Correct
Ethan slowly pointed his katana at Livio's throat. Livio didn't react. He lay there like a dead man, even though he was still breathing.
No, he was dead.....dead in the truest sense of the word.
The blade in Ethan's hand began to feel heavy. No, it wasn't the blade itself...it was the weight of responsibility pressing down on him.
With a sharp exhale, Ethan stabbed the sword into the ground beside Livio's head. Livio didn't flinch. Rain poured over them, washing their faces clean, but neither spoke a word. Ethan slowly turned and walked away, retreating to his room. Behind him, Livio remained on the ground, staring at the sky as water dripped from above.
As Ethan disappeared into the distance, it felt as though he was being engulfed by the rain itself.
From behind a tree, a figure watched in silence. Soaked in the downpour, they remained still as Livio's deep, heart-wrenching howl echoed through the rain.
"Should I trust these people? I should stay sharp."
Livio recalled the first time he met his friends.....Ethan and Oliver. Slowly, he remembered training with them, sharing meals, and sneaking into his bar to help him. He remembered how they had stood by him, even when they had every reason to abandon him after being framed.
His fingers trembled as he reached for his sword, kneeling before it. He grasped the blade and tried to lift it from the wet ground. But he couldn't.
Was it the sword that had grown heavier?
Or was it the crushing weight of guilt?
He had betrayed Ethan and Oliver.....the very people who had saved him countless times. He had become just like the bastards he had despised with every fiber of his being.
His clenched fist struck the wet ground again and again, but his screams were drowned by the sound of rain.
As the storm began to wane, Livio sat beside his sword, hunger gnawing at his stomach for the first time in what felt like ages. He wanted to talk to someone. He just wanted to say...
"I'm sorry."
His eyes fell on the katana once more.
"I'm sorry.... please forgive me."
He whispered the words, not to anyone in particular but to his partner...his sword.
This time, when he wrapped his fingers around the hilt, he didn't grip it with force. He pulled it from the ground gently, as if in apology.
A voice broke through the silence.
"I hope he's okay."
Livio's head snapped up, searching in all directions. But there was no one in sight.
With a deep breath, he sheathed his katana and stored it away.
Knock, knock....
The door opened, revealing Livio.
"I'm really sorry," Livio said, standing. "Thank you for stopping me. Thanks to you, I'm still alive. And..... thanks to you, I finally know what I have to do."
Ethan smiled.....then hit Livio with a powerful punch.
Ethan, now standing, let out a soft chuckle. "Glad you're back."
"So, what's next?" Oliver's voice came from the doorway. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed.
Livio exhaled and sat on the couch. "I'm leaving this town. I think I've learned enough for my mission. What about you guys?"
"Same," Ethan and Oliver said in unison.
Livio frowned. "Are they really going to let us leave just like that?"
"No," Oliver said, moving toward the window. "That's why we're not telling anyone. We don't want trouble."
Livio shrugged. "So we're running away, huh? Fine by me." He walked up beside Oliver.
Ethan took a sip from his water bottle. "When do you think we'll meet again?"
Oliver didn't hesitate. "No idea. But before we split, Ethan, you should teach Livio how to fully use his PBV.....and how to create an ability."
Ethan glanced at Livio before nodding. "You're right. Let's go, Livio. We don't have time to waste." Without another word, Ethan leaped out the window.
Livio turned to Oliver. "What about you?"
"I'll make sure no one finds out what we're up to." A gust of wind enveloped Oliver as he took off into the air.
As Livio and Ethan walked deeper into the forest, Livio finally asked, "How do you know how to use PBV better than us?"
Ethan didn't look back. "When you and other's were chosen for the Errand mission, Oliver and I were assigned to an assassination mission. We were trained in every possible trick with PBV."
Livio stopped. "Wait... does that mean...?"
Ethan cut him off. "Please, don't ask. Let's keep going."
They arrived at a clearing where a waterfall roared in the distance. The sound was strangely calming. Livio and Ethan faced each other, and for a moment, the world around them seemed to vanish.
"You already know how to use PBV effectively....like focusing your energy into a punch or enhancing your vision," Ethan began.
Livio nodded without breaking his concentration. "Yes."
"Now, I'll teach you how to blend with the environment. It's the best way to hide your presence without making yourself vulnerable."
Livio frowned. "Why bother? We can just conceal ourselves by shutting down our PBV."
Ethan shook his head. "That's true. But when you shut your PBV down completely, no one can sense you—but you also become defenseless. If an enemy spots you, especially a master PBV user, they won't give you a second to act."
He lifted his palm. A soft, almost weightless wave of PBV spread across his body like a gentle veil. The grass around him swayed ever so slightly, as if moving to an unseen melody.
Livio's eyes widened. "Your PBV... it's so calm and controlled. Nothing like when we were fighting earlier."
Ethan smirked. "Now, watch."
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
Livio's ears strained, listening for any sign of movement. "Where are you.....?"
A voice whispered behind him. "Can you tell where I am?"
Livio spun around, only to see Ethan standing exactly where he had started.
Livio exhaled. "So, how do you find an enemy if they're using this resonance technique?"
Ethan grinned. "That's an excellent question."
He inhaled deeply, then compressed all his PBV into a single point.
"To break the resonance, you release a burst of your PBV at once, in every direction."
Livio's PBV flared instinctively. "Wait, won't that drain your energy?"
"Exactly," Ethan said. "If you're a master, you can recover in five seconds. If you're a beginner, it takes two to three minutes."
Livio grimaced. "That's a brutal price to pay."
Ethan smiled. "Yeah. But sometimes... it's worth it."