Midnight had long since passed, and the academy grounds outside were silent under a blanket of darkness. Within the dorm, a quiet glow radiated from Lucas as he sat cross-legged, bathed in the gentle silver spill of moonlight coming in through the window. His breathing was steady now—slower, more controlled—but sweat clung to his forehead, his chest rising and falling with the kind of weariness that didn't come from physical exertion alone.
He had done it. After hours of rigorous focus, he'd finally brought the chaotic storm within him to heel. The flood of raw energy he had taken in from Nana was now moving in rhythm with his own core, flowing along the refined pathways of his newly advanced meridians.
Still, even as he exhaled a breath of hard-earned relief, he knew he wasn't done.
