The Cost of Control

Kael didn’t sleep.

Every time he closed his eyes, he felt it that quiet presence coiled inside his chest. It didn’t rage or scream like the Malice he had seen before. It simply waited. Watching. Listening.

The ceiling above his bed was unfamiliar, metallic and dimly lit. Eclipse Order quarters. Temporary housing for recruits and liabilities alike.

He turned his head slightly. A faint hum vibrated through the walls, like a heartbeat too large to belong to any human.

So this is my life now, Kael thought.

A knock echoed sharply.

“Up,” a voice called from the other side of the door. “You’re late.”

Kael sat up, his body heavier than it should have been. The ache in his chest flared briefly, then settled.

When he opened the door, Iris Vale stood waiting, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

“You look terrible,” she said flatly.

“Thanks,” Kael replied, rubbing his eyes.

She turned and walked without waiting for him to follow. He did.

The Training Hall

The Eclipse training hall was vast far larger than the warehouse exterior suggested. White talismans lined the walls, etched with symbols Kael didn’t recognize. The air felt dense, as if pressure were pressing down on his lungs.

Several recruits stood in the center, each wearing the same dark uniform. Some looked confident. Others looked terrified.

Iris stopped beside a raised platform where Director Halbrecht observed silently.

“Today,” Halbrecht announced, his voice carrying effortlessly, “you learn control. Power without restraint is Malice. Remember that.”

Kael swallowed.

A tall boy stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. His eyes burned with excitement.

“Ryo Kenzaki,” he said loudly. “Nice to meet you, newbie.”

Ryo’s presence felt sharp like a blade drawn halfway from its sheath.

Iris leaned toward Kael. “He’s been here longer than you. Don’t let that fool you.”

Before Kael could respond, Halbrecht spoke again.

“Pair up. Live combat simulation.”

Murmurs rippled through the hall.

“Live?” someone whispered.

“Yes,” Halbrecht replied coldly. “Malice won’t hold back. Neither should you.”

Kael’s stomach tightened.

Resonance Test

Kael stood opposite a circular barrier etched into the floor. Across from him, a Malice shimmered into existence humanoid, faceless, its body rippling like oil on water.

The whispers started immediately.

Not from the Malice.

From inside him.

You hesitate, the voice murmured. Why?

Kael clenched his fists. “Shut up.”

The Malice lunged.

Instinct took over. Kael raised his hand, focusing on the sensation he had felt during the alley fight. The air warped but only slightly.

The Malice’s arm dissolved… then reformed.

Kael stumbled back.

“Too shallow!” Iris shouted from the sidelines. “You’re thinking, not feeling!”

The Malice struck again, claws raking across Kael’s shoulder. Pain exploded. Warm blood soaked into his uniform.

The whispers grew louder.

Erase it.

Kael’s vision narrowed. He reached deeper.

The world went silent.

The Malice froze mid-motion, its form unraveling like smoke caught in a vacuum. It vanished completely.

Kael collapsed to one knee, gasping.

The hall erupted in murmurs.

Halbrecht’s eyes narrowed.

“Null Resonance,” he muttered. “Unrefined… but absolute.”

Ryo stared at Kael, something dark flickering behind his grin.

Aftermath

Kael sat alone on a bench, a medic wrapping his shoulder. The pain throbbed, but something else bothered him more.

He hadn’t felt fear when he erased the Malice.

He hadn’t felt anything.

Ryo approached, hands in pockets.

“That was insane,” he said. “You didn’t overpower it. You didn’t dominate it. You just… deleted it.”

Kael looked away. “It didn’t feel right.”

Ryo laughed softly. “Power never does at first.”

He leaned closer. “Tell me does it talk to you too?”

Kael froze.

Ryo straightened, smile fading. “Yeah. Thought so.”

Before Kael could ask anything, Iris appeared.

“Enough,” she said sharply. “Kael, you’re coming with me.”

Ryo smirked. “Careful, newbie. Silence eats people alive.”

The Warning

They walked through a restricted corridor, lights dimmer, walls etched with deeper symbols.

“You’re losing emotional feedback,” Iris said suddenly.

Kael frowned. “What?”

“When you use Null Resonance,” she continued, “it doesn’t just erase Malice. It erases connection. Fear. Anger. Even empathy.”

Kael stopped walking.

“That’s not”

“I’ve seen it before,” Iris cut in. “People like you burn fast. Or fade.”

She turned to face him fully.

“If you keep relying on that power without restraint, you won’t become a monster.”

She paused.

“You’ll become nothing.”

Kael’s chest tightened. The voice inside him stirred.

Nothing is peaceful.

Iris’s eyes widened slightly. “You heard that, didn’t you?”

Kael nodded slowly.

Her jaw clenched. “That’s bad.”

Nightfall Mission

Alarms blared before Kael could process her words.

“Unregistered Malice outbreak,” a voice echoed through the halls. “Civilian zone. High emotional density.”

Iris grabbed her weapon. “You’re coming.”

“I’m not ready,” Kael said.

She met his gaze. “Malice doesn’t wait for ready.”

They arrived at an apartment complex engulfed in darkness. Screams echoed from inside.

A Malice crawled along the walls, its body stitched together from dozens of faces all crying, all terrified.

Kael’s breath caught.

“This one remembers,” Iris whispered. “Be careful.”

The Malice turned.

And smiled.

“Kael Moriyama,” it said in a chorus of voices. “Why do you erase what you fear?”

Kael staggered back.

“How do you know my name?”

The whispers inside him rose into a single, clear voice.

Because it remembers you.

The Malice lunged.

Kael raised his hand then hesitated.

Iris shouted, “Kael! Now!”

But his fingers trembled.

If he erased it… what would he lose this time?

The Malice’s claws were inches from his throat.

And Kael made a choice.