Chapter:13-The Path To Mastery

A Silent Night

(The moon casts its pale glow over the castle courtyard. Kael sits alone on the stone steps, his sword resting beside him. His fingers absentmindedly trace the hilt, his mind replaying the moment he cut down the Ice Bear.)

Kael (thinking): That wasn't just strength or speed… It was something else entirely. Something unnatural.

(He clenches his fist. He had felt weightless, as if his body had moved on instinct. The power was intoxicating, yet terrifying.)

Footsteps approach.

(Elyse walks toward him, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.)

Elyse: "Still brooding?"

Kael (scoffing): "I don't brood."

Elyse (raising an eyebrow): "Oh really? Sitting alone, staring at your sword, lost in thought? That's the definition of brooding."

(Kael exhales sharply but doesn't argue.)

Elyse (sitting beside him): "You scared me today."

Kael (blinking): "What?"

Elyse: "That power. It wasn't you—not the Kael I know. It was like watching someone else fight in your body."

(Kael stays silent. He had felt the same.)

Elyse (softly): "Are you… okay?"

(Kael looks at her, seeing genuine concern in her eyes. He hesitates, then looks away.)

Kael (quietly): "I don't know."

(Elyse doesn't press further. Instead, she sighs and leans back, looking at the stars.)

Elyse: "Well, if you ever turn into some unstoppable light monster, I'll be the first to smack you back to normal."

Kael (smirking slightly): "Oh yeah? Good luck with that."

Elyse (grinning): "Hey, I'm serious."

(The tension between them eases slightly. But even as they joke, the weight of the unknown lingers in the air.)

Alden's Training Begins

(The next morning, Kael, Sun, and Elyse gather in the castle's underground training chamber—a vast, stone-walled arena lit by torches.)

(Alden stands before them, his usual composed expression giving nothing away.)

Alden: "Kael. Step forward."

(Kael obeys, standing before him.)

Alden: "Your power awakened on instinct, but instinct alone won't be enough. You need control. You need to understand what lies within you."

Kael (crossing his arms): "And you know what that is?"

Alden (pausing briefly): "Not yet."

(Kael narrows his eyes, but before he can push further—)

Alden: "Attack me."

Kael: "…What?"

Alden: "Strike me with everything you have."

(Sun and Elyse exchange glances. Kael hesitates.)

Kael: "If this is some test—"

Alden (interrupting, firm): "It is. Attack me."

(Kael exhales sharply, then tightens his grip on his sword.)

Kael: "Fine. Don't blame me if I break a few bones."

(In a flash, Kael moves.)

(He swings his blade—fast, precise. The moment the blade nears Alden—)

CLANG!

(Alden blocks it with just his bare hand.)

Kael (eyes widening): "What the—?!"

(Alden grips Kael's sword tightly, his palm glowing faintly with energy.)

Alden: "Predictable."

(With a slight push, he sends Kael skidding back. Before Kael can recover—)

Alden vanishes.

(Then—)

BOOM!

(Alden appears right behind Kael, striking him with a palm to the chest. Kael is launched backward, rolling across the ground.)

Sun (whistling): "Oof. That looked painful."

Elyse (grinning slightly): "He had that coming."

(Kael groans, pushing himself up.)

Kael (gritting his teeth): "Okay… that was fast."

(Alden doesn't give him time to recover.)

Alden: "Again."

(Kael wipes the blood from his lip and charges once more.)

The Training Intensifies

(Hours pass. Alden pushes Kael relentlessly, countering every attack effortlessly.)

(Kael moves faster. Stronger. But no matter how hard he tries, Alden remains untouchable.)

SLAM!

(Kael is sent crashing into the ground for the fifth time.)

Sun (grinning): "I think Alden might actually kill him."

Elyse: "Wouldn't be the worst thing."

(Sun gives her a sideways glance.)

Sun: "Damn. Cold."

(Kael lies on the ground, panting. He grips his sword, frustration boiling inside him.)

Kael (thinking): I can't even touch him…

Alden (watching Kael carefully): "You're relying too much on raw strength. Power without focus is wasted energy."

(Kael grits his teeth, forcing himself up.)

Kael: "Then tell me—how do I control it?"

(Alden steps closer.)

Alden: "You tell me."

Kael: "…What?"

Alden: "The power you used against the Ice Bear—it wasn't something I taught you. It came from within. But unless you understand it, it will control you instead."

(Kael stares at him, then looks down at his sword.)

Kael (muttering): "So what? I just… let it take over?"

Alden (shaking his head): "No. You must listen to it. Feel it. Command it."

(Kael clenches his jaw. He exhales slowly, closing his eyes.)

(He focuses. Reaches inside himself. Tries to find that moment of clarity he felt before.)

(The air around him shifts. A faint hum echoes from his sword.)

(Alden watches closely, his eyes narrowing slightly.)

Alden (thinking): Come on, boy. Show me what you really are.

(Kael's breathing slows. The world around him fades, and for a brief moment—)

—he sees something.

(A figure. Cloaked in light. Its presence overwhelming, yet familiar.)

(Kael's eyes snap open.)

Kael (whispering): "Who… are you?"

(The presence vanishes. His sword stops humming.)

(Alden, however, notices.)

Alden (thinking): He saw something, didn't he?

(He doesn't press the matter. Not yet.)

Alden (firm): "Enough for today. Rest. We continue tomorrow."

(Kael lets out a breath, his body aching. But his mind is restless.)

Kael (thinking): What the hell was that…?

(And for the first time, he realizes—this training isn't just about power. It's about finding out who he truly is.)

The Road to Reckoning

A Storm on the Horizon

(The training chamber is silent. Kael stands with his sword drawn, his breathing steady but his mind racing.)

(He had seen something during his training—a figure cloaked in light. Was it a memory? A vision? Or something else entirely?)

(Alden stands nearby, watching Kael carefully. The air crackles with the fading remnants of their sparring match.)

Alden: "You hesitated."

Kael (gritting his teeth): "I saw something."

(Alden doesn't react immediately, but Kael notices a flicker of interest in his gaze.)

Alden: "Describe it."

Kael (hesitating): "A figure… covered in light. It felt… familiar."

(Alden folds his arms, thinking.)

Alden (to himself): The Absolute Light is beginning to stir within him. But is he ready?

(He meets Kael's eyes but doesn't press further.)

Alden: "Rest for now. Pushing forward without clarity will only dull your blade."

(Kael nods, though his mind is still tangled in uncertainty. He grips his sword tightly, feeling the warmth of the light coursing through his veins.)

The Hill of Remembrance

(As night falls, Kael finds himself drawn to a familiar place—a hill overlooking his home. It was here he used to sit as a child, staring at the stars, dreaming of something greater.)

(He exhales, the wind carrying his thoughts into the vast sky.)

Kael (thinking): So much has changed… but I still don't understand my power.

(He closes his eyes, letting his senses expand. The rustling of leaves, the distant sounds of the village… and then—)

A shift.

A distortion in space.

(A cold pulse ripples through the air. Kael's eyes snap open just as a portal tears into existence before him, its swirling darkness crackling with ominous energy.)

(From within, a familiar figure steps forward.)