The Weight of Power

Leon was drenched in sweat. His body trembled as a dark, invading force clawed at his mind. An unknown entity whispered relentlessly, urging him—commanding him—to kill.

He clenched his fists, veins pulsing with tension, as he fought back the sinister thoughts. No... I won't lose myself! he shouted inwardly. With a desperate roar, Leon forced the chaos in his mind to fall silent.

Suddenly, a purple aura erupted from his body like a flame being reignited. It pulsed with power, defiance, and rage.

Across the training field, Finn sat cross-legged on the ground, his brows furrowed in deep concentration. He had his eyes closed, but his mind wandered, unfocused. Come on... focus, damn it, he told himself. Taking a deep breath, he started listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat—thump… thump… thump…

An orange aura slowly began to rise from his body like a warm glow.

Finn stood up, determined. He walked to the massive boulder in front of him and placed one hand on it… then the other. He gritted his teeth. "Let's go..."

He pushed.

Nothing.

But he didn't stop. He braced his feet against the loose soil and shoved again. His shoes slipped—dirt flew. His muscles strained. He let out a growl as the rock inched forward.

Still sweating, he paused, his body on the brink of collapse. He fell to his knees, panting.

Then—he remembered Fanny. How she had done it in one try. The image lit a fire in him.

"I won't fall behind," he growled, teeth clenched.

With renewed fury, he stood back up and pushed again, breath heavy, arms trembling. Move… MOVE!

Slowly, painfully—the rock slid ten centimeters.

He stumbled back, gasping, but a smile broke across his face. "I… I did it!" he shouted in joy, then collapsed flat on the ground, pale and exhausted.

"I need… rest…" he murmured, eyes closing.

Nearby, Isla had also completed her training. Her breathing was calm, controlled. But Leon was still locked in battle with the stone—and the storm inside him.

His feet kept slipping on the soft soil. The rock trembled under his force but didn't budge.

Leon paused. He stared at his hands, then closed his eyes. Amelie… I'll become powerful… for your revenge…

His aura suddenly burst outward—darker, hotter, fiercer.

From afar, Sir Edric narrowed his eyes. "That aura…" he muttered. "It's rising… dangerously."

Leon roared and gave one final shove.

The rock didn't just move—it launched forward nearly twenty meters.

Silence fell.

Leon dropped to his knees, chest heaving, then collapsed on his back, his purple aura fading into the air. He smiled faintly. "I did it…"

Sir Edric approached, glancing first at Fanny, then the trio—Finn, Isla, and Leon—now sprawled across the training ground.

"This year… we found some real gems," he muttered proudly.

Seeing them nearly unconscious, he knelt down and lifted Leon over one shoulder, then picked up Finn as well. Finn, startled, blinked open his eyes.

"W-Wait… what's happening?! I didn't do anything wrong, I swear!" he panicked.

Sir Edric chuckled. "Relax. I'm just carrying you all to the nurse's office before you pass out on the ground."

Isla stood up slowly. "I'm okay, sir. I can walk."

Edric raised an eyebrow. "You sure? I can carry you too."

Isla's face flushed. "I think you're forgetting… I'm a girl, sir."

He laughed. "Right. Of course. Walk, then."

As they made their way through the hallway, Edric's deep voice echoed. "You three need to rest for a full week."

"Why?" Isla asked.

"We're waiting to see if any more students complete this phase. After that… the final training begins. And trust me—it takes a lot to prepare."

Leon, still on Edric's shoulder, narrowed his eyes. What kind of training needs that much effort to organize…?

"I'm excited!" Finn exclaimed weakly. "I wonder what we'll face in the final round."

"You'll see," Edric said with a grin. "I hope you enjoy it."

"I hope so too," Isla added.

In the nurse's room, Edric gently placed Finn and Leon onto beds. Isla sat nearby.

"You all did great. Rest now," Edric said with a proud smile as he turned to leave.

Just then, Darius Sir entered.

He raised an eyebrow. "Now what? Another set of students injured under your 'tender' training?"

"They're just exhausted," Edric replied with a sheepish grin. "They completed the phase."

"What?" Darius's eyes widened. "All three? You serious?"

"They survived your training, they are quite talented then they survived yours brutal training "

Finn laughed. "Sir, edric training is still better than your training of snakes and insects! That was real torture!"

Darius gave Finn a cold glare.

Finn flinched. "N-No offense! I mean… both trainings were hard! Yours was... horrifying in its own way!"

Edric clapped Darius's back with a hearty laugh—too hard.

CRASH.

Darius flew into the bed and flopped onto the floor.

"S-Sorry! I didn't mean it! I forget my strength sometimes!" Edric rushed to help.

"Stop! Don't touch me!" Darius groaned from the floor. "Keep your monstrous arms away! I'll get up myself!"

Watching all this, Leon, Finn, and Isla covered their mouths, trying to contain their laughter.

Later that day…

After resting in the nurse's room, Leon and Finn returned to their dorm.

As they changed, Leon looked thoughtful. "Finn… when you did Genkame [ process of meditating for channeling power ]—did you feel… something inside? Like a presence?"

Finn raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… during Genkame, you were sweating a lot. What was going on inside?"

Finn scratched his head. "Honestly, I didn't feel anything like that. Just tried to focus on my heartbeat."

Leon nodded, hiding his concern. Maybe… it's only me facing this. I can't tell him yet.

Trying to change the topic, he said, "Hey, I think something got in my eye. Can you check?"

Leon turned his back toward the door. Finn stepped in front, peering into his eye.

Just then—SLAM!

The door burst open. Fanny stood in the doorway, wide-eyed.

"I wanted to tell you something impor—"

She froze.

From her angle, it looked like Leon and Finn were... kissing.

Fanny's cheeks turned red as she quickly shut the door. "S-Sorry for interrupting! Continue!"

Leon and Finn blinked. Then the realization hit.

"Fanny!" they shouted. "It's not what it looks like!"

From outside, Fanny's voice replied, "It's okay! I didn't see anything! You guys carry on~!"

"STOP IT!"

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!!"