Corrupted Throne

"THE MORNING AFTER"

Jack blinked as sunlight filtered into the room.

The first thing he saw was Duke—sitting on the edge of his bed like a statue.

His face looked pale, hollow.

Dark circles clung under his eyes. His hair was a mess, as if he hadn't slept at all.

"Hey… Duke?" Jack sat up, concern creeping into his voice.

"You okay?"

Duke slowly turned his head, his eyes lifeless and distant.

"I'm fine," he said flatly. "Let's go. Training starts soon."

Jack frowned. "Hey—no, for real. Say the word. What's going on?"

Duke looked away, grabbing his boots.

"It's nothing," he muttered. *I can't tell him about her. Not without proof…*

Jack stood up, watching him.

"You'll do fine in the Void Room today," he said firmly. "Just like always. You've been through worse."

Duke paused for a second… then gave a small nod.

"Thanks, Jack."

Jack slapped his back lightly.

"Come on. Let's go make Violet proud."

Duke didn't smile.

But he moved—quiet, focused, and still haunted.

Jack and Duke reached the training ground just as the cold morning wind brushed across their faces.

Touka and Samaira were already there.

Touka stood beside Samaira—**calm, poised… as if last night never happened.**

Her violet eyes swept past Duke without a flicker.

Samaira waved at them with a grin.

"Yo!"

Jack shivered, rubbing his arms.

"Ahhh—ugh, it's way too cold this early…"

Samaira chuckled. But then, her eyes drifted past Jack—toward Duke.

Her smile softened.

"Hey… what's with your face?" she asked. "You look like a zombie. Didn't sleep?"

Duke exhaled lightly.

"No. Couldn't. The Void Room kept messing with my head."

"Ohh, I see," Samaira nodded, then gave a smug smile. "I cleared it in one day."

"You did?" Duke blinked, surprised.

"She really did," Jack chimed in. "She was like—floating through it."

"Hehe," Samaira tilted her head, clearly proud.

Behind her, Touka stood silently, arms crossed.

She listened to the conversation like background noise—**uninterested**.

Duke glanced toward Samaira again.

"Was it tough?"

Samaira's expression shifted—just slightly.

"It was very tough," she said. "So I became tougher."

Duke stared at her, quietly listening.

"At first, I couldn't do anything. I froze. Over and over," she continued.

"But then I realized—if I stayed like that, nothing would change. I'd stay the same. Weak."

She clenched a fist.

"So I started fighting back. Even in the nightmare. Little by little, I started pushing back instead of just taking it. And eventually…"

She smiled faintly. "I started dominating them—before they could dominate me."

Duke lowered his gaze, as if the words had landed deeper than he expected.

SLAM!

A heavy hand struck Duke's back.

"Ugh—!" Duke stumbled forward and nearly fell.

"Bastard—!" he started, whirling around—

—until he saw who it was.

Drex.

Arms folded. Usual half-smirk on his face.

"You ready for training?" Drex asked coolly.

"Yooo! It's Drex!" Jack shouted, grinning as he jogged over.

Duke chuckled, brushing off his shoulder.

"Today…" he said, "I'm going to beat you."

Drex raised a brow. "I'm looking forward to seeing that, Duke."

Then looked at Jack. "And you too."

"Yeahhh boi!" Jack pumped his fist.

"And me?" Samaira's voice chimed in from behind. "You forgot about *me*?"

Drex turned with a small laugh.

"Oh, yeah—you too. But I'm not going easy on you this time."

Samaira's smile cracked.

"You *were* going easy on me?" she asked, eyes narrowing.

Drex shrugged, half teasing.

"Ughh…" she growled under her breath.

They all laughed—lightly, casually.

Duke found himself smiling.

*I forgot what this felt like,* he thought. *Friends… people who have my back.*

His gaze shifted—

—only to see **Touka** standing alone, a few paces behind them.

Quiet. Still. Watching.

"Hey, Touka!" Samaira called out, waving. "Why don't you join us?"

Duke's smile faded.

Touka's eyes met his for a brief second—before flicking away.

"I think I'll pass," she said calmly. "I won't be able to keep up with you guys."

Samaira frowned. "Touka… we *promised* we'd get stronger *together*, remember?"

"I'm not like you, Samaira," Touka said, voice low. "You're way too strong for me to keep up."

Duke stepped forward. "You should join us, Touka," he said quietly. "Remember what Miss Violet said—we don't leave anyone behind."

Touka hesitated.

"…Ahh—" she exhaled.

"No point arguing," Samaira cut in, a playful firmness in her tone. "You're joining us after the lecture. Deal with it."

Touka blinked—cornered from all sides.

"…I—I guess I don't have any choice," she muttered.

Jack raised his fist in triumph. "Squad's all here!"

And for a moment—just a moment—it looked like they were one unit.

Even if one of them… didn't belong.

"Hey! Sir Cladwill's coming!" Jack called out.

"Let's form a line!"

The group started moving quickly to assemble—boots crunching over frost-covered stone.

Duke glanced at **Touka** as everyone else moved ahead.

"Hey, Samaira," Duke said, turning to her. "I want to talk to Touka for a second. Can you go ahead without us?"

Samaira blinked. "What? Say it in front of me!"

"It's… something I can't really talk about with anyone else," Duke replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

Samaira squinted suspiciously.

"No hitting on my bestie. She's mine."

Duke gave a dry chuckle. "Please—it's not like that. I promise. She's all yours."

"Hmmph. Fine." Samaira stuck out her tongue playfully and jogged ahead to join the others.

Duke turned to Touka, who was still walking a few paces behind the group.

"…Hey, Touka," he said, catching up beside her. "You weren't planning to join us because of me, weren't you?"

Touka didn't look at him.

Her expression was unreadable, eyes cold.

"It's not that," she said quietly, still walking.

"I saw you," Duke said. "Just before you declined. You looked at me."

"I already told you, "I wasn't in my right mind yesterday."

They walked a few more steps in silence—boots tapping lightly on the stone floor.

Then Touka suddenly stopped.

She turned her head slightly—expression sharp, voice flat.

"You overthink too much, Duke."

Duke blinked.

Touka looked forward again, her tone cooling further.

"I just didn't want to train. My back still hurts from yesterday's punishment."

And with that—she resumed walking, posture straight, pace steady.

Leaving Duke once again unsure if he'd just been answered… or dismissed.

The day rolled on.

After a brief lecture from Cladwill, the Duke and company moved into hand-to-hand training with Drex, followed by weapon drills on the lower ground.

Sweat, bruises, and grunts echoed across the stone yard.

And then—

Back into the Void Room.

The torches dimmed. The walls darkened. Silence fell.

Miss Violet stood in the center, her expression as sharp as ever.

"Some of you have started to feel it," she said. "That pressure. That pull. That spark. That is your Kendra energy."

She turned to the recruits.

"Control it—or be consumed by it."

One by one, they entered the void.

---

Inside—

Jack, his body trembling, finally managed to push through a veil of shadow—light briefly flashing in his palm.

He gasped. "I did it…!" A flicker. His first unlock.

Samaira, Derius, and Kairoz were further ahead—each one slowly mastering their inner storms.

Derius's hands crackled with faint energy. Kairoz stood still, focused, the wind around him unnaturally calm.

Even Drex showed steady progress.

Vairan, of course, was terrifyingly composed—his eyes glowing faintly, rage hidden under control.

But then—

A scream.

"AHHHH!"

Duke collapsed in the center of the room.

He clutched his chest, eyes wide—haunted.

Inside the vision, he had just watched Touka stab him through the heart.

Her violet eyes—cold, merciless.

His breath caught—

The chain around him snapped violently, again.

"ENOUGH!" Violet's voice boomed.

The Void Room faded.

Everyone looked over.

Duke was on his knees, panting, drenched in sweat.

Vairan stood up sharply, face twisted in anger.

"Hey!" he barked. "If you can't handle it—leave!

Leave the fortress—or go die somewhere before I kill you myself!"

The room went silent.

Jack stepped forward.

"Just try it, bastard."

Vairan's lips curled. "And who are you supposed to be?"

"Jack." His tone was sharp. "And I'm telling you to shut your damn mouth."

Before the tension could boil over, Duke slowly stood up.

"Jack… it's fine."

He turned away, walking toward Violet.

"…I did better than yesterday, right?" he asked quietly.

Miss Violet studied him, her expression softening ever so slightly.

"You did better," she said. "But if you want… I can open the Void Room privately. Just for you."

Duke smiled faintly.

"Thanks, Miss Violet. I won't forget that. As long as I live."

They shared a quiet moment—barely audible to the others.

Then Duke stepped aside.

Miss Violet turned back to the class.

"You all did well today," she said. "Almost half of you have awakened your Kendra Energy."

Her eyes gleamed faintly in the dim light.

"…Let's begin again."

The Void Room stood empty now.

The air was still. Cold. Silent.

Everyone else had left—gone to rest, recover, or celebrate small victories.

But Duke remained… standing alone in the center of the dark chamber.

Miss Violet watched him from across the room—arms folded, her expression unreadable.

Then she spoke.

"Duke."

He looked up.

"Can you tell me more… about the masked bandits?"

Duke hesitated for a moment—then nodded.

"Of course."

He recounted everything.

The snowy ambush.

The screams.

The white-haired girl.

Her mocking voice.

The blade that pierced Jax's chest.

The fear.

His paralysis.

And… the guilt.

Miss Violet didn't interrupt once. She simply listened—her violet eyes sharp but calm.

When he finished, she walked closer.

"I see," she said at last. "Thank you for sharing that."

Duke nodded slightly, unsure what came next.

"I'm going to restart the Void Room," Violet said suddenly. "But this time… I want you to face that moment again."

Duke's breath caught.

"Again…?" he whispered.

"Yes," Violet said. "But not just to watch. This time—**you'll fight back.**"

Duke's fists tightened. "But… how? I froze last time. I wasn't strong enough—"

"Have you ever wished you could go back?" Violet asked gently. "That you could change what happened? Regret something you didn't do?"

Duke didn't answer—but his silence spoke loud enough.

"Then this is your chance," she said. "The Void Room responds to your mind. To your spirit. To your *will*. Don't relive the memory. Rewrite it."

Duke swallowed hard.

"O-Okay," he said. "I'll try."

Violet's voice was firm, but encouraging.

"Don't try, Vento."

She stepped back into the shadows.

"Do."

And with a whisper of light, the Void Room began to shift again—

—the world dissolving around Duke like ink bleeding into water.

His second chance had begun.