Chapter 442: Smoke Break
(2 days before the fight, Leo’s POV)
With just two days left before the day of the fight, Leo’s hope of experiencing a sudden breakthrough had begun to fade.
His understanding of the color red had deepened a little more each day, especially ever since he began dissecting the reasons behind why people killed—what pushed them, what anchored their rage, what drove their hand to spill blood.
But despite his growing insights, he was still far too slow.
He had yet to glimpse even the faintest trace of his first intent line.
And he was running out of time.
"Well, you know what they say, son. Sometimes in life, you need to take a step back to take three steps forward," Charles said, taking a deep drag from his cigarette as he tried his best to motivate Leo.
"Who? Who says that?" Leo asked with his eyebrow raised, as Charles exhaled, the gray smoke slowly rolling out as a faint smirk played on his lips.
"Me. I just made it up." He replied cockily, as Leo shook his head in disappointment.
*Sigh*
"Why can’t I see intent, Charles? What about bloodlust am I still not getting?" he asked, frustration laced in his tone as he massaged his head and tried to piece together what was still missing.
"I don’t know... maybe what you need now is a trigger. A moment of clarity, something that snaps it all into place and lets the rest unfold.
Maybe you’ve already gathered all the pieces, but you’re trying to force them into the wrong shape," Charles said, holding out the half-smoked cigarette to Leo.
"Here. When life starts feeling like a riddle you can’t solve, just take a deep puff. Let it sit in your lungs, let the nicotine settle into your bloodstream... then breathe it out nice and slow.
The relief it brings you...
That’s what sharpens the mind." Charles preached, as he passed the half-used cigarette towards Leo, urging him to take a puff.
However, Leo scrunched his nose in response as he waved the half-burned stink magnet away.
"No thanks. I’m not trying to turn into a walking ashtray like you." He jibed, however, Charles only snorted before extending it again.
"Come on, one drag won’t kill you. Think of it as... a rite of passage."
Leo hesitated, eyes flicking between the glowing ember and Charles’s worn, expectant gaze.
"Eh? What the hell..." he muttered, finally taking it between two fingers and awkwardly placing it to his lips like he was holding a foreign object.
*Inhale*
As a first-timer, he inhaled too quickly and too sharply, like ripping off a bandage without warning, sending the smoke tearing down his throat like fire, dry and unforgiving.
Within a heartbeat, his eyes clamped shut as he doubled over, his frame wracked by a violent cough.
*Cough*
*Cough*
"What the hell?" Leo wheezed, sputtering as the smoke clawed at his lungs, while Charles threw his head back and burst out laughing, slapping his knee like he’d just witnessed the greatest comedy act of his life.
"Happens to all first-timers, son. Happens to everyone."
Leo’s eyes watered as he tried to blink the sting away, the coughs still echoing in his chest.
But then, without fully understanding why, he looked at the cigarette again, its end still lit, still smoking in his fingers, as he brought it back to his lips.
"Alright," Charles said, voice lowering with more warmth this time. "Steady this time. Draw slowly. Hold it... hold it..."
Leo did as instructed, holding the smoke in until his chest began to prickle with the dull warmth of it.
Then he exhaled, slow and controlled, watching the smoke swirl and fade into the night air.
And almost instantly, the tightness in his shoulders loosened. The strain in his jaw melted. His breath came easier, and for the first time in what felt like days, he felt a sliver of peace wash over his nerves.
"Yeah... that’s it," Charles murmured, a proud smile tugging at his lips.
He looked up at the stars for a long second, silent, eyes distant.
"My master gave me my first cigarette too," he finally said. "Right before my transcendent tier breakthrough. I was shivering like a damn puppy, too scared of failing. Too scared that something might go wrong.
But he just laughed, lit one up, and said, ’Breathe this in, and remember.... when you’re scared, you take a drag and pretend like you aren’t.
Real men don’t crack Charles, real men stay stoic, no matter what.’"
Leo turned to look at him. "So this is tradition?"
Charles nodded. "Passed down from mentor to student. And now I’m doing the same for you."
There was a pause. Leo stared at the ember glowing at the tip of the cigarette, then asked quietly, "So... are you coming with me? To Tithia?"
Charles chuckled, but it was softer this time. "Nah. I wish I could, kid. But if I leave Juxta right now, millions of people will be endangered. I’m the cult’s only monarch tier fighter, so I got to do my duty and protect the borders."
He looked over with a half-smile, as he lit up a new cigarette for himself.
"I’ll be right here. Watching on TV. Probably yelling at the screen for you to lose."
Leo raised a brow. "To lose?"
"Yeah," Charles grinned, nudging his shoulder. "If you win, you get sucked into that political hellhole and suddenly you’re not just my student anymore, you’re the holy Dragon, future leader, public figure, endless meetings, endless missions, no sleep. Screw that."
Leo exhaled another puff, smirking. "So you’re saying I should purposefully lose?"
Charles laughed again. "Hell no. Beat the bastard into the ground. Just don’t forget to surrender at the last second and hand him the win..... hahahaha"
Their laughter drifted into the quiet of the night, the glow of two cigarettes flickering beneath the dark sky, as student and mentor shared a rare moment of peace.
Charles knew Leo was burdened by pressure, worried about how the fight would be perceived by the masses and frustrated by his stalled progress.
And while he couldn’t clear the path for him, he could at least sit beside him for a moment, share a smoke, and remind him that he wasn’t walking down this path alone.