There was absolutely no doubt in the others’ minds. Na had undeniably unlocked his power.
He was already naturally strong and possessed great physical strength, but allowing him to push through with whatever hidden Vow he had solidified in his mind, that’s what had led him to break part of the training room floor, performing a feat that was undeniably inhuman.
The funny thing was, Na hadn’t gone on a deliberate, soul-searching journey like the others in search of a defining Vow. Instead, he had just overheard their conversations and internalized the idea. Because of this lack of preparation, and because Max didn’t even officially view him as one of the original Rangers, Max never expected him to be the first one to unlock the power within his body.
The fighting had stopped instantly. There was no longer any reason for Na to fight against Aron, the living monster. Now, it would just be the others’ turn to face the music.
"Can you give us a hint?" Darno pleaded, wiping sweat and blood from his brow. "Like, how you managed to unlock it? There has to be something more than just being scared for our life while thinking of our Vow, right?"
That’s when Na surprisingly shook his head.
"I think my viewpoint is very different from all of yours," Na replied, his voice still hoarse from the exertion. "I don’t know how any of you can’t feel it. When you’re going up against that monster, how he can take your life at any moment."
The others exchanged confused glances. They were certain Aron wouldn’t kill them. But Na knew the truth about who Aron was, a cold-blooded professional killer, a weapon forged in the shadows. This fundamental difference meant Na genuinely felt that his life could be taken at any second, and this brutal reality played a huge part in why he was the first to achieve his breakthrough.
In the end, the second day of intensive training had to be called off early. There was a limit to how much their bodies could take before the injuries became too permanent.
This was part of the reason why Max had even asked Aron to up the level of damage he was doing day by day. If Aron had stabbed one of them in a non-vital spot just to prove a point, they would no longer be able to fight and the training would stop. They needed to progress, to keep pushing to see how things would unfold.
When the next day arrived, the atmosphere was even more intense. Although the wounds weren’t visibly getting any worse, Aron was carefully avoiding major arteries, it felt like the strikes and the overall level of pain they would go through before one person was cycled out for the next was escalating rapidly.
That was until the second person had managed to unlock his Vow.
He could feel it instantly as his fist, fueled by a sudden, electric surge of power, had managed to hit Aron for the very first time, landing right across the shoulder.
"I did it... I really did it," Stephen whispered, staring at his own vibrating hand. He looked stunned, exhausted, and overjoyed all at once. "I guess it’s true."
When he came back to the sidelines, the others, as usual, begged Stephen for advice. He didn’t offer any secrets on how to magically feel closer to death, but he did give them one insight that stuck.
"When your body changes in that moment, when it desperately claws out and does something that even you didn’t expect, you will definitely get through it," he told them, emphasizing the word desperately .
The days went on. One by one, those who had formed a Vow managed to unlock the traits of being Superhuman.
The next person was Darno. He admitted he had never been hurt as badly as he had been facing Aron. He stated that the intense, sickening pain was what finally made him realize and feel like he was truly on death’s door.
Yet, there were still two more to get through it: Wolf and Joe.
Wolf was struggling, but for a different reason. He was a man who had grown up in a street gang. He had dealt with brutal violence, and in some capacity, he had already accepted that his job and his life might constantly come face-to-face with death. He was accustomed to the danger. This desensitization was why he knew it was harder for him to feel the raw, fresh terror that triggered the power.
Yet, with grim determination, he still managed to achieve his breakthrough. The relief that swept over the room was palpable.
And now, there was only one person left. Everyone was waiting for Joe.
Joe tried again and again, desperately throwing himself into the fight, but it was breaking him mentally. As he went to rest during a brief break, he was nearly breaking down, on the verge of tears in the corner of the room.
"I don’t want to go again," Joe pleaded, his voice cracking. He had a busted lip and a swollen eye. His whole body was aching, and he was sure he had at least a few hairline fractures or broken bones.
"I’m just going to go again and I’m just going to get hurt worse. Let’s face it... I just can’t do it... I can’t do it!" Joe finished, slamming his fist weakly on his thigh.
Max stared at Joe from across the room, his gaze troubled. He started to wonder if he could say something to Joe to help him out. But he wasn’t sure if his words of encouragement would do anything, or if they even could do anything.
If Joe didn’t figure this out, if he couldn’t take this final step, Max was wondering what he would do.
Would Joe have to leave the gang altogether? But wasn’t he one of the first, most loyal Rangers?
Would Max have to go forward with the entire massive, dangerous plan without him?
’I guess if he can’t get through this... then this lifestyle, in the end, is just not one that was meant for him,’ Max thought, his expression tightening into a look of cold necessity. ’For your own sake, Joe, I can’t have you stay in the Bloodlinewith how dangerous things are getting.’