After the first squad’s grueling training, Kay returned to his barracks. The room was almost silent, broken only by the sound of his footsteps echoing on the cold floor. He closed the door behind him and threw himself onto the bed, his muscles exhausted but his mind restless, full of thoughts that seemed to buzz like a swarm.

The ceiling of the room seemed farther away than ever as Kay stared into space, trying to sort out the whirlwind of emotions that consumed him.

“That killing intent… it wasn’t mine. Or was it? No, it wasn’t entirely mine. It was the ghoul. No… it was us. Our intentions were mixed up.”

The memory of his comrades shaking, their suits reacting instinctively, was all too fresh. He could see the soldiers’ wide eyes and their clenched fists, and even Sarah, usually composed, had lost her composure for a moment.

"What kind of fear did the ghouls feel? Fear enough to subjugate themselves to the soldiers... Fear enough for their survival instinct to override everything, even their pride. But why? Because of me? Because of him?" Kay clutched the bed sheet, trying to push the memory away.

"If it had been the other way around, it would have been a massacre..." he murmured, his voice thick with anguish.

Kay rolled over in bed, now staring at the wall. He knew that what had happened was not normal. The killing intent that had filled the training ground was not just his, but it was also not just the ghoul's. It was a fusion, an amalgam of emotions—fury, pain, despair—that spread like an invisible wave, causing the combat suits to react violently.

"It's beneficial to us, right? The ghouls won't rebel so easily. But... how far can this go? How far can I go?" The thought made him clench his fists, his fingers digging into the mattress. He didn’t know if he could trust himself completely.

Suddenly, a shadow seemed to pass through the room. Kay felt a chill, as if something was watching him, hidden in the corners of the room. He sat up abruptly, breathing heavily. “Am I imagining things?” His eyes swept the room, but there was nothing there. Nothing… except the nagging feeling that something inside him was changing.

Reflection and Determination

Moonlight streamed through the small window of the room, illuminating Kay’s face with a silvery light. He paused for a moment, staring at his own reflection in the mirror in the corner of the room. His eyes, which had once held the flame of determination, were now shadowed by a disturbing uncertainty.

Doubt seemed to gnaw at his mind, like a silent storm. He clenched his fists, staring at his reflection as if searching for answers he himself did not have.

— "What the hell. The murderous intent at that time was completely for the ghouls. If you want to kill your own race, then fine... But let me make it clear: you will only do something when I give you permission."

Exhausted from fighting his own thoughts, he threw himself on the bed. The weight of the internal battle finally overcame him, and within seconds, Kay fell asleep.

The tranquility of the room was broken minutes later, when Kratos, Sky and Slayer entered silently. They stopped when they saw Kay asleep, their faces displaying expressions that ranged from concern to hesitation. Without exchanging a single word, they stepped back and left the room, closing the door softly behind them.

On the way back to the courtyard, the group encountered Thais.

— "Where is he?" — she asked anxiously.

— "Sleeping," — Slayer answered, his voice dry and direct.

The soldiers looked at each other, a visible weight hanging over them all.

— "Talk to him tomorrow," — suggested Ravena, who was also nearby, with her arms crossed and a serious expression.

Joana, who was listening to the conversation, lowered her head, her fists clenched at her sides.

— "After he offered to train us, and we still looked at him like that..." — she murmured, with a tone of guilt in her voice. — "As a colleague, I feel horrible."

Raven sighed, her usual sarcastic expression now replaced by something more serious.

— "We were scared too," — she admitted, looking at the floor.

Joana looked up, staring at Ravena.

— "That fear I felt... Not even the ghouls I've faced had that much hate."

The words hung in the air, loaded with an almost palpable weight. The memory of that moment was enough to make their hearts race.

Thais, who had remained silent until then, bit her lower lip before speaking:

— "It was more intense than when we were there."

Ravena nodded in agreement, but before she could answer, the characteristic sound of propellers cutting through the air caught everyone's attention.

In the distance, the helicopters were returning, their lights piercing the darkness. The intermittent glow of their headlights and the increasing roar of their blades were signs that the funeral was over. Farther back, the low, steady sound of truck engines could be heard, indicating that the vehicles carrying the other soldiers were arriving.

“They’re coming back,” Joana said, her voice low but full of relief.

The soldiers moved away from the landing area, making room for the helicopters. The air was thick with dust and tension as the aircraft touched down one by one. The deafening sound began to fade, and shortly after, the captain and the soldiers began to descend.

Kay remained asleep in his room, oblivious to the movement outside. However, a restlessness seemed to haunt those who were awake.

The captain walked over to Joana and the others, standing before them with his hands behind his back.

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“Report,” he said, straight to the point.

Joana stepped forward.

"The training was a success," she replied.

Takemichi remained silent for a moment, his piercing gaze fixed on them.

"Understood. I want a full report."

"Where's Kay?" Mira exclaimed.

"He's sleeping!" Thais replied, with a tone of slight disdain.

"It must have been tiring to train an entire squadron..." Mira commented, laughing softly as she crossed her arms.

Thais let out a dry laugh before replying:

"Actually, he finished the training in twenty minutes. He didn't even break a sweat. After that, he came back here and went straight to sleep... like always!"

Mira's smile disappeared for a moment. She sighed and looked away.

"I thought he had changed..." she muttered, with a tone of slight frustration.

Suddenly, something caught her attention. Mira turned quickly to face Thais.

"Wait a minute! He trained an entire squadron in twenty minutes?" — she exclaimed, surprised.

Thais just nodded, her arms crossed.

— It was something... strange, but it's true.

— Strange how? — Mira insisted, her curiosity now aroused.

Thais hesitated for a moment, remembering the scene from the previous day.

“Very strange,” she finally replied, with a serious expression on her face. “I can’t explain it, but the atmosphere has changed…”

Mira remained silent, her gaze full of questions that Thais didn’t seem to know how to answer.

The next morning

The rising sun filled the barracks with its golden light.

“How can he sleep even while drinking coffee?” Sky said in disbelief, as he watched the scene alongside Slayer and Kratos.

“What the…?!” Kay said, looking at the two with half-closed eyes, still trying to process what had happened.

“Kay, the captain wants you in the mess hall now.”

Kay frowned, standing up quickly. With a firm movement, he grabbed his suit and mask.

“We’re going to train the entire remaining division. I’m going to need your support!” Kay said, his voice full of determination.

Kratos, with a worried expression, looked at him.

"Okay, but are you sure about that?" Kratos exclaimed, doubt evident in his voice.

Kay stared at him firmly, an intense glow in her eyes.

"I'm only sure of one thing: all the ghouls will react. Now, whether or not they will all obey is another story. That's why I need our squad and the first one to provide support in case something goes wrong." Kay took a step towards the door, without hesitation. "Now, let's go. We don't have time to waste." Kratos sighed, but knew there was no way to stop him.

"I understand that you want to shorten the training time, but that's dangerous!" he insisted.

"I'm excited today!" Kay replied, leaving the room with an almost defiant attitude. "Let's train before I get discouraged!" The boys followed him to the cafeteria. When they entered, something surprised them.

"What are you doing?" — Kay exclaimed, confused when he saw the first and fifth divisions bowing before him.

— We're sorry! You trained us and yet we were afraid and behaved like this... — Joana said, with a tone of deep regret.

Kay looked around, an ironic smile appearing on his face.

— Even I was surprised... Don't worry, I don't care about this. It's not like it's the first time I've seen this kind of thing.

— I told you! — Ravena said, watching the scene with an amused expression.

Kay sighed lightly and turned to the soldiers.

— I'll take about ten minutes, so release everyone to train! — he said, his voice firm and sure.

— The whole division? — Takemichi exclaimed, astonished.

Kay smiled with an air of confidence.

— The ghoul here is more submissive than I imagined. He's hating his own race. — Kay paused, reflecting on the situation. — Our hatreds got mixed up, and ended up going in all directions. But I already know how to direct it.

— Hating his own race? — Takemichi exclaimed, with an expression of surprise.

— It's funny, huh? Ghoul hating ghoul. — Kay paused and looked at them, her eyes shining with a mix of frustration and amusement. — Well, I guess it's only natural, since, ever since he became a costume, he's only fed on ghouls.

— Interesting, very interesting, Kay! — Fernanda said, her eyes shining with curiosity.

Kay stared at her, her gaze becoming more severe.

— Don't even think about it! I don't have time for your research right now. — he said, interrupting Fernanda's excitement.

— How boring! — she replied, making a sad and cute expression, although she didn't want to hide her irritation.

Kay ignored Fernanda's answer and turned to the rest of the soldiers.

— Are you going to release them? I need the others who have already trained to be ready in case any of them get out of control! — Kay asked firmly.

— Go ahead! — Takemichi said, with a nod of approval.

Kay nodded and turned to the door.

— After breakfast, I want everyone outside the base. Since we have three squads to train, the leaders will be in front. I want distance between each squad and their soldiers. That way, if any ghoul gets out of control, they won't hurt their companions.

Fernanda, who was already distracted by her cell phone, looked up with an idea.

— I'll film this! — she said, quickly sending a message to her team.

Kay looked at her with a sideways smile.

— Among them, there might be those who fly. So, the three of us should focus on those! — he said, highlighting the aspects that needed special attention.

Lena, who was listening to the conversation, couldn't help but exclaim.

— Can you fly too? — she exclaimed, looking at Kay with a surprised expression.

Kay smiled in a relaxed manner, as if she was enjoying the situation.

— And here I thought I became special! — he joked, with a defiant tone.

Lena fell to her knees dramatically.

— But you are one of the special ones! I believe that, at most, in this division, we will have about ten, kicking high! — Kay explained, with a serious expression.

Lena, still on her knees, looked at him.

— Only ten? That's still a lot! — she said, a sparkle in her eyes.

Yan, who was next to her, gave a sarcastic laugh.

— You're kidding, right? Look at how many soldiers there are in this base. Ten isn't even the tip of the needle! — he retorted, without hiding his disdain.

Lena looked at him, indignant.

— Ten is a lot for something that's special! — she retorted, crossing her arms.

Joana looked at her, with a mischievous smile.

— How selfish! — Joana said, provoking Lena.

Lena and the leaders began to argue, creating an atmosphere of tension and humor between them.

Kay watched the scene with a smile on her lips and then turned to Mira.

— Can you come with me later? — he asked, with a slightly curious expression.

Mira looked at him, surprised.

— Go where? — she exclaimed, not understanding.

Kay looked at her with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“It could be after training. Meet me in the courtyard!” he said, his tone joking but also serious.

Mira hesitated for a moment, but finally answered, a little worried.

“Okay!” she said, giving a nervous smile.

Kay smiled back at her, picking up the coffee pot before leaving the cafeteria.

“You’re already having secrets, huh?” Thais said, approaching and smiling mischievously.

Mira shook her head, trying to hide her uneasiness.

“It’s not that... I think so!” Mira replied, unable to hide her anxiety.

The scene changes to outside the base, with the tension increasing.

— Now it's going to be more dangerous. Are you sure you want to stay here? — Kay exclaimed, looking at the scientists with a piercing gaze.

Fernanda, her eyes shining with excitement, didn't hesitate.

— Scientists don't miss the opportunity to record an evolution! — she replied excitedly.

Kay looked at her, a sarcastic smile forming.

— It's up to you. Just protect the bottle! — he said, before turning to the others.

Fernanda made a dramatic expression.

— How cruel... you're more worried about a bottle of coffee than about us! I feel humiliated! — she said, exaggerating the tone of sadness.

Kay rolled her eyes, impatient.

— How false... so, where's the microphone? — he exclaimed, turning his attention to her.

Fernanda quickly grabbed the microphone and handed it to him.

— Just adjust it near your ear! — she said, with a mischievous smile.

— Thank you! — Kay replied, adjusting the microphone with precision.

— Here’s the speaker. It’s very powerful, so even those who are far away will hear it, but try not to shout! — Fernanda said, handing her the equipment. — Just press here and it will turn on and you can start talking!

Kay looked at her, her expression focused.

— Sure! — Kay said, walking away with the speaker.

Fernanda looked at him thoughtfully and murmured:

— If we had Julius’ help from the beginning, would humanity have advanced so much?