“I hate that guy.”

  I slammed my spoon into my bowl with a little too much force, the metal clinking sharply against the ceramic.

  Across the table, Mom raised an eyebrow.

  Dad kept eating.

  Lina froze.

  Then—

  “Who?!”

  I barely had time to blink before she was on me, tugging at my sleeve, eyes blazing with righteous fury.

  “Who hurt you, Akul?!” she demanded. “Who do I have to bite?!”

  “Rhyzar.” I glared at my soup like it had personally offended me. “He’s evil. Pure evil.”

  Lina gasped so loudly it echoed through the room. “That bastard!” She clenched her tiny fists, practically vibrating with rage. “What did he do?” Lina’s eyes widened. “Did he try to kill you? Did he insult you?! Did he—” She gasped again. “Did he say you’re ugly?!”

  Mom coughed to hide her laughter.

  Dad didn’t even look up.

  “Lina,” I groaned. “No one called me ugly—”

  “Oh, okay.” She relaxed. Then—her fists clenched again. “But what did he do?!”

  I sighed, stabbing at my food with all the enthusiasm of a man who had just lost everything. “He made me suffer, that’s what he did.”

  Lina’s eyes darkened. “Tell me everything.”

  I sighed dramatically. “He tortured me.” I gestured vaguely with my spoon. “He made me hang until my arms were jelly, made me drag weights across the ground until my limbs went numb—then he made me push a boulder uphill. A boulder. And just when I thought I was done—” I dropped my spoon dramatically. “Surprise! I had to guide the boulder back down. Slowly. Like it was some delicate treasure instead of a giant, soul-crushing rock.”

  “I had to guide it all the way back down.”

  I leaned back with a heavy sigh. “And I had to do it over and over again. Up, down, up, down—like some cursed human pulley system.”

  Lina’s jaw dropped, eyes widened. “So he really did try to kill you!”

  “No! I mean—not technically, but it felt like it.”

  Lina gasped. “THAT MONSTER.”

  Mom pinched the bridge of her nose. “Lina—”

  “No, Mother, we must take action.” She slammed a tiny fist on the table. “I knew Rhyzar was evil. I knew it. The first chance I get, I’m biting him.”

  Dad sighed. “You are not biting Rhyzar.”

  “I will.”

  “You won’t.”

  “Well, then I’ll kick him in his ouchie.”

  I groaned, dropping my head onto the table. “Please, someone take her away.”

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  Mom just smiled into her tea. “You did say you wanted motivation.”

  “I did not.”

  Dad finally spoke, his voice calm as ever. “And Bobo?”

  I froze.

  The question hit harder than I wanted to admit.

  Because Bobo?

  Bobo didn’t just endure.

  He thrived.

  I swallowed, memories flashing through my mind—

  The way Bobo pushed himself, the way he fought through exhaustion, the way he never stopped moving. Even at his limit, he kept going.

  I forced a casual shrug, shoving a spoonful of food into my mouth. “Bobo was fine.”

  Dad just nodded like he already knew.

  But Lina?

  Lina narrowed her eyes, her tiny fingers tapping against the table. “Wait.”

  I stiffened.

  “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.”

  I suddenly regretted speaking.

  “You hate Rhyzar,” she began, “you suffered, but Bobo was fine?”

  I opened my mouth—

  “HMMMMMMMMMMMM.”

  My eye twitched.

  She grinned. “Akul…”

  I braced myself.

  “Did Bobo beat you?”

  I twitched again. “It’s not a competition, Lina—”

  “He totally beat you.”

  “Lina—”

  “OH MY GOD.” She grabbed my arm, shaking me violently. “BOBO IS STRONGER THAN YOU?!”

  “That is NOT what I said—”

  “YOU LOST TO A MONKEY, AKUL!”

  Mom was wheezing.

  Dad just sipped his tea.

  I groaned, slamming my head against the table. “Lina, please—”

  “NO, NO, THIS IS IMPORTANT.” Lina climbed onto my chair, grabbing my face between her hands, her expression deadly serious. “Akul.”

  I exhaled. “What.”

  Her round, worried eyes looked directly into mine.

  “I need to know, Akul.”

  “…Are you weak?”

  I flinched.

  Because this time—she wasn’t teasing.

  She was really asking, genuinely worried, as if she were about to learn some untold, forbidden secret.

  I opened my mouth—but I felt ashamed.

  Lina waited, watching.

  I clenched my fists under the table.

  I wasn’t weak.

  But Bobo had something I didn’t.

  When he hit his limit, he kept going.

  When I hit mine, I… hesitated.

  Lina’s grip tightened. “You’re my big brother,” she whispered. “You’re not weak.”

  I swallowed hard.

  Dad leaned back. “You don’t need to compare yourself to Bobo.”

  I exhaled. “I know, but—”

  “But,” he interrupted, “you should learn from him.”

  I looked up.

  Mom hummed, watching me carefully. “Bobo isn’t stronger than you, Akul. He just knows how to endure.”

  I pressed my lips together.

  Endurance.

  Not just physically.

  Mentally.

  Emotionally.

  Dad set his spoon down. “So. What are you going to do about it?”

  Lina was still holding my face.

  I took a slow breath and met Dad’s gaze.

  “…Train harder.”

  A slow smirk tugged at his lips. “Good.”

  Lina finally let go, but she grinned. “Damn right you will.” She nodded to herself, as if coming to a life-changing decision. “Alright, that’s it. I’m coming with you next time.”

  I blinked. “What?”

  “You heard me!” She puffed out her chest. “I’m going to be there. You need someone to guide you. Motivate you. Inspire you.”

  I stared at her. “Lina, you’re five—”

  “AND A HALF.”

  “You’re five,” I repeated flatly.

  “And yet, I am clearly the only one here with a solid plan!” She jabbed a finger at me. “Don’t worry, Akul. I’ll keep you on track. I already planned everything.”

  I gave her a look. “Oh, really?”

  “Yes.” She crossed her arms. “First, I will watch and cheer you on. Then I will shout at you when you start slacking. Then, when you look like you’re about to die, I will rush in and save you—”

  “Lina—”

  “And if Rhyzar is too mean, I will bite him.”

  Mom choked on her tea.

  Dad just sighed. “Lina, you are not biting Rhyzar.”

  “I will if I have to.”

  “You will not.”

  “Only if I have to.”

  “You will not.”

  “I will—”

  Before she continued, Dad gave her that piercing look.

  “…I will think about it.” Lina smiled sheepishly.

  I rubbed my temples. “Lina, you are not coming.”

  “Oh, but I am.” She grinned. “And there is nothing you can do to stop me.”

  I groaned.

  This was going to be a disaster.

  Dad set his cup down with a quiet clink. “Oh, right. Rhyzar will be here tomorrow.”

  I barely registered the words before he continued—

  “You’ll be spending the whole day with him.”

  Silence.

  Then—

  “No.”

  Pure, unfiltered dread crashed over me. “No, no, no, absolutely not. I’m still recovering! My body is broken! My spirit is shattered! My—”

  “Stop your nonsense.” Dad shot me a flat look. “It’s time. Anyway, prepare yourself. He’ll be here first thing in the morning.”

  I slumped in my chair, staring at my plate in quiet despair. First thing in the morning? The whole day?

  I wasn’t even being given time to mentally process my suffering.

  The table was silent for a moment.

  Then, slowly, I lifted my head. “…What are we doing?”

  Dad shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  I stared at him. “You don’t—”

  “He just said it’s something ‘special.’”

  That didn’t make me feel better.

  Dad took another sip of his tea, completely unbothered by my impending doom. “He also said it was something Bobo would like.”

  Across the table, Bobo perked up. His tail flicked.

  He grinned.

  I immediately felt worse.