Awaking of Kurtcamaç

The once peaceful field was now a chaotic mess of debris, scorched earth, and swirling mana. Adam and Trevor stood at the center of it all, panting and bruised, the weight of their training session with Darius pressing down on them. Despite the battle's intensity, the air remained tense with anticipation. They had come far, but they both knew the real test was just beginning.

The silence that followed Trevor's manifestation of the Maymum Staff was thick with awe. Kopa, who had been quietly observing from a distance, allowed his senses to stretch out, feeling the shift in the flow of mana around them. He had noticed it the moment Trevor's staff had appeared—the chaotic and unfocused nature of Trevor's mana had been replaced by something calm, centered, and powerful.

"The flow of his mana," Kopa thought, his brow furrowed in concentration, "it's no longer erratic. It's steady, controlled. He's actually mastering it."

Trevor, standing tall despite the strain of the battle, gripped his staff tightly as he approached Adam, who still had a concerned look on his face. His friend's usual carefree grin had been replaced by a more serious, focused demeanor, though a glimmer of mischief still lingered in his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Adam asked, his voice tinged with worry as he stepped forward, his body tense as if ready to react at any moment.

Trevor flashed him a reassuring smile, eyes gleaming with something new—a deep, untapped potential. "Yeah, I'm fine," Trevor said, his voice carrying a calm confidence that Adam hadn't heard before. "But... I feel different."

The Maymum Staff shimmered in Trevor's hand, its solid form dissolving into a translucent outline of mana before fading into the air, leaving behind a faint afterglow. The ethereal staff continued to pulse with energy, a testament to the immense power Trevor had just unlocked.

Darius, watching with keen interest, gave an approving nod. "He's already mastered the False Staff technique of the Maymum Clan. Faster than I expected."

Trevor glanced at Adam. "This isn't over yet, though. We have to keep going."

Adam hesitated, unsure whether pushing Trevor further was wise, but the determined gleam in Trevor's eyes was undeniable. With a nod, Adam accepted the False Staff that Trevor had manifested for him. His eyes widened as he grasped it, feeling its weight and structure despite it being purely composed of mana.

Trevor spun another False Staff in his own hands, and with a burst of speed, he charged toward Darius, faster than before. Darius, ever vigilant, raised Baltaçek to block the incoming strike. The clash between the weapons sent shockwaves through the field, the sheer force of the impact causing the ground beneath their feet to quake.

A low rumble echoed as Darius braced himself, realizing that Trevor's strike carried more than just speed. It was reinforced, the weight of the blow far heavier than before. Trevor had instinctively reinforced his strength using Mana, a sign of his growing understanding of Mana manipulation. Even though Darius held back the full force of his attacks, he could feel the marked improvement in Trevor's control.

At that moment, Adam closed the distance between him and Darius, ready to back up Trevor. With the False Staff in hand, Adam moved with surprising agility, using the staff to push himself forward and flank Darius from behind.

Trevor, sensing the opening, thrust his staff into the ground and swung on it like a gymnast, using his tail to propel himself toward Darius while Adam aimed for Darius's blindside.

Darius, impressed but not yet worried, blocked both attacks in a flurry of rapid defensive movements. He deflected Trevor's staff and immediately spun to counter Adam's strike, their blows ricocheting off one another, echoing through the air like a drumbeat.

But Trevor wasn't done yet. All around the battlefield, False Staffs had been placed in the ground, forming a wide circle around Darius. Trevor had thrust them into the earth in the split second it took for Darius to deflect their initial combo. Darius noticed the setup, impressed by the boy's ability to multitask even during the heat of battle.

As Trevor came down with a powerful overhead strike, Darius dodged, only to be met by Adam, who swung his staff in a wide arc, aiming for Darius's ribs. Darius sidestepped just in time, but Adam was faster than before—he could feel it. Something in the young wolf was shifting, growing. His eyes, faintly glowing, betrayed his increasing grasp of mana reinforcement.

"They're learning faster than I expected," Darius thought, his lips curling into a smile. "Their potential runs deeper than I initially thought. They're starting to grasp it."

Trevor continued his assault, swinging his staff with precision, keeping Darius on the defensive. Adam followed suit, their teamwork flowing in a natural rhythm, each covering the other's blind spots. Darius deflected their combined strikes, but he could feel their speed increasing, their movements sharper.

Smiling to himself, Darius knew it was time to show them the difference in their levels. "Now," Darius said under his breath, "it's time for you to see what a Narn Lord can do with Mana Reinforcement."

In an instant, Baltaçek was hurtling toward Adam with a terrifying speed, the hammer descending with enough force to shatter stone. Adam barely had time to duck, the weapon missing him by inches as it smashed into the ground with a deafening crash, sending chunks of earth flying into the air.

Trevor grabbed one of the False Staffs from the ground, ready to strike again, but before he could react, Darius reinforced himself, his mana aura pulsing with raw energy. The wave of power that rippled off of him was too much for Trevor to withstand. The impact sent him flying backward, tumbling through the grass.

With a swift motion, Darius raised his hand and uttered the words that caused Adam's blood to freeze.

"50% Output: Mana Barrage."

A dozen green orbs of crackling mana materialized in the air around Darius, humming with dangerous energy. Each orb glowed with the same terrifying intensity as the earlier Mana Blast, but this time, there were twelve of them, and all of them were aimed at Adam.

Trevor, his vision still spinning from the last hit, struggled to stand. His heart dropped when he saw the barrage of Mana blasts headed straight for Adam.

With a burst of adrenaline, Trevor slammed his hands together and shouted, "50% Output: False Staff Barrage!"

Six False Staffs manifested in the air, hurtling toward the Mana orbs with breakneck speed. The clash was instantaneous—six False Staffs collided with six of the Mana blasts, neutralizing half of the barrage. However, six blasts still remained, blazing toward Adam with deadly precision.

The remaining blasts struck the ground where Adam stood, a deafening explosion rocking the field. Dirt and debris flew high into the air, obscuring Adam from sight. Trevor, gasping for breath and pushing himself to his limits, feared the worst.

But as the dust settled, something caught his eye—a faint glow, barely visible through the haze.

Suddenly, Adam emerged from the smoke, his form unscathed. His eyes gleamed with an unnatural blue light, and in his hands, the Kurtcamaç, the three-segment staff of the Kurt Clan, rested firmly on his shoulder. Trevor stared in shock, his body trembling from exertion.

Darius smiled knowingly from across the field, realizing that Adam had finally done it. The Kurtcamaç had manifested.