the storm within

The next morning, Raizen awoke before the sun had risen. A faint layer of mist clung to the grounds outside the Ashborne estate, the dew catching the first light in droplets that sparkled like stars scattered across the earth. He stood at his window, staring down at the familiar training yard—where legends had once been forged, and where he would forge himself anew.

His room was the same as he remembered: clean, spacious, walls adorned with ancient weaponry and heirlooms, some of which had survived centuries. His katana rested on a simple black stand near the far wall. Though he couldn't awaken its true power until his Awakening, he still felt a connection to it—like a piece of himself was embedded in the steel.

There was a knock at the door.

"You're up early," his father said, stepping in.

Raizen turned. Darius Ashborne stood tall, composed as always. The silver strands in his black hair added a touch of regality, his every movement precise. But there was also warmth in his eyes—something few outside the family had ever seen.

"I couldn't sleep," Raizen said simply.

Darius nodded. "Understandable. Your Awakening draws near. It stirs the soul."

Raizen hesitated. "What was your Awakening like?"

Darius smiled faintly. "Violent. Beautiful. Terrifying. I crushed an entire stone chamber by accident. Zerus was proud. Your mother nearly fainted."

Raizen chuckled.

"You'll be fine," Darius continued. "More than fine. We've all seen the storm within you."

Raizen didn't answer. Because the truth was, the storm inside him wasn't just from the bloodline.

It was everything he'd endured in his past life.

The betrayals. The manipulation. The friends who had used him, the enemies who had laughed at him, the world that had turned its back on him when he'd needed it most.

He'd carried those scars into death.

Now, reborn, they fueled him.

Later that day, the entire Ashborne family gathered in the central courtyard. It was tradition: every Ashborne who awakened would do so surrounded by their family, within the sacred grounds reinforced by generations of enchantments and mental barriers.

Lucien stood beside their mother, arms crossed and eyes sharp. Selene leaned against a tree, a grin tugging at her lips. Zerus watched from the stone steps, sipping from his ever-present sake bottle. Even the family's grandmothers—Lady Maris from the Virelin side, and Lady Caldra from the Ashborne—stood tall at opposite ends of the courtyard, their expressions proud and intense.

Liora stepped forward, brushing a strand of silver hair behind her ear. "Are you ready?"

Raizen nodded once.

He stood in the center of the courtyard, alone, barefoot. The runes etched into the stone beneath him began to glow, reacting to the latent power within his blood. The temperature around him dropped. The air thickened. The wind stilled, as if the world was holding its breath.

Then came the pain.

It started as a tremor in his spine. Then it spread, twisting through his nerves like wildfire. Raizen grit his teeth but didn't scream. He had known worse pain. He had died once. This was nothing.

A force slammed into his chest from within. His vision blurred. His ears rang.

And then—silence.

A moment of perfect stillness.

And then—

BOOM.

A psychic explosion erupted from Raizen's body. A wave of pure telekinetic energy burst outward, rippling across the courtyard like a shockwave. The dummies lining the edges of the yard cracked and crumbled. The trees swayed. Even the barrier stones trembled.

Zerus's sake bottle shattered in his hand.

Lucien's eyes widened. Selene instinctively drew back.

In the center of the blast, Raizen floated two inches off the ground, hair lifted by the unseen wind, eyes glowing silver.

The storm had awakened.

When he opened his eyes again, the pain was gone.

Only clarity remained.

He could feel everything.

Every grain of dust in the air. Every blade of grass bending beneath his weight. Every heartbeat around him.

He slowly lowered himself to the ground.

Liora was already rushing toward him. "Raizen! Are you—?"

"I'm fine," he said.

Zerus was still sitting, though his expression was no longer playful.

He rose, brushing his coat off and stepping forward with a slow, deliberate gait.

"That," Zerus said, "was a lot of power for an initial awakening."

Raizen looked at him. "I held most of it back."

For a moment, silence.

Then Zerus threw back his head and laughed. A deep, booming sound that startled birds from nearby trees.

"That's my grandson!" he shouted. "You're just like me—dangerous from day one!"

Liora frowned. "Don't encourage him."

"Why not?" Zerus grinned. "You saw that blast. F-rank? My ass. The kid's already on par with a solid E+, maybe even higher."

Raizen tilted his head. "They'll still mark me as F."

Zerus smirked. "Good. Let them. They'll never see you coming."

After the ceremony, as the sun began to set, Raizen sat alone beneath the old willow tree in the garden.

He stared at his open palm, where a pebble floated lazily in the air, spinning slowly.

His control was far better than in his past life. There had been a time he could barely lift a book.

Now, this came naturally.

He was stronger already.

And with his grandfather as his trainer… he would become unstoppable.

"Hey," Selene's voice came from behind.

She dropped beside him, a drink in hand.

"Thought you might need water after exploding half the yard," she said.

Raizen smirked. "Thanks."

They sat in silence for a moment, watching the koi fish swim in the pond nearby.

"You really held back?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Selene looked at him carefully. "You've always been gifted, but this… this is something else."

"I know," Raizen said. "I have to grow fast. There's not much time."

Selene raised a brow. "Time for what?"

Raizen hesitated. Then shook his head. "You'll see. When the party happens."

Selene didn't press. "Just don't forget—we're here. Whatever you're carrying, you don't have to do it alone."

Raizen's chest tightened.

In his past life, he'd fought alone.

This time… maybe he didn't have to.

He looked at her. "Thanks, Selene."

She grinned. "You're still my little brother. Even if you are turning into a walking weapon."

Later that night, Raizen met with Zerus in the family's private underground training chamber.

The walls were reinforced with beast-core runes and Ashborne enchantments. It was where the strongest warriors of the family had honed their abilities for generations.

Zerus tossed him a real katana—not wooden, not dulled. The real thing.

"Training starts now," he said.

"I just Awakened," Raizen said, gripping the blade's hilt.

"And? That's when the real work begins."

Raizen nodded. "What's first?"

Zerus cracked his neck, eyes gleaming with madness and pride.

"Simple," he said. "Survive."

Then he lunged forward, faster than any F-rank could possibly react to.

Raizen barely parried in time.

Their blades clashed, sparks flying.

And for the first time in two lifetimes, Raizen felt alive.