Sweat rolled down Kaida’s back, his breathing ragged.
“Ninety-six… ninety-seven…”
The morning sun blazed overhead, but it did little to warm the training courtyard more than the hellish workout already had. Weights clanked with each motion as the team pushed through their daily punishment. The soft thud of fists striking sand, the grunts of effort, and the rhythmic CRASH of bodies collapsing to the dirt filled the field like a war drum.
“One hundred!” Seraphina flopped flat on her stomach, limbs sprawled. “That was evil.”
“Not done,” Temu snapped. “Squats. Now.”
Groans erupted all around.
Kaida gritted his teeth and stood. He wasn’t sure what hurt more—his shoulders or his pride. The forty-pound cuffs burned around his wrists and ankles. Even after a week of enduring them, they hadn’t gotten any lighter.
Nearby, Lorien wheezed. “Twenty-five again?! I thought this was temporary…”
“It will be,” Temu called. “Once your spine stops folding like a scroll.”
Alric jogged backward in front of them, effortlessly leading the group’s 10km run with his usual boulder-sized grin. “Come on! No one dies on my watch!”
THUD.
Lorien tripped again.
Kaida caught him by the collar mid-fall. “Almost.”
By the time they collapsed in a heap of exhausted bodies near the edge of the field, the sun had barely reached mid-sky.227Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXh2na496L
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Later — Elemental Training
Sparring matches followed. Kaida exchanged stances with Lysara again, both already in rhythm with each other’s timing. Their movements danced like a blade of wind meeting a frozen river—swift, sharp, but measured.
Seraphina cheered from the sidelines. “Look at you two! All that tension turning into chemistry~.”
Kaida missed a block. “Not helping!”
Eventually, Temu raised her voice.
“That’s enough! Time for something different.”
The team circled up, panting, arms and legs trembling.
Temu stood in the center, her tone shifting.
“Mana is your weapon. But also your fuel. And now that your bodies are learning to move with it, it’s time to start molding it.”
She walked slowly, claws lightly brushing through the grass.
“You already know how to activate your mana. Now you’re going to keep it active. While you move. While you breathe. Even while you sleep.”
Lorien paled. “Sleep mana? Is that even legal?”
Temu shot him a glare. “Mana is like a muscle. Overuse causes backlash. Nausea, fatigue, internal strain. But every time you push it, you break past your limit. When it recovers… it’s stronger. That’s how we evolve.”
Alric nodded proudly. “I used to faint after using a single burst. Now I can crush a hill.”
“Not the flex you think it is,” Seraphina muttered.
Temu snapped her fingers. “Elemental nature time.”
With a flick of her wrist, she conjured a glowing rune in the courtyard’s center. “Step into the circle one at a time.”
Seraphina jumped in first.
The rune flared deep purple.
“Darkness,” Temu muttered. “Rare.”
Seraphina’s grin widened. “Of course I’m rare. I have main-character energy.”
Lorien followed. His rune flared bright blue.
“Water. Stable. Sensible.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said, adjusting his cuffs.
Lysara stepped in next.
The rune shimmered pale blue, then crystallized into snowflake patterns.
“Ice,” Temu said, narrowing her eyes. “Another rare one.”
Lysara offered a modest bow. “It runs in my family.”
Temu turned to Kaida and waved him off.
“We already know yours is Wind, so no need to scan for it. You’re with me.”
Her voice had no room for protest.
She turned to Lysara.
“You too.”
Lysara blinked. “Me?”
“Ice isn’t something you half-learn. Both of you—come.”
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Private Lesson – Control Over Power
They stepped aside to a quieter part of the field, beneath the shade of white marble columns.
Temu knelt and motioned Kaida and Lysara to sit across from her.
“You two will learn direct control. No flares. No surges. Just precision.”
Kaida focused his breathing.
Lysara steadied her posture.
Temu turned to Kaida. “Visualize the wind—not as a force, but as breath. Natural. Flowing.”
Kaida nodded, eyes closing.
Slowly, a breeze stirred around his fingers.
“Good,” Temu said softly. “Don’t overpower it. Let it be.”
She moved to Lysara. “Imagine cold, but not biting. Stillness. Precision.”
Lysara closed her eyes, and a glimmer of frost sparkled across her knuckles.
As they continued, Temu adjusted Kaida’s hands, corrected Lysara’s posture. Her tone was calm—something almost motherly.
When Kaida managed to hold the breeze longer than expected, Temu reached out and patted his head softly.
The motion froze Kaida.
Her touch… her expression…
He flinched slightly.
Olivia.
The warmth. The softness. A memory so vivid it made his throat tighten.
A single tear slid from his cheek.
Temu blinked. “Did I hurt you?”
Kaida quickly shook his head and wiped his face. “No. Just… reminded me of someone.”
She didn’t press further, but her gaze lingered for a moment longer.
Later, Lysara leaned closer.
“You miss them,” she said.
Kaida nodded quietly. “I don’t even know if they’re still alive. But I can’t let that stop me.”
“You’re stronger than you think,” she whispered.
Kaida offered a faint smile. “You say that like you know me.”
“I’m learning,” she replied with a wink.227Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZTR4Q8WCzo
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The Hidden Spark
As they rested, Kaida turned to Temu.
“There’s something I need to tell you. When I first woke up in this world… I was in a black void. There was a screen—a massive one. A wheel spun. It landed on Lightning first. Then changed to Wind. Then flickered between them before settling.”
Temu’s ears perked sharply.
“You’re sure?”
Kaida nodded. “Yeah. Positive.”
She stared hard for a long moment.
“…We’re going to test something.”
She knelt in front of him again.
“Close your eyes. Picture a thunderstorm. Not just wind—lightning. The surge. The pulse. Draw it to your hand.”
Kaida obeyed.
Silence.
The air shifted.
A swirling wind spiraled in his palm.
Then—
CRACK!
A single spark erupted from the center.
Temu’s eyes widened.
DING!
Kaida’s screen materialized in front of him.
Skill Tree Unlocked
Main: Wind L1
Secondary: Lightning L1 – Locked
A branching diagram appeared, glowing faint green, with empty nodes stretching out like roots and leaves.
Kaida stared.
“So it’s true…” Temu murmured. “You really might have Lightning affinity too.”
She studied the glowing line below the “Lightning L1 – Locked” indicator.
“…It’s dormant. Probably sealed. That’s rare. Lightning isn’t usually a first element. It’s dangerous, volatile—and it’s hard to awaken without something extreme.”
Kaida looked at his hand. “Then I’ll master both. I have to.”
Temu gave a rare, approving smirk. “You might not be the runt forever.”
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