It had been a week since the AITF incident. He'd been training almost every day with Sasha. They would do all kinds of things, from trying to overpower each others' domains to sparring in the desert. Sometimes the AITF would show up, but they'd be long gone by then. Of course, Sasha would win every time but he felt like he still improved as they sparred. She also spent a lot of time with Valerie which left him with some time to think. He still couldn’t visit his mother but apart from that, everything had been going great, so he didn't understand why Kolya had called him here. Wasn't this risky? Meeting at an AITF research facility. In this shady alley too.

"Here you are," feeling a hand land on his shoulder, Slava jumped in shock. He slowly clenched his fists, a flash of white light crossing his eyes. "Woah, calm down it's me!" Focussing on Kolya's voice, he released his grip, turning around visibly angry.

"You know I was about to try something stupid right?" They were the only ones in this place, sure people were passing by but they would never notice someone swiftly disappear.

"Haha! It's fine, nothing happened right?" He smiled. "Come on, follow me!" Passing him, he started walking towards the light. Slava didn't know why but this seemingly endless walk calmed him. The change of pressure created a soft breeze that blew across their faces. The closer they got, the stronger the wind blew.

As they finally exited the alley, the light momentarily blinded him. When his eyes adjusted, a mystical scene unfurled before him. It was a balcony. A glassed-off balcony overlooking the endless sea of twisted skyscrapers. From here he could also see the forest behind them, the mountains surrounding it and finally the endless desert spreading towards the horizon. More importantly, at the center of the balcony stood a tree no more than thrice his size. Its white flowers were fluttering in the wind.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Kolya asked, snapping him out of his trance. "It's the only thing that's left of the temple." So this was it, the place Kolya grew up. But why come here and why now of all times? "The only reason why this tree was left untouched was because it was the only one left of its kind." Kolya's expression grew sorrowful. Slava wished he had a place like this to return to. To let his emotions slip out.

"They tried everything to keep it alive; ventilation, sunlight, mineralized soil, but if it wasn't for Serena, it would've died long ago." Saying this, he took out a small pouch, spilling it at its roots. The glowing green powder seeped into them and for a second, Slava thought to have seen its branches twitch.

All of this was nice and wonderful but it still didn't answer his questions.

"Why?" He asked. He knew Kolya wouldn't call him for no reason.

"Haha, can't I get some time to reminisce?" Meeting his glare, Kolya looked away. "Alright, I was trying to slowly break it in but… how do I say this?" Standing back up, he took a deep breath. "I… I've been waiting for this moment for a while now. I'm sure you've noticed from my excitement and from how much I've actually told you." He smiled, his brown eyes piercing his. “Unlike what it might look like, I didn’t invite you here for sightseeing.”

“Follow me." He started walking forward, "there are some benefits to an old place like this being preserved and rarely disturbed,” he said, stroking the tree. “It has its secrets.” When he did, its roots retreated. Revealing a passage hidden beneath them. Slava stood stunned for a minute before a familiar voice called to him. “Are you coming?” Following its source, he mindlessly walked forward. Descending the spiral of stairs he dazedly stared at the glow lining the steps, the entrance closing behind him.

Reaching the bottom, his eyes left the ground. The room was dilapidated. From the looks of it, it seemed to be a giant training room. Its walls, floor, and ceiling were filled with cracks and all sorts of vegetation seeped through.

A barely visible mural was depicted on the walls. What looked like a woman was descending from the sky. She was looking down, gracefully extending her hand towards a crowd of people trying to reach her. Her appearance wasn't well defined but two characteristics stood out. Her long hair and a circular tattoo on her back, a familiar inky flame at its center, straight lines extending from it. Seeing him stare, Kolya smiled.

"It's a prophecy," he said, wiping some of the dust from the wall. "Let's see…" he pensively looked up as if trying to remember something. "If I remember correctly it goes…

The child of the sky will descend,

Bringing an era of prosperity.

Riding the wave of destiny,

Guiding the children of humanity,

All to reach the story’s end.

Pretty gloomy if you ask me. Used to hear it all the time," he laughed slowly walking away.

"But that's beside the point, I wanna have a talk with you. First, let's see how far you've come,” his back began to glow as he turned around to face him. A huge grin on his face. Slava was more confused than anything. To think that a part of a century-old temple had survived because of a tree. And he didn't care much for the prophecy, but for an entire cult to form around it, it had to hide something. He had so many questions, but he felt that he had to let his friend do his thing. He had been acting unusually lately.

Seeing his friend bend his knees, he sighed and did the same. In the next moment, their bare fists clashed, red and white sparks dancing around them. "You matched me…" said Kolya, a surprised look on his face. "Only a week and you're already catching up? It's like you were born for this." Slava's eyes and back were glowing. The floor cracked around his feet. He was slowly sinking into the ground.

"Are you trying to destroy this place?" Slava asked, his feet shaking. The only reason why he'd been able to counter the blow was because he'd been able to redirect it toward the ground. He wasn't expecting such a strong initiator.

"It was made for training. I'm sure the geezers wouldn't mind," he said, grinding his teeth. Slava didn't seem to be the only one struggling. Noticing this, his lips curved up. A look of intrigue flashed in Kolya's eyes, but before he could react a few sparks appeared at their feet. In the next moment, Kolya lost his footing, stumbling forward. Not letting the chance slip by, Slava twisted his whole body. Almost instantaneously, his feet pivoted, the white sparks dancing around them. Grabbing the falling Kolya's hand, he used his momentum to throw him into the wall behind him, making the room shake slightly.

"I knew it, as time passes, the doubts I'm my mind slowly fade away." Kolya coughed.

"What do you mean?" Slava asked in return, still alert. Pushing himself away from the dented wall, Kolya's body began to bulge as red cracks started to form along his skin.

"I'm dying Slava." Saying this, he dashed forward much faster than before. Taking his friend by surprise, he slammed him onto the ground.

"Get a grip!" He said retreating back.

Breaking out of his daze, Slava stood up. "What do you mean… 'dying'?" He couldn't believe what he had just heard. He didn't want to believe it but it was like the last piece of the puzzle that made it whole. It all made sense now, the sudden lectures and revelation, his cracking skin…

"Focus!" He yelled as they exchanged blows. "Yeah, I'm dying," he continued, the cracks on his skin spreading further. "I've been pushing my body to its limits for a while now and to be honest," he grunted in between two blows, "it's begun to take its toll on me."

Slava couldn't understand, he had never felt a limit so why…

Seeing his confused expression Kolya grinned. "Haha! I'm not as smart as you, you know?" Deflecting one of his blows, he continued. "I've reached my physical limitations, my body is breaking down." He glanced at the cracks spreading all over his skin, allowing Slava to land a hit. "There's no way you piece of shit." He was angry. He couldn't believe the headstrong Kolya would give up that easily. There was no way. There had to be a way. Meeting his glare, Kolya sighed. "You think I didn't try it all…" not finishing, he received a kick to the face. "Try harder!" Slava screamed. "Isn't Serena a genius? I'm sure she can figure it out." At this point, their actions reflected their words. Slava was constantly redirecting and dodging while Kolya angrily showered him with heavy blows.

"Haha! Don't make me laugh! I've seen your gaze when you look at her, you're fully aware of what she's capable of!" Retaliating, Slava slid to the side, kicking him away. "If you know she's using you then why did you marry her?" He scoffed. The room around them was fractured all over. Signs of their battle were left everywhere.

"Stop talking like you know everything," he said, tackling him. As Kolya threw him and his back hit the wall, he felt the air leave his lungs. "People aren't perfect, but you still need to trust them. You can't do everything alone." Struggling to regain his breath, his back left the wall and he fell to his knees.

"How am I… supposed to… trust anyone?" He wheezed. "When those... closest to me don't… tell me the truth," he finished with difficulty.

"Ha," Kolya sighed. "Are we really going to do this again?" Kolya approached him. "Trust goes both ways Slava. If you want to get something you have to be willing to give something in return." He knelt down meeting his ugly frown. "I already told you. I keep things from you because I know you." His expression turned grim. "This world is far too dangerous for your curiosity." Why did this guy keep telling him that he couldn't take care of himself? He'd been alone since the beginning…

"You're not alone, you've never been. Your family, Sasha, me, we're all here man. I won't let you kill yourself like that." The gall of this guy wasn't he the one who wanted to die? Now he was lecturing him? Fuck that.

Fueled by his anger, lightning spread from his back. The world turning grey, he shifted from his kneeling position, kicking Kolya to the side.

Unlike what he was expecting, Kolya didn't crash into the wall. Instead, he slid a few meters away, the red cracks on his body becoming larger smoke now coming out of them.

"Are you trying to get the people upstairs to start asking questions?" He asked, his eyes glowing bright red. "See? This is why I hide shit from you." Slava dashed in. He was no longer thinking. His punches and kicks flying at incredible speeds, a dead look on his face. "What would you've done if I'd told you that the suits were made by a friend I met at Henosis?" He said, deflecting his hits, smoke coming out of his mouth. "Exactly," he said, facing his shock. He worked with Henosis? His frown grew deeper. "What about your mother? I bet you already made up a stupid plan to break into the hospital by yourself." Hearing this, Slava briefly stopped his assault. Using the opportunity, Kolya moved through the gap, grabbing Slava by the neck and pressing him against the wall. Slava could feel his skin sizzling against his friend's. “I knew it, you’re so predictable, you never change."

When he realized what was happening, Kolya let go, turning around, leaving Slava to slowly slump to the floor, his skin rapidly healing. At the same time, some of Slava's blood spread onto the mural behind him and the descending figure's back slowly flashed with golden light.

"Just go," Kolya said with a shaky voice. "I said what I wanted to say."

Slava was fuming, he couldn't believe… he couldn't put his thoughts into words, after all they'd been through…

Slowly standing back up, using the wall for support, he gave his glowing friend a final resentful glare before stumbling away.