𝑆 𝑇 𝑈 𝐶 𝐾

𝑏 𝑒 𝑡 𝑟 𝑎 𝑦 𝑒 𝑑

WHEN SILAS GOT back to his hotel room, he was surprised to find Tory standing by the dresser, meticulously applying her makeup. The room was dimly lit, with the soft glow of the bedside lamp casting long shadows across the walls.

Silas's eyebrows furrow in confusion as he took in the scene. "You were supposed to be sleeping."

Tory turned to face him, her expression unreadable. Only making Silas worry.

"Well, I can't. And neither can you." She replies, her tone decisive. She tosses a set of clothes she had carefully chosen for Silas at him. "I took the liberty of picking out clothes for you. Get ready. I'm not going alone."

Silas caught the clothes with ease, his eyes narrowing as he notices the distant look in her eyes. Normally, his thoughts would drift to the pain of her mother's death, but this felt different.

It seemed like she had something weighing heavily on her mind, something she couldn't bring herself to voice.

"You okay?" Silas asks, his eyebrows raising in concern.

"Mhm." Tory nods quickly, the lie evident in her eyes.

Silas knew her too well to be fooled. He had always been able to read her like an open book, even when she tried to hide her true feelings. But he didn't push her for more, and for that, she was grateful.

She truly didn't know how she was going to tell him what she had overheard. It would absolutely devastate him, and that was the last thing she wanted.

"Okay, can I at least know where we're going?" Silas questions, trying to ease the tension.

"Some club they have out here. Now go and get ready." She instructs, her voice firm but her eyes betraying her inner turmoil.

"Yes ma'am." Silas salutes her playfully, managing to coax a small smile from her before he turned and headed into the bathroom to change.

As he closed the door behind him, the feeling that something was deeply wrong gnawed at him. He wondered what was going on inside her head, and the thought lingered in the back of his mind as he got dressed.

✸ ✷ ✶ ✵ ✸ ✷ ✶ ✵ ✸ ✷ ✶ ✵ ✸ ✷ ✶ ✵ ✸

Silas and Tory step into the club, instantly feeling the heavy bass of the music vibrating through the floor. The place was dimly lit, with neon lights casting an array of colors across the room.

As they walk in, it felt like time slowed down. Heads turned, and whispers followed them. Every eye in the room seemed to be on them, and Silas could feel the weight of their stares.

The whispers were a mix of admiration and curiosity, the buzz of the crowd growing louder as they recognized the pair.

The club was packed with familiar faces. Every dojo that had made it to the finals was represented, their members mingling and celebrating.

The only person missing was Axel. Silas figured Axel was out training on his own, pushing himself to the limit as usual. Silas disliked how much Axel pushed himself; he didn't need to.

But with the Sensei he had and the immense pressure on his shoulders, Axel probably felt like he had no other choice. Silas felt a pang of empathy for him. Axel didn't deserve the hardships he had faced.

He just needed someone to depend on, someone to be there for him.

As they made their way deeper into the club, Kwon caught sight of them and broke into a wide smile. He made his way over, his excitement palpable. "Hey, you made it!"