"Kid! Who the hell taught you to run like that? You charge like a cannonball—with a limp!"
Alex blinked toward the doorway. A towering figure filled the frame—broad-shouldered, battle-scarred, his military coat half-buttoned like he'd wrestled it in mid-war. A grey beard clung to his jaw like frost on an old mountain, and his boots were caked in dust from deserts history had forgotten.
Steel eyes. A wicked smirk.
He clapped once, hard. "Hey! Labcoat Paul! My boys do something wrong?"
Paul stiffened. "Major Marvick... Wait—these kids, they're patients. They're here for healing, not for... whatever this is."
Marvick just chuckled and waved off the concern like a gnat. "Boys—bring the tags."
Two soldiers stepped forward, solemn. No ceremony, no grand words—just the cold weight of polished dog tags resting in their hands.
Marvick took them, stepping up to Alex. The chain clicked into place around his neck.
"Lone Wolf."
He turned, looping the second around James.
"Blade. That's what we call them here."
they both became rebels in uniform
Later that night, under shadows and grins, Alex and James snuck into the military training bay—Marvick's clearance card swiped from his desk, still warm.
They wore borrowed shirts—two sizes too big, sleeves rolled high. Just a couple of ghosts pretending to be soldiers.
Inside the survival tactics classroom, Marvick didn't even flinch.
"You're already here? Good. Shut the door."
He taught them everything—trap rigs, ambush layouts, camouflage under pressure. Not theory. Not diagrams. Instinct. Rhythm. Fire.
They ate in the soldier's mess. No guards, no fuss. Elbow to elbow with warriors.
Alex cracked jokes until someone choked on their rations. James mimicked accents. A corporal tried to arm wrestle Alex and lost embarrassingly. The room howled with laughter.
They were Grinlocks now. Not officially. Not really. But no one questioned it.
The boys shared their pasts under dim lights—street fights, surgeries, scars. Soldiers shared theirs—wars, regrets, glory days. It wasn't therapy.
It belonged.
But the fire flickered low one night.
Paul stood quietly near the entrance of the barracks, his lab coat ghostlike in the night.
"James—Blade—has surgery tomorrow. Nine hundred hours."
Marvick's voice dropped, cutting the warmth in the air.
"When?"
"0900, sharp."
Marvick nodded, slow and heavy. His voice came like stone dragging on steel.
"Then he rests. Blade—no more drills. Forget the tactics. Heal."0900, sir."
He gave a single nod. "Then Blade rests. Lone Wolf…" he looked to Alex, "forget the questions for now."
Alex grinned faintly. "Thank you, Major."
Two soldiers arrived to escort Alex and James back to their rooms.
The aroma of warm food crept into the sterile hospital air as the door creaked open. Alex and James glanced at each other—no words, just weariness and the shadow of something deeper.
"I'm starting to hate this place," James muttered, voice dry.
Alex chuckled bitterly. "They forgot the most important part—I can't eat with a damn spoon."
James rolled his eyes and dragged his IV stand over. He climbed into Alex's bed without a word and fed him, bite by bite. Silent, brotherly. No shame. No pride.
When they finally lay down, the cold walls of the hospital couldn't keep out the warmth between them.
"James! Wake up—James, come on!"
Alex shook him gently, eyes stung by the sudden brightness. Doctors swarmed the room like vultures with clipboards.
"Whoa—what the hell is going on?" Alex barked.
Paul peeked over his glasses. "Relax. James has surgery at nine. The committee is reviewing his scans."
Just then, the door swung open.
"Gentlemen. Let's take him."
Mandora. Her voice was sharp, but her movements were precise, graceful. She turned to Alex.
"You're coming with me."
Alex wheeled forward. But before they left—
"Why the hell are you wearing Grinlock's dog tag? I know you both are timepassing but .." she barked.
Alex raised a brow. "What? It's my squad's ID. I'm one of them now."
Marvick wheeled in behind her, smug.
"He's mine now, Mandora. Officially part of my unit."
Mandora's eyes narrowed. "You're insane. The kid just survived a brawl with death."
"Did you sleep, cadet?" Marvick asked Alex, grinning wide.
Mandora growled, "Say another word and I'll remove your remaining kneecaps."
Even Alex laughed. The tension shattered. Marvick rolled toward the surgical theater.
Inside—
Cold lights. Glass walls. Humming machines.
Mandora picked up a scalpel glowing with a soft, ethereal blue. Marvick whispered beside Alex:
"She's going to reconstruct his leg. No scars."
Alex stared as she began. Blade by blade, inch by inch, Mandora worked. The supernatural light fused flesh and bone like it was second nature. Hours passed like moments. Then—silence.
James' leg was whole.
Next—his ribs. Mandora opened James' chest as if reading from scripture. Bone cracked, healed, and reformed. Finally, she injected a luminous serum into his veins—pure, refined mana-protein.
Mandora stepped back, pale, trembling. She gave a shaky thumbs-up.
Marvick smiled. "Scary, huh?"
Alex exhaled. "She's terrifying."
[Observation Chamber]
James now floated inside a stasis tank—silent, still. Alex wheeled closer and clasped his hands in silent prayer.
Mandora scoffed. "Praying? It's done."
Marvick folded his arms. "Faith turns a soldier into a legend. Let him pray."
Alex finished and turned to her. "How long until he wakes up… Sister Dora?"
Before she could answer, a familiar voice broke through.
"How are our boys doing?"
Alex spun around—his heart kicked.
Xander and Sam.
Xander rushed in, pulling Alex into a fierce hug.
"Are you okay?"
Alex dropped his gaze. "They locked me in a white room. No games. No KFC…"
Xander snorted. "This is a hospital. You need clean blood, not fried chicken."
Sam leaned down, smirking. "We missed your fight, champ. Rand said you fought like a goddamn beast."
Alex held up his dog tag proudly. "I'm a soldier now."
Xander laughed. "Who gave you that?"
As he wheeled Alex out of the chamber, Sam glared at Mandora.
"Who authorized a dog tag for my kid?"
Marvick rolled forward. ""He's breaking. Smiling through trauma. Doesn't even know who he misses."
He's ours—until he's whole again."
Sam looked at Alex. "Do you agree with this?"
Mandora nodded. "I gave him the tools. Now he needs to find the reason."
Sam turned to the tank. "And James?"
Mandora answered, steady. "Stable. But Alex has two more surgeries—rib and leg. He'll need the best elixirs."
Sam knelt, placed eight glowing trays of elixirs on the floor.
"I'm always ready."
Rand appeared, arms folded. "Let's move."
they all assemble at
[Strategic Medical Chamber]
Doctors sat around a central table, a glowing holographic scan of Alex's body floating above them.
Paul stood. "Alexander Foster Cane. His case is unique. His ribs, lungs, tendons—75% damaged. But…"
He paused.
"His willpower is rewriting his biology. His body doesn't just heal—it evolves. With the right treatment, he won't just survive… he'll ascend."
Xander clenched his jaw. "Then do it now."
Paul shook his head. "Xander, the next procedure is nine hours long. Only one surgeon can do it. One shot. No interruptions."
Xander's fists tightened. "I hate this… watching him be carved open like a specimen…"
Marvick wheeled forward. "The longest surgery in history was 96 hours. On infant twins. They survived. This? Is a blink. Be a father now."
Xander nodded, wordless.
The chamber dimmed.
Alex, sedated, was lowered into a suspended liquid tank glowing with regenerative light. His body floated, masked, weightless.
Xander pressed a hand to the glass of the chamber, eyes rimmed red.
"Alex... as long as I'm alive, no one will touch you. Even if you die—I'll bring you back."
He didn't move for two days. Slept in the chair, barely. Marvick stopped by once, snapped a selfie with Alex through the glass, and left without saying a word.
That morning, Mandora entered the chamber.
She paused at the threshold.
Xander was slumped in the same chair, arms crossed, head tilted, still standing guard. He blinked awake at the sound of boots pounding down the corridor.
Doctors rushed in, vitals flaring on screens.
Mandora's eyes widened. "We're taking him out of the chamber! Now! Prepare all the equipment!"
She slammed her palm against the console.
Steam hissed. The tank opened. Water spilled out like liquid starlight.
Xander stepped forward and caught Alex before he collapsed, holding the boy tightly in his arms.
Red, fractured marks pulsed across Alex's ribs like ink bleeding beneath the skin. The muscles of his legs glowed faintly, etched with burning patterns.
"You're doing good, kid," Xander whispered. "Once this is over—we're going on that road trip. Just you and me."
Mandora stepped up, gently brushing Alex's soaked hair from his face.
"He'll be fine," she said. "I'm handling this myself."
The medics arrived with a stretcher. They loaded Alex swiftly, rolling him toward the surgical ward.
From the observation deck, Xander, Sam, and Marvick stood side by side, silent.
Sam narrowed his eyes. "Rand drank the high-grade Brave Light Elixir. She sealed the dark energy in herself. She's ready."
Mandora glanced up at them through the glass.
"Everyone is quiet. Focus. I need this fast and flawless."
Inside the operating room, she drew her blade.
Incision began.
The fractured ribs were exposed—shattered and tangled around a jagged shard of argent metal. Blood was pumped out, filtered, and recycled back into Alex's system. Mandora's hands worked fast. She removed the metal. Realigned the bones.
Rand moved in—her palms glowing white-blue as she sealed each rib with pinpoint accuracy.
Fifteen minutes later, the ribcage was whole.
Mandora leaned in and began reconstructing the muscle wall. She sealed each layer with no hesitation, like a tailor stitching divine armor.
No delay. No mistakes.
Then, both women popped glowing blue pills into their mouths.
Sam, watching from behind the glass, frowned. "What was that?"
"Focus-enchantment pills," Marvick muttered. "They keep your mind sharp, energy high, time efficient."
Marvick looked down at Alex's legs.
"These injuries… What the hell did he fight?"
Sam didn't blink.
"An S-Rank demon commander. Bruteos."
"Wait ! You're telling me that ! Alex and James hunt down a rank monster !" marvick shouted .
" Who the hell are these kids ! how insanely strong can they be !"