The morning air was sharp and biting as students gathered in the academy's outer training field. Today's exercise was different—Professor Armin had promised a full-scale team battle, a simulation of real combat scenarios.
Kael's stomach twisted. Team fights meant working closely with others—and he still didn't fully understand his own powers.
"You'll be with me," Lyra whispered, linking her arm through his. "We'll get through it together."
Kael nodded, grateful but nervous. His gaze swept the field. The opposing team wasn't ordinary: Mira, with her light orb that could blind and trap opponents, stood beside Rael, a boy whose shadows could move independently of him. Toren and Kiro were there too, smirking confidently, wings and fire at the ready.
"Form your squads!" Professor Armin's voice rang out.
Kael's team included him, Lyra, and Eren. Lyra's ability to manipulate air could control movement, giving them a tactical edge. Eren's frost could immobilize enemies or create barriers. And Kael… Kael had nothing—or so he thought.
The moment the signal sounded, chaos erupted. Mira's light orb shot forward, forcing Lyra to twist mid-air to dodge. Rael's shadow surged toward Eren, attempting to bind him.
Kael froze, instinct screaming at him. But then something inside pulsed, faintly, like the heartbeat of the shadow from his dreams. He stepped forward, and the air around him shimmered slightly. Not much, but enough to nudge Rael's shadow aside, breaking the enemy's formation.
"Kael!" Lyra shouted, guiding him. "Move! Use what you feel!"
Kael's hands tingled. The faint power inside him responded to his instincts rather than conscious control. As he dodged an attack from Kiro's fireball, a subtle ripple pushed it off course. It wasn't destructive, but it was enough to save Eren.
The battle intensified. Shadows, frost, fire, and air collided across the frozen arena, creating a chaotic storm of energy. Every student's powers displayed their unique characteristics. Some could manipulate time in tiny bursts. Others bent gravity to their will. Kael's eyes widened with each new ability, realizing how vast and varied the world of powers truly was.
Then Toren swooped in, black wings slicing through the air, aiming to strike Kael. Kael's chest ached, the familiar headache stabbing at him. Images flashed across his mind—mountains crumbling, skies on fire, a shadow towering over everything.
Instinctively, Kael raised his hands. The pulse inside him flared, brighter this time. A faint wave of energy radiated outward, enough to push Toren back several feet. Students froze. Even Mira and Rael paused mid-attack.
Lyra's voice rang in his ears, steady and encouraging. "Kael! Trust yourself!"
With renewed courage, Kael moved with the flow of the battle, dodging attacks, creating small ripples that disrupted the enemies' coordination. He wasn't strong, but he could influence the fight in subtle ways, planting the first seeds of his potential.
Eren froze his frost barrier to trap Kiro temporarily, while Lyra manipulated air to push Mira off balance. Kael, with his flickers of hidden power, nudged Rael's shadows away from the team. For the first time, he felt like he belonged in a fight.
The battle ended with their team victorious, though not easily. Toren and Kiro glared, furious at being outsmarted by someone they considered powerless. Kael, panting and exhausted, sank to the ground.
Lyra knelt beside him. "You did amazing. Even without full control, you changed the flow of the battle. That's what counts."
Kael looked at his hands, still tingling faintly. He didn't fully understand what had happened. The power inside him was waking, slowly, testing him, but he felt it—the shadow responding.
Later, as the sun dipped low, Professor Armin approached Kael quietly. "You have potential far beyond your peers. Subtle, restrained, and adaptive. But you must learn control, or your power could become unpredictable."
Kael nodded, determination hardening inside him. The shadow inside his chest pulsed softly, like a heartbeat in sync with his own. Somewhere, deep in the multiverse, forces far older than he could comprehend were beginning to stir.
That night, Kael dreamed again. The colossal shadow loomed, closer than ever, whispering words he could almost understand:
"The Origin awakens… and the path is only beginning."
He woke gasping. Lyra was waiting outside his window, concern etched across her face. "Another dream?"
Kael nodded, hands trembling. "It's… different this time. I can feel it inside me."
She smiled softly. "Then we'll face it together. You're not alone, Kael. And one day, you'll understand the true strength within you. I promise."
The boy who once couldn't shine had begun to leave sparks in his wake.