Dawn bathed the peaks of Mount Aeryon in golden light. Asori stood in the training clearing, the white aura wrapping his body like a second skin. He no longer trembled while holding the transformation; after days under Eryndor's brutal guidance, his endurance had grown beyond the impossible: he could now remain transformed for over a full day.
The sage watched him from a rock, arms crossed. His blue eyes, cold as the mountain winds, carried a glint of expectation.
—Today, boy, we stop playing. —He tossed the ancient scroll—. Read.
Asori unrolled it, sweat sliding down his forehead. The symbols, etched in ancient ink, seemed to shift with the wind itself.
—Delta Burst… —he read aloud—. "The bearer's limit is a wall. Break the wall, even if the body shatters."
Eryndor smiled wryly.
—It's all or nothing. For one minute, your strength and speed will rise beyond your limit, but your endurance will drop to nearly zero. Use it poorly, and you'll die.
Asori swallowed hard.
—And if I use it well?
—Then you'll live to tell it… with a body in pieces.
The wind swirled around him. Asori closed his eyes, let his Astral flood every fiber of his being, and roared as all his muscles and energy exploded at once:
—Delta Burst!
The air erupted. Asori's aura blazed brighter, nearly blinding. His movements blurred; one second he was at the edge of the clearing, the next he was before Eryndor. The sage barely raised a brow.
But the force was too wild. Each step cracked the ground, each swing of his arm thundered through the air. Asori tried to stop, but the momentum hurled him into a rock wall.
—AAAAHHH!
The impact shook the mountain. Rocks burst apart, dust filling the air. Asori collapsed, gasping, blood on his lips and his back searing with pain.
Eryndor regarded him calmly.
—That was your first attempt. You didn't even last ten seconds… a disaster, but… a disaster with potential.
Asori spat blood and forced himself up.
—I nearly split in half…
—And that's how it should be. If the wind were tame, anyone could use it. But the wind is free, and you must learn to ride it. —Eryndor pointed at the scroll—. Now, we'll continue with Aetherion.
Asori had tried before, with terrible results: wounded hands, uncontrollable explosions. But now… now the air seemed to listen to him.
He knelt before a cluster of massive rocks. Breathing deep, he let Astral flow into his palm, compressing the air as if the world itself were folding into a single point.
—Don't force it, —Eryndor said gravely—. Hear it. The air isn't your slave; it's your partner.
Sweat slid down Asori's temples. The air hummed, forming a luminous sphere in his hand. It pulsed like a heart made of wind.
—Aetherion!
The roar that followed was thunderous. The sphere burst forward in a wave of blue energy, tearing through the rocks as if they were paper. Fragments flew in every direction, the ground trembled, and dust clouded the clearing.
Asori froze, eyes wide, arm still outstretched. Before him, only rubble remained.
—I… I did it… —he whispered in disbelief.
Eryndor stepped down from the rock and stood beside him. For the first time, he gave him a genuine smile.
—Yes. That was your first true Aetherion.
Asori stared at his trembling hands, not with fear but with awe. He had felt the air flow with him, as though there were no line between his body and the wind.
—With this… I can protect anyone!
Eryndor raised a brow.
—If you don't lose control, yes. Remember: Aetherion is pure power. And power without discipline always exacts its price.
Asori clenched his fist, looking at the shattered rocks.
—I'll pay it, if I must.
Back at the castle, Blair walked alone through the inner garden. The fragrance of flowers wasn't enough to calm the racing of her heart. Since Asori had gone to the mountain, the Sweet Kiss hadn't stopped vibrating, as if she too felt every blow of his training.
Her fingers brushed her lips. The memory of their farewell kiss still lingered, along with the doubts.
—What are we now…? —she whispered.
Mikan's voice cut through the air:
—Two fools who have no idea how to say what they feel.
Blair jumped.
—Mikan?!
The ninja grinned from a tree branch, legs swinging.
—Come on, princess. How long are you going to pretend you don't want him?
Blair blushed.
—That's not it.
—Isn't it? —Mikan dropped lightly to the ground—. Jason was always the strong one, the candidate, the chosen one for the Sweet Kiss, and now, from what I've heard, the face of Azoth. And look at you: worried about a boy who only started fighting less than two months ago.
Blair furrowed her brow.
—Jason always saw me as a little sister. With him, everything was cold, calculated. But with Asori… —she stopped, inhaling deeply— with him, everything is… real.
Mikan arched her brows.
—Well. That sounds like a confession. Want me to get sentimental and clap for your excellent love admission?
Blair shoved her.
—It's not a confession!
The ninja laughed heartily.
—Whatever it is, if you don't tell him soon, I'll take him myself.
Blair puffed her cheeks.
—As if I'd let that happen.
But as she walked away, her smile slowly faded. In her mind, the memory of the kiss glowed brighter and brighter. She had to talk to Asori. Soon.
Tifa listened to her advisors, her expression like stone.
—My queen, Nifelheim's envoys press us: they demand shared Astral routes if we want their troops.
—Donner promises support, but only if Jason leads the forces.
—Caldus asks for tribute before committing.
Tifa closed her eyes for a moment.
—Zeknier controls half of Azoth. If we don't strike now, we'll lose the rest. And if we fall, the other kingdoms will fall with us.
Silence followed. The queen of Azoth knew time was running out.
On Mount Aeryon, Asori collapsed to his knees, gasping, while the remnants of the Aetherion still vibrated in the air. The echo of power traveled through the Sweet Kiss.
In the castle, Blair felt the impact in her chest and her eyes widened.
—Asori…
Her lips trembled. For the first time, she smiled without fear.
—You're doing it.
The wind blew, carrying her whisper toward the mountains.