The building ahead was unlike any Jimin had seen so far. The central concrete structure, dark as onyx, had a double glass door with the PeaceArmy logo on it, a sign above it that read "Training Center" and, next to it, a guardhouse similar to the one at the Lodging House where an armed soldier stood. There were no windows in sight and the place seemed to have only one floor. If it wasn't completely enclosed, it would resemble the shape of a shed, long, rectangular, and flat. Still on the sidewalk, it was possible to see numerous rooms attached to the main structure, as if several square blocks had been connected to it. Jungkook sighed beside him and they both made their way towards the building in silence.

The soldier on watch greeted them with a nod and they both went into the building in silence. Jimin imagined that they would need to show some form of identification to enter the building, but they weren't asked as they passed through the door. Immediately, they were greeted by a cold, artificial climate, a consequence of the air-conditioning above the dark wooden counter where an army official was writing something down on a clipboard. As soon as he noticed them, he corrected his posture in the gray cushioned chair and greeted them with a crooked smile.

— Jungkook. Jimin. Welcome to the Special Training Center! The Lieutenant Colonel and some members of the Summit are waiting in room F-1 — he stood up and walked over to a door covered in a plain black cloth and placed his hand on the iron handle.

— Special? — Jimin asked.

— This building was built so that you could train and develop your skills in a private space — replied the employee, his white skin acquiring shades of red as time passed.

— You built all this just for the two of us? — Jungkook looked as surprised as Jimin. PeaceArmy seemed to have spared no resources and effort for the Cross and Sword project, investing in the best equipment and structures.

— The Training Center was designed to offer real combat experiences, enabling you to use your skills in the most different scenarios and make you the perfect receptacles for our hope — Those words, artificial, automatic, and coming from a probable script, were the last thing he said before opening the door and leading them into the room.

As soon as they entered, Jimin noticed the long length of the room, the dark floor that opaquely reflected the image of people and objects, the black iron walls, and the white lamps scattered around the space. Two beams in the center supported the metal ceiling and, at the back, a mezzanine could hold around 10 people. Unlike the one in the operating room, there was no glass or any other material to separate the people there from the rest of the room.

Jimin and Jungkook looked at each other and walked towards the army officers, their footsteps echoing as they went. They didn't exchange any words as they advanced, but Jungkook approached for a moment and their shoulders met, a sign from him that they didn't have to deal with the growing tension and fear alone. Near the mezzanine, a middle-aged man with brown hair that seemed to replicate the scene of an explosion, a spine bent forward, a white coat with dark coffee stains and round glasses approached them from the right.

— Jimin and Jungkook, it's a pleasure to meet you awake. My name is Lucian, I'm the chief scientist of the Cross and Sword Project and I'm going to help you perfect your powers — His clumsy manner and disorganized image didn't immediately give him credit for the position he had announced he was taking up, yet Jimin wondered how intelligent he must be to think up, formulate and execute such an audacious and, so far, successful project. Jungkook took the lead and held out his hand to Lucian, who awkwardly shook it with an air of surprise. Jimin repeated the action.

— You will train separately today. In the future, we'll prepare joint activities, but now it's important to understand how to use your skills. So, Jungkook, follow Mattheu and start practicing with him — Lucian pointed to the left corner of the room, where the chief tutor of the combatants stood in front of a door that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The size of the space was a challenge to absorb the details and understand the architecture of the room, especially given the short time they had been there.

Jimin stared at Jungkook and tried to hide his displeasure at being alone in that environment, surrounded by army superiors and a strange scientist. The conversation they'd had had helped him gain the strength to face whatever came his way, but he still took comfort in having someone around to help him keep it together. The boy approached Jimin and, after a gentle touch on his arm, turned and walked towards Mattheu. Before entering the door, now opened by the head tutor, he turned his face and nodded to Jimin with a warm and welcoming look. 

— Okay, let's start our training. First, any questions?

— I hav-

— Good, I'm glad we can start. SARAH — the shout incited a pang of irritation in Jimin that was greater than the abrupt interruption. As if the uncertain and chaotic scenario wasn't bad enough, the guy in front of him, supposedly responsible for helping them understand the skills, seemed to have zero control over his own life. To the left, a woman with curly hair and big brown eyes entered the room through another door, accompanied by a group of five other people, each carrying something. She, who was pushing a simple stretcher, stopped a few meters away from Jimin, smiled, and sat down on the object she was carrying.

— Finally! — Lucian walked over to Sarah and put his hand on her shoulder — Sarah has volunteered to help with your training. We're going to make some cuts on her and you're going to heal them! Isn't that amazing?! — the scientist seemed to have ingested a double dose of high spirits and Jimin took a few steps back at the man's proposal and the almost maniacal look he displayed behind his glasses. How could he accept being cut up alive just so he could practice? What kind of stupid, insensitive idea was that?

— It's not like that, Jimin. Lucian, calm down — Lanna spoke for the first time, her voice echoing from the mezzanine throughout the room and filling it with confidence and power — Sarah is part of the team of scientists who took part in the development of the Project and volunteered to help with your training. As your powers only activate in living beings, we couldn't think of an object that could help you in this initial phase. But rest assured: she's been anesthetized and won't feel any pain in her arm, where we'll make light, superficial cuts that won't harm her.

— Don't worry, Mr. Jimin — Sarah's gentle voice hit him like the sweet, soft scent of roses in spring and she seemed calm and well aware of her decisions — I volunteered because I believe in this Project. It's all right.

Despite all the supposed precautions and consent respected, Jimin was still uncomfortable with the training. He had no control over his abilities, he'd barely been able to get out of bed a few days ago and now they were talking about cutting up a person so he could heal them. Everything seemed too rushed, cutting short important moments to process what was happening and leaving behind the time Jimin usually needed to absorb things without freaking out.

— Are you sure about this? It doesn't seem very normal to me to cut up a human being for the sake of training — Jimin complained, this time directly to Lanna, who was distant and neutral.

— We don't have a choice. If you want to talk about ethics and morals, think about how many lives will be saved when you master this skill and how many we'll lose if the project doesn't work out — Jimin closed his face, turned to Sarah, walked over to her, and left Lanna behind. Despite the harshness of the woman's comment, he recognized that she was partly right. He needed to make it work, less for the people and more to stay in the project and not be replaced if that was even possible. He closed his eyes and thought about his mother, the life he would like to give her, and the comfort they would have if he became someone important in the army.

— Let's finish this soon. How do I activate the powers? — Jimin asked Lucian, as he stood next to the stretcher, repeatedly paying for and putting away objects that were on a tray held by one of the team members. He was able to identify a few things: scalpels, first aid materials, a few boxes of medicines, and a silver ring with a sharp metal point attached.

— Well, first your blood must come into contact with Sarah's. Then you'll have to order your cells to do what you want, whether it's walk through the person's body and reach the wound or start multiplying.

— And how am I going to do that?

— Unfortunately, I can't tell you — said the scientist as he adjusted his glasses on his face.

— What do you mean you don't know? If you developed the Cross and Sword project, you need to know all about my powers — Jimin started shaking his right leg and put his hand to his mouth, biting one of his nails.

— We know that your cells, once ordered to multiply, will automatically transform into the type needed to make up the patient's tissues and organs, copying the DNA as well. However, I don't know how this order will be given. It's a limitation we've had in