The breeze over the mountain whispered like breath from the earth itself. Kian sat alone on the stone ledge overlooking the valley, wrapped in a silence that felt ancient. Clouds crawled across the sky above him, but there was no storm only stillness, deep and expectant.
He had been sitting there for nearly an hour.
Not training. Not moving. Listening.
Something was happening inside his body no, deeper. His veins were trembling, alive beneath the surface, not in pain, but in response. There was something in the air, the wind, the quiet hum of the world around him.
And for once, Kian wasn't trying to command the power. He was resonating with it.
That was the word Chandler had once used, offhandedly, when explaining how real Tier advancement worked not through brute strength, but by opening one's veins and syncing with the flow of ambient energy in the world. Most people never reached that understanding. They fought against the current. But those who truly resonated… they rose.
So Kian let go.
No flashy moves. No lightning.
He simply let the world in.
At first, it was faint like static brushing against skin. But then, the sensation deepened. His body began to tingle, veins gently lighting up with threads of green energy. The longer he stayed still, the stronger it became. Like being submerged in warm water.
Then it hit.
His spine stiffened, his hands clenched, and a flash of green lightning cracked through the air, arcing off his body. But he didn't cry out.
He leaned into it.
Power surged not wildly, but purposefully his muscles tightening, nerves sparking alive. His breath caught as the flow aligned. For a moment, it felt like his entire being had clicked into place with the rhythm of the world.
Lightning flared in a ring around him and then collapsed inward into his veins, into the very essence of his being.
His eyes opened, wide and glowing faintly.
He had reached Tier 8.
Kian exhaled slowly, the tension easing from his shoulders.
So this… is what it feels like to resonate.
Footsteps approached behind him soft, careful, but familiar.
Chandler stood a few paces back, holding two steaming cups of tea.
"I figured it would happen today," the old man said, his voice like gravel smoothed by time. "You're glowing like a lantern."
Kian smirked and reached for the tea, still breathing heavily. "It felt different. Like… the world was waiting for me to shut up and listen."
Chandler chuckled. "You're not wrong. That's how the world speaks. Quiet. Patient. Doesn't like being yelled at."
He sat beside him and looked out at the valley. For a long while, neither spoke.
Then Kian broke the silence. "I've been pushing forward without a reason. I thought I was chasing strength. But… that's not it anymore."
He glanced sideways.
"My reason is to protect you. And Nia. That's my goal now."
Chandler didn't respond immediately.
He took a sip of tea, then gave a small nod. "That's a good reason. That'll carry you farther than rage ever could."
Kian's eyes flickered down to the lightning on his skin it pulsed softer now, almost calmly. Controlled.
Balanced.
He had stopped chasing.
Now, he was walking.