Chapter 5: The Sky’s Heartbeat

Kaminari could still feel the storm in his bones.

Even as he and Akari descended from Skyfall Ridge, his body thrummed with energy. Every nerve in his being crackled with lingering electricity, a testament to the battle he had fought—and won.

The storm had accepted him.

But Kaminari knew that didn't mean Sorakaze would.

The rebels still didn't trust him. Even after his trial, even after proving that he could withstand the wrath of the winds, they watched him from a distance. Measured. Judged.

And in some cases, feared.

"A lightning wielder doesn't belong in the sky."

"His power is unpredictable."

"What if he loses control?"

The whispers never reached him directly, but Kaminari could hear them all the same. Doubt was louder than thunder.

Akari noticed, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she simply led him forward—toward a secret gathering hidden deep within the heart of Sorakaze's stormy plains.

To the rebellion.

To his next test.

The entrance was disguised as a simple ravine, carved into the mountainside by centuries of wind erosion. But as they slipped through the narrow passage, Kaminari felt a shift in the air.

The wind was different here.

No longer wild and untamed. Instead, it pulsed in rhythm, steady, measured—like a heartbeat.

Kaminari exhaled. "This place… it feels alive."

Akari glanced at him, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. "You can tell?"

"Yeah. It's… familiar. Almost like my lightning."

She nodded. "That's because this is where the resistance gathers. The wind here isn't just air—it's our resolve. Our will. It protects us from prying eyes."

The deeper they walked, the more Kaminari understood. The walls of the ravine weren't just stone. They were carved with intricate wind channels, redirecting air currents in deliberate patterns.

It wasn't just a hideout.

It was a fortress shaped by the sky itself.

At last, they emerged into a vast underground chamber, illuminated by floating lanterns that danced in the air without strings. The cavern was filled with people—warriors, strategists, commoners turned rebels—all gathered in tense discussion.

At the center of it all sat a woman on a raised platform, her robes billowing as if caught in an unseen breeze.

Kaminari recognized her instantly.

Chiyo. The Wind Sage.

Chiyo's gaze landed on Kaminari the moment he entered. Her eyes, the color of a sky before a storm, studied him with quiet intensity.

"So," she said at last. "You survived."

Kaminari met her gaze. "Did you think I wouldn't?"

Chiyo smiled faintly. "Many don't."

She stood, stepping forward. "You proved you can withstand the winds, Kaminari Arashi. But that is not enough."

Kaminari tensed. "Then what is?"

"The wind does not merely endure," Chiyo said. "It moves, shifts, adapts. It is not enough to survive. You must learn to fight as one with the sky."

Akari crossed her arms. "We don't have time for more tests, Chiyo. The Kazehime Clan is tightening its grip. We need action."

Chiyo's expression remained unreadable. "And what action do you propose?"

Akari didn't hesitate. "We strike first."

A murmur spread through the gathered rebels. Some nodded in agreement. Others looked uneasy.

Kaminari frowned. "Strike where?"

Akari's gaze burned with determination. "The Kazehime Outpost."

The Kazehime Outpost was a military stronghold perched on the edge of a floating island, suspended by massive air currents. It was one of the key points maintaining the aristocracy's control over Sorakaze's skies.

Taking it down would be a declaration of war.

And Kaminari was ready.

As night fell, he and Akari stood atop a rocky ledge, looking down at the fortress. Massive spires of stone jutted into the clouds, adorned with banners of the Kazehime Clan. Soldiers patrolled the walkways, their long robes flowing in the wind.

"Stealth or chaos?" Kaminari asked.

Akari smirked. "What do you think?"

Kaminari grinned. "Chaos it is."

Then he jumped.

Lightning sparked at his fingertips as he landed in the center of the outpost, sending a crackling shockwave through the ground. Soldiers shouted in alarm, scrambling for weapons—

But Kaminari was already moving.

A guard lunged at him—Kaminari ducked, electricity surging through his veins as he grabbed the man's wrist and sent a pulse of lightning through his body. The soldier crumpled before he even hit the ground.

Above him, Akari rode the wind like a phantom, striking with pinpoint precision. She wasn't just fast—she was untouchable, her movements unpredictable, weaving through attacks like a gust slipping through cracks in stone.

The Kazehime soldiers were strong, but Kaminari could see it in their eyes—they weren't ready for lightning.

And that was their mistake.

He was a storm, and the sky was his battlefield.

They were winning. Kaminari could feel it. The tide had turned—electricity and wind weaving together, overwhelming their enemies.

And then—

A new force entered the battle.

The air shifted. Tightened.

And Kaminari felt it before he saw her.

A pulse of wind—not natural, but controlled, precise.

Then, a figure descended from the sky.

She landed with a whisper, the wind itself bending to her will. Her presence alone silenced the battlefield.

Kazehime Retsu.

The Wind Princess of Sorakaze.

She was tall, poised, her long hair tied into elaborate loops that defied gravity itself. Her robes shimmered with intricate silver embroidery—but it was her eyes that struck Kaminari the most.

Cold. Sharp. Unyielding.

She raised a single hand, and the air stilled.

A second later, a cyclone erupted from her fingertips.

Kaminari barely had time to react before the world exploded into wind and fury.

Retsu didn't move like the others. She didn't attack in bursts or predictable patterns. She controlled the battlefield itself.

Kaminari dodged left—but the air pulled him right.

He tried to charge forward—but the wind shoved him back.

She wasn't just using the air. She was bending it around her will.

And for the first time in the battle, Kaminari felt something unfamiliar.

Doubt.

Lightning crackled at his fingertips, but he had no way to land a hit. Every bolt was swallowed by the storm she commanded.

Retsu tilted her head, unimpressed. "Lightning is powerful," she mused. "But against the wind? It is fleeting."

She flicked her wrist—and Kaminari was flung backward, smashing through a wooden pillar.

Akari called his name, but he barely heard her. The world spun. Wind roared.

And above him, Retsu raised her hand for the finishing blow.