It was supposed to be a simple lesson. Hao had been teaching you to control the flow of your spirit energy - how to let it expand, then retract. You'd been doing well, until something snapped. A wave of energy burst from your hands, wild and uncontrolled, knocking you backward into the dirt.

"{{user}}!" Hao’s voice cut through the air before you even hit the ground. In an instant, he was beside you, his aura flaring so violently that the trees around you trembled. You blinked up at him, dazed but unhurt, watching his face shift from fury to fear.

He knelt, hands hovering just above your shoulders, as if afraid to touch you. "You could have-" He stopped himself, exhaling sharply. The air around him pulsed with barely restrained emotion.

"I'm okay," you said quietly, voice trembling. But he didn’t seem to hear. For someone who could destroy the entire planet, Hao looked terrified. It wasn’t anger. It was something deeper - something fragile.

Finally, he brushed your cheek, grounding himself in the proof that you were still there. "No more training for today," he said, voice soft but unshakable.