Flaws

The wind was still, save for the faint swirling currents around Klaus's body. He sat cross-legged atop a smooth, flat boulder near the edge of the clearing—shirtless, eyes closed, his hands resting on his knees. Thin trails of wind and shimmering light curled around his form like barely-leashed lightning.

Balanced perfectly atop his head like a royal crown was Varnyx, the smug, otherworldly creature radiating contempt and superiority, curled in a tight coil, asleep.

A soft creak sounded from the cabin. Kaen stepped outside, stretching, blinking against the morning light—then froze.

His gaze locked onto Klaus… and then to the creature on Klaus.

"W-What the hell…" Kaen muttered.

As if summoned by his voice, Varnyx stirred.

A lazy yawn—far too large for its small size—split its face. It stretched out luxuriously, its tail whipping once before it opened one glowing eye.

"Lesser. Bring me food."

Kaen stared. Blinked. Then vanished into the cabin like a man possessed.

—

Within minutes, he returned, staggering under a massive tray of hastily made dishes steaming rice, roasted root meats, glazed berries, grilled fish soaked in tangy sauce, and something that looked suspiciously like marshmallows roasted over instant fire.

Varnyx devoured it all with appalling elegance, licking his claws after each plate. When the last morsel disappeared, the creature gave a long, satisfied burp and draped himself dramatically over the rock like a spoiled prince.

Klaus opened his eyes slowly, the glow fading from his core as he came out of his meditation.

What he saw, Varnyx bloated, smug, reclining atop a food-strewn rock.Kaen kneeling, head bowed in what looked like respect.

There was a beat of stunned silence.

Then Klaus chuckled.

"...You're finally awake, huh?"

Varnyx licked his paw. "I like this one. Obedient. Useful. Doesn't speak unless told."

Kaen glanced at Klaus, hopeful. "You hear that? I got his respect. Now, you should try it too, Klaus. Just kneel and—"

Klaus laughed harder.

Kaen narrowed his eyes and pointed. "Fine, laugh it up. What's with the fist clenching? You finally breaking through or what?"

Klaus flexed his fingers once more, watching faint lines of energy trace his palm like ghostlight. "I'm not sure if this... energy manipulation. Or those Void Forms Kuro taught me... are enough."

Kaen tilted his head. "You're saying you, Klaus Aetherion, aren't strong enough... after fighting a Monarch bare-chested while bleeding from six organs?"

Klaus's expression shifted. The joking faded.

Kaen caught it instantly. He raised his hands. "Okay, okay! Don't spiral on me. I'm just saying... Kuro left something for you. A book. Techniques. Stuff about manipulating energy. Said it was too complicated for dumbasses like me, but... maybe not for you."

In a flash of violet wind, Klaus vanished.

—

Inside the cabin, posters of anime series fluttered in the draft as Klaus swept past them. He ignored holographic models, echo-frames still playing Kuro's old training logs.

He found it in the old drawer beneath the weapons rack. A thick leather-bound tome titled:

"ENERGY REDIRECTION & TECHNIQUES

(Also: Don't Die, my Idiot student)"

Tucked inside was a letter. Klaus opened it.

The handwriting was undeniably Kuro's.

> "Hey dumbass. If you're reading this, you're either desperate or finally ready. This book has the stuff I never had time to show you. Inversion loops, radiant echoes—some of it experimental, all of it deadly. Do not overtrain, or your lungs will pop like balloons."

At the bottom was a final note, scribbled sideways:

> "P.S. If you somehow turned that demon into a pet, you owe me dinner. And also, that thing isn't housebroken. Figure that out quick."

Klaus sighed with a grin, folding the letter into a small square and sliding it into his waistband.

He opened the book—and for the first time in days, hope surged through him like a second heartbeat.

Diagrams. Flow charts. Combat simulations. Hybrid stances. Kuro had mapped out entire systems of energy redirection, application.

Klaus stood still in the middle of the room as the pages flipped under invisible wind, his eyes scanning faster and faster.

"I can get stronger," he whispered.

Outside, Varnyx burped again.

---

Klaus stepped out of Kuro's room with the leather-bound manual in hand, the faded edges warm with familiarity and a presence that almost felt like Kuro was still nearby.

Outside, the morning sun cast long golden rays across the training grounds, and right in the middle of it—Kaen was carrying Varnyx in his arms like a royal dignitary. The void dragon was draped in a lazily regal sprawl, eyes half-lidded, smug beyond

comprehension, limbs and wings limp like he was above the very concept of walking.

"I shall prepare your breakfast, my lord," Kaen said with mock reverence.

Varnyx gave a pleased grumble, like he'd accepted the offering.

Klaus blinked once. "...You're enabling him."

Kaen just grinned. "He threatened to rearrange my lungs in alphabetical order."

Klaus shrugged. "Fair."

After a quick bath and change into fresh black training wear, Klaus sat at the table, eating quickly and efficiently. His mind was already halfway into the field, consumed by what the book might reveal. Moments later, he was standing barefoot in the clearing, eyes locked on the first page of Kuro's handwritten notes.

Before the list of techniques began, there was a quote scribbled in bold, slanted handwriting—definitely Kuro's

"It is important to realize that in physics today, we have no knowledge of what energy is. We do not have a picture that energy comes in little blobs of a definite amount."

Klaus stared at the words, fingers gripping the page tighter.

"That's not wrong," he thought.

"Even energy manipulation what we're doing

isn't about harnessing something fully understood. It's influence without certainty. I'm not bending something I know—I'm resonating with what I feel. Which means... the more aware I become of how I affect space, matter, and intent, the deeper I can manipulate this 'unknown.' Kuro knew that."

He turned the page.

---

Technique 072: Energetic Pressure

"This one's... nasty. I barely used it at full power because I didn't want to destroy the planet I was standing on. It's not just about raw energy—it's about how your presence forces reality to bend around it. If you master this, Klaus, you could walk into a battlefield and end a war just by showing up.Crank it too far though, and you'll cause mass panic, collapse the ground beneath your own allies, and probably trigger an extinction-level event by accident. Be gentle, yeah?"

Klaus narrowed his eyes, slowly exhaling.

"Weaponized pressure. Internal control must be flawless. That's not just technique—it's restraint."

Technique 088: Energizing Field Creation

"Okay, this one's cool. I call it 'The Infinite Campfire.' You project a zone around you that feeds energy into everything inside it. That means living things stay full, machines don't need fuel, and no one inside gets tired. It's great for long missions or healing circles.

Warning: your friends will get lazy and expect you to power their toasters forever. Don't let them. You're a warrior, not a walking battery."

Klaus chuckled slightly at the note, flipping the page as a soft breeze blew past him.

Technique 200: Energy Beam Manipulation – Omni Beam Emission

"Okay... this one? This is overkill. Pure and terrifying. You charge a beam using everything you've ever learned to manipulate—heat, force, void, wind, light, memory, even emotion if you get weird with it. Fire it once and you could carve a canyon. Twice, and there's no canyon left.It's a finishing move. Not a conversation starter. I only ever used it to destroy a collapsing blacksite—and that left a crater visible from orbit."

Klaus closed the book slowly, breath steady, gaze sharp. His body glowed faintly as tendrils of pale energy drifted from his fingertips. The air around him began to warp, subtly bending light.

He walked into the center of the field, dropped into stance, and whispered

"Let's begin."

---

Kaen sat cross-legged near the field, tray of food beside him, watching Klaus train with the intensity of a disciple observing a god. Varnyx lay beside him on a raised mound of sun-warmed rocks Kaen had built earlier, because, as Kaen put it, "divine dragons need divine seating."

"You doing okay, Your Voidliness?" Kaen asked, offering a peeled grape.

Varnyx didn't move. "If I desired fruit, I would consume the entire orchard. Do not insult me."

"Right, of course. My apologies." Kaen tucked the grape away like it was cursed.

Then Klaus unleashed another ripple of power. The ground shivered. Light bent around his form.

Varnyx suddenly rose to all fours, head tilting slightly. Kaen blinked. "Uh… something wrong?"

Varnyx's eyes narrowed. "I've never seen a lesser balance flaws so well. He resonates… not dominates. Curious."

Kaen's jaw dropped. "Wait. Was that... praise?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Now bring me something fried..

Kaen scrambled up like a loyal servant. "At once, O Calamity Crowned!"

As he rushed off, Varnyx kept watching Klaus, tail flicking.

"…Might need to keep an eye on this one," he muttered.