The gym was nearly empty, the usual daylight hum replaced by a quieter kind of stillness. Only a few machines clanked in the distance, and the low buzz of fluorescent lights overhead kept time like a heartbeat. Kairos wiped sweat off his brow for the third time in as many minutes, every muscle screaming, every breath sharp and ragged, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t. Not yet. Not until the weight pressed on him enough to drown out the thoughts clawing inside his skull. He hated how his mind betrayed him—replaying every missed chance, every failure like a scratched record stuck on the worst part. The training sessions he skipped, the panic that stole his breath when he should’ve been running drills or passing the ball. The cold isolation on the bench when all the others celebrated together. The way his own body seemed to reject him, punishing him for not being good enough, for not being enough at all.

So here he was—late at night, muscles burning, chasing a pain that felt more honest than the ache in his chest. Each rep was a whispered apology to the kid who had dreamed so big and lost everything. Each set was a silent punishment for the wasted potential he refused to let go of. Sweat dripped down, his vision blurred, but still, he pushed. The door opened quietly, and a shadow crossed the room—a new presence, breathing uneven and raw. Kairos noticed without turning, muscles tensing. Someone else trying too hard, or maybe not hard enough. He didn’t care much for company in moments like this. He didn’t want distractions. But the stranger moved toward the squat rack, loading plates awkwardly, their motions careless and reckless. The barbell wobbled.

Kairos’ jaw tightened. He recognized the signs—the subtle imbalance, the way their knees buckled under the weight. He’d seen that same desperation mirrored in himself. Couldn’t look away. He stepped forward before the stranger even started their first rep, heart pounding like an alarm. They were going to hurt themselves. Kairos hated how much he cared. But maybe this time, it wasn’t about himself.

“Hey.” The word cut through the silence, rough and unexpected. The stranger froze, startled. Kairos swallowed the knot tightening his throat. “You’re doing it wrong.” That was all he said, voice low, barely more than a breath.