Chapter 37: Storms Don’t Ask Permission Raijin’s Reckoning
The abandoned subway station wasn't a training ground.
It was a war zone.
Electricity hissed through the air — snapping off Elliot's skin in wild arcs of blue lightning, making every broken train rail and rusted pipe hum with raw static. The Raijin Protocol wasn't simmering down. It was escalating — a storm that refused to be caged.
Metal debris hovered in the static field crackling around him, bits of bolts and shattered glass levitating like they were caught in a hurricane of raw energy.
And standing in front of him — bioluminescent suit glowing and energy blade humming — was Nova.
But this wasn't the cool, composed Nova.
This was Staff Sergeant Nova.
Her glowing eyes were like twin neon razors.
She didn't blink. She didn't smile.
She was here to break him.
Kain, leaning against a crumbling pillar, was already howling with laughter. "Oh yeah — you're screwed, kid."
The System buzzed — louder than ever, glitching so hard that its voice flickered between drill sergeant, unhinged AI, and full-blown meme lord.
---
[New Mission: Storm Bootcamp: Embrace the Pain]
Objective: Survive Nova's combat training long enough to control the Raijin Protocol.
Bonus: Unlock a new ability without frying yourself.
Failure: Neural collapse… or Nova kicking your ass.
---
Nova paced in a slow circle, blade humming, her suit flaring brighter every time Elliot's Boost crackled too close. The feedback loop between them — broken but still sparking — sent faint ripples of neon light down her ribs and thighs every time his storm flared.
Her voice was a growl. "You don't control the storm, rookie — you are the storm."
Elliot wiped a streak of blood from his mouth, his Boost still flaring. "I don't even know what that means."
The System chimed.
---
[Pro Tip: Fake it till you make it… or die trying.]
— Sun Tzu… maybe.
---
Nova didn't give him time to react.
She charged.
Her blade slashed in a blur of violet light — aimed directly at Elliot's head.
His Boost exploded in response — a wave of blue lightning detonating outward — but Nova sidestepped the blast with inhuman speed, pivoted, and kicked him in the ribs.
The shockwave sent Elliot flying into the side of a rusted train car.
The impact dented the metal.
Kain cackled. "Oh yeah — this is better than TV."
Elliot groaned. "What part of this is training?"
Nova's blade hummed. "The part where you survive."
The System buzzed.
---
[Achievement Unlocked: Human Punching Bag]
Reward: +2 Reflex Boost.
Penalty: Nova's ongoing disappointment.
---
Elliot staggered to his feet — his Boost flaring harder with every breath — and a fresh bolt of lightning snapped from his arm, obliterating a metal beam behind Nova.
She didn't blink.
"Your problem," Nova said, pacing, "is that you think the storm is something that happens to you."
Elliot gritted his teeth, static still snapping off his skin. "It is happening to me."
Nova's blade flared. "No."
She lunged — slashing at his side.
Elliot's Boost reacted again — a wild pulse of electricity blasting out of his body — but Nova ducked under it, spinning behind him and jamming her knee into his back.
He hit the ground — hard.
Nova's voice was a snarl. "You are the storm."
The System buzzed.
---
[Misquote Mode Activated]
Quote: "You're simply the best… better than all the rest."
— Napoleon Bonaparte… or Tina Turner.
---
Elliot twitched. "Did you just quote Napoleon—"
Nova kicked him again.
"FOCUS!" she barked, her voice like a drill sergeant's. "You have one job — own the storm."
Elliot pushed himself up, his Boost flaring wildly again — but this time, he tried something different.
Instead of pushing the storm away —
He pulled it in.
The lightning snapping off his arms didn't explode outward — it coiled back around his fingers, wrapping around his wrists like glowing electric chains.
The static field tightened around him — less of a chaotic storm, more of a controlled weapon.
Nova's glowing eyes narrowed. "Good. Again."
Kain grinned. "He's starting to get it."
The System buzzed.
---
[New Ability Unlocked: Raijin's Coil]
Effect: Channel the storm inward, charging your next attack with raw lightning.
Cooldown: 5 seconds.
---
Elliot stared at the electricity coiling around his arms. "I did it."
Nova didn't give him a second to celebrate.
She charged.
Her blade clashed against his electric-coated hand — a detonation of violet energy and blue lightning — and the shockwave sent them both skidding back.
Elliot didn't fall this time.
He stood his ground.
Kain's smile widened. "Oh yeah — you're finally dangerous."
The System buzzed again.
---
[Misquote Mode Activated]
Quote: "I am the storm that is approaching."
— William Shakespeare… or Devil May Cry 5.
---
Elliot blinked. "Did you just quote Vergil from Devil May Cry?"
Nova didn't blink. "Again."
She slashed at him — faster, harder — and Elliot's Boost reacted in sync with her attack, sending a crackling pulse of lightning through his body.
He grabbed her blade with a hand wrapped in pure electricity — the clash of light and static roaring through the station — and pushed her back.
Nova smirked. "Better."
Kain howled with laughter. "Oh, kid — you're finally cooking now."
The System buzzed.
---
[New Mission Unlocked: Master of Storms]
Objective: Refine your Raijin abilities and prepare for the factions hunting you.
Bonus: Unlock Raijin's Tempest.
Hidden Reward: A clue about the true source of your powers.
---
Elliot panted, his Boost still surging — but for the first time, it wasn't out of control.
It was his.
Nova spun her blade at her side, her bioluminescent suit still flickering from the static snapping between them. "We go again."
Elliot clenched his fist — lightning coiling around his fingers like living chains. "Bring it."
And with Kain laughing in the background, the System throwing out unhinged misquotes, and the storm crackling louder —
The Raijin Protocol wasn't just a glitch anymore.
It was a weapon.
And Elliot was learning how to wield it.