— Okay, but how are you going to wake him up? — Raven asked, curious and slightly suspicious.

Kay stared at her, letting a threatening glint appear in her eyes.

— The ghouls fear me... That's why I'm going to kill you! — he said, his voice cold and with a murderous look that made Raven feel an immediate chill.

Confused and scared, Raven instinctively jumped back. At that same moment, her ghoul reacted to the threat in an automatic and ferocious way, creating four tentacles that launched themselves at high speed and brutally in Kay's direction.

— What?! — Raven exclaimed, shocked to see the ghoul manifest his power so suddenly.

Kay remained impassive, he was already prepared for that reaction, his gaze fixed and determined.

Kay dodged with impressive agility the tentacles that attacked with brutal force, his every movement a demonstration of control and precision. He dodged effortlessly, twisting and turning his body naturally, while the tentacles passed close to him, without ever touching him.

“Raven,” Kay said, her voice calm in the midst of the combat, “your fight is not with me. It is internal.”

Raven watched him, trying to understand, and then closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She knew she needed to focus, try to connect with the ghoul who was now reacting to Kay’s threat. Trying to meditate, she sought that inner presence, but the tumult of thoughts and fear distracted her.

After a few seconds, Raven opened her eyes, frustrated and breathing quickly.

“I… I can’t concentrate!” she said, her voice thick with tension.

Kay gave Raven a firm look, gripping the staff tighter.

“So… I’m sorry, Raven,” he said, his tone dark.

In an instant, Kay let his murderous intent shine through even more intensely. The deadly aura emanating from him was so dense that the ghoul himself reacted, redirecting one of his tentacles directly at Kay's threat. In a split second, Kay's staff slammed into the tentacle with a devastating impact, crushing it. The sound was dry and brutal.

The other three tentacles recoiled, writhing in pain, as if they had felt the blow raw, and retreated closer to Raven, hesitantly.

Kay, now with a more serene expression, reduced his desire to kill, making the atmosphere less suffocating. He looked at Raven and said firmly:

"Try again."

Still a little dazed, but understanding what she needed to do, Raven closed her eyes again. This time, she allowed herself a moment of calm, breathing deeply to dissipate the tension. In a few seconds, diving into her interior, she felt the presence of the ghoul, now more accessible, as if the pain had made him listen.

"Help me kill the other ghouls and I promise you will become stronger than all of them. Join me!" Raven said, her voice firm and full of determination.

The ghoul, standing still, held his arm with the visible wound, as if he were feeling the pain of Kay's attack, trying to understand Raven's words. His body, previously filled with violence and anger, seemed to hesitate, as if he were more sensitive to what was at stake.

Raven, with a fixed and serene gaze, repeated her offer.

"Help me and I will help you!" she said, extending her arm again, waiting for the response of the being watching her.

The ghoul didn't understand the words themselves, but he felt the intention behind them, the weight of his own existence threatened. He knew that to overcome Kay's threat, the key was to unite with the one who dominated the senses he didn't have. With a heavy movement, the ghoul fell to his knees, recognizing the need for this alliance.

At the same moment, Kay, watching the scene from afar, tightened his fingers around the staff, with an icy look.

"I finished Raven... I'm just going to make sure..." Kay said, his cold voice, transmitted over the radio.

Raven opened his eyes, the tense and bad mood had changed.

"Raven, don't attack!" Kay shouted, his voice full of order and venom, as he redirected all his hostility towards the ghoul.

The ghoul's tentacles trembled slightly, but remained still, they stayed that way for a few seconds.

Finally, Kay's smile slowly formed, and he applauded lightly, breaking the silence.

— You're free. Return your suit to normal! — he said, now hiding the murderous intent that had previously dominated him.

With that, the ghoul's tentacles began to retract, shrinking as if pulled by an invisible force. Raven's suit adjusted itself until it returned to its normal shape. Raven felt the change in her body, her inner power restored, her connection with the ghoul now firm and controlled.

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Kay, with a quick gesture, pressed the button on her radio.

— The ghoul is weakened. Give her some ghoul corpses. Raven only needs to touch them for a few seconds. — Kay said, her voice calm and direct.

— Okay, Raven. Go to my office. There's someone there who will guide you. I'll let her know. — Fernanda replied, on the other end of the radio.

— Okay! — Raven replied, her voice firm but emotionless.

She started walking away without saying anything else, her mind still processing what had just happened.

"You have talent and potential. It'll be good to have you by my side," Kay said, her voice calm but with a hint of approval.

Raven listened, but said nothing. She just kept walking, her footsteps echoing in the heavy silence that formed after the tension. She knew she needed more time to digest everything, but Kay's words did not go unnoticed.

Kay pressed the button again, calling the next recruit. However, the hesitation in the air was palpable. The recruits were nervous, afraid to face what Raven had just gone through. They hesitated out of fear, but then Lena started running with a wide smile.

"Cowards!" Lena exclaimed. "Now it's me!".

She passed Raven and, with a playful smile, said: "Good job!".

Raven, with a discreet smile, saluted and thanked her, before continuing on her way, without saying anything else.

"Hey, Kay, it's me now!" said Lena, approaching Kay confidently.

“You’re going to be a handful!” Kay said, with a defiant smile.

“Am I working for the good side or the bad side?” Lena exclaimed, curious and slightly provocative.

Without answering, Kay remained in place, letting his murderous aura emanate again. His eyes fixed on Lena, and he declared, in a dark tone, that he would kill her. Lena was confused for a second, not knowing if he was serious. But suddenly, four tentacles emerged from her ghoul. Two of them, however, had a different shape — they resembled wings.

Before Lena could react, the ghoul began to flap its “wings”, trying to escape Kay’s threatening presence. Sensing the danger, it suspended its murderous intent and, in a quick movement, embraced Lena, trapping her legs around its waist. In the next instant, they were up in the air, the wing-tentacles keeping them suspended.

“I’m afraid of heights!” Lena said, her voice full of panic.

“If we fall, it’s over. You better make a deal with your ghoul!” Kay replied, holding on tight, holding Lena securely.

Lena closed her eyes, trying to keep herself from looking down. Her heart was racing, but she knew she had to focus.

“Concentrate. I’m with you!” Kay whispered, his voice calm and steady beside her.

Taking a deep breath, Lena tried to relax her body, her eyes still closed, and surrendered to the connection with the ghoul.

They continued to climb, Lena holding on tightly to Kay as the ghoul’s wings beat, carrying them higher and higher. But in an instant, Kay released her killing intent again. The ghoul froze in fear, and the wings stopped. Feeling her body begin to plummet, Lena’s eyes widened.

“Not to rush you, but you better finish this!” Kay said, with a defiant smile.

Kay alternated between releasing and hiding her murderous intent, making the ghoul believe that she was in constant pursuit. This forced the monster to react instinctively, and Lena began to understand the game.

“You’re so crazy!” she shouted, finally controlling the movement of her wings.

“Congratulations!” Kay said proudly.

“That’s amazing, but... I’m scared!” Lena replied, as she flew through the sky, taking Kay with her.

“Not everyone will have wings, so you better get over that fear soon!” Kay said, standing firm.

As they flew over the area, Lena spotted something in the distance and pointed excitedly.

“Let’s go, Kay!” she said, looking in the direction of the Army helicopters.

“They’re taking off now, but be careful not to get too close to the blades!” Kay warned.

“I’m not that dumb!” Lena replied, with a defiant smile.

She flew toward the helicopters, which were now moving to her left. From inside, the pilot watched the scene, perplexed.

“Sir, look to your left!” the co-pilot warned the captain.

Lena got even closer, smiling.

“Hey, captain!” she shouted, drawing attention.

“What the hell?” the soldiers exclaimed, astonished at the sight of someone flying next to the helicopter.

“I found a rare one!” Kay said, pointing at Lena.

“That’s amazing, captain! Even I, who am afraid of heights, find this feeling liberating!” Lena said, laughing.

Takemichi looked at the scene suspiciously.

“Isn’t this dangerous?” he asked, worried.

Kay replied, without losing her humor:

“It’s only in about two minutes. The suit will lose its power and we’ll fall!”

“What is it?” Lena exclaimed, alarmed.

“We need to go back!” — Kay said, signaling to her.

— That's it, good luck to you! — Lena said, turning around and returning to the ground.

As they walked away, Takemichi looked at the scene in disbelief and muttered to himself:

— How am I going to explain this to the king?

The other soldiers' reactions began to emerge amidst the tense silence.

— Are you seeing this? — Fiona asked, rubbing her eyes and shaking her head, as if it were a hallucination.

— Is this real? He's really flying with her?! — Dan exclaimed, in disbelief, hardly believing what he was seeing.

Fernanda, with a sparkle in her eyes and trembling with excitement, couldn't help but smile.

— This training is looking like another show! — she commented, crossing her arms, still staring at Lena and Kay.

Kratos, who was watching everything with an expression somewhere between amusement and apprehension, let out a laugh.

— If this is what I expect from training with Kay, maybe I need to rethink my life! — he said, drawing laughter and agreement from the others.

Some soldiers looked at each other, trying to contain their excitement and nervousness, while others still seemed paralyzed, absorbing every detail.

Lena landed softly near the group, and Kay got off her.

— Okay, change your suit back to normal, pacifist! — Kay said, with a sarcastic smile.

Lena frowned in surprise.

— Pacifist? — she exclaimed, clearly confused.

Kay gave a slight nod, as if it were something obvious.

— Yes. The ghoul you use as a suit is not focused on offensive attacks, so it probably feeds on the remains of the other ghouls it kills. It’s a survival predator, not a direct combat predator,” he explained, watching closely as Lena’s dark, twisted wings began to retract, and her suit returned to its normal, peaceful state.

He then gestured in the direction.

— The same goes for her. Take her to Fernanda's office for the compatibility reports — Kay added.

Lena smiled, excited by the discovery. She left with light steps, her mind clearly full of ideas.

— Imagine the possibilities of this... — she murmured to herself, almost dreamily.

As soon as Lena left, Kay turned to the rest of the group.

— Who's next? — he asked, returning to his position. Slayer, silent, followed him.

The sky darkened as the mission continued, and as night fell, the sound of helicopters approached the base. When the vehicles landed, Takemichi was the first to disembark, with quick, determined steps towards the gates.