— Will you help me remember why I agreed to do this in the first place? — Jimin almost missed a loose branch in front of him, still too sleepy to notice the dangerous obstacles on the path he was following with Jungkook. The path, with its earthy, damp soil, full of dry leaves and broken branches that registered the sound of the boys' every step as they were crushed, was surrounded by trees of different species and sizes, some large enough to cover the cloudy, starry sky and prevent the waning moon from shining through. Creeping plants that emanated the scent of wet grass often bumped into the boys' bodies, protected by the standard soldier's uniform – high black boots, pants, and a long-sleeved khaki blouse, interspersed with different shades of green.

The route was unstable; sometimes they followed linear and not very steep stretches, sometimes they made sharp turns and faced steep descents or climbs that required them to lean on tree trunks to walk without the risk of falling. From time to time, he could hear the sounds of birds, especially the hooting of owls, as well as the constant uniform chirping of cicadas, which initially bothered him, but no longer caught his attention after a while. Autumn, which brought with it a mild and bearable chill, didn't seem to affect the area of the forest, which was surrounded by vivid and intense colors.

— “I don't want to look like a helpless idiot in front of people. Jungkook, my savior, could you help me?” — the fighter tried to imitate Jimin's tone of voice and even though the warrior was in front, he could imagine the stupid, playful smile that was probably plastered on the other's face.

— I don't talk like that and I don't know where you got that savior from. I've never said or said anything like that — Jimin picked up a piece of broken log from the ground, getting some dirt on his fingers, and threw it at Jungkook, who dodged it with ease.

— And that's why we're practicing at night. You can't even throw a branch without making a noise. Very predictable and scandalous.

— I wish I'd thrown a bigger one, one that could knock you down for years. Then I could leave your body on the ground and hope that animals would eat you.

— How bitter. If you keep acting like this, I'm going to think the hatred is real — Jungkook turned around and feigned an expression of sadness so fake that it drew a laugh from Jimin.

— It's a good thing you're a soldier and not an actor.

— Shut up — the boy smiled and turned his back to Jimin. In it, Jungkook carried double swords that crossed in an X shape, weapons he was very familiar with and liked to use the most. According to the boy, while using them, he felt powerful and imposing, the same feeling that enveloped Jimin when he healed someone. It had been five weeks since they began daily, uninterrupted training and he could already see significant progress in the use of his powers.

After the first time he healed Sarah, Lucian drew up action plans to improve Jimin's abilities, starting with practices to help him heal faster. In about three days, he was able to restore minor injuries in less than a minute, while serious and deep injuries cost him a few more, no more than five. The training methods still frightened him, people getting hurt just so he could develop his powers, and he was still haunted by memories of the day Lanna had agreed to be shot in the leg so that Jimin could heal her. It took about four minutes to close the wound which, as it was restored, expelled the bullet from the woman's body.

They then began to work from a distance. To heal, Jimin needed a stable connection with the wounded person's body and the boy felt that the closer he was, the more consistent the bond. Lucian forced him to move further and further away from the patient and Jimin noticed that it required greater amounts of energy and focus as the distance increased. It took him a long time to adapt to the distance and he knew he still had room for improvement, but he could already heal a person at a distance of three meters.

The last week, however, was the most challenging and exhausting. While connected to a person, Jimin could feel all their emotions. When he healed someone in a calm state – like Sarah – he was struck by peace and serenity as soon as he established the connection. However, when the person was angry, frightened, nervous, or anxious, Jimin experienced each of those feelings reverberating within him. Sometimes it felt like being in the middle of a chaotic traffic jam: cars honking, people shouting, and the weight of impatience filling every space in the atmosphere. In these situations, it was harder to keep the connection stable and to be able to heal the person.

Jimin discovered this challenge the moment they started simulating real situations of combat and danger. They put him in a small, dark room with speakers attached to the four intersections of the walls and emitted the most varied sounds possible in battle. Some of them were gunshots, screams, explosions, cries of agony and despair, buildings collapsing, and bodies being torn apart. In these circumstances, he not only found it difficult to heal someone because of his thoughts but also because of the victim's amplified feelings. Logan, a recent soldier and guinea pig in this experiment, despaired incredibly easily and made using his powers almost traumatizing. Jimin still didn't feel comfortable in those situations and he held deep inside him the wish that he wouldn't have to go through that in reality, even though he knew it was an impossible wish to fulfill.

In addition, Lanna ordered that Jimin and Jungkook's training be cross-trained, with the aim of simulating battlefields. The other boy was given the task of protecting him at all costs, while the other concentrated on healing. It was the first time Jimin had seen him in action and he remembered in detail how incredible that moment was.

They were both in the main hall of the Training Center, the same one where he had first practiced, and three bodies of wounded people were lying on the floor in the center. The boys were at the south end of the site and had to pass around 25 soldiers before reaching the wounded civilians, all armed with truncheons, swords, and stun guns. None of them carried revolvers or machine guns, since the enemy, the Modified Ones, didn't use them.

— Is there any chance of us getting out of this alive? — Jimin asked at that moment, incredulous at the sudden change in the structure of their training. Jungkook drew his double swords and spun them in his hands.

— If you trust me as much as I trust you, yes.

And then the show, sometimes of horror, sometimes of magic, began. Jimin couldn't keep his eyes on the fighter's body, which moved at superhuman speed, sometimes moving like a figure between the soldiers who tried futilely to hit him. When he got into a personal clash with one of them, the short battle resembled an adult playing with a child: Jungkook's strength was unparalleled, and the men's blows didn't seem to hurt him and his own, on the contrary, he dethroned them with incredible ease.

His reflexes were feline and, even fighting so many people on his own, Jimin could count on the fingers of his right hand the number of times Jungkook had been hit. The boy danced across the battlefield, the silver of his swords shining with each graceful and calculated movement, the sounds of the most diverse blows – metal clinking against metal, the noise of stun guns, bodies hitting the ground – producing the melody that complemented the spectacle that was unfolding.

Jimin followed the openings that Jungkook gave him to sneak between the soldiers and reach the people in the center. When someone came towards him, ready to hit him, the fighter would appear from the shadows and relieve him of the threat. Moments later, with adrenaline dominating every corner of his being, Jimin met up with the wounded and managed to heal them, taking longer than usual.

It took him a few extra minutes to calm down his own body and clear away the agitation transmitted by the injured individuals. When he had finished and all three were well, Jimin raised his head and watched, wide-eyed, as all the soldiers fell to the ground, some unconscious and others in pain, and Jungkook stood, his silky black hair falling in front of his face as he stared the men down.

At that moment, he understood what it meant to be the "Sword" of the project they were part of. The boy was an organic fighting machine, ready to dethrone any opponent in his path. Jimin also remembered the gleam in his eyes when Jungkook stared at him. There was an indescribable ferocity there, but also lightness and compassion. The ruthless side seemed to come from the powers and how indomitable the boy must have felt to move and attack like that. The caring fraction in his gaze seemed to emerge from the most human part of him, where Jimin imagined much of the character he knew more deeply every day came from. From then on, he began to respect him, imagining his internal struggle not to give in to power and find himself immersed in feelings that didn't match his personality.

Over the next few days, the training intensified, as did the number of soldiers who challenged them. From five they went up to thirty, five to forty, and, two days later, they were facing forty-five soldiers at once. In addition, more wounded were being placed in the center of the room: at that moment there were six. As the difficulty increased, Jimin found himself more exposed to attacks and his lack of knowledge and ability to defend himself. Jungkook was no longer able to shield him from any damage and sometimes he found himself facing a soldier who was ready to attack him. He tried to dodge the blows, but the bruise on his left eye and the pain in his lower back and legs after falling to the ground made it clear how bad he was at it.

It was the first time they had failed and Jimin was unable to reach the wounded and heal them. In the end, Jungkook was surrounded by ten people, six of them holding his arms, legs, and head. Since then, with the defeat stuck in his throat and the failure bothering his sleep, Jimin decided to improve his combat skills. For the last four days, they'd sneak out at night, enter the Forest of Constellations, and practice some attack and defense techniques for a few hours. At first, Jimin was basically a punching bag and was used to the smell of damp earth because of how many times his nose hit the ground. Now he could survive for a few minutes, which was a big step forward.

The nocturnal activities were yet another example of the gradual closeness that had been established between the two. Daily, the boys walked together to the Training Center in the mornings, exchanging information about training, experiences that could help control their powers, personal stories, and even memories from their childhood and adolescence. Jungkook was often interested to hear about the period when Jimin had studied to become a doctor, while the boy enjoyed hearing about the fighter's childhood, especially what it was like to grow up with a sister. At times, he felt a twinge of envy when he saw the affection, love, and partnership they had for each other, wishing he could have someone to share this bond with. In those moments, he remembered his mother and the commitment that made him stay there: to give the most important woman in his life the best that reality could offer.

The boys also returned to the dormitory together in the evening when they had finished their training. They hadn't had any contact with other cadets yet, as the exercises were exclusive and reserved, which brought them even closer together. Jungkook became one of the first people they saw when they woke up and one of the last when they got ready for bed. After weeks immersed in the intense routine together, they became comfortable sharing more personal emotions or painful memories of life. Jungkook even spoke, albeit sparingly, about his father and the responsibilities he had taken on with the man's disappearance, which had forced him to leave his childhood behind before its time. His lowered voice during these rare stories showed how much hurt he still felt about the past.

Jimin even recounted things he hadn't thought he'd be able to verbalize, such as the anxiety that constantly haunted him about being there, the fear of the future, and not being able to achieve the goals that had led him to join the army. As he spoke, Jungkook's gaze conveyed such peace and welcome that the boy felt comfortable opening some of the chests hidden in the back of his mind and sharing with him traumas kept under lock and key. On one of the night walks back to the dormitory, Jimin told the other about his father, who died when he was one year old. He didn't remember anything about the man and therefore hadn't developed any emotional ties with him. Sometimes, as a child, he wondered why other people had a father and he didn't, which caused him a certain sadness. As he grew up, the feeling diminished to the point where it was non-existent and became a topic that didn't cause him pain or grief. He was curious about what his life would be like if the man were still alive, but nothing more.

Jungkook had become one of the people he trusted most in the place and, perhaps because of the intensity of everything that was happening, someone he learned to like quickly. He understood their pain, their anguish, the challenge of carrying the future of humanity on their backs, their fears, and their fear of failure. Sometimes, when they talked, he didn't need to verbalize certain things. Jungkook understood them with just a look.

Another