Chapter 48

  Kael was almost at the surface.

  He did not know how much time had passed. The water was still cold, pressing against his skin, but he could feel the warmth of the morning sun filtering down, faint yet unmistakable.

  Warmth reaching him directly.

  With a final push, Kael emerged from the pond.

  Water streamed down his hair and shoulders as he stepped onto the shore. Nearby, Reiro lay resting, eyes closed, his breathing calm.

  Sleeping.

  Reiro stirred the moment Kael's presence settled.

  His eyes opened slowly.

  He rose to a seated position and studied Kael in silence.

  Something had changed.

  Kael's aura was no longer diffuse. It was defined. Denser. Stable in a way it had never been before.

  Reiro smiled.

  "Lord Kael," he said, "it seems you had a meaningful time down there."

  Kael nodded.

  "Yes, Reiro," he replied. "Better than I expected."

  He paused, then added with a small smile, "This is my second stage. Kael's second stage. Not a bad name, I think."

  Reiro chuckled softly.

  "It certainly is not."

  Kael took a breath and looked back at the pond.

  "So," he said, "now that my aura has taken shape, I can feel it. The plan has changed."

  Reiro's expression sharpened slightly, attentive.

  "There are only two things we should do before leaving," Kael continued.

  Reiro raised his index finger.

  "First," he said calmly.

  Reiro lowered his hand slightly.

  "First," he said, "you need a technique. Not one that increases power, but one that teaches restraint."

  Kael turned to him.

  "Aura without direction is wasted," Reiro continued. "Now that your aura has taken shape, releasing it carelessly will only slow your growth."

  He stepped closer and placed two fingers lightly against Kael's chest.

  "You felt it in the pond," Reiro said. "The pressure did not crush you because you stopped pushing back. You accepted it, shaped yourself around it."

  Kael nodded slowly.

  "Yes," he said. "It felt like holding everything inside."

  "That feeling," Reiro replied, "is the foundation."

  He withdrew his hand.

  "Compress your aura inward. Do not let it leak. Do not let it expand."

  Kael closed his eyes.

  He focused.

  The aura around him pulled back, tightening, sinking toward his core. It felt unnatural at first, like breathing without releasing air.

  His chest tightened.

  His heartbeat grew heavy.

  Reiro watched closely.

  "Good," he said. "Now circulate it once. Only once."

  Kael did.

  The compressed aura moved through him in a controlled loop, sharp and dense, like pressure being aligned rather than resisted.

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  His body trembled.

  Then Reiro spoke again.

  "Release it. Forward. Minimal movement."

  Kael opened his eyes.

  He stepped forward and thrust his fist.

  No explosion.

  No sound.

  But the ground beneath his feet cracked in a straight line.

  Kael froze, staring at his hand.

  Reiro exhaled slowly.

  "Remember that feeling," he said. "That is not power. That is direction."

  Kael clenched his fist.

  "And the second thing?" he asked.

  Reiro smiled.

  "The second," he said, stepping back and loosening his stance, "is to test whether you can use it without losing yourself."

  He raised his guard.

  "We spar."

  Reiro settled into an attack stance.

  Kael smiled and reached for his sword.

  Then paused.

  He looked down at his empty hand and glanced back at Reiro.

  "…I left it with you," Kael said.

  "Lord Kael," Reiro replied calmly, "you will not use a weapon."

  Before Kael could respond, Reiro vanished.

  Kael's instincts screamed.

  Steel flashed above his head.

  Kael bent his knees sharply, lowering his body just as Reiro's sword cut through the space where his neck had been. He kicked off the ground and leapt backward, landing several steps away.

  The air trembled.

  Reiro did not stop.

  He slammed his foot into the ground.

  The earth shook violently, the shockwave traveling outward and throwing Kael's balance off mid-step.

  Just dodging won't be enough, Kael thought.

  Fine. Then I fight back.

  Kael turned and sprinted toward the pond.

  His aura surged into his legs, compressing inward as he had just learned. Muscle strengthened. Movement sharpened.

  Reiro tracked him instantly.

  He raised his sword.

  "Sword Art," Reiro said.

  "Shadow Slash."

  The blade descended.

  The air screamed.

  The slash tore forward, cleaving the ground beneath it as if it were paper. Space distorted along its path, and the surrounding air rushed violently to fill the void it left behind.

  It was coming straight for Kael.

  Kael stopped at the edge of the pond.

  He turned.

  Aura flooded his arms and shoulders, compressing inward until his body screamed in protest.

  Kael raised his hands and met the attack head-on.

  The slash crushed against him.

  His feet dug into the ground as he struggled to withstand it. The force threatened to tear him apart, his arms shaking violently as he fought to slow it down.

  Not much time, he realized.

  The air pressure behind the slash surged.

  Kael made a decision.

  He jumped.

  Kael landed directly onto the slash.

  The force hurled him forward, carrying him across the pond like a blade skimming water. The air pressure detonated behind him, missing him by a breath.

  Water exploded outward as Kael rode the slash, barely maintaining balance.

  Reiro's eyes widened slightly.

  I knew he would think of something reckless, Reiro thought.

  But this…

  Kael twisted his body mid-motion, redirecting the slash beneath his feet. He leapt off it and shot forward, aura compressed tight, fist drawn back.

  Full speed.

  Straight at Reiro.

  He exceeded my expectations, Reiro admitted silently.

  But this is still not the end.

  Kael Jumped off the slash,the slah was against Reiro,Reiro dismissed it as it got near him,kael was nonwhere to be seen.

  Where is he?

  Did I let my guard drop too far?

  The thought barely finished forming when Reiro felt it.

  Below him.

  The ground ruptured.

  Kael burst upward from the earth, aura compressed tight around his body, fist already drawn back. He struck without hesitation.

  Reiro reacted instantly.

  He caught the punch inches from his chest, boots skidding backward as the impact rippled through his arms.

  Kael smiled.

  Reiro's eyes flicked past him.

  Behind Kael, the pond surged.

  A towering wave rose, roaring toward them.

  Kael reinforced his arm again, aura tightening further, and twisted his body. Using the wave's momentum, he wrenched his fist free and drove it forward.

  The punch landed.

  Reiro was thrown backward as the wave crashed down, flooding the ground with crushing force. Water tore through the area, flattening the terrain.

  Both endured it.

  When the water receded, they stood once more, facing each other across shattered earth.

  Kael inhaled.

  His entire body tightened.

  Then he charged.

  Reiro released his sword. It struck the ground behind him as he shifted into a bare-handed stance.

  Kael opened with a kick.

  Reiro blocked.

  Kael rotated mid-motion, planting his foot and driving his second leg into Reiro's side, forcing him back.

  Reiro twisted with the impact, energy already gathering in his fist.

  He struck.

  Kael barely avoided it, the punch grazing past his chest and tearing the air apart behind him.

  They separated again.

  Distance.

  Kael's body burned.

  His temperature was rising fast, aura circulation pushing his limits.

  Reiro felt it immediately.

  Kael's right arm remained still.

  Focused.

  Stored.

  Reiro lunged.

  Punch after punch followed, relentless and precise. Kael dodged where he could, blocking with his left arm, but several strikes still landed. Pain tore through him, blood creeping into his mouth.

  And yet—

  Kael smiled faintly.

  "Aura Technique," Kael said quietly.

  "Energy Punch."

  The stored power released.

  The punch vanished from sight.

  Even Reiro could not read it.

  The impact shattered the ground beneath them, pulverizing stone and releasing a massive shockwave. The air detonated outward.

  Reiro was hurled across the field, slamming into a stone formation far away.

  The earth went silent.

  Kael lowered his arm slowly.

  "…I should work on controlling that," he muttered. "Next time."

  He started forward.

  Then coughed.

  Blood spilled from his mouth.

  His legs buckled.

  Kael collapsed to one knee.

  What…?

  Pain exploded inside him.

  His organs screamed.

  Internal damage.

  "I should have protected my body," Kael thought weakly.

  Then he forced a breath.

  "Hey," he muttered inward. "I know you're listening. Heal me, Blood Beast. Don't laugh."

  A voice answered, amused and cold.

  "Why should I?" it replied. "Your body is so weak it couldn't endure such a small impact."

  Kael clenched his teeth.

  "Idiot," he whispered. "If I die, you die too. Heal me."

  A pause.

  "Tch. Greedy brat," the Blood Beast muttered. "Just you wait."

  Warmth flooded Kael's body as the damage reversed, flesh knitting painfully back together.

  Kael exhaled.

  "…Thanks," he said.

  He forced himself to his feet and ran toward where Reiro lay.