"Special forces?"
"Something like that."
"And after that?"
Elara looked down at her hands.
"After that, he became sick."
Marcus didn't ask another question.
She appreciated that.
Daniel walked over.
"You can come back tomorrow."
Elara nodded.
"Thank you."
As she picked up her bag, Viktor approached.
He looked uncomfortable.
"Hey."
Elara stopped.
"I was wrong."
She waited.
"I thought you were just some woman who wandered in here."
"I know."
Viktor smiled slightly.
"You knew?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"You were very obvious."
A few fighters laughed.
Even Viktor did.
For the first time, the tension disappeared.
Elara left.
Marcus watched through the glass doors as she walked into the rain.
Daniel came to stand beside him.
"What do you think?"
Marcus crossed his arms.
"She's hiding something."
Daniel nodded.
"Definitely."
"What?"
Daniel looked through the glass.
"I don't know."
Neither man knew that Elara had spent the entire walk home replaying the sound of Viktor's footwork.
Not because she feared him.
Because it reminded her of someone else.
A man named Adrian Vance.
Her older brother.
The person who had first taught her how to fight.
And the reason she had come to Iron Lotus.
The Secret in the Bag
Three weeks passed.
Elara became part of the academy.
Not officially.
Nobody had voted.
Nobody had announced it.
It simply happened.
She arrived every Tuesday and Thursday.
Always early.
Always quiet.
Always with the same worn canvas bag.
She trained.
She listened.
She never complained.
She never bragged.
And slowly, the people who had laughed at her began asking her for advice.
Even Viktor.
Especially Viktor.
One evening, after training, he sat beside her.
"How do you always know when I'm about to move?"
Elara smiled.
"You telegraph."
"I don't."
"You do."
"How?"
"You hold your breath."
Viktor stared.
"That's it?"
"That's enough."
He tried it again.
Elara watched.
"You're doing it now."
He groaned.
She laughed.
It was the first time Marcus had heard her laugh.
It changed her face completely.
She looked younger.
Lighter.
Almost ordinary.
But the illusion never lasted long.
One night, Daniel found her alone in the academy after closing.
She was sitting beside the cage with her bag open.
He stopped.
"What are you doing?"
Elara looked up.
"Packing."
"You leaving?"
"No."
Daniel walked closer.
Inside the bag were ordinary things.
Gloves.
Hand wraps.
Water bottle.
A towel.
Then he noticed something underneath.
A photograph.
He didn't touch it.
But he could see enough.
Two boys.
One girl.
Three children standing beside a military vehicle.
The older boy had his arm around the younger one.
The girl stood between them.
Elara.
Daniel looked at her.
"Your family?"
"Yes."
"Brothers?"
She nodded.
"Adrian and Noah."
"What happened?"
Elara stared at the photograph.
"Adrian died."
Daniel waited.
"When?"
"Eight years ago."
"I'm sorry."
"He was killed."
Daniel's expression changed.
"How?"
"Training accident."
Something in her voice told him that was not the whole story.
But he didn't press.
Elara folded the photograph.
Then she put it back into the bag.
"My father taught Adrian everything."
"And you?"
"He taught me enough."
Daniel looked at her.
"You came here because of Adrian?"
"Partly."
"What does Iron Lotus have to do with him?"
Elara looked toward the cage.
"Someone who trained here knew what happened."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
Daniel frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Adrian had been investigating something before he died."
"What?"
"People who were being used."
Daniel waited.
Elara continued.
"Young fighters. Military veterans. Security contractors. People who were recruited for jobs they didn't fully understand."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"And you think someone here was involved?"
"I think Adrian believed someone here knew more than they admitted."
The room seemed suddenly colder.
Daniel sat down.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't know if I could trust you."
Daniel nodded slowly.
"Fair."
Elara looked at him.
"Are you angry?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because if I were in your position, I'd probably do the same."
A long silence followed.
Then Daniel said:
"You can trust me."
Elara didn't answer.
But she didn't leave either.
That was enough.
The next week, things changed.
A new fighter arrived.
His name was Damon Cross.
He was thirty-one.
Tall.
Lean.
Extremely confident.
He claimed to have trained internationally.
He challenged Viktor within two days.
Then another fighter.
Then another.
He was good.
Too good.
But there was something strange about him.
He didn't train like the others.
He watched.
He studied.
He memorized.
One night, Elara noticed him staring at her bag.
She closed it.
Damon smiled.
"Interesting."
"What?"
"Nothing."
Elara stood.
"Goodnight."
As she walked toward the door, Damon called after her.
"Adrian Vance."
Elara stopped.