocked.

— Wasn't the limit 100? — exclaimed Joana.

— The maximum anyone has ever reached is 100! — explained Fernanda.

— Does that surprise you? After all, the suit is for compatibility! — replied Kay.

— Something's happening to it... I hear a noise! — said San.

Kay's suit was growing tails or, better said, tentacles. Everyone present was surprised, terrified and tense.

— I can't control that part. It's the ghoul himself who's taking over. If you don't have control over him, you might end up killing your allies and yourselves against your will! — explained Kay.

He took a deep breath, and the tentacles retracted, making the suit return to normal.

Kay took off the suit and handed it to Fernanda.

— The ghoul has weakened. I don't know how you guys repair these suits, but now he needs it! — Kay said. — If that was self-explanatory for you, then can I leave?

The leaders present, or rather, everyone present, were stunned and couldn't answer, because it made Kay look like a ghoul.

Kay went to Ryuji and took the key from his hand. Then she took the bottle and the cup and unlocked the door.

— Why are you afraid of me? You can do it too, if you understand your ghoul! — Kay said, before leaving.

Fernanda, excited, ran out of the training room and went to the laboratory to evaluate Kay's suit and review the video with the other scientists.

— Kay looked like a ghoul with those tentacles... I was scared, but now I understand! If we can master these suits, we'll become stronger! — Mira said.

Outside, Kay stopped Fernanda.

— That video you recorded... it's best not to let it leave here. If any soldier tries to do it without control, he could die and take others with him! — Kay warned, with a bloody nose.

— I thought you were compatible, but did you suffer damage? — Fernanda exclaimed, worried.

— I was just waiting for this opportunity. If the suit suffers from the attack of our weapons, what happens? — Kay asked.

— Since it uses ghoul DNA, it will be slightly damaged, but it can be repaired! — Fernanda replied.

Kay took a knife out of her pocket.

— This is Joana's... When did you get it? — Fernanda exclaimed.

— I tried to kill the ghoul that time and I thought I had succeeded. But, when I went to the city and eliminated that ghoul, when I touched him, the ghoul in my suit revived or rather, regenerated. He thinks he's superior... he just needs to understand that I can kill him easily! — Kay said, sticking the knife in the suit.

— What? — Fernanda exclaimed, confused.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Kay was focused, with a serious look.

— From now on, whatever I say will be to the ghoul. So, don't be afraid! — Kay said.

— Okay... — Fernanda replied, still confused.

— "You're writhing in pain, now do you understand how I can kill you without any effort? The next time you try to crush my bones, I'll eliminate you without hesitation" — thought Kay, focused.

"Is he talking to a ghoul?" — thought Fernanda, intrigued.

— "I know you don't understand my words, but your instincts make you understand. Let's make a deal: help me eliminate all the ghouls, until the last one dies, and after that I'll set you free. You can go wherever you want and not be trapped in this void, in this dark and strange world. This is a pact. If you want to accept, then kneel!" — Kay said.

"What's going on here?" — Fernanda thought, worried.

The suit began to tremble in her hands. Kay took out the knife and opened her eyes.

"Fix that suit, I don't want to have to deal with another ghoul!" — Kay said.

"Did you really make a deal with your suit?" — Fernanda exclaimed.

"Yes, he'll obey me. His desire for freedom made him accept, but what a fool... he didn't realize that he's already dead. Being free for him means dying again!" — Kay explained.

"If you destroy the suit! I get it. Let's fix it!" — Fernanda said, leaving in a hurry.

Kay poured himself another cup of coffee.

"I wonder if she's going to keep the video?" — he thought. "It's true that the other soldiers might end up killing others by accident, but the way they looked at me was the same as the recruits' eyes at that ghoul. Did manifesting those tentacles make me look like a ghoul? If that's the case, I won't use it anymore!"

"You look angry!" — Takemichi said behind him.

"I am!" — Kay replied.

"I got three days off, I'm going to visit my wife. Don't let Mira get into trouble while I'm away!" — Takemichi asked.

"Why are you asking me this?" — Kay exclaimed.

"Because that girl doesn't seem to listen to anyone anymore. If anything happens to her, I'll kill you!" — Takemichi stated, heading towards the training room.

"I don't need to protect her! Don't you know she's capable of protecting herself? If something is a threat to her, I already intend to eliminate it!" — said Kay.

— Eliminate? I wonder what you taught this boy, honey? — thought Takemichi, entering the training room.

In the training room, Takemichi addressed the soldiers.

— What's with that stupid look on his face? — he exclaimed.

— Captain? — said the soldiers, standing up and saluting.

— The king gave me a day off, I'm going home. In my absence, your leaders will take charge. Joana will lead you! — announced the captain.

— Alright! — said the soldiers.

— I haven't seen these expressions on your faces in a long time. It almost feels like the day of your first mission, when you saw a ghoul for the first time! Anyway, I'm leaving now. Don't cause any trouble until I get back! — ordered Takemichi to the leaders.

— Have a good trip! — shouted the soldiers.

Takemichi smiled at Mira and then left.

“He looks happy!” — thought Mira, hiding her joy.

— Why didn't you report that to the captain? — Yan exclaimed, approaching.

— The captain is going to take a break after years. Do you think we would worry him now? — Lena said.

— Since this doesn't negatively affect the squad, we'll report it when the captain returns! — Joana decided.

— Let's create another squad only with the recruits. He'll be the leader! — Yan suggested.

— You can't decide this without the captain! — Joana said.

— It'll be temporary. If it doesn't work out, we'll make him vice leader again! — Yan insisted.

— Okay, on one condition: I want to understand my suit, and to do that, I'll train with him! — Lena stated.

— I don't think he'll train you to become a leader. He doesn't even want that! — Ryuji retorted.

— There's someone who can convince him! — Lena said, looking at Mira.

The scene changes.

— Why are you standing at the door? Aren't you going to come into the room? — Kay exclaimed, confused.

— You know, Kay, you just became a squad leader and you have to teach the soldiers to be more compatible with the suit. Otherwise, I won't make coffee for the division or for you anymore! — Mira said, trembling, but with a firm voice.

— Who told you to say that? — Kay asked.

— It was the leaders, but I don't want to do it anymore either, since it won't help the division. Can you think about it? — Mira exclaimed.

— Was it Yan? — Kay exclaimed.

— Fo... it was the leaders and my decision! — Mira replied.

“So it was Yan who gave the idea, that damn guy!” — Kay thought. — Come here, Mira! — Kay called.

Mira entered the room. Kay took the pillows and placed them on the floor, sitting on one of them. Mira sat on the other.

— I'll show you the way — Kay said, holding her hands.

— How? — Mira exclaimed.

— Let's meditate! As long as it takes! — Kay said.

— How will I know it's enough? — Mira asked.

— That's it! Don't think, just feel. Let your mind go blank! — Kay instructed.

— I'll try! — Mira said.

Kay folded her legs and Mira followed her example.

— Don't think about anything. If you feel something different, then focus on that feeling! Close your eyes! — Kay said.

— Okay! — Mira replied, concentrating.

— How long are we going to stay here? — Raven exclaimed, irritated.

— It's mandatory training — said Yan.

— But we've been waiting for thirty-five minutes. Why the delay? — Raven insisted, still irritated.

— Go look for them! — Yan ordered.

Kay's group left.

— Aren't you going too? — Yan exclaimed.

— We're not their friends, we're going to wait here! — replied one of the recruits.

The scene changed. Fernanda was lying on Kay's bed, watching the two of them while holding the tablet with Mira's statistics open.

— I swear, when I find him, I'm going to kill him! — Raven said, irritated in the hallway.

Fernanda left the room and waited at the door. The recruits approached, and Fernanda asked them to be quiet so as not to disturb them.

They entered the room.

"It won't work, Mira can't get in!" — thought Kay, still focused.

— What are they doing? — Sky whispered.

— They're training! Be quiet! — Fernanda whispered.

She went back and lay down on Kay's bed while watching the tablet.

"She's having small fluctuations, nothing significant, but she's managing to do it while she's still. Something's going to happen here!" — Fernanda thought.

Kay put Mira's hand on her knee and took the knife from her pocket.

"What is he doing?" — everyone thought, curious.

Kay made a small cut in Mira's suit.

"Stop destroying the suits, you bastard! This isn't cheap!" — Fernanda thought, irritated.

Kay put the knife on the floor and held Mira's hand again.

"Your concentration level is high. You didn't even notice that I had let you go!" — Kay thought.

He took a deep breath and focused on the smell coming from the suit.

"It was the highest level so far. Did that work?" — Fernanda thought, excited.

"That cell phone on the table, is she recording them again?" — Kratos thought.

— Kay? — Mira exclaimed, floating in a dark void.

— It's deeper, Mira. I can't help you, you'll have to deal with this alone now! — Kay thought, as he disappeared, leaving her alone in that darkness.

Mira kept calling for him as she walked forward. Outside, Kay opened her eyes and saw everyone staring at them. He let go of Mira's hands and carefully placed them on her legs. She was in a complete meditation position.

Kay took the knife and stood up, facing Fernanda, knowing why she had arrived in the room so quickly. Fernanda only responded with a relaxed smile. Kay sighed and left the room, calling the recruits.

Starting with the boys, and then the girls followed him, leaving Mira and Fernanda in the room.