April sat on the edge of a metal bench in the main hall, her hands clasped together as she replayed the fight in her mind.
The rush of G-force, the way her body reacted before she could even think—it all felt too natural.
Jax stood in front of her, arms crossed.
The others were scattered around the room, listening but letting him take the lead.
"You're at the first threshold," Jax said, his voice calm but firm. "You've felt it—the power shifting inside you, the way your Gear reacts without hesitation."
April nodded. "Yeah, but what now? I felt like I could go further."
"You can," Jax confirmed. "But before that happens, your Gear has to do one thing."
April frowned. "And that is?"
Jax's gaze sharpened. "It has to tell you its name."
Silence.
April blinked. "Its name?"
Saya leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"He's not talking about some random label. Every Gear has a true name—one that defines what it is at its core. That name marks it, makes it what it is."
Dante nodded. "Until you hear it, until your Gear speaks to you, you're still in the first phase. You might be strong now, but you haven't fully awakened it yet."
April exhaled, leaning back. "And how am I supposed to make it talk? It's not like I can just ask it?"
Jax smirked slightly. "That's the point. You don't make it talk. You listen."
April's hands tightened into fists. "Listen to what? I've been using this thing for weeks now, and it's never said a damn thing."
Jax tilted his head. "Hasn't it?"
April opened her mouth to argue but hesitated.
Her Gear had reacted on its own before.
It had protected her. It had moved before she could think. That sigil that burned at the back of her head—it wasn't just a symbol.
It was something else.
Something alive.
Kai finally spoke up. "Once you learn the name, you own it. It becomes part of you, and you become part of it." He shrugged. "From that point on, you're not just using your Gear—you are your Gear."
April exhaled slowly.
A name.
That's what she needed to break past the threshold.
She pressed her fingers to her sigil, eyes narrowing in thought.
Somewhere, deep inside, she knew the answer was there.
Waiting.
Watching.
And when the time was right—
It would speak.