Timothy's POV

Three weeks. That's how long I have to prepare for a fight that will determine everything.

I stand in the training facility at dawn, staring at the equipment. My body is healed from the rejection, but I'm not in fighting shape. Months of slowly dying left me weaker than I've ever been.

"You're here early," Ethan says from the doorway.

"Couldn't sleep," I say.

He walks over, looking at me carefully. "You sure about this? The challenge?"

"No," I admit. "But it's happening ...