Chapter 4: Clash of the Elements

Wind howled through the jagged cliffs, shrieking like a vengeful spirit as Kaminari Arashi and Fujin Akari climbed higher into the storm. The path was treacherous—narrow ledges, sheer drops, and vicious gusts threatening to tear them from the mountain's grip.

Kaminari's boots crunched against loose gravel as he followed Akari's lead. She moved with the grace of the wind itself, stepping lightly, her white hair whipping around her face.

"Try to keep up, Thunderhead," she called over her shoulder.

Kaminari scowled. "You're the one with wind powers, remember? Some of us actually have to climb."

Akari grinned. "And here I thought lightning was supposed to be fast."

Kaminari smirked but didn't rise to the bait. His focus was ahead—on the peak of Skyfall Ridge, where his test awaited.

Chiyo's words echoed in his mind.

"If you are to fight with us, you must prove that you can withstand the storm."

Skyfall Ridge was a place where the air itself rebelled against the sky. The winds here were untamed, violent, a natural proving ground for air manipulators. If Kaminari could survive, if he could command his lightning amidst the chaos, he would earn the rebels' trust.

And more importantly—he would prove to himself that he was strong enough to face what lay ahead.

The two climbed in silence for a while, the storm growing fiercer the higher they went. Kaminari felt the static in the air crackling against his skin, mingling with his own energy.

Finally, Akari stopped at a ledge just before the summit. She turned to him, her expression unusually serious.

"This is as far as most people make it," she said. "Beyond this point, the storm is alive. If you're not ready, it'll tear you apart."

Kaminari rolled his shoulders. "I've faced worse."

Akari raised an eyebrow. "Have you?"

She gestured toward the peak. Kaminari followed her gaze—and felt his breath catch.

The summit was chaos.

Clouds twisted in a maelstrom of wind and lightning, swirling violently around a single jagged spire of rock. The winds didn't move naturally—they pulsed, roared, shifting like a living beast. And within them, bolts of lightning flashed erratically, striking the spire over and over again.

A battle between air and storm.

Kaminari grinned. "Now that's more like it."

Akari shook her head. "You're insane."

Kaminari strode forward, stepping onto the final ascent. "Maybe."

Then he walked straight into the storm.

The first thing Kaminari noticed was the weight of the wind.

It slammed into him the moment he stepped onto the summit, a wall of force that nearly knocked him off his feet.

The second thing he noticed was the lightning—wild, untamed, refusing to obey him.

It was everywhere, crackling through the storm clouds, but it did not answer his call. Kaminari gritted his teeth. He reached inward, pulling at his core, trying to connect with the storm's energy.

Nothing.

The wind howled, slamming into him again, forcing him to his knees. Kaminari growled in frustration. This was different from the storms he had known before.

"They're not just storms," he realized. "They're Sorakaze itself."

This wasn't a battlefield. It was a test.

And he wasn't passing.

Not yet.

Akari watched from the ledge below, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

The storm was already rejecting Kaminari, tossing him around like a ragdoll. He was strong, but strength alone wouldn't help him here.

She had seen others try. Arrogant air manipulators who thought they could command the winds. They had been torn apart, flung down the mountain—or worse.

And yet… she didn't see fear in Kaminari.

Only frustration. Determination.

Then, something shifted.

Instead of forcing his lightning into the storm, Kaminari did something unexpected.

He let go.

He stopped trying to command the storm—and instead, he listened to it.

Akari's eyes widened as Kaminari slowly rose to his feet, his silver-streaked hair whipping in the wind.

The storm lashed out—but this time, Kaminari moved with it.

He let the wind carry him, shifting his stance, adjusting to the rhythm of the storm. He wasn't fighting against it anymore.

He was becoming part of it.

And then—lightning struck.

Not from above, but from Kaminari himself.

A golden arc of electricity exploded from his body, melding with the storm, feeding into the chaotic energy around him. The clouds rumbled in response.

The storm had accepted him.

Akari's breath caught.

"He did it."

The storm swirled around Kaminari now, but it no longer fought him. The lightning that had once resisted his call now crackled at his fingertips, eager, waiting.

With a grin, Kaminari raised his hand to the sky.

Thunder roared.

A single bolt of golden lightning erupted from his palm, spearing into the heart of the storm. The sky answered with a deafening crack, and for a brief moment, the entire peak was bathed in electric light.

Then, silence.

The winds eased. The storm calmed.

And Kaminari stood, breathing heavily, victorious.

Akari met Kaminari at the summit. He was still grinning, eyes alight with energy.

"Not bad," she admitted.

Kaminari chuckled. "Not bad? That was incredible."

She rolled her eyes but didn't argue. "So? What did you learn?"

Kaminari glanced at the sky. "That I don't have to control the storm." He clenched his fist, feeling the electricity coursing beneath his skin. "I just have to be part of it."

Akari studied him for a moment, then nodded.

"Then you're ready."

Kaminari exhaled. The trial was over. He had proven himself.

But deep down, he knew.

This was just the beginning.